Trump’s Terrifying Timeline for Iran War Exposed in Leaked Memo

President Donald Trump’s illegal and expensive war in Iran could stretch on until September—just in time to hand Republicans a win for the upcoming midterm elections.

U.S. Central Command requested the Pentagon dispatch more military intelligence officers to its Florida headquarters in order to support operations in Iran for at least 100 days, but likely until September, Politico reported Wednesday.

Trump had previously indicated that he hoped the conflict would last only four weeks—but clearly the military is operating on a more expansive timeline, as continued strikes from the U.S. and Israel spiral out into a larger regional conflict with a climbing death toll.

Trump’s military campaign in Iran reportedly cost taxpayers more than $5 billion within the first three days alone. Representative Joe Morelle, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, has warned the war could cost up to $1 billion per day. Therefore, U.S. Central Command is currently planning for a war that could cost between $100 billion and $180 billion, or more.

The timing of Trump’s war may also read as convenient for Republicans who must gird themselves for a tough battle in the midterm elections. Ahead of November, Democrats have continued to gain momentum, and Trump’s approval rating has hit a second-term low, signaling what could be a disaster for the president’s party.

While Trump seems to have plans in the works to influence, interfere with, or even cancel the midterm elections, perhaps he hopes to hand Republicans a victory ahead of what is shaping up to be a bloodbath for their majorities in the House and Senate.

That could just as easily backfire.

Americans don’t typically love when the government spends billions of dollars on something they didn’t vote for. And win or lose, Republicans can’t really take credit for Trump’s military campaign in Iran because they have nothing to do with it. Trump seemingly declared war without congressional authorization—just one reason why his actions are blatantly illegal.

President Trump may be fed up with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Punchbowl News reports that the president is asking his Republican allies in Congress whether he should fire Noem, following her contentious hearings on Capitol Hill this week, including one where she said the president approved a controversial government ad campaign starring herself.

On Tuesday, Noem was asked by Republican Senator John Kennedy about the $220 million ad campaign, which he said seemed to boost her national profile.

“The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?” Kennedy asked Noem during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. She replied yes, and said that it was legally cleared.

“Did the president know you were gonna do this?” Kennedy followed up. Noem replied yes, and affirmed her answer when Kennedy seemed skeptical.

“They were effective in your name recognition,” Kennedy said. “To me it puts the president in a terribly awkward spot.”

This reportedly irked the president enough to question Noem’s future in the administration. The contract for the campaign, which was filmed at Mount Rushmore, went to a company only eight days old and run by Ben Yoho, the husband of former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. Yoho’s firm received over $226,000, despite the company having no website, no experience, and quiet contracts.

On top of that, during the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Wednesday, Noem was confronted about her rumored affair with her top aide, Corey Lewandowski, and she lashed out at Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove over it.

“I’m shocked we’re going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this hearing,” Noem said, without denying the rumors.

The affair between Noem and Lewandowski, who are married to other people, is considered the worst-kept secret in Washington, D.C. But if Trump decides that Noem’s many misdeeds at DHS (and personal slights to him) have become too much to deal with, the affair will be the least of her problems.

The firefighter and Marine veteran who was dragged out of a Wednesday Senate war powers resolution vote for yelling, “No one wants to fight for Israel” is now facing criminal charges.

Brian McGinnis, in full uniform, can be seen on video being grabbed by Republican Senator Tim Sheehy and three police officers. They lift him up in the doorway while he screams his protest, with his hand still in the doorway. Then a snap can be heard, as McGinnis’s arm breaks.

They eventually put McGinnis down.

“The senator broke his hand! A sitting U.S. senator just broke the hand of a Marine! Control your Senate!” a bystander can be heard yelling.

McGinnis later confirmed his arm was broken. Now, even with his injuries, he has been criminally charged with assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. The GoFundMe in his name has already raised $48,000. McGinnis is also apparently a Green Party candidate for Senate in North Carolina.

“Capitol Police were attempting to remove an unhinged protestor from the Armed Services hearing. He was fighting back. I decided to help out and deescalate the situation,” Sheehy later wrote on X. “This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one. I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence.” In no way did Sheehy de-escalate the situation when he ran over and grabbed onto McGinnis.

Many were quick to call out the symbolic irony of the event. The current war on Iran, which the U.S. even admitted was at the behest of Israel at least somewhat, is massively unpopular. A veteran making that statement in the halls of the Senate and being seriously injured for it only underscores the administration’s blind commitment to waging war.

“Republicans claim to care about our troops, but the moment a veteran speaks out against Israel they treat him worse than they treat actual criminals,” a large conservative X account wrote.

“This is very, very ugly. And no US Senator needs to inject himself into this situation, for the safety of everyone—including himself,” Independent Veterans for America founder Paul Rieckhoff wrote. “Just unnecessary and terrible to watch. This is what an America falling apart looks like.”

Even the contemptible alt-right commentator Nick Fuentes chimed in.

“This is just a picture of America right now. Which you have a U.S. Marine—these are the people actually prosecuting the war, actually fighting the war … and they’re being sent out now into yet another ridiculous regime change war in the Middle East for Israel. And that’s what the guy says, he says ‘look, we don’t wanna die for Israel,” Fuentes said. “And look at the way that he’s being treated. Literally dragged out of the chamber by the cops, a U.S. Senator jumps into action … they smash his hand in the door. That’s the picture of America. That marine is all of us.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remark Wednesday about U.S. troops dying in the Middle East was so callous it reportedly stunned everyone—including Pentagon officials.

During a press briefing, Hegseth claimed that the press was only reporting on the deaths of American soldiers in order to “make the president look bad.”

“But when a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front-page news,” he said. “I get it, the press only wants to make the president look bad—but try for once to report the reality.”

The Atlantic’s Nancy Youssef, who was present for the briefing, told her colleague that Hegseth’s comment “sent a stunned silence through the briefing room.”

She claimed that some members of Hegseth’s staff appeared to flinch at what he was saying, while others ducked their heads.

Youssef said that one person quietly but audibly remarked: “That was one of the most insulting things I have ever heard.”

Hegseth’s heartless remarks come as lawmakers warn that more U.S. soldiers are likely to die in Trump’s escalating military campaign in Iran. So far, six service members have died after a drone struck their makeshift operations center in Kuwait on Sunday.

Hegseth has repeatedly proven that he is a weak and frivolous advocate for Donald Trump’s illegal war in Iran, which has already spiraled out into a regional conflict. The secretary has failed to provide answers for entering a conflict without congressional approval and refused to clearly state U.S. objectives or even gesture at a timeline. Clearly, he’s more interested in using dead soldiers as a lever to whine about the media, and openly bragging about not following the rules of engagement.

On Wednesday, the Senate refused to block President Donald Trump from using further military force on Iran, as a war powers resolution failed by a vote of 53–47.*

Senator John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against the resolution. Senator Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote for the resolution. This was Congress’s first vote on the war.

The news came on the fifth day of a joint U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign on Iran. Prior to the vote, Trump ranted about Chinese windmills during a press conference and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. bombed Iran due to a “feeling” Trump had about an imminent attack.

* This story has been updated with a correct vote count.