President Donald Trump was caught in the crossfire on Fox News between Jessica Tarlov and Jesse Watters on "The Five" about the war in Iran.
Tarlov claimed that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have told the American public "completely backwards" stories about how the war is progressing and the administration's goals for ending it. For instance, Trump has claimed that victory in Iran means an "unconditional surrender" by the Iranian regime. Hegseth has claimed the goals are to destroy the country's nuclear weapons infrastructure.
Tarlov noted that Trump has said contradictory things about the war as well, ranging from it taking only a few days to the administration needing $200 billion to prepare for a months-long conflict. She added that there could also be a draft, which sparked some debate on the panel.
"Did you hear about a draft?" Watters asked with a laugh.
Yeah," Tarlov shot back. "While you were on vacation."
"I wasn't dodging the draft," Watters interrupted as Tarlov continued with her point.
"Not like our president," Tarlov said, referring to reports that Trump received five deferments during the Vietnam War.
The war in Iran has quickly become a topic of heated debate in the U.S. American military forces coordinated a bombing campaign with Israel in Iran that began in late February, and reports indicate that the skirmish is quickly spiraling out of control. Israel has attacked Iran's major energy facilities, which Trump has claimed he had no knowledge of.
Trump has also tried to rally international support for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blockaded to U.S. ships, but no countries have come forward to help.
Watters: Did you hear about a draft?
Jessica: Yes. You were on vacation.
Watters: I wasn't dodging the draft.
Jessica: Unlike our president pic.twitter.com/7JFTMFpyjR
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 24, 2026
