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Trump Holds News Conference on Iran War; Trump Comments on Rescue of U.S. Airman From Iran; Trump Says Airman's Rescue Resulted in No U.S. Casualties. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired April 06, 2026 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[13:30:00]

JOHN RATCLIFFE, CIA DIRECTOR: -- invisible to the enemy, but not to the CIA. That confirmation was relayed by Secretary Hegseth to the President, and the operation quickly moved to the execution phase. Following the successful exfiltration on Saturday night, our intelligence reflects that the Iranians were embarrassed and ultimately humiliated by the success of this audacious rescue mission.

When the President asked me to lead the CIA, he made it clear, get back to basics, no politics, no agendas, tackle the hardest problems and execute the toughest missions. This President is about results, and now that's what his CIA is about too.

The professionals at the agency and at the Department of War deserve immense credit for their flawless execution during this daring mission. Their skill, creativity and courage are unmatched on the battlefield wherever they step, but none of that matters and all of that is wasted without a President with the political courage to put them into action.

Mr. President, I've had the privilege of seeing you act with political courage in the best interest of the United States up close on a daily basis, and I'm grateful that this successful mission has given the American people a window into that as well.

The Secretary and Chairman will tell you that our service members' confidence is boosted by a Commander-in-Chief who has their back the same way they have yours. And I know that the confidence of CIA's officers is boosted by the knowledge that their work is informing a President who's not afraid to make the hardest decisions when the stakes are highest.

And to the American people, your confidence should be boosted by knowing that the security of the nation is in the hands of a President who's willing to take on problems that have confounded both sides of the political aisle for nearly half a century. It is an honor to serve under a leader who just proved that you can believe him when he says, no matter what, we will leave no one behind. We will come for you.

Thank you.

PETE HEGSETH, UNITED STATES DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, John, thank you for the collaboration of the CIA as well, incredible and ongoing partnership. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Americans, and especially the brave warriors in our armed forces, over this Easter weekend, the United States military has once again proved why we possess the greatest fighting force the world has ever known.

In two extraordinary combat search-and-rescue operations deep inside enemy territory in Iran, our warriors executed missions of breathtaking skill, courage, and precision. When our warriors are unleashed as this President has allowed them to be, they are unstoppable.

When American airmen were down behind enemy lines, our forces and our President did not hesitate. Special operators supported by elite air crews and intelligence professionals moved swiftly and decisively into treacherous mountain terrain under the constant threat of Iranian forces closing in.

Ultimately, it was an impotent Iranian threat. And today, as the CIA Director mentioned, Iran's military, and we know this, is embarrassed and humiliated, and they should be. Now, these are not routine operations. They were high-risk, high-stakes missions conducted in the heart of enemy territory.

This was not just barely into Iran. This was deep into Iran, involving coordinated strikes to suppress threats, deception tactics to protect our teams, and full synchronization across air, ground, and special operations. The Iranians are still asking themselves right now, how did the Americans do this?

One downed airman evaded capture for more than a day, scaling rugged ridges while hunted by the enemy. When he was finally able to activate his emergency transponder, his first message was simple, and it was powerful. He sent a message, "God is good."

In that moment of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shone through. You see, shot down on a Friday, Good Friday, hidden in a cave, a crevice all of Saturday, and rescued on Sunday. Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday.

A pilot reborn, all home and accounted for, a nation rejoicing. God is good.

[13:35:00]

Despite incoming fire and unforgiving conditions, our troops brought every American home. No American lives were lost. We leave no man behind. And that is not luck. It's the result of unmatched training, superior technology, an unbreakable warrior ethos, and sheer American grit.

Our special operators, pilots, and support crews performed with near perfection under fire. And they were lethal. Just ask any Iranian soldier who dared attempt to get anywhere near that pilot before or during that mission. Death from above.

Our troops turned a potential tragedy into a resounding demonstration of American resolve and capability. That's what excellence in uniform looks like. But make no mistake about it. None of this would have been possible without the courageous leadership and ironclad determination of President Donald J. Trump.

