At White House Easter event, Trump praises rescue of two downed pilots, threatens Iran and says 'I'd take the oil'

President Donald J. Trump used the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday to praise a recent U.S. rescue mission that retrieved two downed pilots and to issue blunt threats toward Iran.

"We picked up not one, we picked up two," Trump said, calling the operation "incredible" and saying it was rare that rescuers could go into hostile territory and return without heavier losses. He characterized Iran as weakened and said U.S. military power had been "decimating" Iran's capabilities.

The president repeated a casualty figure he attributed to recent unrest in Iran: "As of this morning... 45,000 protesters have been killed," a claim he did not substantiate during the exchange. When a reporter asked whether striking civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants could constitute a war crime, Trump replied, "I'm not worried about it," and framed possession or allowance of a nuclear weapon as the greater crime.

Trump also said, "If it were up to me, I'd take the oil," describing energy resources as "there for the taking," and argued that U.S. policy had improved relations with Venezuela and increased exports. Reporters pressed him on legal and diplomatic considerations, including whether officials had spoken to families of the downed pilots; Trump said he was "going to be doing it right now" and that a news conference was scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

The remarks came amid festivities at the Easter Egg Roll, where Trump mixed ceremonial duties and extended foreign-policy commentary. Several reporters asked follow-up questions about the rescue details and the legality of potential strikes; Trump defended the operation as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The White House event continued after the exchange; Trump said he would hold a separate press conference later in the day. The president's claims about casualty counts and the legality or advisability of attacking civilian infrastructure were not accompanied by supporting evidence in the remarks recorded at the event.