Trump says US 'totally destroying' Iran and to 'watch what happens' Friday

Speakers at a Quds Day rally in New York City voiced support for Iran’s regime and condemned the United States and Israel during demonstrations tied to the annual pro-Palestinian event.

In video from the rally, one speaker declared “We proclaim our support for the Islamic Republic,” while demonstrators chanted “Shame, shame USA.”

Another speaker claimed “Iran is the central pillar of the struggle against U.S. imperialism and Zionism today.”

Additional chants heard in the video included “Free Palestine,” “Free Iran,” and “Free Gaza.”

Some speakers also criticized the U.S. military's Operation Epic Fury against Iran, describing the conflict as “Wall Street’s war.”

Quds Day demonstrations are held annually in cities around the world in support of Palestinians and opposition to Israel.

The rally comes less than a week after two Pennsylvania teens were charged in an alleged ISIS-inspired plot involving improvised explosive devices outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence, an incident that heightened security concerns across the city.

More than 50,000 U.S. service members are supporting Operation Epic Fury as the military campaign against Iran enters its third week, according to the United States Department of War.

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said the forces have established control over the air and sea domains while striking thousands of Iranian targets since the operation began Feb. 28.

“We continue to deliver devastating combat power. Every day our resolve increases and the regime’s ability to threaten our forces, our partners and the American people is being systematically dismantled,” Wilson said.

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has reported about 6,000 targets struck so far, with more than 60 ships and 30 mine-laying vessels damaged or destroyed, according to the department.

Officials said the campaign has employed a wide range of military assets, including bombers, fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, drones, missile defense systems, artillery, warships and refueling aircraft.

CENTCOM also warned this week that Iran is using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz for military operations, which could make those locations legitimate military targets under international law.

The Pentagon also said it is honoring American service members killed during the operation.

“These patriots paid the price in full, and the Department of War will deliver total victory in their name,” Wilson said.

Iran is deploying explosive-laden drone boats disguised as wooden fishing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a defense expert has warned — a move that signals a new phase of hybrid maritime warfare in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.

Cameron Chell, CEO of drone technology firm Draganfly, spoke after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that a Marshall Islands–flagged oil tanker was struck March 1 by an Iranian unmanned surface vehicle north of Muscat, Oman.

"UKMTO has received confirmation that the vessel was attacked by an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), and that the crew has been evacuated to shore," UKMTO said in a threat assessment.

Reports also indicated that two additional oil tankers were hit March 11 by remote-controlled explosive boats in the Gulf, as Iran intensified attacks on foreign vessels following the start of the U.S. Operation Epic Fury against the regime on Feb. 28.

The use of so-called "suicide skiffs" represents a growing asymmetric threat in the narrow, 21-mile-wide Strait, Chell warned, while highlighting the technological capabilities behind these attacks.

"The Iranians probably have use of radio remote control, line of sight, frequency hopping, or encrypted radio communication between the skiffs and the Hormuz shoreline," Chell told Fox News Digital."

These can be jammed and tracked, but when there's 50 of these boats, it's hard to try to find them all along this shoreline or to find a 20-foot wooden fishing boat that is laden with explosives.

"They can have one person controlling a swarm of 10 boats," he said before describing how there "could also be autonomous swarming where they might have 10 boats that can act with a large level of independence, because they're pre-programmed."

"The boats would be used to ram into targets and explode," Chell clarified.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Iranian regime’s military capabilities are “crumbling” as U.S. strikes continue under Operation Epic Fury in a compilation video shared on X.

“Iran has no air defenses, Iran has no Air Force, Iran has no Navy,” Hegseth said in remarks with video overlay of strikes in the region.

“Their missiles, their missile launchers and drones [are] being destroyed or shot out of the sky,” he said.

“With every passing hour, we know, and we know they know, that the military capabilities of their evil regime are crumbling.”

Hegseth added that U.S. forces will continue their offensive.

“We will keep pressing, we will keep pushing, keep advancing — no mercy for our enemies.

EXCLUSIVE: Cryptocurrency infrastructure linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continued operating during the country’s nationwide internet blackout after the Feb. 28 U.S.–Israeli strikes, a cyber intelligence report reviewed by Fox News Digital claims. It allowed hundreds of millions of dollars in crypto to move out of the country.

