White House Official Drops Hints About Trump's Presidential Address

President Donald Trump is expected to give an address about Operation Epic Fury, the codename for the war effort against Iran, on Wednesday night, in a move that has created big expectations nationally and internationally.

An article by conservative news organization The Daily Wire cited a White House official who told its White House correspondent, Mary Margaret Olohan, that the address will serve to highlight that the war effort is "meeting or exceeding all of its benchmarks."

The Daily Wire also reported that Trump is expected to provide a timeline for the end of the conflict that began in late February. In an interview with Reuters ahead of the speech, Trump said the United States would be "out of Iran pretty quickly," now that Iran is "incapable" of developing a nuclear weapon.

Ahead of the address, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also told The Daily Wire that "I think we're very close to achieving our objectives," and though he doesn't "want to put a timeline on it," the administration "can see the finish line, the finish line meaning we will have achieved all of the objectives that the president outlined. And those are important because if we achieve those objectives, we will make it nearly impossible for Iran to have a nuclear weapon anytime in the near future."

The president himself also told Reuters he would discuss his "disgust with NATO" and said he was "absolutely" considering pulling the United States out of the alliance after European members refused to send naval help to secure traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. He told The Telegraph that "I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."

Trump has previously expressed disappointment in the European and NATO allies' response to the war in Iran. Speaking at a White House Cabinet meeting in March, Trump said, "Nobody's a match for the United States, but [Iran is] not a match for the United States. They're small potatoes. That's why I'm so disappointed in NATO, because this was a test for NATO. You can help us, you don't have to, but if you don't do that, we're gonna remember. Remember this in a number of months from now. Remember my statements."

On March 17, Trump said most NATO allies had told Washington they did not want to get involved in the U.S. military operation in Iran, calling that stance "a very foolish mistake." In a Truth Social post earlier this month, Trump wrote, "Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!," and called member nations "cowards" for refusing to directly support the U.S. and Israel's efforts in the Middle East.