WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Twice on Monday, President said he’d wrangled a confession of sorts from an Oval Office predecessor who he said had expressed regret in a private conversation about not for more than two weeks.
But there’s just a little problem: Representatives for the four living former presidents 鈥� three Democrats and one Republican 鈥� said none have been in touch with Trump recently.
Trump declined to name the former president when reporters asked who it was, saying he didn’t want to 鈥渆mbarrass him.鈥�
The Republican president first told the story during extended remarks about the Iran war as he opened a . Trump is chairman of the board and held the meeting at the White House.
He repeated that Iran had been a threat to the United States for decades but said he is the only president who had the courage to do something about it.
鈥淟ook, for 47 years, no president was willing to do what I鈥檓 doing, and they should have done it a long time ago,” he said. “It would have been a lot easier. There鈥檚 no president that wanted to do it.
鈥淎nd yet every president knew. I鈥檝e spoken to a certain president, who I like, actually, a past president, a former president. He said, ‘I wish I did it, I wish I did,鈥� but they didn鈥檛 do it. I鈥檓 doing it,鈥� Trump continued.
Asked which former president he’d spoken to, Trump said: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you that. I don鈥檛 want to embarrass him. It would be very bad for his career, even though he鈥檚 got no career.鈥�
Representatives for each of former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden said they had not spoken with Trump recently. The individuals spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the former presidents’ private conversations.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment after being informed that none of the former presidents said he had spoken with Trump recently.
Trump and all four past presidents were last together in the same space for his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025 鈥� well before the war.
He has been extremely critical of Biden and Obama, often saying Biden is the 鈥渨orst president in the history of our country” and accusing Obama of negotiating a 鈥渉orrible deal鈥� with Iran over its nuclear weapons. Trump withdrew the U.S. from that agreement the first time he was president.
But the Republican recently offered sympathetic comments about Clinton, saying it “bothers鈥� him that the former president had been called to give a about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
鈥淚 liked Bill Clinton. I still like Bill Clinton,鈥� Trump said in a Feb. 4 interview with NBC News. 鈥淚 liked his behavior toward me. I thought he got me, he understood me.鈥�
Trump repeated his story about discussing Iran with a former president later Monday in the Oval Office, where he announced that Vice President JD Vance will lead a task force that was created to eliminate fraud in federal benefit programs.
鈥淲as it George W. Bush?鈥� a reporter asked.
鈥淣o,鈥� Trump said.
鈥淲as it Bill Clinton?鈥� the reporter asked.
Trump said: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say. I don鈥檛 want to say,鈥� then added that 鈥渋t’s somebody that happens to like me. And I like that person, who’s a smart person. But that person said, 鈥業 wish I did it,鈥� OK, but I don’t want to get into who, OK. I don’t want to get them into trouble.鈥�
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