‘Very Wise Man Once Said…’: Trump Mocked Over Old Iran Quote After Reporter Brings Up 2020 Remark

Last Updated:June 19, 2026, 10:03 IST

The 'Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between US and Iran' calls for “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.

Hours after the signing of a peace deal with Iran, an exchange between US President Donald Trump and Fox News reporter Peter Doocy has gone viral online this week. The interaction took place at a press conference in Switzerland, where Trump had attended the G7 Summit before finalising the agreement.

Doocy opened the exchange by recalling a statement Trump had made in 2020 during his first term. “I just want to ask you about this…" he said, before continuing, “A wise man once said, in January of 2020, ‘Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation.’ That wise man…" At that point, Trump interrupted, asking, “Who said that?" though he appeared aware of the answer.

“Donald Trump," Doocy responded. “That’s what I thought you were going to say," Trump replied with a smirk.

The reporter then shifted to his question, pointing to a challenge often associated with a president who describes himself as “the world’s greatest deal-maker." “How do you," Doocy asked, “convince a sceptical American public that this deal…"

Trump cut in again.

“Well, look, here they lost militarily, okay? It’s very tough, because I know that no matter what, if I were to go, by the way, if I went another three or four weeks, those same people that are critical would say he went too long, he shouldn’t have… "

The exchange then veered into criticism of the US media rather than a direct response to the question.

“If they (i.e., Iran) raised the white flag of surrender, and if they said, ‘Praise be to Allah, Donald Trump is the greatest president ever, we totally concede, we totally give up, this war is over, we have failed’, The New York Times and CNN and a couple of others – they’re not all (i.e., the other American news publications) that dishonest – they’d say ‘Iran had a great victory’, okay?"

Trump further alleged that major outlets had misrepresented military developments, claiming The New York Times had not reported certain aspects of Iran’s naval losses.

“…the Times refused to do a story on it. They said, ‘What would you do? They don’t have a Navy. And you don’t want to do a story on them – they don’t have an Air Force… you don’t want to… We need a fair press. And that’s why they’re all doing so badly, because they lost credibility."

The episode highlighted the often tense and combative relationship between Trump and sections of the US media, particularly on issues such as immigration, trade tariffs, and the ongoing war in Iran.

Trump has repeatedly accused several outlets of spreading “fake news" about his administration, especially in coverage related to the economy and foreign policy. Networks, including The New York Times, CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC, have frequently been singled out by him. During the G7 Summit, he referred to ABC as “the worst", while calling NBC and CNN “terrible".

“No matter what I do, I’m going to get bad press," he said, referring to media scrutiny of his administration.

Iran Peace Deal

The agreement, titled the ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran’, outlines an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon".

It also commits the United States to lifting its blockade of Iranian ports within 30 days, with shipping expected to return to pre-war levels thereafter. Additionally, it requires the withdrawal of US military forces from the region within 30 days of a final deal.

The terms have triggered debate in the United States, with questions being raised over whether the deal represents the best possible outcome. Among the key concerns is the suspension of sanctions on oil and petrochemical products and derivatives, which would allow Iran to generate significant revenue from crude oil sales.

News world ‘Very Wise Man Once Said…’: Trump Mocked Over Old Iran Quote After Reporter Brings Up 2020 Remark

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