President Donald Trump said during a public appearance in Miami that he prefers being around “losers” rather than highly successful individuals, while also making sweeping claims about Iran’s leadership and the state of its military during the ongoing conflict.

Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative conference, Trump told the audience: “I always like to hang around with losers, actually, because it makes me feel better.”

He continued, “I hate guys that are very, very successful, and you have to listen to their success stories. I like people who like to listen to my success.”

Trump: I hang out with losers because it makes be feel better. I hate guys that are very, very successful and you have to listen to their success stories. I like people that like to listen to my success. pic.twitter.com/OYNXspphxo

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 27, 2026

The remarks came during a question-and-answer session following his speech, where Trump invited attendees to ask about any topic.

When asked about what leadership quality is most lacking worldwide, Trump said the key factor is the ability to win. He used sports as an example, contrasting clear victories and losses with the more ambiguous nature of other fields.

“You got a lot of losers, mostly losers, fortunately,” he said, referencing his earlier comments about the type of people he prefers to be around.

He later attempted to soften the remark, saying, “I’m only kidding,” before adding, “Eh, sort of.”

Trump emphasized that success makes leadership easier, stating, “People who win, it’s much easier to lead when you’re successful, and you win.”

During his remarks, Trump also referred to Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian commander killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, describing him as a “great leader” and a “mad genius.”

He further claimed that Iran’s current supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is no longer alive.

Trump said, “Their leaders are all dead… Their supreme leader is no longer supreme. He’s dead,”

He went on to describe what he said was the collapse of Iran’s military capabilities following recent operations.

“Iran’s navy is gone… their air force is totally, completely dead,” he said, adding that missile systems, drone factories, and other defense infrastructure had been “totally dismantled.”

Trump also asserted that Iran is now seeking to negotiate an end to the conflict.

“They are begging to make a deal,” he said.

However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that while Iran is reviewing a U.S. proposal, it has “no intention” of entering direct negotiations with Washington, adding that indirect communications “do not mean negotiations with the US.”

{Matzav.com}