Donald Trump said Friday he calls the Iran war a "military conflict" because it is "small potatoes" for the United States, a day after Vice President 
J.D. Vance rejected calling it a war. The conflict, which began Feb. 28, has left 18 U.S. service members dead and cost U.S. taxpayers more than $37.5 billion, the Korea Times reported.
What did the president say? Asked in the Oval Office about Vance's comments, Trump said, "I can understand what he's saying," then added: "I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing." He also said, "You know, we do intermittent strikes. So I heard what he said, and it was interesting because I think that there's a lot of truth that we're not fighting right now," the Japan Times reported. Comparing death tolls in remarks quoted by the Korea Times, he said the U.S. lost "nobody" in Venezuela and 18 people in Iran, against 100,000 in Vietnam and "tens of thousands" in other conflicts.
What did the vice president say? At a White House briefing Thursday, Vance said "I wouldn't call it a war" when asked whether the fighting could end before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, adding, "Right now, there is no active shooting," the Korea Times reported. He declined to predict an end to the conflict by the midterms. His remarks came as Iran fired at U.S. ally Kuwait, following U.S. strikes on Iran earlier that week.
What about Iran's nuclear program? Trump said the U.S. is in control of the Strait of Hormuz and that "we stopped Iran from having a nuclear weapon," PBS NewsHour reported. "I don't think it matters what you call it," he said. "What matters is the fact that we've had tremendous success."
Who criticized the remark? The Atlantic's David Brooks, speaking on PBS NewsHour on Friday, said, "Good -- nice thing to tell the families of those 18 people." MS NOW's Jonathan Capehart said it was "reprehensible" for the president to call a war he started "small potatoes" when 18 U.S. service members have lost their lives and 50,000 are going to be in the region through the new year. Lawler disagreed with Trump on the Iran war, saying "it is certainly not small potatoes," The Hill reported.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump, J.D. Vance. — JudgeMarket.
