Trump issues stark warning to Iran, vows to 'wipe it off the Earth'

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND: President Donald Trump declared that he has given strict orders for the United States to take extreme action against Iran if the country attempts to carry out assassination threats against him. 

Speaking in an exclusive interview with NewsNation’s 'Katie Pavlich Tonight' on Tuesday, January 20, to mark the anniversary of his second-term inauguration, Trump warned that any such move by Iran would trigger retaliation against the nation as a whole.

Trump responds to assassination threat from Iran

During the interview, NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich asked, "Our reports that they are burning thousands of protesters alive. They also issued an assassination threat against you over the weekend. I know that you can't talk about what's on the table. But what is your response to Iran's leadership in their regime continuing to taunt you and threaten you, especially given over the weekend? You said, it's time for new leadership in Iran."

Trump responded by warning Iran against taking any action, saying, "Well, they shouldn't be doing it, but I've left notification that anything ever happens. We are going to blow the whole country is going to get blown up. So, we've you know, originally Biden should have said something, you know, when they made a statement."

He continued by criticizing Joe Biden’s response and stressing the responsibility of leadership. "We always said, ' Why isn't Biden saying anything because he didn't?' But a president has to defend a president." 

He concluded his part by saying, "Like if I were here, and they are making that to somebody, not even a president, but somebody, as they did with me. I would absolutely hit them so hard. But I have very firm instructions. Anything happens, they are going to wipe them off the face of this Earth."

Trump faces assassination threat from Iran

After the Trump administration repeatedly warned that the US could take action if Iran continued its harsh crackdown on anti-government protesters, Iran issued what appears to be its most direct threat yet against Donald Trump. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the warning was aired on Iranian state-run television.

Israeli-American journalist Emily Schrader shared a screenshot from the broadcast showing a split screen with a crowd on one side and an image of Trump on the other, alongside a Persian message reading, “This time it will not miss the target.” The image showed Trump bloodied, taken from the 2024 rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman shot him in the ear.

Newsmax reported that footage from a pro-government rally in Iran was used to send a clear and chilling warning to Trump.

Trump will not invoke Insurrection Act in response to anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota

During his interview with NewsNation, Trump also said he is not yet ready to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests and opposition to federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota. The Insurrection Act would allow the president to use military forces at home when normal law enforcement cannot maintain order.

Trump said the act 'might be used at some point,' but he does not think it is necessary now and hopes it never will be. He added that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are 'strong, smart, and capable of handling the situation without military intervention'.

Trump made the comments as federal immigration agents continued to face resistance in Minneapolis, where protests and criticism have grown nearly two weeks after a US citizen, Renee Nicole Good, was fatally shot by an ICE agent during a federal operation.