Omri Raiter, founder and CEO of RAKIA, a cyber intelligence firm that develops data analysis platforms used by governments and security agencies, told Fox News Digital his team began monitoring Iranian cryptocurrency activity in real time after the attacks and quickly detected a surge of funds leaving Iranian-linked crypto accounts.

"We've seen a surge of funds since the first hours of the war," Raiter said. "It started with tens of millions in the first hours, and it grew to hundreds of millions and more. Money was just flowing out from Iranian crypto accounts."

Wallets linked to the IRGC received more than $3 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, according to the internal report based on blockchain intelligence data cited by RAKIA. The report also cites publicly available data from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis, which estimated Iran’s cryptocurrency ecosystem reached $7.78 billion in activity in 2025.

Raiter said the data suggests Iran has developed a significant crypto-based financial infrastructure capable of operating even during heavy sanctions and communications shutdowns.

"The IRGC has been financing proxy operations through the very same crypto corridors that sanctions were designed to shut down," Raiter said.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned cryptocurrency exchanges tied to Iranian actors Jan. 30, marking one of the first times the U.S. targeted entire digital asset platforms rather than individual wallets for sanctions evasion linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move was part of a broader effort to disrupt financial networks connected to Tehran, Iran.

"The Treasury will continue to pursue Iranian networks and corrupt elites who enrich themselves at the expense of the people," Bessent said in a Treasury press release in January. "This also applies to attempts by the regime to use digital assets to circumvent sanctions."

This is an excerpt of an article from Fox News Digital's Efrat Lachter.

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) released video showing Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit aircraft taking off for strike missions as Operation Epic Fury continues against Iran.

CENTCOM said the bombers are conducting long-range strikes aimed at eliminating threats from the Iranian regime and preventing it from rebuilding military capabilities.

“B-2 stealth bombers takeoff to conduct a mission during Operation Epic Fury, delivering long-range fire to not only eliminate the threat from the Iranian regime today, but also eliminate their ability to rebuild in the future,” the command wrote on X.

The stealth aircraft are capable of flying intercontinental missions and delivering precision-guided munitions against hardened targets.

Vice President JD Vance declined Friday to detail what advice he has given President Donald Trump about the war with Iran, citing the classified nature of the discussions.

Speaking in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Vance said conversations inside the Situation Room involve senior officials including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not going to show up here in front of God and everybody else and tell you exactly what I said in that classified room,” Vance said.

“Partially because I don’t want to go to prison,” he added, “and partially because I think it’s important for the president of the United States to be able to talk to his advisers without those advisers running their mouth to the American media.”

Vance also added during a gaggle after his remarks that the new Iranian supreme leader has been injured amid ongoing strikes, though officials are still working to determine how serious the wounds are.

“We know that he’s hurt,” Vance told reporters.

The vice president said it’s unclear whether the injuries were caused by a U.S. strike or an Israeli operation, noting the situation inside Iran is “very chaotic.”

“You have the Israelis striking. You have obviously the United States striking a number of targets,” he said. “We don’t know exactly how bad, but we know that he’s hurt.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Paris with exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi as Operation Epic Fury continues against Tehran.

Zelenskyy said the two discussed the situation inside Iran, regional security and the ongoing U.S. military operation against the Iranian regime.

“The Crown Prince and his team briefed me on signals they are receiving from inside the country,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “The regime’s hierarchy has indeed already suffered significant losses.”

The Ukrainian leader said Kyiv hopes to see “a free Iran that will not cooperate with Russia or destabilize the Middle East, Europe and the world.”

Zelenskyy also said Pahlavi expressed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that they would remain in contact.

Israel’s Squadron 200, also known as the first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Squadron, has played a crucial role in destroying more than half of the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile launchers as the 14th day of the war unfolds across the Middle East.

Fox News Digital gained access to one of Israel’s most experienced and veteran UAV operators from Squadron 200. "I have been flying drones for the past 25 years, and other operational missions have prepared me for this war," said the IDF Squadron leader.

He summed up the highly sensitive nature of his work in protecting the Israeli civilian population. "Every night that my wife and my kids sleep a full night without an alarm is something I can give credit to the air force and drone operators." Israel’s technology system warns Israelis with mobile phone messages and wailing public alarms that provide an advanced notice of incoming Iranian missiles and drones.

