Friday, January 16, 2026- President Donald Trump has publicly expressed skepticism about whether Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last Shah, could garner genuine political support inside Iran if the country’s clerical regime were to fall.
In a January interview, Trump described Pahlavi as “very nice” but said he wasn’t confident that Iranians would accept him as a leader, noting that the United States “really aren’t up to that point yet.”
Trump’s comments reflect a cautious U.S. stance amid ongoing nationwide protests and unrest in Iran. Despite repeatedly warning Tehran about human rights abuses, Trump stopped short of endorsing any specific figure to succeed the current government, saying it was unclear how Pahlavi would be received by people inside the country.
Trump also reiterated that while the Iranian regime might collapse amid sustained protest pressure, the path forward and who could lead afterward remained highly uncertain.
Pahlavi, 65, has lived outside Iran since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has become a prominent voice for opposition groups abroad. Iran’s internal opposition, however, is widely seen as fragmented, with no single organized movement commanding widespread authority or recognition within the country.
Trump’s remarks underscore both the complexity of Iran’s political landscape and Washington’s caution about aligning too closely with any individual figure at this stage of the crisis.
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