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How fractured right-wing media are spinning Trump's Iran capitulation

Right-wing media have been split over the war. As a ceasefire is agreed to, some figures claim Trump “negotiated the deal of his life,” others argue he “chickened out again” and warn the deal “could be an amazing victory for Iran.”

Written by Gideon Taaffe, Torri Lonergan & Noah Dowe

Published

Update (4/13/26): This piece has been updated with additional examples.

Right-wing media and right-leaning online shows are split on the temporary two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, with some calling it “victory” and crediting Trump’s “hyperbolic rhetoric,” while others remain skeptical, going as far as to call it “total U.S. defeat” and arguing the deal is “very difficult to accept." Both critics and supporters of the war have criticized the terms of the ceasefire, saying it is a “defeat” and that “Iran practically got everything that they wanted.”

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  • Trump’s ceasefire with Iran temporarily stopped attacks on Iran but left US objectives unfulfilled and weakened the American position in the region

    • Trump said on April 7 that the U.S. and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire. The ceasefire followed Trump’s threats to bomb civilian infrastructure and his claim that “a whole civilization will die” if a deal was not reached. [NBC News, 4/7/26]
    • Per The Guardian, “It was Iran’s 10-point plan, not his own 15-pointer, that Trump referred to when welcoming the ceasefire.” The Guardian reported, “On waking early on Wednesday morning, the president appears to have been made aware that Iran’s 10 points include the lifting of all sanctions, the payment of war reparations and the acceptance of Iran’s right to enrich uranium, all conditions that have up to now been beyond Washington’s red lines.” [The Guardian, 4/8/26]
    • The Associated Press framed the conflict as “yet another inconclusive war,” saying it left many U.S. objectives unfulfilled. The AP noted that, “The political class devoted to maintaining Iran’s Shiite theocracy remains intact,” and Iran has rejected calls to “completely dismantle its nuclear program” and end support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Additionally, the conflict “didn’t stop Iran from effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz … and erecting a virtual toll booth to charge countries for using it.” [The Associated Press, 4/8/26] 
    • Politico: In addition to Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, “Iran’s leadership structures remain intact. Its hard-liners now have total control. Sanctions have been lifted, for now. Missiles can be rebuilt. The enriched uranium remains in Iran." Politico continued, “The discovery that even the full force of the American military cannot prevent Iran from turning one of the world’s most important shipping lanes into a de facto parking lot — with a hefty pay-to-leave barrier — will not be quickly forgotten. ... In other words, the U.S. has already accepted that Iran can impose limits on shipping in the Strait — limits that did not exist before the war began. And there’s more: Iran is already charging punitive tolls for passage through the strait, and AP reports this will continue during the ceasefire. Trump’s description of Iran’s 10-point list of demands as 'a workable basis on which to negotiate' suggests further concessions are entirely possible. ... And there’s no clarity at all on what happens to Iran’s enriched uranium, though Trump told AFP it will be 'perfectly taken care of.'” [Politico, 4/8/26]
    • The Bulwark: “There is no way—none, at all—to understand” the state of play following the ceasefire “except as a dramatic victory for Iran.” From The Bulwark: 

  • Pre-War

    • Significant economic sanctions hampered the Iranian economy.

    • Iran faced a succession crisis with the approach of only the second transfer of power in half a century.

    • The formal position of the Western world was that Iran was not permitted to obtain nuclear weapons.

    • The Strait of Hormuz was a free waterway governed by international law.

    • Iran had a plan to close passage of the strait, but this plan was unproven.

    • Iran had a fourth-rate navy and a fifth-rate air force, neither of which figured prominently in its national defense strategy.

    Post-War

    • Sanctions against Iran will either be diminished or removed.

    • Iran replaced an aging leader with a young leader, though we haven't seen him in public and a lot of the announcements of Iranian foreign policy are coming from other officials.

    • The ceasefire framework makes no mention of limits on nuclear engineering; in fact it explicitly grants Iran permission to enrich uranium and tell the International Atomic Energy Agency to go pound sand. This is tantamount to permission from the United States for Iran to continue its nuclear program.

    • The Strait of Hormuz will now be administered by Iran, which will also monetize this power by charging tolls. This change in international law carries with it the unilateral consent of the United States.¹

    • Iran’s plan to close the strait has been proven to be (a) workable and (b) a strategic weapon of immense power.

    • Iran’s navy and air force have been (temporarily) neutralized.

