Analysts warn Trump’s silence on troop deaths may be omen: ‘Something might be cooking’

President Donald Trump has notably not issued a formal White House statement in the days since two U.S. service members were killed in Jordan by Iranian strikes, and one former White House official suspects the president’s silence on the matter may be an omen of things to come.

Iranian strikes pummeled the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday killing at least two U.S. service members, U.S. Central Command announced on Saturday, and a third U.S. service member remains missing. Trump directly commented on the deaths once on Saturday in a phone call with NewsNation’s Hannah Brandt – calling their deaths “a very sad thing” – but otherwise has made no public statement on the matter.

Trump has since issued three Sunday statements on Truth Social, but neither addressed the killed U.S. service members — one called on GOP lawmakers to amend a sanctions bill, and the other ranted against “old and horrible looking” windmills in the United Kingdom. The third was a collection of photos of him at the White House boasting about “Planting beautiful Maple and Oak Trees.”

Jason Brodsky, who served in the White House as a policy fellow and currently leads United Against Nuclear Iran as its policy director, suspected Trump’s silence on the killing of the U.S. soldiers could be a sign.

“I think it’s interesting how relatively quiet President Trump has been after the Iranian regime killed two American troops,” Brodsky wrote in a social media post on X to his more than 111,000 followers. “No Truth Social post. Something might be cooking.”

Recent reporting from The New York Times supports Brodsky’s suspicions, with the outlet reporting Sunday afternoon that the United States had sent additional warplanes to the Middle East, citing multiple American officials who spoke with the outlet on the condition of anonymity.

Bordsky isn’t the only figure taking note of Trump’s silence on the killing of U.S. service members. Calls have mounted for Trump to address the matter, including from The Atlantic editorial staff writer Tom Nichols.

CNN’s Brian Stelter noted how few questions about the service members’ deaths had been answered.

“The Pentagon is clearly trying to keep a tight lid on what happened,” he wrote, “reflective of a larger effort to control information, limit access and avoid questions about the war.”

I think it’s interesting how relatively quiet President Trump has been after the Iranian regime killed two American troops. No Truth Social post. Something might be cooking. — Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) July 19, 2026