U.S. President Donald Trump has said that a ex-president of United States privately admitted regretting not launching military action against Iran earlier. However, representatives of the four living former U.S. presidents quickly denied that any such conversation had taken place recently.
Speaking during public remarks at the White House on Monday, Trump said he had spoken with a past president who told him he wished he had taken similar action against Iran when he was in office.
“I’ve spoken to a certain president, who I like, actually — a past president,” Trump said. “He said, ‘I wish I did it. I wish I did.’ But they didn’t do it. I’m doing it.”
The comments came as Trump discussed the ongoing confrontation between the United States and Iran, which has escalated significantly over the past two weeks.
Mystery over identity of the former president
Trump declined to identify the former leader he claimed to have spoken with. When reporters pressed him for a name, he said he did not want to “embarrass” the individual.
“I can’t tell you that,” Trump said. “I don’t want to embarrass him. It would be very bad for his career — even though he’s got no career.”
His remarks immediately sparked speculation about which former president he was referring to. The United States currently has four living former presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
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However, representatives for all four former presidents said none of them had spoken with Trump recently.
According to people familiar with the responses, aides for each of the former leaders denied that such a conversation had taken place in recent weeks.
Comments made during White House event
Trump first told the story while speaking at a meeting of the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The president currently serves as chairman of the board and hosted the meeting at the White House.
During his remarks, Trump argued that previous administrations had avoided taking strong action against Iran despite recognizing the threat posed by the country.
“For 47 years, no president was willing to do what I’m doing,” he said. “They should have done it a long time ago. It would have been a lot easier.”
Trump has repeatedly portrayed his policies toward Iran as more aggressive than those of previous administrations, particularly as tensions in the Middle East have intensified.
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Speculation ruled out by former presidents’ aides
Later in the day, Trump repeated the story during remarks in the Oval Office while announcing that Vice President JD Vance would lead a task force aimed at tackling fraud in federal benefit programs.
Reporters again asked him to clarify which former president he had spoken to. One journalist specifically asked whether it was George W. Bush.
“No,” Trump replied.
Another reporter then asked if he was referring to Bill Clinton. Trump again refused to answer.
“I don’t want to say,” he said. “It’s somebody that happens to like me. And I like that person. But that person said, ‘I wish I did it.’”
Despite the claim, aides for Clinton, Bush, Obama and Biden said none had spoken with Trump recently. The individuals who provided the responses reportedly spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the private communications of the former presidents.
Political tensions and past criticism
Trump has frequently criticized several of his predecessors over their Iran policies.
He has often accused Obama of negotiating what he called a “horrible deal” with Iran over its nuclear program. During his first term in office, Trump withdrew the United States from the landmark nuclear agreement that had been negotiated during Obama’s presidency.
Trump has also been highly critical of Biden, calling him the “worst president in the history of our country” in previous remarks.
At the same time, Trump has occasionally expressed positive views about Clinton. In a February interview with NBC News, he said he had liked Clinton personally and respected the way the former president interacted with him.
“I liked Bill Clinton. I still like Bill Clinton,” Trump said at the time.
No White House clarification
The White House did not immediately provide clarification after representatives of the former presidents said no such recent conversation had occurred.
The last time Trump and all four living former presidents were publicly seen together was during his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
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Since then, relations between Trump and several of his predecessors have remained politically tense, especially as foreign policy disputes and the escalating conflict with Iran continue to dominate the global agenda.
For now, Trump’s claim about a regretful former president remains unverified, with aides to the only possible individuals involved firmly denying any recent contact.