President Donald Trump shot down a reporter’s question Monday when asked about the recent deployment of more than 2,000 U.S. Marines out of San Diego, California.
“It's been reported that there were Marines that left California, left San Diego last week,” a reporter asked Trump in Washington, D.C., just ahead of his trip to Memphis, Tennessee. “Why are they headed there now?”
Trump not only refused to answer the reporter’s question, but scolded them for having asked it.
“Let me ask you this: if you were in my position and I asked you that question, do you really believe I'd give you an answer?” Trump said. “Crazy question! We don't talk about strategy.”
Reports have confirmed that the USS Boxer, a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship, left San Diego last week with more than 2,000 Marines onboard. Their deployment represents just the latest development in the Trump administration’s war against Iran, which experts say is soon approaching the point of no return as the United States continues to climb the escalatory ladder.
Amid the skyrocketing oil costs sparked by the war, Trump has reportedly been looking for a way out of the conflict he first initiated, though one former Trump security advisor warned that such an off-ramp may not exist, with Iran having vowed to keep fighting in response to the joint U.S.-Israeli surprise attack last month."Crazy question! We don't talk about strategy."
Trump clams up when asked about the recent deployment of 2,000+ Marines out of San Diego, CA. pic.twitter.com/2fx8uPfHq2
— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) March 23, 2026