According to Leavitt, the decision was informed by Iran’s status as the “world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism” and a “rapidly and aggressively” expanding missile program. However, it was her description of the President’s personal involvement in the assessment that ignited a firestorm.

“The president had a feeling, again, based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the United States,” Leavitt stated, adding that this “feeling” led to the determination to launch Operation Epic Fury. She described the President as being convinced that Iran was “hellbent on death and destruction” and poised to strike U.S. assets in the region.

“Facts Over Feelings”: The Digital Backlash

The phrasing—specifically the marriage of “feeling” and “fact”—immediately became a lightning rod for criticism. Social media was quickly flooded with mockery, with many observers pointing out the irony of the administration utilizing “feelings” as a cornerstone of foreign policy, given the popular conservative mantra that “facts don’t care about your feelings.”

The reaction was swift and unforgiving. Critics and commentators characterized the briefing as a “farce,” with many expressing deep discomfort at the idea of a kinetic military operation being launched on the basis of a leader’s intuition.

• “The President had a feeling… based on fact huh?!? I guess he learned that skill from Yoda?” one user remarked.

• “We go to wars on feels now, not facts. Got it,” wrote another, reflecting a broader concern over the transparency of the intelligence used to justify the loss of life and regional destabilization.

The Transparency Gap

The central criticism remains: if the threat was truly “imminent and direct,” as Leavitt claimed, why have the underlying facts not been robust enough to stand without the crutch of the President’s “instinct”?

As the administration continues to recalibrate its messaging, the debate over Operation Epic Fury has moved beyond the tactical success of the strikes and into the more dangerous territory of executive precedent. For now, the “feeling” that led to war remains the official—if highly contested—line from the West Wing.