The IDF drone commander said the main goal of his squadron is to "find rocket launchers and surface-to-air missiles that are a risk to our pilots who fly over and destroy them before they launch missiles and gain air superiority for the area and reduce the risk for civilians back at home."

He added that "We can take a lot of credit for the reduction" in Iranian missiles and drones fired at Israel.

The stakes are high for the UAV operators. Iran's aerial warfare campaign has led to the deaths of 12 Israelis and over 2,975 people have been admitted to Israeli hospitals. 

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it has carried out more than 7,600 strikes against Iran over the first two weeks of Operation Roaring Lion. 

More than 2,000 of those strikes, the IDF said, were directed at headquarters and “assets of the Iranian regime,” and about 4,700 of them targeted Iran’s missile program. 

The IDF added that “thousands of terror operatives” were “eliminated.” 

In Lebanon, the IDF said it killed more than 380 Hezbollah terrorists and carried out more than 1,100 strikes. 

Those projectiles hit “190 [Hezbollah] Radwan Force targets, 200+ missile and launcher targets, and ~35 command-and-control sites,” according to the IDF. 

A U.S. defense official told Fox News on Friday that the Pentagon is sending the USS Tripoli, a Marine Amphibious Ready Group, and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East.  

Around 2,500 Marines and 2,500 sailors are being sent to the region as part of the deployment. 

The USS Tripoli is stationed out of Japan and would take about one to two weeks to join other U.S. military assets in the region. 

The move comes as Iran is threatening maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and launching attacks on its Gulf neighbors. 

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report. 

Israel's El Al airlines announced Friday it will operate "special flights" for Americans whose flights from Israel were canceled over the conflict with Iran.

"Thousands of American citizens whose flights back to the United States were canceled due to the war with Iran are currently staying in Israel," the airline wrote on X.

"As part of an arrangement between the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, and EL AL, beginning March 16, we will operate six non-stop flights from Tel Aviv to New York designated exclusively for American citizens. These flights are expected to depart at full capacity, subject to Government Approvals," it added.

President Donald Trump revealed more plans for the war with Iran, vowing to continue "decimating" the regime over the coming days and touting the mission as "ahead of schedule."

"We had no idea it would be this far ahead. We’ve knocked out close to 90% of their missiles," Trump said in an interview that aired Friday on the "Brian Kilmeade Show."

The president said the U.S. has taken out the majority of Iran’s missiles and drone manufacturing sites, adding that the military is "hitting them harder than anybody’s been hit since World War II."

While Trump did not provide a specific timeline for the conclusion of what he called an "excursion," he said the U.S. has "virtually unlimited ammunition."

The president also said the U.S. is prepared to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary to protect oil shipments. The Iranian Navy has claimed responsibility for a series of strikes on commercial vessels transiting the strait.

The disruptions have sent oil prices soaring. Trump said the U.S. would escort the vessels "if we needed to," adding that pressure on Iran would increase this week.

President Donald Trump said Friday on Fox News Radio's "The Brian Kilmeade Show" that the U.S. is not focused on taking Iran's enriched uranium, but suggested "at some point we might be."

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, during an interview on "Hannity" Tuesday, offered a behind-the-scenes account of the opening exchanges in the recent U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations. 

Witkoff said Iranian negotiators declared they controlled roughly 460 kilograms of enriched uranium to about 60% and that this material could potentially be further enriched toward weapons-grade levels in about a week to 10 days. 

"Is there some type of operation in place to grab it?" Trump was asked by Brian Kilmeade.

"No, not at all. And we're not focused on that, but at some point we might be," Trump responded. "Right now we're focused on knocking the hell out of their missiles and their drones."

Fox News Digital's Max Bacall contributed to this report.

A new Clemson University report found dozens of social media accounts associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pushing anti-Israel and anti-U.S. content to sow online discord during the ongoing Iran-U.S. war.

According to a report released Wednesday, at least 62 accounts across X, Bluesky and Instagram were found to have connections to the IRGC despite claiming to be users from the Americas, England, Scotland or Ireland. Though most accounts were less than 1 year old, some were created as far back as December 2023.

"All these accounts systematically amplify politically divisive content and disinformation aligned with IRGC narratives, and they are designed to exploit regional fault lines to advance Iranian regime interests," the report said.