From the moment our airmen went down, President Trump made it clear we will leave no one behind. The first mission, the first of two, was an audacious daylight thunder run right up the middle.

It was authorized in less than two hours from that pilot going down when we knew where he was. And it was authorized in the middle of the night. Because anybody that's worked for this man knows he's up in the middle of the night. Authorized immediately, without hesitation, audaciously.

The second mission, as soon as we knew where that pilot was, and John was certainly helpful in that, also executed immediately. You know, I looked up at my screen when the final mission was complete inside our SCIF, our secure facility, and we have a running VTC, a running coordination cell.

And the top of it read 45 minutes and -- 45 hours and 56 minutes. For 45 hours and 56 minutes, we held that call open for coordination. From the moment our pilots went down, our mission was unblinking. The call never dropped, the meeting never stopped, the planning never ceased.

The President demanded rapid, decisive action. He backed our military with the full weight of his resolve, refusing to let enemy propaganda or tactical setbacks deter us. His leadership ensured that every lethal and non-lethal resource was brought to bear, that our forces had the authorities and the support they needed to succeed.

When the President says he has the backs of our war fighters, he means it. And it means a great deal, and it's a big difference on the battlefield.

President Trump understands that peace through strength is not a slogan. It is a doctrine that saves American lives. His unwavering commitment to rebuilding our military and restoring the warrior spirit has paid dividends in missions just like this one.

Under his command, America projects power with confidence and brings our people home with victory. And that continues today, by the way. Per the President's direction, today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one of this operation. Tomorrow, even more than today.

And then Iran has a choice. Choose wisely, because this President does not play around. You can ask Soleimani, you can ask Maduro, you can ask Khamenei. To those heroes who planned and executed these rescues, your nation stands in awe. I stand in awe. The Chairman stands in awe. We all stand in awe of your professionalism and bravery.

We serve for you. You embody the very best of America. To the rescued airmen and their families, welcome home. Your courage and endurance, the quiet declaration of faith amid the storm inspires us all. God is good every day. And to our adversaries watching from Tehran, let this be a clear message. The United States military will go anywhere, at any time, to protect our own and complete the mission. We execute with precision. We control the sky. You see, we flew for seven hours in daylight over Iran to get the first pilot. And we flew seven hours in the middle of the night to get the second.

And Iran did nothing about it. We fight with honor. And under President Trump's leadership, we win. So God bless our troops, God bless President Trump, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you.

GEN. DAN CAINE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Well, good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I know -- before I start, I know many of you want specific details in these briefings.

[13:40:00]

We will share what we can, but I will retain what I must in the event that we have to go do this again sometime. And I cannot stress the importance, as the President said, around operational security. The Secretary and I will do a more detailed briefing tomorrow morning, and we look forward to sharing the details that we can.

On Thursday, April 2, at 10:10 p.m. Eastern Time, 4:40 in the morning local Iran time, the Joint Personnel Recovery Center, which handles the Central Command Area of Responsibility, declared an isolated personnel recovery event for a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, call sign "Dude 44," which was down in hostile Iranian territory.

The pilot and weapons system officer had both safely ejected and were isolated behind enemy lines. Following confirmation of active rescue beacons and on the direction of the Secretary and by order of the President, a rescue operation was launched with the stated purpose of bringing both Americans home safely.

As the Secretary said, several hours later on the morning after positively locating the front seater, call sign "Dude 44 Alpha," and aware of an aggressive ongoing search by the enemy, a U.S. Central Command plan was approved by the Secretary and the President.

Shortly thereafter, a U.S. Air Force Combat Search and Rescue Task Force, comprised of A-10 Warthogs in their Sandy role, and I'll describe what that is in a minute, HC-130 Combat King IIs, HH-60 Jolly Green II Helicopters, and Air Force Special Warfare Airmen, a package comprised of combat rescue officers and pararescuemen operators, audaciously penetrated enemy territory in broad daylight to find, fix, and recover Dude 44 Alpha from behind enemy lines.

This was an incredibly dangerous mission, an incredibly dangerous undertaking, but a filled promise made to every American war fighter that you will not be left behind. We will always come find you, and we will always bring you home.

