SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Demonstrators in Baghdad, Iraq trample on a portrait of US President Donald Trump during a protest against the attacks by Israel and the US on Iran on March 5, 2026.
(Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)
'Deranged and Dangerous': Trump Says 'I Guess' Americans Should Expect a Deadly Attack on US
"We have totally unserious, completely incompetent people taking us into mindless, deadly war," said Democratic US Sen. Chris Murphy.
Mar 06, 2026
In an interview with TIME magazine published Thursday, US President Donald Trump responded flippantly to a question on whether Americans should be concerned about the possibility of a retaliatory attack on United States soil amid his illegal and intensifying war on Iran.
"I guess," Trump said when asked about a direct Iranian attack on the US. "We expect some things. Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die."
Democratic lawmakers quickly seized on the president's comment as further evidence of his callous lack of regard for the potentially catastrophic consequences of the war he launched.
"This is deranged and dangerous," said US Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a retired US Navy officer, wrote on social media that the president "has terrible judgment, and Americans have already died because of it."
"This is officially TRUMP’S WAR," Kelly added.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Trump's remark underscored that "we have totally unserious, completely incompetent people taking us into mindless, deadly war."
The Trump administration has confirmed the deaths of six American soldiers so far. Earlier this week, a top Iranian security official claimed Iran's response to the massive US-Israeli bombing campaign—retaliation that has hit American military bases throughout the Middle East—has killed 500 US soldiers.
More than 1,200 Iranians have been killed by US-Israeli strikes so far, including the more than 160 people—mostly young girls—massacred in an attack on an Iranian elementary school that US investigators believe was carried out by American forces.
"Six of our fellow Americans and over a thousand Iranians lie dead. Their families have been shattered. Billions of our tax dollars have been spent. The Middle East has been plunged into war," Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for US Senate in Maine and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wrote Thursday. "And for what?"
The Trump administration has refused to provide a clear objective, justification, or timeline for the war, which is costing US taxpayers roughly $1 billion per day. Politico reported earlier this week that US Central Command is "asking the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days but likely through September."
"The longer this war goes on," Bruce Hoffman of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote Thursday, "the greater the incentive for Iran to apply all forms of asymmetric warfare in hopes of coercing Trump to abandon his war aims. Sleeper agents, lone actors inspired and motivated by Iran, cyberattacks on US infrastructure, and physical attacks on critical infrastructure are all possible."
In response to Trump's comments to TIME, Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group asked, "Can someone remind me who the heads of the DHS and FBI are at the moment?"
"Surely they will stop any such attack," Finucane wrote sardonically.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In an interview with TIME magazine published Thursday, US President Donald Trump responded flippantly to a question on whether Americans should be concerned about the possibility of a retaliatory attack on United States soil amid his illegal and intensifying war on Iran.
"I guess," Trump said when asked about a direct Iranian attack on the US. "We expect some things. Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die."
Democratic lawmakers quickly seized on the president's comment as further evidence of his callous lack of regard for the potentially catastrophic consequences of the war he launched.
"This is deranged and dangerous," said US Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a retired US Navy officer, wrote on social media that the president "has terrible judgment, and Americans have already died because of it."
"This is officially TRUMP’S WAR," Kelly added.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Trump's remark underscored that "we have totally unserious, completely incompetent people taking us into mindless, deadly war."
The Trump administration has confirmed the deaths of six American soldiers so far. Earlier this week, a top Iranian security official claimed Iran's response to the massive US-Israeli bombing campaign—retaliation that has hit American military bases throughout the Middle East—has killed 500 US soldiers.
More than 1,200 Iranians have been killed by US-Israeli strikes so far, including the more than 160 people—mostly young girls—massacred in an attack on an Iranian elementary school that US investigators believe was carried out by American forces.
"Six of our fellow Americans and over a thousand Iranians lie dead. Their families have been shattered. Billions of our tax dollars have been spent. The Middle East has been plunged into war," Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for US Senate in Maine and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wrote Thursday. "And for what?"
The Trump administration has refused to provide a clear objective, justification, or timeline for the war, which is costing US taxpayers roughly $1 billion per day. Politico reported earlier this week that US Central Command is "asking the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days but likely through September."
"The longer this war goes on," Bruce Hoffman of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote Thursday, "the greater the incentive for Iran to apply all forms of asymmetric warfare in hopes of coercing Trump to abandon his war aims. Sleeper agents, lone actors inspired and motivated by Iran, cyberattacks on US infrastructure, and physical attacks on critical infrastructure are all possible."
In response to Trump's comments to TIME, Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group asked, "Can someone remind me who the heads of the DHS and FBI are at the moment?"
"Surely they will stop any such attack," Finucane wrote sardonically.
In an interview with TIME magazine published Thursday, US President Donald Trump responded flippantly to a question on whether Americans should be concerned about the possibility of a retaliatory attack on United States soil amid his illegal and intensifying war on Iran.
"I guess," Trump said when asked about a direct Iranian attack on the US. "We expect some things. Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die."
Democratic lawmakers quickly seized on the president's comment as further evidence of his callous lack of regard for the potentially catastrophic consequences of the war he launched.
"This is deranged and dangerous," said US Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a retired US Navy officer, wrote on social media that the president "has terrible judgment, and Americans have already died because of it."
"This is officially TRUMP’S WAR," Kelly added.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Trump's remark underscored that "we have totally unserious, completely incompetent people taking us into mindless, deadly war."
The Trump administration has confirmed the deaths of six American soldiers so far. Earlier this week, a top Iranian security official claimed Iran's response to the massive US-Israeli bombing campaign—retaliation that has hit American military bases throughout the Middle East—has killed 500 US soldiers.
More than 1,200 Iranians have been killed by US-Israeli strikes so far, including the more than 160 people—mostly young girls—massacred in an attack on an Iranian elementary school that US investigators believe was carried out by American forces.
"Six of our fellow Americans and over a thousand Iranians lie dead. Their families have been shattered. Billions of our tax dollars have been spent. The Middle East has been plunged into war," Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for US Senate in Maine and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wrote Thursday. "And for what?"
The Trump administration has refused to provide a clear objective, justification, or timeline for the war, which is costing US taxpayers roughly $1 billion per day. Politico reported earlier this week that US Central Command is "asking the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days but likely through September."
"The longer this war goes on," Bruce Hoffman of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote Thursday, "the greater the incentive for Iran to apply all forms of asymmetric warfare in hopes of coercing Trump to abandon his war aims. Sleeper agents, lone actors inspired and motivated by Iran, cyberattacks on US infrastructure, and physical attacks on critical infrastructure are all possible."
In response to Trump's comments to TIME, Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group asked, "Can someone remind me who the heads of the DHS and FBI are at the moment?"
"Surely they will stop any such attack," Finucane wrote sardonically.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.