President Donald Trump, in a recent phone interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, stated that he is not concerned about whether Iran becomes a democratic state following U.S. military actions against the country. The president described Iran’s leadership as having been “neutered,” meaning severely weakened, after what he called a highly successful operation.
Trump explained that Iran “is not the same country it was a week ago. A week ago they were powerful, and now they’ve been indeed neutered.” He emphasized that his focus is on installing new leadership that would treat the United States, Israel, and other Middle Eastern partners fairly and respectfully. When directly asked if he insisted on Iran becoming a democracy, Trump replied, “No, I’m saying there has to be a leader that’s going to be fair and just. Do a great job. Treat the United States and Israel well, and treat the other countries in the Middle East — they’re all our partners.”
He added that he is open to a religious leader taking power in Iran, saying, “I don’t mind religious leaders. I deal with a lot of religious leaders and they are fantastic.” Trump expressed confidence that selecting a new leader would be straightforward, comparing it to the U.S. intervention in Venezuela, where he praised the current acting president as doing a “fantastic job.”
The president rated the U.S. military operation against Iran as a “12, maybe 15 on the scale of 10,” claiming major successes such as destroying about 25 Iranian ships and significantly damaging their navy. He dismissed concerns over rising gas prices linked to the conflict, calling any increases “short term” and predicting they would drop quickly. Trump said he has “already figured out” the Strait of Hormuz and that the U.S. has effectively neutralized Iran’s ability to disrupt oil shipments.
Trump also turned to other international matters, predicting that Cuba would “fall pretty soon.” He said the Cuban government is eager to make a deal and mentioned plans to involve Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the effort. Trump noted that while Iran remains the top priority, Cuba is “ready — after 50 years,” and it has “fallen right into my lap because of me.”
Domestically, Trump highlighted voter ID legislation as his administration’s next major focus after the Iran situation. He stressed the importance of passing the full SAVE America Act, which would require voter ID, proof of citizenship for federal voter registration, severe limits on mail-in ballots (except for military, illness, disability, or travel), bans on men competing in women’s sports, and prohibitions on transgender operations for youth. Trump said this bill is “more important than everything else we’re working on other than the war” and indicated it could influence his upcoming endorsement in the Texas Senate runoff between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both candidates have expressed support for the bill, though Cornyn has resisted eliminating the Senate filibuster to pass it, while Paxton has signaled willingness to consider dropping out if leaders agree to change Senate rules.
Trump urged the Senate and House to act quickly without watering down the legislation and called for ending the filibuster if needed to ensure passage.
The interview reflects Trump’s confidence in his foreign policy approach amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, while signaling broader ambitions for U.S. influence in regions like Cuba and a strong push for election-related reforms at home.