By Michael Katz | Monday, 06 April 2026 06:44 PM EDT
President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran’s oil “is there for the taking,” but doing so could extend the conflict with Tehran, adding that Americans want to “see us come home.”
In remarks at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Trump stated: “If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil because it is there for the taking.” He added, “There is not a thing they could do about it. Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home.”
Trump also noted that if he had his way, he would keep the oil and make “plenty of money” while improving conditions in Iran. He said: “They killed 45,000 people as of a month and a half ago, 45,000 protesters.”
The president described a U.S. operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro as conducted quickly enough for the United States to seize and profit from Venezuela’s vast oil resources. “We have 100 million barrels of oil right now in Houston being refined,” he added. “It has been a great relationship with Venezuela. The leader has been fantastic, and I think we are going to have a long-term, very good relationship.”
When asked how he knows Americans want troops stationed in the Middle East to return home, Trump replied: “I’m pretty good at this stuff, and I go around and I check, and they’d like to see us win and come home.” He referenced a poll conducted by CNN showing 100% support among MAGA voters for his actions.
Trump concluded: “We were in there for 34 days, and we’ve obliterated a very powerful country in 34 days.”
