President Donald Trump arrives from the Blue Room to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS
A former presidential envoy said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump signaled the U.S. plans to escalate the war in Iran during his primetime address to the nation.
Trump spoke for about 19 minutes on Wednesday, where he addressed a lot of outstanding questions people have been asking about the war in Iran, which has gone on for about five weeks. Trump said the U.S. is nearing completion of its objectives in the war, and called on the rest of the world to figure out how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranian regime has effectively blocked since the war began.
Brett McGurk, a former White House coordinator, told CNN's Kaitlin Collins on Wednesday night that he didn't hear much of a plan for exiting the war.
"My takeaway is that we might be in for an escalation to this war," McGurk said. "He said, if there is not a deal put back on the table."
"If we thought we were going to hear a deescalatory speech, that this might be over in just a couple of weeks, I heard something different," he added.
"My takeaway was that we might be in for an escalation of this war," @brett_mcgurk says. pic.twitter.com/Mw2weRABAA
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 2, 2026