President Trump has remained in Florida and out of public view since announcing he'd ordered extensive strikes on Iran early Saturday, opting against the kind of formal wartime address past presidents have typically delivered. He's posted online and spoken by phone to reporters but hasn't been seen, the New York Times reports. Instead of returning to the White House, as predecessors have done during a military operation, Trump attending a political fundraising dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night.
"What Americans of our time are accustomed to is a president giving a White House speech—usually from the Oval Office—that befits the supreme importance of making war," said presidential historian Michael Beschloss. "We are in a time where so many political traditions are being sidelined. And this is another." The lack of communication may have left many people unprepared for the news. "The American public woke up to find the president took major military action with little public engagement or information," said Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist, former State Department official, and veteran of Trump's first administration. "While the element of surprise is an advantage in war, it may not be appreciated or understood by the public on such serious and consequential matters," Bartlett added.
By Sunday, the president had made no public appearance and had not spoken live on camera. He did release a video message on Sunday afternoon saying he expects there to be more US casualties. The administration did not provide a reason for the absence of a formal address, and Trump skipped interaction with the press pool traveling with him. His approach contrasted not only with previous presidents in times of military action but also with his own past responses, including a White House address after US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities last year and on-camera remarks from Mar-a-Lago after an operation in Venezuela. Trump allies defended the strategy as suited to a media environment dominated by social platforms.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president's attendance at the dinner for the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc., calling the fundraiser "more important than ever." Trump appeared to link the two worlds in a post hours after the attack began, bringing up allegations that Iran's government tried to affect US presidential elections. "Iran tried to interfere in 2020, 2024 elections to stop Trump," he posted on Truth Social, "and now faces renewed war with United States." The sentence echoed a headline on the pro-Trump website Just the News, per the Guardian.
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