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Social media erupted with accusations Monday after President Donald Trump’s press briefing on the Iran war, with numerous users claiming he took credit for killing Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader who was eliminated during Barack Obama’s presidency in 2011.
The controversy began when Trump, while discussing U.S. operations in Iran, referenced his role in ordering the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani during his administration. He then made a statement about bin Laden that quickly fueled misinterpretations across social platforms.
“I had killed Qasem Soleimani, who was an evil genius, and the reason I did it, I heard he was going to knock out five of our military bases,” Trump said. “And had he lived, I believe we would have been fighting perhaps a different Iran right now, because he’s never, he’s never been replaced.”
Trump then pivoted to bin Laden, stating: “And I also, I did one other, but this one was not picked up, Osama bin Laden. If you read my book, I said you got to take him out, one year before the World Trade Center came down, so I wish you’d read the book.”
This statement prompted immediate reactions across social media. Democratic congressional candidate Dan Koh sarcastically remarked, “Didn’t realize Operation Neptune Spear was run out of…Palm Beach.” Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, wrote, “Um, did he just claim that he took out Osama Bin Laden? Unlike him, I do not have dementia, and can say with certainty that @BarackObama did that.”
Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief at Meidas Touch, posted that “Trump claims he was the one who took out Osama bin Laden,” prompting Tom Nichols, professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College and staff writer at The Atlantic, to respond that everyone was pretending “it’s normal and this is not a sign of serious, alarming cognitive issues.”
A closer examination of Trump’s statement reveals he was not claiming to have ordered the 2011 raid that killed bin Laden. Rather, he was referring to his book “The America We Deserve,” published in January 2000, in which he allegedly warned about bin Laden as a threat.
The actual passage from Trump’s book mentions bin Laden only once, describing him as “a shadowy figure with no fixed address” who was “public enemy number one” at that time. The book noted U.S. jetfighters had targeted his camp in Afghanistan, but bin Laden had escaped. The passage does not explicitly call for bin Laden to be “taken out” as Trump suggested in his remarks.
This isn’t the first time Trump has referenced his pre-9/11 warnings about bin Laden. In October 2025, he made a similar claim: “I wrote about Osama bin Laden exactly one year ago, one year before he blew up the World Trade Center. And I said, ‘You got to watch Osama bin Laden.'”
The misinterpretation of Trump’s recent remarks underscores the heightened political tensions surrounding the ongoing conflict in Iran and the polarized nature of public discourse regarding the former president’s statements. While Trump did overstate what he wrote about bin Laden in his book, he did not explicitly claim to have been responsible for the 2011 operation that killed the al-Qaeda leader.
Operation Neptune Spear, the mission that resulted in bin Laden’s death, was authorized by President Barack Obama and carried out by U.S. Navy SEALs on May 2, 2011, at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The operation ended a nearly decade-long hunt for the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment on the controversy surrounding Trump’s remarks.
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5 Comments
Claiming credit for a major military operation that occurred during a previous administration seems misleading. Effective leadership requires acknowledging the contributions of others, not politicizing such important national security achievements.
It’s important to get the facts straight on past events. While Trump may have discussed bin Laden in his book, the credit for the successful operation that killed him lies with the Obama administration and the military forces that carried it out.
Discussing military operations should be done with care and accuracy. Fact-checking is crucial to avoid spreading misinformation, especially around high-profile events like the takedown of Osama bin Laden.
This is a complex issue with many nuances. While Trump may have discussed bin Laden previously, the actual operation was planned and executed under the Obama administration. Clarity on historical facts is important for public discourse.
Bin Laden’s death was a significant accomplishment, but the credit belongs to the military and intelligence personnel who planned and carried out the successful mission, not any individual politician. Factual reporting is essential on such matters.