President Donald Trump has unveiled his 80th birthday wish, revealing that he hopes for “peace for the world” – despite the US launching more strikes on Iran.
Trump, who officially becomes an octogenarian on June 14, made the remark in the Oval Office on June 10. He was responding to a reporter who asked what his birthday wish would be, other than peace in the Middle East.
After pausing, Trump responded, “Well, I’ll go a step bigger…peace for the world, OK?”
“Peace for the world,” he repeated. “Middle East? Yes. Peace for the whole world.”
On that same day, the U.S. Central Command confirmed on X that strikes had begun on “multiple targets in Iran” at the “Commander in Chief’s direction.”
According to the social media post, the strikes were launched in response to Iran’s “unwarranted and continued aggression.”
Also on Wednesday, Fox News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst claimed on X that Trump had vowed to “bomb the s*** out of them,” if the Iran fails to sign an agreement.
According to Yingst, the president revealed that 49 Tomahawk missiles had been fired by the U.S. at the time of their discussion. The closest target was just 40 miles out of Tehran, Iran’s capital city.
During the same meeting in which he lifted the lid on his wish for “peace,” the president warned that the U.S. could soon resume “attacking them very hard.”
“We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, in case you don’t turn on your television set,” he said. “And we’ll see what happens with a deal.”
Trump added, “We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along, they keep playing us for suckers.”
The downing of a U.S. helicopter earlier this week heightened tensions amid the ceasefire between the America and Iran. According to Trump, the helicopter had been patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping channel that has become a key part of the conflict.
Amid the rising tensions, plans for Trump’s birthday have continued to move forward. A huge UFC fighting arena has been constructed on the White House lawn, which will play host to Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event.
Officially, the celebration is one of a series of events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told The Los Angeles Times that the UFC card was “one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America’s monumental 250th anniversary.”