Over the next hours, the Search and Rescue Task Force crossed the beach, entered into Iranian airspace, protected by a fighter strike package, and moved into the objective area, all under fire. En route, as some of you have seen on social media, the helicopters took gas off the C-130s and pressed onward and forward up into the objective area.

While this was ongoing, and out in front of them, the Sandy flight of A-10s and other remotely-piloted aircraft, drones, and other tactical aircraft were violently suppressing and engaging the enemy in a close- in gunfight to keep them away from the front seater and allow the pickup force to get into the objective area.

During this engagement, one of the Sandy aircraft, the one primarily responsible for communicating with the downed pilot, was hit by enemy fire. This pilot continued to fight, continued the mission, and then, upon exit, flew his aircraft into another country and determined that the airplane was not landable. This was one of our A-10 Sandy aircraft.

The pilot then made the decision to eject over friendly territory and was quickly and safely recovered and is doing fine. After picking up Dude 44 Alpha, the HH-60 Jolly Greenfight was engaged by every single person in Iran who had a small-arms weapon, and one of the aircraft, the trailing aircraft, took several hits.

The crew sustained minor injury, and they are going to be fine. A note for those of you that do not know what a Sandy does. Named after the flight call sign that did this very mission in Vietnam flying A-1 Skyraiders and A-7 Corsairs, a Sandy has one mission. Get to the survivor, bring the rescue force forward, and put themselves between that survivor on the ground and the enemy. They are committed to this. This is what they live for, and this is what they've trained for over many, many years.

The A-10 force and the rescue force did a fantastic job rescuing Dude 44 Alpha. He was recovered Friday afternoon. As I said, and the nation needs to know this, this was an incredibly brave and courageous mission and a testament to the courage, skill, and tenacity of the joint force and our leaders. And especially a daylight option, having the guts to try, means so much to so many.

[13:45:00]

Meanwhile, the back seater, as the President and the Secretary of State said, had continued to work and survive. Through the hours of daylight, Dude 44 Bravo, the back seater, evaded. Using every means available, the efforts of the United States military, the Central Intelligence Agency, and others were attempting to find and locate with precision Dude 44 Bravo, the back seater.

A note on the back seater and the front seater. The single most important contributor to a successful rescue operation is the spirit of attack inside the heart of that downed aviator. Their will to survive, their will to evade, their will to recover is everything.

In this case, the back seater's absolute commitment to surviving made much of our efforts possible. On Saturday, April 4, after establishing positive communications with the back seater, we learned, as the President said, that he was injured and actively evading enemy forces. And thanks to our interagency partners, we were able to get eyes on his location and positively ID him.

Throughout this entire time, the enemy force continued to search for 44 Bravo, and the joint force continued to strike them over and over and over again. Fighting off marginal weather in Iran and the enemy's search, for a second time on Saturday, at the recommendation of the CENTCOM Commander and at the approval of the Secretary and the President, we launched a rescue task force to recover Dude 44 Bravo.

Again, this came to the President and the Secretary for approval, this time with a much larger force package, based on the time that the enemy had to prepare to find 44 Bravo. Again, this force was protected by A-10 Warthogs using the Sandy call sign. And this force had one single mission, do everything they can to bring an American home.

This meant having a plan, being prepared to execute that plan and, more importantly, being prepared for multiple, simultaneous contingencies. And because of this force's professionalism, grit, and determination, fight off two enemies at the same time, the enemy searching for 44 Bravo and contingencies, which anyone who has done these types of missions knows, we run into every single time. The force fought off both of those enemies incredibly well.

During the period of darkness on Saturday, and as the Secretary said, into Easter Sunday and into the daylight, the force fought its way in and rescued Dude 44 Bravo. They were protected overhead by an air armada, including tactical drones, strike aircraft, and others. The force fought through multiple, simultaneous contingencies, something no other nation, no other military can do, and safely returned Dude 44 Bravo, the back seater home, and all other Americans home as well.

