Donald Trump Mocked for Calling Iran War an 'Excursion' — Staffers Admit They're Too Afraid to Correct Him
Donald Trump sparks confusion by repeatedly calling the Iran war a 'excursion.'
March 15 2026, Published 1:20 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump has sparked confusion and ridicule after repeatedly describing the ongoing war with Iran as an "excursion," RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Over the past week, the 79-year-old president has used the unusual wording multiple times while speaking about the military campaign, which began in late February and has already resulted in casualties and major geopolitical tensions.
Donald Trump's Word Choice
Critics mocked the president's wording as the deadly conflict entered its third week.
Trump first used the phrase earlier this week while speaking from his golf resort in Doral, Florida.
"We took a little excursion because we felt we had to, to get rid of some evil, and I think you'll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion," the president said while discussing the military campaign, according to The Daily Beast.
He repeated the phrasing again the following day during remarks at a factory in Ohio.
"We did a little excursion, we had to take this couple weeks, few weeks of excursion," Trump said, again suggesting the operation would be temporary.
Possible Word Mix-Up
Trump used the phrase while speaking at his Doral, Florida resort earlier this week.
However, the word "excursion" typically refers to a short leisure trip or outing, leading some observers — and even members of Trump's own administration — to believe he may have confused it with the military term "incursion," which refers to an armed invasion or attack.
Sources familiar with internal conversations said Trump may have picked up the word after hearing advisers use the phrase "military incursion," but has since adopted the term incorrectly.
Staffers Stay Quiet
The president appeared to confuse the military term 'incursion' with 'excursion.'
Despite the apparent mix-up, staffers reportedly have little interest in correcting the president.
"I'm not telling him," one administration official said. They added that it would be "a fool's errand" and that "doing so would likely get them yelled at."
Another official downplayed the issue, saying: "We say 'incursion,' the boss says 'excursion.' It’s not a big deal."
Press Pushes Back
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White House officials admitted some staffers are too afraid to correct the president.
The unusual phrasing has also drawn scrutiny from journalists covering the conflict.
During a press exchange this week, one reporter pointed out the contradiction between Trump describing the operation as both a war and a brief outing.
"You just said it is a 'little excursion,' and you said it is a 'war.' So, which one is it?" the reporter asked.
Trump responded by insisting the two descriptions could coexist.
"It's both," he replied. "It's a, uh, an excursion that will keep us out of a war."
The war itself continues to escalate, with U.S. and Israeli forces striking targets inside Iran while Tehran and its allies retaliate with missile and drone attacks across the region.
