Donald Trump Suggests He's A War Hero: 'I Guess I Am'
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that he's a war hero, telling the conservative media host Mark Levin, in part, "I guess I am."
Trump made the comment while talking to Levin, a staunch pro-Israel advocate, about working with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to free the remaining hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Trump called Netanyahu "a good man," adding that "he's in there fighting."
The U.S. president went on to say that although some want Netanyahu to be prosecuted on war crimes charges, "he's a war hero."
"He's a war hero because we worked together," Trump told Levin. "He's a war hero. I guess I am, too. Nobody cares. But I am, too. I mean, I sent those planes."
Trump has never been deployed or fought in a war. When he told Levin on Tuesday that he "sent those planes," he was referring to ordering airstrikes in June targeting three critical uranium enrichment facilities in Iran.
Donald Trump on Benjamin Netanyahu:
'I worked with your friend Bibi...He's a war hero. I guess I am, too.' pic.twitter.com/N7RJI5DlYp — The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) August 19, 2025
Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, an ardent Trump critic who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, expressed shock at the president's remarks, writing on X: "Trump just called himself a 'war hero.' Wow."
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.
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