U.S. President Donald Trump reacts after delivering an address to the nation about the Iran war at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. April 1, 2026. Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS
President Donald Trump made a particularly eyebrow-raising claim about the U.S. war in Iran during his speech on Wednesday evening, that promptly triggered a firestorm on social media.
"We're now totally independent of the Middle East," said Trump. "We are there to help. We don't have to be there. We don't need their oil. We don't need anything they have. But we're there to help our allies."
The implication that the war has nothing to do with oil was met with deep skepticism, as was the claim that the war was a selfless act for the Middle East's own security.
"We are there to help?" echoed former GOP staffer Tim Miller incredulously on X.
"Man who bombed girls school claims he is 'there to help,'" wrote the anti-Trump account Patriot Takes.
"The Middle East was operating perfectly fine until you started bombing the s--- out of a country that has the capability to bomb you back," said writer Matt Burnell.
"Those allies that you screwed over?" wrote liberal political commentator Vince Wilson.
"If we don’t need their oil why is a gallon of gas north of $4?" wrote the @JoJoFromJerz account.