Newsmax host: “I don't actually think [Trump's] going to send ground troops into Iran, but you do have to make it look like you're going to in order for them to think you're going to so you can negotiate against it”
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From the March 24, 2026, edition of Newsmax's Carl Higbie Frontline
CARL HIGBIE (HOST): He's right. President Trump says that Iran wants to negotiate, but the situation in the Middle East appears to be ramping up. So the War Department is now deploying the 82nd Airborne to the region, as the Pentagon and the White House posture for ground troops in Iran. Look, I don't actually think he's going to send ground troops into Iran, but you do have to make it look like you're going to in order for them to think you're going to so you can negotiate against it. Today's news, though, coming as both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are reportedly inching towards joining this conflict. They've both been targeted by Iranian missiles, by the way. And this afternoon, The New York Times reported that the U.S. has sent a 15 point plan to Iran to end this war in its entirety. Steve Yates, Heritage Foundation senior fellow for national security, and Fred Fleitz, former chief of staff for the National Security Council. Fred, this to me — obviously, Trump is really good at negotiating this time. This time, he actually had to turn half their country into a parking lot. But here we are.
FRED FLEITZ (GUEST): You know, I have to laugh when I hear these critics of Trump saying that there's no plan for this war. There's clearly a plan. It's sophisticated. He's just not telling his enemies, including the Iranians, what it is. I think part of this is trying to find a way to get around the Revolutionary Guard, get around the supreme leader — assuming there is a supreme leader, he may be just a cardboard cutout — and find Iranians who we can deal with who don't want their country blown up. I think we may have found people like that. All the denials that this is going on doesn't mean it's not going on, because we know that anyone who tries to talk to us might be killed by the Revolutionary Guard. I think it shows the way Trump does these things. He doesn't want to use military force. If there's a diplomatic option and these other options, he's going to play if this doesn't work.