Fact Check: Did Trump say ‘We came, we saw, we conquered, he died’ for Khamenei?

WASHINGTON, DC: Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on Saturday, February 28, after the US and Israel launched a predawn assault on the country. The news was later confirmed by the Iranian state media.

Following this, a rumor circulated online claiming that President Donald Trump said, "We came, we saw, we conquered, he died" for Khamenei. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: Trump said ‘We came, we saw, we conquered, he died’ for Khamenei

An X account came up with a post that read, "Donald Trump on Khamenei: 'We came, we saw, we conquered, he died'." The post contained images of Trump and Khamenei.

Moreover, the post garnered more than 8,000 views, and several others reacted to it.

The Iranian supreme leader was killed alongside other senior leaders in Iran during Israel's attack, dubbed 'Roar of the Lion,' Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, as per a spokesperson.

Moreover, he praised the Israel Defense Forces for what he characterized as their "brilliant execution". Katz said, "Whoever acted to destroy Israel was destroyed. Justice has been served, and the axis of evil has suffered a crushing blow." 

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed to avenge the killing of Khamenei, setting off a declaration of martyrdom and 40 days of national mourning in Iran.

Katz said, "We will continue to act with full force to defend the State of Israel."

Fact Check: False, post originated as satire

The claim made in the viral post claiming Donald Trump made the above-mentioned quote is false, as the POTUS did not make any such statement following Khamenei's death.

The post originated from the @HoopsCrave X account, which is a self-described parody account. No Truth Social post, interview, or official statement from Trump uses those words.

Moreover, extensive searches across news archives and social media showed only the @HoopsCrave meme itself. The POTUS made a Truth Social post that read, "This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS." 

However, Trump did not mention the phrase that the X account claimed. Khamenei’s death brings a seismic shift for a nation that has been controlled by a theocratic regime since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. 

It has also created a leadership vacuum in Tehran as heads of state worldwide grapple with the prospect of wider regional instability.