President Donald Trump is facing criticism for a Truth Social post that appeared to minimize the deaths of 18 U.S. service members killed since the start of the Iran war, as he attended a dignified transfer on Wednesday for the four most recent casualties.
In his Tuesday post, Trump compared the Iran conflict’s death toll with those of past U.S. wars, listing figures from Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Korea alongside his own military actions. He wrote: “Afghanistan War: 20 years, 2,000 DEAD… Iran Military Conflict: 4 months, 18 DEAD,” prompting backlash from both Democrats and former allies who accused him of boasting about U.S. troop deaths.
On Wednesday, Trump courted controversy once again when he appeared to dismiss the conflict, referring to it as a “skirmish.”
“This skirmish we have going on. I call it a skirmish with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump said. “They are getting hit so hard. And they want to make a deal. But I say they’re not ready to make a deal. They’ll be ready very soon.”
Former supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene said Trump was “bragging about killing 18 US soldiers.” California Governor Gavin Newsom called the president a “disgusting Little Man,” while commentator Brian Krassenstein said Trump was minimizing “18 soldiers [who] have died from his stupid Iran war.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the post “beneath contempt,” and Senator Chris Van Hollen said Trump was “downplaying” the loss of American lives.
Some allies defended Trump’s framing. Conservative commentator David J. Freeman argued the president was highlighting “winning fast with minimal American blood.” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told Fox News that Iran is “learning a clear lesson about America and President Trump,” saying the administration is confronting a regime that has “murdered Americans” for decades.
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment by email on Wednesday morning, outside of standard working hours.
Not everyone saw Trump’s post as a tasteless “brag.” Political commentator David J. Freeman, who goes by the online name Gunther Eagleman, wrote on X: “Strong leadership means winning FAST with minimal American blood. No endless wars. Period.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Stephen Miller, a close Trump ally, told Fox News on Tuesday that the results of the Iran war “have been very clear.” He added, talking about the leadership in Tehran: “They and everyone watching around the world is learning a clear lesson about America and President Trump.”
For “47 years,” according to Miller, the Iranian “regime has murdered Americans, tortured dissidents, funded terrorism, and operated with bloody impunity.” Other presidents pushed the problem aside, he said, but Trump is confronting it.
“We’re going to deal with this. We’re going to do it now. And we’re going to do whatever it takes,” Miller said.
Trump’s description of the Iran-U.S. war as a “skirmish” sparked backlash online on Wednesday, with critics branding the comment as “disgusting.”
“The most expensive skirmish ever,” Tennis star Martina Navratilova wrote on X, also referring to spiraling cost of the Iran war. “Hey donnie- people do not die in a f**king skirmish!!!” she added.
Bulward Editor at Large Bill Kristol wrote on X that it was, “Disgusting for the commander-in-chief to call the war he initiated in which these service members died a skirmish.”
Thomas Jager, Professor of International Politics and Foreign Policy at the University of Cologne, mocked the president, posting on X, “From “little excursion” to “skirmish” in a war that has already been won thirty-three times.” Jager weas referring to Trump’s claims he’s ended multiple wars.
Trump Honors Four Fallen Soldiers at Dover as Iran War Casualties Mount
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Trump said he was heading to Delaware to “honor our heroes,” adding that meeting grieving families requires offering “your heart” and reminding them that “we love your child.”
The transfer marked the return of 1st Lt. Tyler J. Feehan, Sgt. Michael E. Swinton, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, all killed after Iranian‑aligned forces struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17 or during a separate drone‑related incident in northern Iraq. Rampersad had initially been listed as missing before officials concluded she was also killed in the Jordan attack.
“It’s very tough to watch, to be honest with you,” Trump said of the dignified transfer of the fallen military members. “I think it’s the toughest thing I do.”
Trump said that he had invited the family of Feehan to join him on Air Force One on his trip to Georgia.
“We will carry Tyler’s memory in our hearts forever,” Trump said.
Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine stood at attention as each flag‑draped transfer case was carried from a military aircraft to waiting vehicles. A call of “present arms” preceded each movement, with service members saluting and civilians placing hands over their hearts. The process lasted roughly ten minutes as all four soldiers were brought off the plane.
The White House said Trump met privately with each family at Dover. The administration is continuing its investigation into how Iranian‑backed militants were able to breach defenses in Jordan, an attack that has intensified scrutiny of the conflict’s rising human toll.
As the administration investigates how Iranian‑backed militants breached defenses in Jordan, Tehran issued its own warning. Iranian official Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that Iran’s defense doctrine is “eye for an eye,” adding that any strike on Iranian infrastructure “will compel a powerful and decisive response” and that those who support such actions “will also be considered as legitimate targets.”
Who Are the U.S. Service Members Who Died In the War?
A total of 18 U.S. service members have been confirmed by the U.S. military to have died since the beginning of the conflict.
Six Army Reserve soldiers were killed in an Iranian strike on a tactical operation center in Kuwait’s Port Shuaiba on March 1, shortly after the U.S. launched “Operation Epic Fury.”
These were:
- Major Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa
- Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Spotsylvania, Virginia
- Master Sergeant Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
- Sergeant Declan J. Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa
- Captain Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida
- Sergeant 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, was the seventh U.S. service member to be killed. He died of his wounds after being injured in an Iranian attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 1.
Six service members were killed on March 12 when their KC-135 refueling plane crashed in western Iraq. These included three members of the Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing.
The six were:
- Major John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama
- Captain Ariana Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington
- Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky
- Captain Seth Koval, 38, of Stoutsville, Ohio
- Captain Curtis Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio
- Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio
Commander Gabriel Edwards, 40, a native of Oakland, Oregon, was identified as a sailor who had gone missing after a helicopter’s emergency landing in the Arabian Sea on July 1.
Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii were killed in action on July 17 and July 18, respectively, according to the Pentagon. The two were supporting a U.S. mission against the Islamic State group in Jordan called “Operation Inherent Resolve” when they were killed during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, officials said.
A third soldier based in Jordan had been listed as missing in action since the Iranian attack on Friday. The Pentagon has now identified him as Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, who is believed to have been killed in the same attack.
Another U.S. service member, Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was confirmed by the U.S. military to have been killed “during a controlled detonation of a downed One-Way Unmanned Aerial System” on July 19 at the Erbil Air Base in Iraq.
More than 500 U.S. troops have been wounded in the Iran war until now, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.
Trump Said Iran Wants End to War
Despite attending the transfer, Trump continued escalating warnings to Tehran. On Wednesday morning, he posted a new threat on Truth Social promising automatic retaliation for any future Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz:
“Any time Iran shoots at a ship… the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those in the Capital City of Tehran.”
U.S. strikes continued Tuesday night, complicating diplomatic efforts to revive a ceasefire.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators the war has cost $37.5 billion so far and requested nearly $88 billion more to sustain operations in the Middle East, signaling the conflict is unlikely to end soon.
During the dignified transfer ritual, transfer cases draped with American flags are carried from the aircraft to an awaiting vehicle and taken to the mortuary facility, where the service members are prepared for their final resting place.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips
