EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump 'Went to War With JD Vance' Over His Bombardment of Iran — 'Over the Use of the Word Obliterated'
Donald Trump allegedly argued with JD Vance over describing Iran as 'obliterated.'
July 21 2026, Updated 1:14 p.m. ET
Donald Trump is said to have clashed with Vice President JD Vance after the US bombardment of Iran when the president allegedly became furious his deputy failed to echo his preferred brutal description of the operation, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The dispute allegedly centered on one word – "obliterated" – which Trump insisted should become the administration's defining message after the strike.
Trump Explodes Over One Word In Iran Speech
Donald Trump clashed with Vice President JD Vance after US strikes.
The alleged confrontation is detailed in Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, a 464-page book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
The book examines Trump's second term through interviews conducted largely on condition of anonymity and portrays a president driven by grievance, instinct and an uncompromising desire to shape government, culture and the news agenda.
The authors write they sought responses from those named throughout the reporting process.
According to the book, Trump became irritated after Vance suggested softening the language in a speech following the June 2025 US strike on a deeply buried Iranian nuclear enrichment site.
As the president prepared remarks claiming the attack had "completely and totally obliterated" Iran's nuclear capabilities, Vance urged caution.
Trump is said to have rejected the advice, apparently replying: "I know what I'm doing," according to the book.
Vance Ignored Orders On Live Television
Vance suggested softening the administration's language in a speech.
The reported disagreement allegedly did not end there.
The book says Vance appeared on ABC News the following morning but avoided repeating the phrase "totally obliterated," prompting another angry response from the president behind closed doors.
"Everyone needs to say the word obliterated," Trump reportedly said, adding an expletive, according to the book.
He is said to have added: "That's the word. Everyone just needs to copy what I say. Obliterated. Obliterated."
A source familiar with the account told us: "The president believed the wording mattered because he wanted every public statement to reinforce the same message. When the language changed, he saw it as undermining the White House's position rather than presenting a united front."
Another source said the disagreement reflected Trump's determination to control the administration's messaging at every level.
"He expected absolute consistency from everyone around him," the source said. "To him, repeating the exact language was as important as the military action itself because it shaped how the public would remember the operation."
President Decorates White House With Super Glue
Trump demanded absolute consistency from his White House team.
The book paints a broader picture of Trump's leadership style during his second term, describing what the authors call "the most powerful president of our lifetimes" as someone operating on "grievances and instincts."
It also recounts episodes intended to illustrate his hands-on approach to the White House, including one occasion when he was said to have decorated part of the executive mansion with a tube of super glue.
Haberman and Swan say their reporting draws on extensive interviews covering internal discussions and sensitive issues inside the administration.
They write those interviews were conducted on condition of anonymity and that they made repeated efforts to contact people named in the book, giving them opportunities to respond before publication.
Full Scale War Erupts After Ceasefire Collapses
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The United States launched major retaliatory airstrikes across Iran.
The United States and Iran recently entered their 10th consecutive night of active direct fighting after a previous June ceasefire completely collapsed.
Trump has ordered a major wave of retaliatory airstrikes, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared the two nations are now locked in a "full-scale war".
Guided by US Central Command (CENTCOM), the US military has bombed multiple targets across southern Iran, including Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, and Isfahan.
The strikes are targeting Iranian military command centres, air defences, coastal surveillance, and drone or missile launch sites.
Trump ordered the recent heavy wave of strikes "in honour" of three US servicemen killed in the region.
Two soldiers were killed by an Iranian drone strike at a base in Jordan, and a third died from an explosive device in Iraq.
Iran has responded by targeting commercial shipping and oil tankers in the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Additionally, Iran has launched drone and missile strikes against US military assets and infrastructure in neighboring Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
Despite the active bombing campaigns, diplomatic intermediaries from Qatar, Egypt, Oman, and Pakistan are actively trying to float solutions to break the deadlock.
Both sides are clashing over the legal interpretation of their brief June agreement.
