Fact Check: Is Elizabeth Warren's claim no POTUS has ordered more military strikes than Trump true?
WASHINGTON, DC: In early March, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized President Donald Trump’s military track record and his decision to attack countries across the Middle East.
In a Senate floor speech, she criticized Trump’s explanations for beginning the Iran war and for backtracking on a campaign promise. She claimed that "no American president has ordered more military strikes against as many different countries as Donald Trump." But is there any truth to her statement? Let us find out below.
Claim: No POTUS has ordered more military strikes than Trump
Elizabeth Warren said during her speech, "He said he would be a president to stop wars, not start them. And Americans believed him. But now we face an ugly reality: In the modern era, no American president has ordered more military strikes against as many different countries as Donald Trump. None."
Donald Trump's second term started with renewed maximum pressure on Iran, including sanctions and attempts at nuclear negotiations. Tensions escalated following a 60-day deadline for a nuclear deal that passed without resolution.
Israel launched initial strikes, and on February 28, the US and Israel initiated Operation Epic Fury, a large-scale joint airstrike on Iran.
The POTUS announced the operation in a video statement and framed it as a necessary step to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to counter decades of 'menacing activities'.
Moreover, he also appealed to Iranians to "take over your government".
Fact Check: True, several reports back the claim
The claim made by Elizabeth Warren that no POTUS has ordered more military strikes against as many different countries as Donald Trump is true, as several media reports have confirmed it.
An Axios article from March 2 had an opening that nearly matched Warren’s statement. It read, "No president in the modern era has ordered more military strikes against as many different countries as Donald Trump."
The article defined 'modern era' as the Presidents post September 11, 2001 - George W Bush, Barack Obama, Trump, and Joe Biden.
Similarly, an article from The Washington Post also mentioned Trump’s 2025 military strikes. The outlet reported that Trump authorized almost as many military strikes in 2025 as Biden did over his four-year term.
As per several news outlets, Trump has struck seven countries in both his tenures. In comparison, Biden’s military strikes hit five countries, Obama’s strikes hit seven, and Bush’s strikes hit five countries over two terms.
