President Donald Trump may have hidden the actual death toll of American troops who were reportedly killed during the exchange of strikes with Iran. Previously, the president claimed that three troops were killed in action during Operation “Epic Fury;” however, his recent remarks to a publication suggest otherwise.
According to The New York Times, Trump claimed that the death toll first reported “could be quite a bit higher.” He further stated that as situations with Iran continue to progress, the casualties might rise. He said, “If you look at projections, it could be quite a bit higher than that.”
The president also said that he hopes to avoid further casualties, but given the situation, people can likely expect “many more.” According to the U.S. Military’s Central Command, three troops were killed in action, while five others were seriously injured. Although these numbers have been made public, the locations remain under wraps.
President Trump told the New York Times that the number of US service members dead “could be quite a bit higher” than the three currently reported.
“If you look at projections, they do projections… it could be quite a bit higher than that.”
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/mRNb8LLYKC
— AF Post (@AFpost) March 2, 2026
Trump’s claims of more possible casualties has sparked outrage on the internet. Many netizens expressed their concerns about the real casualty toll being hidden. Democrats have also taken to social media, slamming the president for allegedly keeping official numbers hidden.
New York Representative Pat Ryan have spoken to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about Trump’s comments. The president reportedly refused to elaborate on the number of casualties, and Ryan had sharp words for him over this.
Ryan said, “For the president to not answer those questions, to have nothing to say to those family members, it’s pathetic.” The Democrat also believes that Trump doesn’t have a real plan of action to deal with the Iran crisis.
Tucker Carlson told @jonkarl today the US strikes on Iran are “absolutely disgusting and evil.”
Carlson regularly talks about his regret for cheering the Iraq war. We took a look at his evolution.
— Donie O’Sullivan (@donie) February 28, 2026
It wasn’t just the Democrats who were calling Trump out for allegedly hiding the real number of casualties. The president also faced backlash from within his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base for the same.
Trump’s critics included conservative political activist Tucker Carlson and former U.S. representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Carlson criticized Trump for the Iran strikes and called it “disgusting and evil.” He also claimed that the president’s actions could badly impact the political climate and “shuffle the cards” in a bad way for the United States.
Greene, on the other hand, called out Trump and his administration in a post on social media. She pointed out, “The Trump admin actually asked in a poll how many casualties voters were willing to accept in a war with Iran????”
My God, these poor military members and their poor families. I’m sorry for them and praying for them.
This was absolutely unnecessary and is unacceptable.
Trump, Vance, Tulsi, and all of us campaigned on no more foreign wars and regime change.
Now, America soldiers are dead. https://t.co/Je3PNc9yZK
— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) March 1, 2026
She also recalled a statement from Trump, who had reportedly promised no more wars. However, he now might have started a big one in the wake of what happened in Iran.
Many other lawmakers, including both Democrats and Republicans, called out Trump for his recent actions.
Trump recently suggested the strikes would not stop, which means that an end to the military action against Iran seems unlikely at the moment. He said that the conflict could last three to four weeks or even more. The exact timeline depends on how events unfold.
