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Trump says Iranian protesters being ‘shot by snipers,’ voices support for people under regime

Published

2 months ago

March 27, 2026

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iranians are unable to physically protest against their government because demonstrators are being gunned down by regime forces, including snipers, during a wide-ranging phone interview on Fox News’ “The Five.”

Trump made the remarks when asked about the Iranian people during a broader discussion about Iran on the show.

The comments come as Trump has sought to draw a distinction between Iran’s leadership and its civilian population, arguing the regime maintains control through violence while defending U.S. actions targeting its military capabilities under Operation Epic Fury.

“They’re petrified because the one side has guns and they have very nasty guns,” Trump said. “And what they do is they shoot you, and the people are brave, but they’re not brave when they see people going down left and right. No matter who you are, I don’t care how brave, or unless you’re really sort of stupid, you can’t really protest.”

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Trump argued that fear of lethal retaliation has prevented widespread demonstrations across the country.

“And the only reason they’re not protesting is because they’re being shot one after another, and they’re doing it with snipers,” he said.

Trump pointed to past protests led by women in Iran, claiming demonstrators were met with deadly force.

IRANIAN STUDENT WARNS ‘BARBARIC’ REGIME IS TAKING NATION ‘HOSTAGE,’ EXECUTING CIVILIANS TO END UNREST

“It started with the women,” Trump said. “You remember about a year ago, we had 250,000 women. Well, they had women being shot right between the eyes from snipers, four or five snipers in buildings pretty high up and a little far away.”

He described demonstrators falling under gunfire and said that was enough to disperse crowds.

“When you see, and you’re a woman or you’re a man, frankly, and you see a person dropping to the ground, bleeding from the brain badly, and then you see another one on the other side, and then you’ll see five or 6 or 7, that’s all it took,” Trump said. “You run and they ran and they never came back.”

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Trump also said the regime had issued direct warnings to deter protests.

“And if you noticed, about two weeks ago, they put out a notice that if you protest, we will shoot you,” he said. “They kill them.”

“The people are brave,” Trump added, but said public protest becomes nearly impossible “when they see people going down left and right.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Trump also repeated claims about Iran’s leadership when asked whether intelligence officials had told him “Ayatollah Junior” — aka Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of late leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — was gay.

“Well, they did say that, but I don’t know if it was only them,” Trump said. “I think a lot of people are saying that.”

He argued the Iranian regime has been weakened in recent months under Operation Epic Fury, while talks continue.

The interview aired as Trump continues defending U.S. action against Iran while attempting to draw a distinction between the regime and the Iranian people.

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Reunification Of Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless Sees 24% Ratings Increase For ‘First Take’

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31 minutes ago

May 14, 2026

Addison Blake

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Tech entrepreneur flees Washington due to companies being ‘villainized’

Published

2 hours ago

May 14, 2026

Addison Blake

A prominent Washington tech entrepreneur is joining the growing exodus of business leaders fleeing the Evergreen State, citing a “dramatic” shift in the state’s tax climate following the passage of a controversial new “millionaire tax.”

Jesse Proudman, the founder and CTO of the privacy-focused generative AI platform Venice.ai, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the state he once called a “startup sanctuary” has become increasingly hostile to the very people who fuel its economy.

“I started three companies here in the state. I have been an entrepreneur my whole life here,” Proudman said. “The business climate when I started my first company was very entrepreneurial-friendly, and the startup community was looked upon as a contributing member of the city. Over the last number of years, that has changed dramatically.”

Proudman, who previously founded the private cloud company Blue Box and the crypto-investing platform Makara, is now serving as a spokesperson for Let’s Go Washington. The political committee is currently spearheading a massive signature-gathering effort to repeal the tax measure before it can take root.

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The tax, pushed through by the Democratic-controlled legislature during the 2026 session and signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson in March, imposes a 9.9% levy on annual income exceeding $1 million. While it is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2028—with the first payments due in 2029—the mere threat of its implementation is already shifting the state’s demographics.

“We have until July 2nd to gather about 325,000 signatures to put this on the November ballot,” said Hallie Herzberg, Director of Communications for Let’s Go Washington. “The people deserve the right to vote on this. It’s already driving businesses, employers, and families out of the state.”

The move marks a seismic shift for Washington, which has historically been one of only a handful of states with no personal income tax. However, the legal ground shifted in 2023 when the state’s Supreme Court upheld a 7% capital gains tax, effectively opening the door for broader income-based levies that critics argue violate the state constitution’s requirement that property (which includes income) be taxed at a uniform rate.

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State Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle), the Senate Majority Leader and the bill’s primary sponsor, has dismissed concerns of “tax flight.”

“The reality is the millionaire tax is not likely to result in businesses leaving,” Pedersen told a local FOX affiliate following the bill’s signing. He later told Fox News Digital that there is “no evidence” that high earners will migrate to lower-tax jurisdictions like Florida or Texas.

Data from the Association of Washington Business (AWB) suggests otherwise. A recent survey reported by The Center Square found that 44% of business leaders in the state are considering moving their personal residences elsewhere. Furthermore, Washington businesses reported they are now more than twice as likely to expand outside the state than within it.

For Proudman, the decision has already been made. He plans to relocate his life and business interests to Austin, Texas.

“It’s no longer a friendly place to conduct business,” Proudman said. “Startup companies are being villainized. With the passing of this tax, we have looked at alternative places to move, and we’ll probably end up in Austin.”

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Proudman warned that while the tax is currently branded as a “millionaire’s tax” to gain public favor, the long-term economic consequences will eventually hit middle-class residents as the tax base shrinks.

“They are targeting a very highly mobile cohort of the population,” Proudman argued. “When those folks leave, this will become a tax on everybody. The voters are unwittingly creating an incredibly worse tax situation for themselves. Washington is already the 45th worst state from a tax point of view. This is a constitutionally illegal tax that ultimately will apply to everyone.”

Sen. Pedersen’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s latest request for comment.