At midnight, 12 local Eastern Time, Easter Sunday, more than 50 hours after the start of this operation, the Joint Personnel Recovery Center declared Dude 44 Bravo, both the front and back seater, returned to friendly territory. The courage demonstrated by both the pilot and the weapons system officer while isolated and them invading the enemy cannot be overstated.

Their grit and war fighting tenacity is a direct result of the absolute trust they have in our forces, their training, and their will to survive and return. They always knew that we would be ordered to go get them, and they always knew that we would be coming to get them. These two operations reflect our nation's most sacred obligation to our military service members. We leave no one behind, bless you.

It also perfectly captures the first truth of our special operations forces, that people are more important than hardware. That is the standard we live by, and the rescue forces that executed these missions operate under a clear motto, these things we do that others may live. Their actions were a direct embodiment of that commitment to others, and I could not be more proud of each and every one of them today.

[13:50:00] As the secretary said to our enemies, this operation serves as a clear reminder of the capability and will of America's Joint Force. The United States of America will recover our war fighters anywhere in the world, under any conditions, when we want to. We will always bring overwhelming skill and firepower.

To every member of the Joint Force, our interagency partners, the leadership at CENTCOM, and our leaders at the Department and above, thank you. I'm proud of each and every one of you and thankful to our deployed forces and their families.

And lastly, and most importantly, to Dude 44, welcome home. Job well done.

Thank you.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Pretty amazing. Pretty amazing. And these two gentlemen have been, from day one, they've been perfecto. You know, I got to know General Caine in my first term because he was able to take out ISIS in four weeks instead of the four-year projection that was given to me by other much lesser generals.

And I said, you know, if I ever do this again, that's going to be the head of my Joint Chiefs of Staff. And we worked it that way, didn't we? It's amazing. He took out ISIS. We defeated ISIS in four weeks. I was told it would take four years. I flew to Iraq to find out, with the greatest equipment in the world, why would it take four years? And he told me, sir, it won't. It'll take four weeks and you'll have time left over. And that's exactly what happened. So he's great.

And Pete, all I can say is that he was treated very unfairly. And now those same people that treated him unfairly, that fought against him, they call me up and say, what a great choice he was. They say, well, what happened during his nomination? What happened to you? I'm telling you, people that were not for him Senators, friends of mine, sir, I don't think you're doing the right thing. Now they are calling me up, what a choice. These two guys are fantastic.

And John Ratcliffe was incredible. It was actually their genius that called us from -- it was 40 miles away. And he said, you know, we're seeing something moving up in the mountain. This is at night. And they kept the camera on him for 45 minutes. He wasn't moving. And they said, you know, probably wrong, but we're seeing something moving. This is a vast mountain, vast, thick, with bushes, trees.

He said, we see something moving 40 miles away. It was the head of a human being, I'm telling you, it's moving. And then all of a sudden, 45 minutes later, he moved a lot, stood up, and they said, we have him. And that was really the beginning of something incredible. We had an idea where he was, but not specifically. It's a big mountain.

So I want to thank the CIA, too. I don't think they get enough credit for the great job they've done. Yes, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much, Mr. President, for this great opportunity. Country it has super army, you make a difference, Mr. President. Thank you for your greatest leadership.

TRUMP: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have two quick questions, Mr. President. What was your reaction when you learned that Kurdistan region had resumed exporting oil to the international market with your support as United States of America?

TRUMP: Well, I expected that. We've gotten along with the Kurds for a long time. So I expected that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another question, what would be your reaction if the Iranian people raise up against their regime during a ceasefire, Mr. President?

TRUMP: Well, they should do it. But again, the consequences are great. I mean, they were told, if you protest, you will be shot immediately. You saw what happened to the young wrestler. He was a great champion, by the way, he was a great wrestler, one of the top in the world. And he and his two friends were hung.

And all they did was say a little bit about liberty. They wanted liberty and they were violently executed. But the number is up to probably 45,000 people were killed. So, you know, when somebody stays in a house, when they know if they walk out of the house to protest, they'll be immediately shot and killed. And they issued that, you know, that was publicly issued. It's not a secret.

That's why so many people say, oh, well, why are you doing this way? We can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon. You know, we got regime change. We do. We're dealing with a much different regime than before. We're dealing with different people. They're smarter.