Prior to President Donald Trump and Israel's military strikes against Iran, most accounts largely focused on divisive domestic positions. However, after Feb. 28, once Israel and the U.S. launched surprise airstrikes against Iran, they began pushing pro-Tehran messages in favor of the regime.

"There is a coordinated inauthentic social-media campaign targeting online discourse around the war between Israel, the United States, and Iran," the report noted.

The accounts also used several AI-generated images and false videos pushing inaccurate reports on the ongoing strikes.

President Donald Trump said Friday on Fox News Radio's "The Brian Kilmeade Show" that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be helping the Iranian regime.

"You think Putin is helping them?" Trump was asked by Brian Kilmeade.

"I think he might be helping them a little bit, yeah, I guess, and he probably thinks we're helping Ukraine, right?" Trump responded.

"And you are, right?" Kilmeade said.

"Yeah, we're helping them also, and so he says that, and China would say the same thing, you know," Trump said. "It's like, hey, they do it and we do it, in all fairness. They do it. And we do it."

U.S. Central Command said Friday that "the Iranian regime has been the number one threat to peace and stability in the Middle East for years."

"U.S. forces continue to take decisive steps to neutralize Iran’s power projection capabilities," it added on X, posting a new video showing American airstrikes on Iranian military infrastructure.

"We've attacked over 6,000 targets and our strike packages continue to launch every hour, and we've maintained an unprecedented number of sorties up over ahead of Iran," Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said Friday. "CENTCOM is now persistently over the enemy."

U.S. Central Command announced Friday that the death toll in a refueling aircraft crash in western Iraq on Thursday has risen to six.

"All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury," it said in a statement.

"The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," CENTCOM added. "The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth earlier described the U.S. service members involved the crash as "American heroes."

This now brings the total U.S. killed in action to 13 during Operation Epic Fury.

A video shared Friday by Fox News Correspondent Lucas Tomlinson showed smoke rising into the air near Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, following an Iranian drone interception in the United Arab Emirates.

The country's ministry of defense said its air defense systems engaged "7 ballistic missiles and 27 UAVs launched from Iran" on Friday.

"Since the onsets of the blatant Iranian aggression, UAE air defences have engaged 285 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,567 UAVs," the UAE's Ministry of Defense added.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Friday that the four U.S. service members killed in a refueling aircraft crash in western Iraq are "American heroes."

U.S. Central Command announced earlier that a KC-135 refueling aircraft "went down" in Iraq on Thursday, and, "Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue." CENTCOM added that the cause of the crash remains under investigation, but it was not due to hostile or friendly fire.

"War as hell. War is chaos. And as we saw yesterday with the tragic crash of our KC-135 tanker, bad things can happen," Hegseth said. "American heroes, all of them."

"And as I have with all of them, as we have, we will greet those heroes at Dover," he continued, referencing an upcoming dignified transfer. "And their sacrifice will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission."

Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said, "Please keep these brave airmen, their families, friends and units in your thoughts in the coming hours and days."

"Our service members make an incredible sacrifice to go forward and do the things that the nation asks of them. It's a reminder of the true cost of the dedication and commitment of the joint force," he added.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military is shifting to overhead strikes on Iran, compared to missile launches, as Operation Epic Fury continues Friday.

"I can say... only 1% of the munitions we're using today are standoff munitions. The rest are over the top, the types of which we have a plethora, which was which is our goal from the beginning," he said. "You use standoff, which are more exquisite. You transition to a much larger magazine depth, ensuring that you preserving all the capabilities you have and your options across the force."

Hegseth made the remark after saying that "today will be yet again the highest volume of strikes that America has put over the skies of Iran and Tehran."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Trump administration is taking an "opposite approach" with its mission in Iran compared to the foreign policy under previous U.S. administrations.

"I've addressed this before, and I think it's worth saying again, mission creep or expansive missions or prolonged timelines or democracy building or nation building, you name it, has not been part of what President Trump wants us to be involved in," Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon.

"We're solving for something here. This particular mission set, but also recognizing this country's conditioned to previous leaders, whether it's George W. Bush or Barack Obama or Joe Biden, who had these expansive, nebulous mission sets that kept changing all the time," Hegseth continued. "So the timeline kept moving, and we kept pouring more troops in and on the ground. And then pretty soon, everyone wonders, like I did in Afghanistan in 2012, what's our mission here? I'm not I'm not clear what it is."