    There is no way—none, at all—to understand this shift except as a dramatic victory for Iran. [The Bulwark, 4/8/26]

  • Some in right-wing media praised Trump’s “art of the deal” and used the temporary ceasefire to claim “Trump just got Iran to cry uncle”, saying Iran is now “demoralized and … ready to agree to terms”

    • Fox host Sean Hannity said Iran is “demoralized and now apparently ready to agree to terms.” Hannity argued, “Today's ceasefire was not just the result of negotiations and tough rhetoric. All day, Iran was facing a barrage of strikes from both Israel and the U.S.” [Fox News, Hannity, 4/7/26]
    • Fox host Jesse Watters: “Trump just got Iran to cry uncle. They’ve been calling him crazy for making threats, but guess the threats worked. The strait’s on its way to being opened and Iran's promising to stop firing missiles and drones.” Watters continued, “American deterrence is back. The world just witnessed an overwhelming display of military and technological superiority.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 4/7/26]
    • Fox host Lawrence Jones argued that “the president deserves some room to negotiate” and said he doesn’t think Trump caved. Jones: “Iran's stated goal to make the president withdraw from the military action was to put so much pressure when it comes to oil that the American people would turn on the president and that he would cave. I don't think the president has caved.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/8/26]
    • Newsmax host Rob Finnerty said Trump “negotiated the deal of his life” and Iran “blinked.” Finnerty argued, “They believed him because his threats were so crazy that they wanted out.” [Newsmax, Finnerty, 4/7/26] 
    • Newsmax guest and conservative activist Brigitte Gabriel: “This is not the end of the war. And President Trump is not going to let them off the hook to come back in 10 years and attack one of our major cities.” Fellow panelist Dan O’Shea agreed, arguing Iran is “dealing with the first leader in 50 years that is backing up what he says he's going to do.” [Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight, 4/7/26] 
    • Newsmax host Carl Higbie: “Trump just got Iran to capitulate,” calling the ceasefire a “remarkable achievement.” Higbie also said, Trump “has accomplished more than any war that we’ve fought in the last, I don’t know, three decades.” [Newsmax, Carl Higbie Frontline, 4/7/26]
    • Fox guest Tom Sauer said Trump’s “haters” should “read the greatest geopolitical strategy book of my lifetime. It's called The Art of the Deal by Donald J. Trump.” He continued, “You use maximum leverage to get a lofty goal that might seem unattainable, and then you cut a deal.” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 4/7/26] 
    • On America’s Newsroom, The Hudson Institute’s Rebeccah Heinrichs claimed America is in the “driver’s seat” following the ceasefire. Ret. Vice Adm. Robert Harward agreed with Heinrichs that “we’re in the driver's seat,” adding, “At the end and during this ceasefire we’ll be in even a stronger position. They continue to be in a very weak position.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 4/8/26]
    • Shervin Pishevar, U.S.-based adviser to exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, said on Fox, “This is a victory on the American side.” He argued, “The Iranian Islamic regime of Iran is a wounded animal,” but then added, “If they don't comply, if there isn't complete regime change, then we need to finish the job.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/8/26]
    • Fox News guest Jim Hanson said Trump’s threats pushed Iran to agree to the original deal, insisting, “That hyperbolic rhetoric stopped an additional escalation.” Hanson: “The same deal has been on the table for this entire time. And all of a sudden now they're going to go ahead and accept it. What changed? What changed was President Trump threatening to end the Islamic republic completely. And I think that was an eye-opener. They believed him. And they should believe him.” [Fox News, Hannity, 4/7/26]

  • Right-wing and right-leaning voices both critical and supportive of the war sharply criticized the ceasefire, saying it is a “defeat” and that “Iran practically got everything that they wanted”

