Trump pushes back on mounting criticism about his Iran war battle plan as conflict spreads

By AAMER MADHANI

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday pushed back against mounting criticism that he hasn’t done enough to explain why it was necessary to start a war with Iran now or to articulate his vision for an endgame to the escalating conflict.

The frustration is coming not just from the political left but also from his MAGA base, as the conflict expands, energy prices surge, and the death toll in the Middle East rises in a war that the administration suggests may only be in the opening stages.

Trump also seemed to leave open the possibility for a more extensive U.S. military involvement, telling the New York Post on Monday that he was not ruling out the possibility of boots on the ground. It came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the administration would not get into the “foolish” exercise of telegraphing “what we will or will not do.”

“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every p...