Trump’s Victory Rhetoric Undercut by Downed US Jet in Iran War

President Trump during a prime-time address to the nation in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 1.Photographer: Alex Brandon/AP Photo/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

April 4, 2026 at 4:58 PM UTC

The downing of a US aircraft and the dayslong search for a missing crew member has pierced the aura of invincibility that President Donald Trump has sought to project as he tries to stave off the increasing political risks of the Iran war he started five weeks ago alongside Israel.

Trump has repeatedly claimed dominance over Iranian airspace and used maximalist rhetoric to suggest the US has won and that Iran’s military capability has been eliminated in an effort to calm markets and an American public that is strongly opposed to the war.