How Iranians Went From 'Terrible' To 'Strong And Smart' In Trump's Books

Last Updated:June 25, 2026, 20:24 IST

Once branded part of the 'Axis of Evil' and later dismissed as 'terrible people', Iran is now being described by Trump as 'strong' and 'smart’.

As the guns fell silent and the US-Iran truce entered its initial phase, Iran was still widely associated with being one of the world’s principal villains—occupying the same space in American political discourse as North Korea. For decades, particularly under Republican presidents and among the American right, Tehran had been portrayed as an irredeemable adversary.

That rhetoric was very much on display during the opening months of the four-month-long conflict. But as the war drew to a close, a noticeably different narrative began to emerge, even as President Donald Trump’s rhetoric oscillated between threats and praise. His repeated sabre-rattling in the early weeks gradually gave way to open admiration for Iran’s leadership and its resilience.

A report by The New York Times observed that sections of the American right now increasingly view Iran as a “pragmatic country that the United States can, and must, learn to live with", a striking departure from decades of hard-line Republican orthodoxy.

It was Trump himself who appeared to lead that shift. After threatening in April to wipe out Iranian “civilisation" if Tehran crossed American red lines, the US President struck a markedly different tone while speaking at the G7 Summit earlier this month.

“You talk about regime change. I never cared about regime change. It [was] never a part. But I guess you have regime change because, you know better than anybody, the first group, they’re all dead. The second group, they’re dead. A part of the third group is gone," Trump said, referring to successive echelons of the Iranian leadership.

“And we’re dealing with people that I think are very rational people. They were nice to deal with. They were strong people, smart people. I think actually they’re smarter than the first and second group, but they’re not radicalized and they’re, you know, looking to help their country," he added.

Not Hating Iran Now Less Taboo?

The shift is not confined to Donald Trump alone.

According to The New York Times, a broader change is taking shape within sections of the American right, driven by a younger Republican base that is increasingly sceptical of prolonged military interventions and less instinctively aligned with decades of unwavering support for Israel.

The newspaper describes a generational rethink that has made open opposition to another West Asia war—and even reluctant admiration for Iran’s ability to withstand weeks of bombardment—far less politically risky than it once was.

Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative, was quoted by The New York Times as saying that the message many conservatives had taken from Trump was simple.

“Iran stood up for itself. Good for Iran."

“And that means the US is only so interested in taking these guys down a peg," Mills added.

Mills, who heads the magazine founded by conservative isolationist Patrick Buchanan, argued that opposing military action against Iran is steadily becoming more acceptable within Republican circles.

“Expressing opposition to fighting Iran on the right is getting less and less taboo."

Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon also reflected the changing mood. Quoted by The New York Times, he described Trump as “a deal maker and a pragmatist" who now understood there would be no symbolic American victory over Tehran akin to Japan’s surrender aboard the USS Missouri after World War II.

Invoking the wars of ancient Persia against Greece and Rome, Bannon argued that Iran’s strength lay in its ability to absorb punishment and endure.

“They go to ground and dig in hard," he said.

Right-Wing Personalities Change Iran Stance

The changing rhetoric is no longer confined to Washington insiders.

Vice President JD Vance recently appeared on Megyn Kelly’s online show to defend the preliminary US-Iran peace understanding.

Kelly, once one of Fox News’ biggest anchors and now an influential voice among Republicans dissatisfied with interventionist foreign policy, argued that traditional Iran hawks were relying on an outdated understanding of both global politics and American public opinion.

“The hawks are operating under an outdated view of the world and of the American attitude and capability," Kelly said, before adding, “The Iranians are not going to bend. They did well in this war."

The contrast is striking.

In George W. Bush’s 2002 State of the Union Address, Iran famously formed part of the “Axis of Evil". Even Trump himself began the latest conflict by describing Iran’s rulers as “very hard, terrible people" who “wanted to practice evil".

That older worldview still has influential supporters.

Senator Ted Cruz warned on his podcast that Trump was receiving “very poor advice" on Iran, arguing that providing financial relief to what he called “theocratic lunatics" would be “a very, very bad idea."

Senator Tim Sheehy similarly insisted that Iran’s leadership continued to “want you and I dead."

Yet even among Republican hawks, the tone appears to be evolving.

Roger Marshall, the Kansas senator who only weeks earlier had argued that negotiating with Tehran’s “irrational religious zealots" was nearly impossible, recently suggested on CNN that Iran could legitimately possess missiles because “they have to be able to defend themselves."

Later, while insisting he did not want to sound like “an Iran apologist", Marshall repeated the increasingly popular conservative refrain against “forever wars", arguing that the United States should negotiate rather than prolong another West Asian conflict.

About the Author

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c...Read More

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