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Toward the end of Donald Trump’s remarks at a Kennedy Center board event on Monday, the president took a moment to congratulate himself on launching a war with Iran, while claiming to have received private validation from one of his White House predecessors.

TRUMP: I've spoken to a certain president, who I like actually, a past president, he said, 'I wish I did it.' But they didn't do it. I'm doing it.

Q: Which president?

TRUMP: I can't tell you that. It would be very bad for his career even though he's got no career left.

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-03-16T17:12:25.531Z

According to the Republican incumbent, he recently spoke to “a certain” former president who allegedly told him, in reference to the military offensive in Iran, “I wish I did it. I wish I did.” Asked which former president made the comments, Trump replied, “I can’t tell you that. I don’t want to embarrass him. It would be very bad for his career, even though he’s got no career left.”

Hours later, in the Oval Office, he repeated the story, claiming that a former president told him, “I wish I did what you did.” (Trump specifically said it was not George W. Bush.).....

Relatedly, the incumbent president boasted that there are countries that have responded to his call to assist the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, and that his administration would be “announcing them” soon. “I have to tell you, we have some that are really enthusiastic,” the Republican added. “They’re coming already. They’ve already started to get there.”

Trump on countries that will help keep Strait of Hormuz open: "We'll be announcing them. I have to tell you, we have some that are really enthusiastic. They're coming already. They've already started to. We'll give you a list."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-03-16T16:58:32.609Z

The comments were notable in part because of Trump’s increasing incoherence on the subject, having changed his mind several times about whether he wants, needs or expects other countries to provide assistance in the region. (At one point on Monday, he claimed that he’d only sought international support as part of some kind of test, “because I want to find out how they react.”)....

In 2018, Bloomberg News published a memorable report that referred to Trump’s many “anonymous validators”: unnamed figures who were invariably important and powerful, who privately and habitually assured the president how right he was about his positions and priorities.

Eight year later, Trump continues to revel in the support of his many secret friends.