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During his campaigns for president, Donald Trump spoke of the need to stop engaging in 鈥渆ndless鈥� or 鈥渇orever wars,鈥� and said removing 鈥渨armongers and America-last globalists鈥� was among his second-term foreign policy priorities.

Trump’s move to strike Iranian nuclear sites risks embroiling the United States in the sort of conflict he once derided. Like other recent American presidents, Trump said he would not permit Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. In recent months, he had held out hope that diplomacy could avoid the strike he announced Saturday.

Trump’s consideration of military action had opened a schism among his 鈥淢ake American Great Again鈥� movement and drew criticism from some of its most high-profile members.

Here’s a look at some of Trump’s rhetoric before his announcement Saturday about the strikes:

2024 campaign

Trump often drew lines of contrasts with his Republican primary opponents. In January 2024, at a New Hampshire rally, he referred to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was U.N. ambassador during Trump鈥檚 first term, as a 鈥渨armonger鈥� whose mentality on foreign policy is, 鈥淟et鈥檚 kill people all over the place and let鈥檚 make a lot of money for those people that make the messes.鈥�

During a Jan. 6, 2024, rally before the Iowa caucuses, Trump told supporters that returning him to the White House would allow the country to 鈥渢urn the page forever on those foolish, stupid days of never-ending wars. They never ended.鈥�

Rolling out his foreign policy priorities during that campaign 鈥� something Trump鈥檚 orbit called 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� he posted a video online in which he talked of how he was 鈥渢he only president in generations who didn鈥檛 start a war.鈥�

In that video, Trump called himself 鈥渢he only president who rejected the catastrophic advice of many of Washington鈥檚 Generals, bureaucrats, and the so-called diplomats who only know how to get us into conflict, but they don鈥檛 know how to get us out.鈥�

First term

In his first term, Trump often referenced his anti-interventionist pledge. During his 2019 State of the Union address, he said, 鈥淎s a candidate for president, I loudly pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars.鈥�

There were frequent clashes with some of his advisers over whether or not the United States should take a more involved stance abroad. That included his hawkish national security adviser John Bolton, with whom Trump had strong disagreements on Iran, Afghanistan and other global challenges.

As Turkey launched a military operation into Syria targeting Kurdish forces, Trump in October 2019 posted a series of tweets citing his anti-interventionist stance.

鈥淭urkey has been planning to attack the Kurds for a long time. They have been fighting forever,鈥� Trump posted Oct. 10, 2019, on the platform then known as Twitter. 鈥淲e have no soldiers or Military anywhere near the attack area. I am trying to end the ENDLESS WARS.鈥�

A week later, he reiterated his position: 鈥淚 was elected on getting out of these ridiculous endless wars, where our great Military functions as a policing operation to the benefit of people who don鈥檛 even like the USA.鈥�

2016 campaign

Candidate Trump was vociferous in his disdain for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling them both mistakes.

鈥淲e made a terrible mistake getting involved there in the first place,鈥� Trump told CNN in October 2015, referencing Afghanistan.

鈥淲e spent $2 trillion, thousands of lives, we don鈥檛 even have the oil,鈥� he said of the Iraq War during a March 2016 town hall hosted by the same network.

During a primary debate, Trump engaged in a terse exchange with Jeb Bush particularly over U.S. military action in Iraq, launched by President George W. Bush, the Florida governor鈥檚 brother.

鈥淲e should have never been in Iraq,鈥� Trump said in February 2016. 鈥淭hey lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none and they knew that there were none.鈥�

What about earlier?

Trump鈥檚 press secretary said Wednesday that the president鈥檚 beliefs that Iran should not achieve nuclear armament predated his time in politics. And his earlier writings indicate that, while candidate Trump has said he opposed the Iraq War, those sentiments were different before the conflict began.

In his 2000 book 鈥淭he America We Deserve,鈥� the businessman wrote that he felt a military strike on Iraq might be needed, given the unknown status of that nation鈥檚 nuclear capabilities.

鈥淚鈥檓 no warmonger,鈥� Trump wrote. 鈥淏ut the fact is, if we decide a strike against Iraq is necessary, it is madness not to carry the mission to its conclusion. When we don鈥檛, we have the worst of all worlds: Iraq remains a threat, and now has more incentive than ever to attack us.鈥� ___

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