[13:55:00]

I think they're sharper and far less radical. We have regime change, but we didn't do this for regime change. We did it for the fact, and my view is very simple. I saw somebody said, oh, he doesn't have a plan. I have the best plan of all, but I'm not going to tell you what my plan is. You know, they want me to say, here's my plan.

We're going to attack at 9:47 in the morning, and then we're going to do this, and then we're going to -- and if you don't do that, they say, I have a plan. These people know what the plan is. Everybody here knows what the plan is, but it's very unfair to say, because I don't mind being insulted.

I've been insulted for many years by the fake news, but you can't -- it's so bad for the people that are so pro. You just saw two great and John Ratcliffe, three unbelievable people. They have a plan. Every single thing has been thought out by all of us, but I can't reveal the plan to the media. So -- but we're just thrilled by the success of this operation.

Yes, please. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. President. You've said Iranians would be mad if you stopped these attacks, but why would they want you to blow up their infrastructure, to cut off their power? Wouldn't that be punishing Iranians for the actions of the regime?

TRUMP: Yeah. They would be willing to -- and it's suffering. They would be willing to suffer that in order to have freedom. The Iranians have -- and we've had numerous intercepts. Please keep bombing, bombs that are dropping near their homes. Please keep bombing. Do it.

And these are people that are living where the bombs are exploding, and when we leave and we're not hitting those areas, they're saying, please come back, come back, come back. These are the people. I don't know what they do.

All I can tell you is they want freedom. They have lived in a world that you know nothing about. It's a violent, horrible world where if you protest, you are shot. Remember the great woman protests where they had 400,000, 500,000 women, and they were all enthused, and they were going to protest, and everybody said, oh, the regime is going to come to an end.

And then all of a sudden, boom, boom, five, six different areas. A woman would go down right between the eyes. They had snipers. They had five snipers. That's all it took. And those 400,000 or 500,000 women said, oh, my God, what's that? Oh, look over there. What's that? A woman shot right between the eyes.

And after five or six of them go down, then you start hearing the purr through the vast number of people. And then they said, oh, my God, who would do that? And they're incredible people, but they've lived so horribly. They've lived so horribly. You know, Iran was a great country, if you go back 25 years ago or so.

The Persian people, they're incredible, smart, brilliant, actually. And I know so many. I know coming from New York, originally, I know so many people from Iran. They're incredible people, incredible energy, and very, very brilliant people.

But when you're standing in a group and protesting and you have a woman, in the case of a woman, remember the great woman march. Everybody was saying, oh, this is the end of the country. And then snipers selectively picked. Every single one was shot right between the eyes from a long distance. They were on top of buildings.

Nobody even knew where they were, where they're coming from. This wasn't like a machine gun, which is also very bad. They've done that too. They did that recently. This was snipers sitting on the top of buildings, aiming and hitting women. And when they see people go down, and all of a sudden, there's a riot in the reverse direction.

And they never came out again. And a lot of the news doesn't talk about that. They talk about, oh, women's rights. You want to see women's rights? You're not going to see it there. It's amazing when I see some of the stupid people like, you know, AOC plus three, all that group, they talk about, oh, freedom for Iran. They don't tell you the real facts.

Women, men, gays -- how about gays for Iran? They kill the gays. They throw them off buildings. So I wonder what's going on. I can only say this. They want us to keep bombing, even if it jeopardizes, because their life is in much greater danger. They want freedom for Iran. But it's very hard for them to protest.

I actually tell them. I said, don't go out. I fully understand. Nobody in this room would go out. I don't think there's anything (ph) -- because, frankly, it's not a question of bravery. We're all brave, right? You're brave. I'm brave. We're all brave. But we're also intelligent.

If you have people shooting at you, expert shots, with the best rifles you can get, and hitting you right between the eyes every single time, and you're looking here and you're seeing and you're looking here, you're out of there. I don't care who it is.

Please.

MARK MEREDITH, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Mark Meredith, Fox News.

TRUMP: I know that.

MEREDITH: Oh, thank you, sir. --

END