In a single post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump threw his top officials under the bus, and reignited fears that the U.S. may, in fact, be gunning for regime change in Iran.
After launching airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites Saturday night, Trump’s closest allies spent the weekend doing damage control, insisting the strikes weren’t a push to topple Iran’s government. But on Sunday, Trump himself blasted that message to bits.
“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!” he wrote, in classic Trump fashion.
( @realDonaldTrump – Truth Social Post )
( Donald J. Trump – Jun 22, 2025, 4:55 PM ET )It’s not politically correct to use the term, “Regime Change,” but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!! pic.twitter.com/qFED0eTNzh
— Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 TRUTH POSTS (@TruthTrumpPosts) June 22, 2025
That statement sharply undercut Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who all made the Sunday show rounds to argue that the military operation was narrowly focused.
“We are not at war with Iran, we are at war with Iran’s nuclear program,” Vance told NBC’s Meet the Press, trying to distance the White House from full-scale conflict.
When asked whether the U.S. supports Israel assassinating Iran’s top leadership, Vance sidestepped. “Well, look, that’s up to the Israelis,” he said. “But our view has been very clear that we don’t want a regime change. We do not want to protract this or build this out any more than it’s already been built out.”
He insisted the strikes were meant to “end their nuclear program” and open the door for a long-term diplomatic solution.
Rubio, appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation, had a similar tone. “This wasn’t a regime-change move. This was designed to degrade and/or destroy three nuclear sites related to their nuclear weaponization ambitions,” he said.
He doubled down on Sunday, saying, “What happens next is up to the regime. The regime wants peace, we’re ready for peace. They want to do something else, they’re incredibly vulnerable.”
Asked directly whether Iran was heading toward regime change, Rubio pushed back. “You don’t have to like the regime. There are a lot of regimes around the world that we don’t like. Okay, but… that’s not what we’re focused on.”
Even Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was quick to clarify the administration’s intent, “This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” he said. “The President authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats… posed by the Iranian nuclear program.”
But Trump’s “MIGA” post blew a hole through all those assurances, fueling speculation that the U.S. is eyeing far more than just Iran’s nukes.
Trump truth bomb just dropped. It was only a matter of time before MIGA became a thing. pic.twitter.com/4uIkWfgpN2
— Suzanne Kianpour (@KianpourWorld) June 22, 2025
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded with fury, warning the U.S. would be “solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences.” He accused Trump of crossing “a very big red line” and said the president had “betrayed” American voters with his escalation.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had no such complaints, praising Trump for a “bold decision” and confirming that the two countries acted “in full coordination.”
With Trump and his team now publicly at odds, the world is watching, nervously.
