Trump Issues Statement on Iranian Attack Against Israel, Blames Biden and Harris for ‘Non-Existent’ Leadership
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Forum River Center in Rome, Georgia, US, March 9, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer
Former US President Donald Trump issued a statement on Tuesday addressing Iran’s decision to launch a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting Israel, accusing the Biden administration of exhibiting a lack of leadership.
Trump, the Republican nominee for US president, lamented that Iran’s attack on Israel indicated that “the [w]orld is on fire and spiraling out of control.” He argued that neither US President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent in the 2024 presidential race, were sufficiently defending Israel from Iran or its proxy groups.
“We have a non-existent President in Joe Biden, and a completely absent Vice President, Kamala Harris, who is too busy fundraising in San Francisco,” Trump wrote on social media.
“When I was president, Iran was in total check. They were starved for cash, fully contained, and desperate to make a deal,” Trump continued. “Kamala flooded them with American cash and, ever since, they’ve been exporting terror all over, and unraveling the Middle East.”
Harsh US sanctions levied on Iran under the Trump administration crippled the Iranian economy and led its foreign exchange reserves to plummet. Trump and his Republican supporters in the US Congress have criticized the Biden administration for renewing billions of dollars in US sanctions waivers, which had the effect of unlocking frozen funds and allowing the country to access previously inaccessible hard currency.
US intelligence agencies have for years labeled Iran as the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, noting it devotes significant sums of money and weapons each year to supporting proxies across the Middle East such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Trump warned that under the stewardship of Biden and Harris, “war, or the threat of war, is raging everywhere” and that America stands on “the brink of World War III.”
“You wouldn’t trust Joe or Kamala to run a lemonade stand, let alone lead the Free World,” Trump wrote. “It is no surprise that Iran desperately wants Kamala Harris to be president, because they know as long as she is in power, they can take advantage of America. That is why they have tried to target me.”
Last week, Trump was briefed by US intelligence officials “regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States,” his campaign said in a statement.
Trump has touted his former administration’s support for Israel as a centerpiece of his 2024 campaign. During his single term in office, Trump recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic region on Israel’s northern border previously controlled by Syria. He also moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognizing the city as the Jewish state’s capital, and the Trump administration helped to broker the Abraham Accords, which normalized Israel’s relations with four Arab countries in 2020.
Trump has made numerous overtures to the Jewish community in recent months, attempting to win over a significant share of the traditionally-liberal voting bloc. He has delivered speeches at various events catered toward the Jewish community, including the Republican Jewish Coalition. The former president also co-hosted an event focusing on antisemitism at his Trump National Golf Club Bedminster alongside prominent Jewish donor Miriam Adelson.
On Tuesday, Iran launched over 180 missiles at Israel in a direct attack as retaliation for Israeli strikes on Iran’s terrorist proxies across the Middle East. Most of the missiles were shot down, and according to reports there was only one casualty from the barrage.
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