Is Trump Purposely Not Calling It A War To Avoid Getting Congressional Approval? His AG Refuses To Say.

On May 4, 2026

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche dodged answering whether President Donald Trump has strategically eluded calling the conflict in Iran a war so he can avoid having to get congressional approval.

Blanche couched Trump’s ongoing, mixed messages about the Iran war on Sunday’s “Meet The Press” after NBC’s Kristen Welker played back a clip of Trump during a Friday presser where he says that “you don’t have legal problems” if you call the conflict a “military operation” instead of a “war.”

“Is the president effectively arguing that he can avoid congressional approval by avoiding using the word war?” Welker asked Blanche.

Claiming that Trump is “not effectively arguing anything except that he is trying to keep this country safe,” he replied, “We have kept Congress updated at every step of the way, consistent with what other presidents have done.”

“Trump is doing something that the past five presidents did not do,” he continued. “They promised to do it, they promised, ‘Oh, we’ll stop Iran.’ ‘Oh, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.’ President Trump is doing what others have promised but failed to do. And as far as what we’re doing with Congress, keeping them updated, we are doing so.”

Welker went on to press Blanche over whether there are “any legal limits on the president’s powers to carry out the war with Iran.”

“Suggesting that President Trump or this administration or the Department of War is violating the law is just completely wrong,” he responded. “It’s not appropriate to say that. We are complying with the law. I can tell you that as the acting attorney general. We are doing exactly what we’re supposed to do legally and President Trump will continue to do that.”

After Welker further grilled him on whether he thinks the president has limitations regarding carrying out the war, Blanche argued Trump “never said there aren’t limits.”

“Yes, of course there’s limits to what President Trump can do … He’s acting within his duty to the American people to keep us safe,” Blanche said. “He’s not engaged in a popularity contest when it comes to what we’re doing in Iran. He’s doing something that will save us for generations. And so he’s doing something, again, that every president since [Ronald] Reagan has said that we should do, and he’s the only one willing to do it.”

Blanche’s remarks came after Trump told Congress in a letter on Friday that the war has ended, prompting backlash from lawmakers like Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) who called the president’s claims “bullshit.”

“This is an illegal war, and every day Republicans remain complicit and allow it to continue is another day lives are endangered, chaos erupts and prices increase, all while Americans foot the bill,” Schumer said.

Watch Blanche’s “Meet the Press” appearance below.

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