In an interview broadcast Tuesday night, President Donald Trump delivered a blunt warning to Iran’s ruling regime: any attempt on his life would be met with overwhelming retaliation.

Speaking with NewsNation host Katie Pavlich on “Katie Pavlich Tonight,” Trump said he has already ordered a devastating response if Iran follows through on threats made against him.

“They shouldn’t be doing it, but I’ve left notification. Anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up,” Trump told Pavlich. “Originally, Biden should have said something, when they made a statement. We always said, ‘Why isn’t Biden saying anything?’ Because he didn’t.”

Trump also criticized what he described as weakness from the Biden administration, arguing that failing to respond forcefully to foreign threats only emboldens America’s enemies.

“But a president has to defend a president. If I were here, and they were making that threat to somebody, even, not even a president, but somebody, like they did with me, I would absolutely hit them so hard,” Trump said. “But I have very firm instructions — anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”

Iranian threats escalate against Trump

Trump’s comments came as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has posted multiple threatening messages about Trump on social media—including imagery depicting the president in a coffin. Trump said those threats cannot be ignored, especially given Iran’s long history of supporting terrorism and political violence across the Middle East.

To many conservatives, the threats underscore a larger pattern: Iran’s theocratic leaders grow more aggressive when the United States appears unwilling to enforce red lines. Republicans have repeatedly argued that deterrence only works when America backs it with strength, resolve, and consequences.

Biden administration acknowledged IRGC assassination plot

Even under the Biden administration, the threat from Iran has been formally documented.

Biden’s Justice Department announced the indictment of a senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on charges of conspiring to kill former National Security Advisor John Bolton in 2022. Prosecutors alleged that a confidential source was offered $300,000 to carry out the assassination.

For Republicans, the plot was more proof that Iran is not simply a hostile state—but a regime willing to target Americans directly, including former senior officials.

Trump’s stance: defend dissidents, punish brutality

Trump has previously warned Iran not to harm protesters who oppose the regime, threatening consequences if demonstrators were executed. While Iran did not hang those specific protesters, the regime’s security forces killed hundreds during the crackdown.

Conservatives have long viewed Iran’s government as an oppressive theocracy that violently suppresses its own people while funding terrorist proxies abroad. Many Republicans argue the U.S. should side firmly with dissidents and freedom-minded citizens, not appease the clerics in Tehran.

Soleimani strike remains a defining moment

One of the most significant actions of Trump’s first term against Iran was the January 2020 strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, an IRGC commander widely viewed by U.S. officials as responsible for planning attacks on Americans and allied forces.

The strike was praised by many Republicans as a clear demonstration of deterrence: when Iran targets Americans, the United States responds decisively.

A major 2025 strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure

The article also notes that in June 2025, the United States Air Force bombed multiple facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan connected to Iran’s nuclear program, reportedly dropping as many as 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators.

The operation involved a 37-hour flight by seven B-2A Spirit bombers and inflicted significant damage to Iran’s nuclear capabilities with no American losses.