    • Trump ally Laura Loomer complained, “Iran practically got everything that they wanted.” After Trump initially bombed Iran, Loomer told President Trump he is “making us proud to be American.” She warned Iran would “probably renege on their word because you can't trust a Muslim,” and asked, “What exactly did we win? I'm not really understanding what we won. We have over 2 million Iranian proxies living in the United States, and the Iranian regime hasn't been dismantled. And they're now only going to be able to get stronger, and more powerful, and more violent.” [Rumble, Loomer Unleashed, 4/7/26, 4/7/26; The Financial Times, 3/2/26]
    • Jack Keane, who has been in favor of this war, said: “I wouldn't have done what we're doing. I wouldn't have gone to the ceasefire, because I think we should take control of the Straits of Hormuz." He worried, “I really think that we lost our leverage by stopping the campaign. I would have preferred to go into negotiations with the war continuing.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 4/8/26, SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 3/27/26]
    • White nationalist Nick Fuentes, who has been opposed to the war, said: “It looks like Trump has chickened out again. They’re saying it is the mother of all tacos, TACO Tuesday.” He added, “This is a complete and total U.S. defeat. This is an absolute — there is no ambiguity here. It's not debatable. It's not subject to interpretation. We lost decisively.” [Rumble, America First with Nick Fuentes, 4/7/26, 4/7/26, Media Matters, 3/2/26, 3/18/26] 
    • Fox host Mark Levin, a leading proponent of the war, said that “this thing’s not over” because “this enemy is still the enemy. They’re still surviving.” Levin added, “What about the people of Iran? What, are we going to just leave them there? There's nothing we can do, and we're going to wash our hands over there? That, to me, is morally very difficult, very difficult to accept. And then what about the proxies, Hezbollah?” Levin’s coverage of Iran on Fox was previously directly promoted by Trump, with the president encouraging Americans to watch an episode of his show focused on “the importance of hitting Iran, HARD!!!” [Fox News, Hannity, 4/7/26; Media Matters, 3/30/26, 3/12/26]
    • Right-wing host Megyn Kelly, who has been a vocal opponent of the war, said she was “not willing to pretend that this is some huge victory,” arguing that instead, “It really could be an amazing victory for Iran.” “The end result of this 38 days is the strait is now controlled by Iran,” Kelly said, adding, “It wasn't before. It now costs a toll potentially to get through. It didn't before.” [SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 4/8/26; Media Matters, 3/2/26, 3/27/26]
    • Kelly later said the ceasefire “sounds very much like surrender on our part, which I'm in favor of. I mean, great. This needed to end.” Host Piers Morgan agreed, saying, “If this is what a historic victory looks like, well, mister president, I wouldn't be so sure to claim that.” [YouTube, Piers Morgan Uncensored, 4/8/26] 
    • Newsmax host Rob Schmitt, who previously argued Iran “should have been destroyed decades ago,” said the ceasefire “has given Iran a much needed break, time to come up for air in the middle of all this. And some would say that's — this break is a win for the regime.” He added, “I think it will be a pretty fair criticism if this ends up being just us mowing the lawn.” [Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight, 3/12/26, 4/8/26]
    • Fox News radio political analyst Josh Kraushaar said on The Scott Jennings Show, “This deal doesn't seem to be much of a deal.” Kraushaar, who recently called himself “very skeptical” of Trump’s chances in getting a deal out of Iran, explained, “Going back to Trump's threat to kind of knock out Iran's civilization, I think it was a threat that it was — didn't have any real force behind it, and he quickly backed down and tried to kind of reach some kind of ceasefire, some kind of deal.” [Fox News, Special Report with Bret Baier, 3/24/26; Salem Radio Network, The Scott Jennings Show, 4/9/26]
    • Fox host Brian Kilmeade complained, “Not one word of that 10-point plan would be valid or acceptable. And, the president said, ‘I looked at some – I looked at the 10 points and there's enough here to work with. Let's have a ceasefire.’ Okay. But that wasn't the 10-point plan, so why’d you put it out?” He continued, “Charging tolls in international waters? How could that ever stand?” Kilmeade, who urged Trump to attack Iran in the days before he did so, later added, “When the president said we'll take a toll too, that's a nonstarter. We'll never do that. … We can't leave this conflict with the the uranium in the ground and the strait in Iran's hands.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/9/26, 4/9/26; Media Matters, 3/12/26]
    • Podcast host Patrick Bet-David: “We're going to see what's going to be negotiated. If it comes out and they get anywhere close to this, Iran won. Iran won in a big way.” Bet-David, who said in January that he opposed “boots on the ground” but not “support” for “people in that region” opposing Iran, argued on his show: “And then guess what happens? You think they're going to sit on the sidelines and not do anything the next two, three decades? No. I don't think so. I think they just got bolder. I think they just got tougher.” [NewsNation, Cuomo, 1/13/26; YouTube, PBD Podcast, 4/8/26] 
    • PBD Podcast panelist Brandon Aceto said, “I don't think this is an optimal outcome at all. I think we're in a worse situation than we were before he started this thing” while “Iran's in a better position than they were before because they have more leverage over the U.S.” Early in the war, Aceto called the U.S. military’s actions “sloppy,” complaining that “they're acting like they're unclear on what they want to do” and “they're not showing the willingness to be extra savage.” [YouTube, PBD Podcast, 3/11/26, 4/8/26]
    • Podcaster Dave Smith, who previously argued Trump “betrayed the American people” by launching the war, said the ceasefire “concedes every last one of the war efforts being unachieved.” Smith added, “They're still gonna have enriched uranium. Remember how I [Trump] said they have to give up all their intercontinental ballistic missiles? They still have, they still have missile stockpiles. You know how we said they're, they're gonna have to stop funding Hezbollah? Nope. They can still fund Hezbollah.” [Vanity Fair, 3/1/26; YouTube, Part of the Problem, 4/8/26]
    • Podcaster and former Fox host Tucker Carlson, who called the war “disgusting and evil,” argued avoiding “total war” is “a win,” but framed the failure to achieve strategic objectives as “a display of weakness.” Carlson: “The regime, the Ayatollahs, the terror regime, as they say on Fox News, will be in place. And that's not a win. That's a loss. U.S. military bases in the region have been destroyed. … That's not a display of power. That's a display of weakness.” [Rolling Stone, 2/28/26; YouTube, The Tucker Carlson Show, 4/9/26] 