"We're taking the opposite approach here and saying we've defined these objectives. We're pursuing those objectives. The president has his hand on the throttle and will decide ultimately when they've been reached, that serve the purposes of the United States of America. American interests first," he added.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Friday that "today will be yet again the highest volume of strikes that America has put over the skies of Iran and Tehran."

"The number of sorties, the number of bomber pulses, the highest yet, ramping up and only up," he said. 

"Iran has no air defenses. Iran has no air force. Iran has no navy," Hegseth said earlier. "Their missiles, their missile launchers and drones being destroyed or shot out of the sky. Their missile volume is down 90%. Their one way attack drones yesterday, down 95%."

"And as the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz. It's something we're dealing with. We have been dealing with it and don't need to worry about it. We're on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before," Hegseth also said.

U.S. forces had destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to U.S. Central Command. About a fifth of the world's oil flows through this key route.

Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ripped Iran's new "not so supreme leader" Mojtaba Khamenei on Friday, saying he "lacks legitimacy."

Hegseth spoke after Mojtaba Khamenei released a statement Thursday saying that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the war is over and that he told Gulf neighbors that U.S. military bases need to be removed from their countries.

"Iran's leadership is in no better shape. Desperate and hiding, they've gone underground, cowering. That's what rats do. We know the new so-called not so supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured," Hegseth said Friday at the Pentagon. "He put out a statement yesterday. A weak one, actually, but there was no voice. And there was no video. It was a written statement."

"He called for unity, apparently killing tens of thousands of protesters is his kind of unity. Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father dead. He's scared, he's injured, he's on the run and he lacks legitimacy," Hegseth added.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Friday at the Pentagon that the American and Israeli militaries are "picking targets as they choose" thanks to aerial dominance over Iran.

"The United States is decimating the radical Iranian regime's military in a way the world has never seen before. Never before has a modern, capable military, which Iran used to have, been so quickly destroyed and made combat ineffective, devastated," Hegseth said. "We said it would not be a fair fight, and it has not been."

"Between our Air Force and that of the Israelis, over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck. That's well over 1,000 a day," Hegseth continued. "No other combination of countries in the world can do that."

"So today, as we speak, we fly over the top of Iran and Tehran. Fighters and bombers all day picking targets as they choose. As our intelligence gets better and better and more refined, looking up, the IRGC and Iranian regime sees only two things on the side of aircraft -- the Stars and Stripes and the Star of David," he added.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are set to provide another update about Operation Epic Fury at 8 a.m. ET.

The U.S. military action, which was launched on Feb. 28, is now in its 14th day.

The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday another wave of airstrikes against the “Iranian terror regime” in multiple locations across the country. 

In Shiraz in southern Iran, the IDF said it struck “an underground facility for ballistic missile storage and production.” 

“A central base for [an] aerial defense array and several production sites for weapons, aerial defense systems, and ballistic missile components” were targeted in Iran’s capital of Tehran, it continued. 

In Ahvaz in western Iran, the IDF hit “Command centers, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Ground Corps, and a central command center of the Internal Security Forces.” 

Turkey’s defense ministry announced Friday that it intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Iran. 

“A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean,” it wrote on X. 

“All necessary measures are being taken decisively and without hesitation against any threat directed at our country’s territory and airspace. Consultations are being conducted with the relevant country to clarify all aspects of the incident,” it continued.  

The incident involving Turkey is the third of its kind since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28. 

Four U.S. service members were killed when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq Thursday afternoon, officials confirmed.

A U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq around 2 p.m. ET, U.S. Central Command confirmed early Friday. Four of the six crew members aboard the aircraft have been confirmed dead as rescue efforts continue.

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation. Officials said the loss of the aircraft was not the result of hostile fire or friendly fire.

The identities of the service members are being withheld pending notification of next of kin and will be released 24 hours after those notifications are complete.

The KC-135 Stratotanker is a US Air Force aircraft that refuels other planes midair, allowing them to fly longer missions without landing. It can also be configured for medical evacuations and surveillance, according to the Air Force.

Based on the Boeing 707 design, the KC-135 has been in service for more than 60 years, supporting the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied aircraft. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that the U.S. was "totally destroying" and "killing" Iran, warning to watch "what happens to these deranged scumbags today."

"We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth," he continued. "We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time."

Trump also appeared to signal a significant action later on Friday, writing, "Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today."

"They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!" the president said.