Trump boasts he 'would've won Vietnam' as Iran peace talks loom

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Apr 21, 2026

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would have won the Vietnam War and threatened to resume airstrikes on Iran in the latest round of disturbing mixed messages about the Middle East conflict even as the warring sides prepare to return to the table for more peace talks.

Expressing impatience with negotiations, Trump suggested he has the power to quickly take control of Iran if he chooses, even though the monthlong bombing campaign appears to have only emboldened the hardline regime in Tehran and thrown the global economy into chaos.

“I would’ve won Vietnam very quickly if I were president,” Trump told CNBC, referring to the conflict that stretched on for more than a decade and killed more than 58,000 U.S. service members. He avoided being drafted into serving in the Southeast Asia conflict by obtaining a medical deferment for bone spurs.

“Look at Venezuela. I took it over in 45 minutes,” he added, pointing to the lightning operation that captured President Nicolas Maduro.

In an apparent effort to pressure Iranian negotiators to make concessions, Trump claimed he is eager to restart the war if a deal isn’t reached soon.

“Well, I expect to be bombing,” Trump said. “The military is raring to go.”

The discordant remarks from Trump came as Vice President JD Vance prepared to leave for a second round of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan.

A shaky two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Israel on one side and Iran on the other is set to expire and it’s unclear whether the parties plan to extend it in the likely event that a permanent peace deal cannot be reached.

Despite Trump’s bluster, most analysts believe Iran has more leverage in the peace talks because it has demonstrated it can effectively close the chokepoint Straits of Hormuz, which carries 20% of the world’s oil supply, and inflict massive damage on the world economy.