President Donald Trump said Iran's current rulers remaining in power when his presidency ends would count as a defeat for him, in an interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
Hewitt asked Trump: "If the Iran crazies are still in power when you leave office, will that have been a defeat for you?" Trump replied: "Yes, that would be a defeat. Yeah, I would say that would be a defeat. Absolutely."
Before answering, Trump clarified that the question concerned Iran's rulers in Iran, saying: "You're talking about Iran crazies in Iran, not here, because we have Iran crazies here." Hewitt confirmed he meant Iran.
Earlier in the same interview, Trump said the Iranian regime was collapsing and in "deep, deep trouble." He said its economy was gone, it had no money, and inflation stood at 301 percent. He added: "I don't think they're going to survive. I don't think they're going to be in business very long."
Trump also said he was willing to stick with the blockade of Iran. He pointed to recent United States operations, naming Operations Midnight Hammer, Rough Rider, Absolute Resolve and Epic Fury, and said those actions had been "very upsetting" to Tehran.
A video clip of the exchange was shared on X on Thursday, November 12, 2026, and the remark was confirmed in the published transcript of the interview.
Sources: The Hugh Hewitt Show; verified sources.