Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on President Donald Trump on Tuesday to clarify his objectives regarding the increasing pressure campaign and military buildup aimed at Iran. The request followed a classified briefing earlier in the day for senior congressional leaders, during which Cabinet officials provided updates on the developing situation in Iran.
Other lawmakers also expressed serious concerns in response to the briefing.
“It’s very serious and the president has an obligation to make his goals public,” Schumer told Jewish Insider after the briefing.
In addition, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, similarly called on the administration to lay out “what our country’s goals are, what our country’s interests are and how we’re going to protect American interests in the region.”
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told the outlet he was “very concerned” and warned that “wars in the Middle East don’t go well for presidents, for the country, and we have not heard articulated a single good reason for why now is the moment to launch yet another war in the Middle East.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said the administration is “giving a lot of thought to the situation. And I appreciate where they’re coming from.”
🚨 WOW. After being briefed on Iran by Sec. Marco Rubio, EVEN CHUCK SCHUMER was shook
He didn’t even say anything critical of Trump: “This is SERIOUS. The administration has to make its case to the American people.”
What is Trump going to do 👀🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/8AkAITOBVD
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 25, 2026
Sen. Warner, top Senate Intel Dem, says it’s incumbent on the President to make the case about what American interests are in Iran.
Say POTUS should lay out what the administration’s goals are in Iran. pic.twitter.com/PMA8eilA09
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) February 24, 2026
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed to reporters on Tuesday that President Trump is “always the final decision-maker” on possible action against Iran, Conservative Brief reported.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning, Leavitt said that US airstrikes in June destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, even though special envoy Steve Witkoff said over the weekend that Tehran was “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.”
According to Leavitt, the success of Operation Midnight Hammer “does not mean that Iran may never try again to establish a nuclear program that could directly threaten the United States and our allies abroad, and that’s what the president wants to ensure can never happen again.”
Leavitt also criticized a recent spate of stories speculating on when or whether Trump would order an attack in the Middle East.
“The president is always the final decision-maker around here,” she said. “And I’ve seen a lot of sensationalist reporting over the past day that is just completely untrue, and anyone speculating to the media, hiding behind an anonymous source, pretending to know what President Trump is thinking or a decision he will make with respect to action against Iran has no idea what they’re talking about.”
Leavitt then prefaced Trump’s State of the Union Address by noting it will be “a great speech” that will focus on how he’s fulfilling his campaign pledges to the American people.
Leavitt said that the speech will also focus on those individual Americans who contributed mightily to the nation’s development over the centuries, to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday on Independence Day in July.
“He’s going to share the stories of GREAT American heroes who exemplify bravery and the spirit of 1776,” Leavitt told the Fox News program. “And the president is, of course, going to tout his administration’s record-setting accomplishments over the past year while laying out an ambitious agenda to continue making the American dream more attainable for working-class people across the country.”
She added: “It’s gonna be a great speech. There will be some tear-jerking moments as there was last year, in addition to some moments of levity, and so we hope everyone will tune in.”
Several Democrats had said they won’t attend the address, while others will attend with guests aimed at highlighting the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files ‘scandal’ despite the fact that Trump signed a bipartisan bill to release all of the files, with some redactions to protect victims and comply with court orders.
