Trump Backs JD Vance’s Remarks Over Iran War That Has Killed at Least 18 Us Service Members, Calling It ‘Small Potatoes’
The people of Iran would probably disagree
On Thursday, at a White House event, Vice President JD Vance urged people not to call the ongoing hostilities between the United States and Iran a “war,” because there were no “active combat operations.” However, a closer look at what has happened over the past week tells a different story.
A CNN article from Thursday reports that, although Vance denies any “active shooting” between the US and Iran, the two countries have exchanged fire for three consecutive days this week, including near the Strait of Hormuz. Amidst growing criticism surrounding Vance’s remarks on this topic, Trump recently commented on the same.
When asked if he agreed that it’s not a war, Trump echoed Vance’s sentiments. In a social media clip taken from a White House event he attended recently, Trump said, “Lot of people don’t call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it’s small potatoes for us.”
He continued, “It’s not a big thing. We did Venezuela and we did this. And, Venezuela we lost nobody and in this we lost eighteen people and Vietnam we lost a hundred thousand people and in another conflict we lost tens of thousands of people.” He added, “I would say it’s intermittent.”
Trump’s “small potatoes” war has resulted in the death of at least eighteen people
Back in July, The New York Times and other publications, such as CBS News, reported that after initially stating that the war in Iran had cost the lives of eighteen United States service members, the Pentagon later reduced the number to fourteen. According to CBS News, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell offered clarification following the incident in a statement on social media.
He said in an X post dated July 23, 2026, “the site errors on the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) were due to a temporary data disruption.” He also said, “These site anomalies are currently being resolved in coordination with the Military Services,” while calling The New York Times out for misreporting and alleging that they attempted to offer them the truth but they published a “non-story” instead.
Service members on board USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in Iran enjoyed a retreat in Thailand
After spending months at sea during the United States’ ongoing war with Iran, service members aboard USS Abraham Lincoln touched down in Thailand for a five-day retreat. According to FirstPost, they departed Thailand on Sunday.
For those unaware, the USS Abraham Lincoln was at the center of significant controversy over the past couple of weeks amid growing concerns about the mental health of those aboard the vessel. Some reports also suggested a lack of amenities aboard the vessel was contributing to worsening conditions.
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