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Trump: Gold Star Families Urged Me to 'Finish Job' in Iran

By Michael Katz | Monday, 09 March 2026 08:59 PM EDT

President Donald Trump said Monday that Gold Star families affected by the U.S. military operation against Iran told him to "finish the job."

Trump met Saturday with the families of the first six U.S. casualties of the conflict with the Islamic Republic during the dignified transfer of their remains at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.

There have now been seven combat-related deaths of U.S. service members, plus another soldier whose death was classified as noncombat.

Trump was asked during a news conference in Doral, Florida, that aired live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform, about how many American deaths he was willing to accept in the conflict.

"Well, as I said before, when you have conflicts like this, you always have death," Trump said.

"And I was at Dover. I met the parents, and they were unbelievable people. But they all had one thing in common. They said to me one thing, every single one: 'Finish the job. Sir, please finish the job.'"

Before the news conference, Trump spoke to House Republicans during their annual caucus retreat, where he also mentioned the families' plea to finish the job.

"As you know, on Saturday, I traveled to Dover Air Force Base to be with the families of six fallen warriors as they returned to American soil," Trump said.

"I know everyone in this room joins me in sending our prayers and eternal gratitude to the families of those great heroes. Those families are incredible families ... The hardest thing to do.

"But they all said one thing to me. Make sure you win, sir. Make sure you win.

"They weren't playing games. Everybody said it. They were separate, but everybody said the same thing: 'Make sure you win.' We will. We've already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough.

"We go forward, more determined than ever, to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all. Forty-seven years. It should have been done a long time ago."

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