As the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran stretches into its sixth week, President Donald Trump sidestepped a direct question about the humanitarian crisis facing Iranian civilians by complimenting the appearance of the Fox News host who asked it, according to The Daily Beast.
The March 26 exchange on “The Five” came after Dana Perino, a married former George W. Bush press secretary, asked Trump whether Iranians had access to drinking water and food amid the ongoing strikes. Instead of addressing the question, the 79-year-old president reminisced about a lunch they once shared at Trump Tower “when it was a brand new building.” “You haven’t changed. You may be even better looking,” he told her.
Trump acknowledged the comment could “end” his political career but never returned to provide a substantive answer about food or water availability. When he eventually circled back to Iran, he only mentioned that Iranians are “petrified” of their own government.
The awkward moment unfolded as Iran’s deputy health minister reported more than 1,900 people killed by U.S. and Israeli strikes. Reports indicate severe shortages of basic necessities for Iranian civilians following weeks of sustained military operations. Perino had characterized her question as “upsetting,” pointing to the alarming lack of information emerging from Iran due to internet shutdowns. Authorities there have arrested 46 people for selling Starlink internet connections, among the few methods Iranians have used to circumvent government communication blocks.
Other panelists on the Fox program laughed during the exchange, treating the moment as lighthearted banter despite the wartime context.
The incident raises fresh questions about how Trump understands the conflict’s impact. NBC News recently revealed that Trump receives daily video briefings from U.S. military officials consisting largely of approximately 2-minute montages showing successful strikes on Iranian targets—what one source described as “stuff blowing up.”
Those briefings emphasize U.S. successes while offering limited visibility into Iranian responses or U.S. battlefield setbacks, according to officials who spoke to NBC. Critics argue the structure may prevent the president from receiving complete assessments.
Trump maintains near-daily communication with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, NBC News reported. Yet the president learned about damage to U.S. aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia through media reports rather than official military channels—raising serious questions about information flow within his administration.
Among the most controversial episodes of the conflict was a Feb. 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, Hormozgan Province, which killed at least 175 people. The attack on the first day of U.S.-Israeli strikes was carried out by a U.S. Tomahawk missile, according to multiple investigations, including TIME, The New York Times, and Amnesty International.
Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin directly challenged Trump’s claims about the school attack during an appearance on “Special Report.” She told anchor Bret Baier it was “highly unlikely” that anyone other than the U.S. fired the Tomahawk that hit the school, noting Britain and Australia have Tomahawks but aren’t part of the conflict, while Japan’s are still in testing. “I think the president knows that,” Griffin said. “He’s trying to sort of muddy the waters.”
At a press conference in Doral, Florida, Trump attempted to deflect responsibility, calling Tomahawks “very generic” and floating the possibility that Iran “also has some Tomahawks,” a claim weapons experts quickly rejected. When pressed, he admitted, “I just don’t know enough about it.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declined to endorse the theory that Iran targeted its own facility, with the Pentagon stating the incident remains under investigation.
Satellite imagery and independent analyses from Bellingcat, Human Rights Watch, and multiple news organizations show the school building was walled off from the adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval compound as early as 2016, with separate entrances allowing access without passing through military checkpoints. Investigators concluded the school was likely hit due to outdated U.S. targeting information, a significant intelligence failure.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier warned Iran not to “miscalculate again,” declaring at a March 25 briefing that “President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell.”
Trump had intensified his rhetoric toward Iranian negotiators on social media, declaring them “very different and ‘strange'” and warning Iran to “get serious soon” before “it is too late.”
The conflict has escalated dramatically since U.S.-Israeli operations began. On March 31, Trump told reporters at the White House that the United States would be leaving Iran within “two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three,” suggesting the U.S. had largely accomplished its military goals and that Iran did not need to reach a negotiated settlement first. “Iran doesn’t have to make a deal,” he said. “It’s a new regime.” By April 7, six weeks into the conflict, Trump declined to say whether the war was winding down or escalating. “I don’t know,” he told reporters. “It depends what they do.”
Iran rejected a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire, conveying through Pakistani mediators a demand for a permanent end to the war, including the lifting of sanctions and an end to other regional conflicts. Trump called the response “a significant step” but “not good enough.” He has since set an 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning of the “complete demolition” of Iranian power plants and bridges if no deal is reached.
Vice President JD Vance has not publicly commented on either the school strike or the president’s remarks during the Fox interview.