Donald Trump spent the early part of Easter Sunday at the White House Easter egg roll, standing alongside a person in a large bunny costume, before holding a press conference hours later in which he issued dark warnings about Iran. The shift from festive symbolism to military threat came as the president faced growing questions about his disconnect from reality.
He celebrated the rescue of a US airman whose jet was shot down on Friday, praising those involved. "It's not even talent, it's genius," he said. He described the mission in cinematic terms, suggesting the location could have come from a Hollywood production and likening his CIA director, John Ratcliffe, to "central casting". The president recently requested $1.5tn for the Pentagon while cutting domestic programmes.
Trump then warned that Iran could be "taken out in one night" and that "that night might be tomorrow night". He claimed intercepts showed Iranians pleading for continued bombing, saying they were willing to suffer to achieve freedom. When challenged about attacks on civilian infrastructure potentially violating the Geneva conventions, he dismissed the question and attacked the New York Times as "failing".
Asked whether his threats could amount to war crimes, Trump replied: "No, not at all." He also said he was "a businessman first" when asked about taking Iran's oil, adding "to the victor go the spoils". He suggested a religious dimension, saying "God was watching us" and "we were in Easter territory".
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth compared the rescue of the pilot to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, noting the timing from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Meanwhile, Trump had earlier used his Truth Social platform to call Iranians "crazy bastards", and when a reporter attempted to raise critics' responses, he interjected: "I don't care about critics."
