U.S. President Donald Trump, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, holds a press conference during the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, June 17, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
President Donald Trump floored onlookers on Wednesday after he dismissed a reporter's question about the bombing strike on an Iranian girls' school more than three months ago that left about 175 people dead, many of whom were children.
Trump was asked during a press conference at the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, whether he would hold anyone in his administration accountable for the strike. Trump's ambivalent reply left some political analysts and observers stunned.
"No, if it was a fault, and as you know it's under investigation, it's such a strange question to be asked at this date," Trump said. "We're talking about a long time ago, but nobody did that on purpose."
Trump then pivoted to a whataboutism concerning the actions of Iranian-backed terrorists. "Mistakes were made, and war is nasty," he added.
Analysts and observers reacted to Trump's comments on social media.
"Wow," civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill posted on Bluesky.
"The man who talks about the 2020 election every day has the audacity to say the slaughter of 168 children less than 4 months ago was 'a long time ago,'" Corey Rayburn Yung, a law professor, posted on Bluesky.
"Trump didn’t care for a second when he killed those school girls, and he doesn’t care now. Of course it’s a war crime, but he’s a Republican so nothing will ever be done about it and now you asking him about it is just inconsiderate," Jason Karsh, a former Obama administration staffer, posted on Bluesky.