  • Others voiced skepticism about the ceasefire, calling Iran’s demands a “fantasy” and noting unresolved issues like the Strait of Hormuz

    • Fox anchor John Roberts argued that “there’s a lot of people who are looking at this with a skeptical eye” at the deal, citing the Strait of Hormuz, potential for continuing to enrich uranium, and the lack of “at least a transitional government in Iran.” Roberts warned, “A lot of people in the world say, Why would you let a group of lunatics continue to have control over the most economically important piece of water in the world?” He further commented: “And the fact that acceptance that Iran can enrich uranium for its nuclear program when on the other hand the president says that there will be no enrichment and we’re going to dig up the enriched uranium that it has already. Those things are fundamentally opposed to each other. … The other thing is: Who is the new regime? I’ve got a lot of Persians in my friend circle and they were all hoping that there was going to be a fundamental regime change that would lead to a democratic process or at least a transitional government in Iran.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/8/26] 
    • Fox News senior strategic analyst Jack Keane: “I am skeptical about where we're heading with the Iranians, because I flat don't trust them and I don't like taking the pressure off them by going to a ceasefire.” He explained, “My preference would have been to keep the war going as leverage to make that deal.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 4/7/26]
    • Nathan Sales, Middle East fellow at the Atlantic Council, on Fox & Friends: “What the Iranians have said publicly is just a complete fantasy list of concessions that they think the United States is somehow going to agree to. And I’ve got news for you — those are all dead on arrival.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/8/26] 
    • Fox anchor Bill Hemmer: “A ceasefire deal was reached. Talks are said to be progressing, but we'll see how they go.” Hemmer added, “The concern I would have ... if it is true that only two [ships] have gotten through [the Strait of Hormuz], that is something we need to watch here throughout the day." [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 4/8/26]
    • On Fox, former National Security Council Senior Director Michael Allen said he was “still worried about this” deal because “it doesn't seem to be free passage of the Strait of Hormuz.” He explained, “Zeroing in on the strait, I don't like the language the Iranians have been using. … It doesn't seem to be free passage of the Straits of Hormuz.” Allen encouraged Trump to “make sure the Iranians live up to what we thought we were agreeing to, which is unimpeded international waterway of the Straits of Hormuz.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 4/8/26]
    • Fox correspondent Jonathan Hunt said, “This is a good night,” but noted, “Are we going to have nothing more than a promise from the Iranians that they will not seek a nuclear weapon? Well, we’ve heard that before, certainly.” [Fox News, Hannity, 4/7/26]
    • The Heritage Foundation’s Robert Greenway told Fox News, “I think there's no leadership left to agree to, and I think the ceasefire will break down.” He continued, “If we make it two weeks, the president will have achieved a tremendous victory in bringing the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism and 47-year adversary of the United States to its knees. If they fail to keep the straits open — which I think is very likely — then the president resumes the campaign and removes the capacity to threaten its neighbors.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 4/7/26]
    • Sean Hannity expressed doubts with the deal a day after praising it, telling his listeners, “Don't be surprised that the ceasefire does not hold,” and saying, “I'm not even sure if it's in our best interest for this two week period to go on.” Later in the show, Hannity added, “It may very well be by the time we get on TV tonight that the Iranians have blown up this temporary deal. … If I had to guess, the Iranians are too stupid to take advantage of the opportunity they have negotiating a peace for a better future for themselves, their kids, and their grandkids.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Sean Hannity Show, 4/8/26, 4/8/26]
    • A day after calling the ceasefire a “remarkable achievement,” Carl Higbie said,“I was optimistic … that this would lead to at least some kind of deal with some meaningful progress. And then it, like, didn't.” He added, “We can also achieve our goals through elimination.” [Newsmax, Carl Higbie Frontline, 4/7/26, 4/8/26]