Trump denies ever promising no new wars in NBC interview

President Donald Trump denied that he ever made a firm campaign promise to avoid new wars, directly contradicting a central theme of his political brand during a contentious interview that aired on Sunday. The president made the remarks to NBC's Kristen Welker in a pretaped segment of "Meet the Press" recorded in Wisconsin on Friday, June 5, 2026.

When pressed on his repeated 2024 campaign pledges of "no new wars," Trump asserted, "I didn't guarantee no war." He argued that building a powerful military necessitated its use and framed his decision to engage in the ongoing conflict with Iran as a necessary action to prevent a nuclear threat. "I had to stop a country, very powerful, very dangerous country, from having a nuclear weapon because they'd use it," Trump said. He added that he was "doing the world a service" and "doing our country a service."

The president's comments sharply contrast with his extensive record of campaign rhetoric. In his 2024 victory speech, he told supporters, "I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars." Throughout both his 2016 and 2024 campaigns, he frequently positioned himself as a "candidate of peace" and criticized lengthy U.S. military...