Fact Check: Trump allegedly claimed in 2011 tweet that Obama would start war with Iran to get elected. We checked his timeline
President Donald Trump tweeted on Nov. 29, 2011: 'In order to get elected, @BarackObama will start a war with Iran.'
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In mid-June 2025, a claim about a tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump's account gained widespread circulation on social media. The tweet, allegedly posted in 2011, stated: "In order to get elected, @BarackObama will start a war with Iran." Multiple users across various platforms shared screenshots of this tweet, with some questioning its authenticity.
One example occurred on June 16, 2025, when an X account posted (archived) a screenshot of the tweet with the caption "OLD TRUMP TWEET RESURFACES..." This post received over 221,000 views and over 3,700 likes in four days.
(DramaAlert/X)
The claim also appeared on Facebook (archived) and Hindustan Times (archived), an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi.
The circulation coincided with ongoing tensions (archived) between Israel and Iran, with Trump facing decisions (archived) about potential U.S. military involvement in the Middle East as president.
Our examination confirmed that Trump posted this tweet on Nov. 29, 2011, at 12:48 p.m. EDT. The tweet remains (archived) on Trump's account and can be verified through direct examination of his Twitter history.
In order to get elected, @BarackObama will start a war with Iran.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2011
This November 2011 tweet was the first in a series of predictions Trump made about former President Barack Obama and Iran between 2011 and 2013. As we documented when we first examined this topic in 2019, Trump posted at least seven tweets predicting that Obama would launch military strikes against Iran for various political motivations, including to "get elected," "boost his poll numbers," "save face," and "show how tough he is."
According to our reporting in 2019, these predicted military incursions did not occur. Obama completed both presidential terms without ordering military attacks on Iran. Obama pursued diplomatic negotiations that resulted in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, an international agreement limiting Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
On June 21, 2025, Trump announced he had ordered U.S. bomber attacks on nuclear sites on nuclear sites in Iran:
pic.twitter.com/wu9mMkxtUg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2025
Mikkelson, David. "Did Trump Tweet Multiple Predictions That Obama Would Attack Iran?" Snopes, July 2, 2019, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-iran-tweets-obama/. Accessed June 20, 2025.
Gambrell, Jon, Melanie Lidman, and Julia Frankel. "Israel strikes Iran's nuclear sites and kills top generals. Iran retaliates with missile barrages," AP News, June 18, 2025, https://apnews.com/article/iran-explosions-israel-tehran-00234a06e5128a8aceb406b140297299. Accessed June 20, 2025.
Patta, Debora, and Tucker Reals. "Trump says no decision yet on U.S. joining Israel's attacks on Iran, after Iran warns it would risk 'all-out war,'" CBS News, June 18, 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-israel-war-us-trump-nuclear-sites-risk-all-out-war/. Accessed June 20, 2025.
Obama, Barack. "Statement by the President on Iran." Obama White House Archives, July 14, 2015, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/14/statement-president-iran. Accessed June 20, 2025.
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