Republican Senator Breaks With Trump After Iran War Crimes Threat
At least one Republican senator is finally speaking out against President Trump’s genocidal threats against Iran.
“I am hoping and praying that President Trump … [that] this really is bluster. I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure. I do not want to see that,” conservative Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said on an episode of the John Solomon Reports podcast released Monday. “We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them.”
Sen. Ron Johnson: "I am hoping and praying that President Trump is, that this really is bluster. I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure. I do not want to see that. We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them." pic.twitter.com/upykUa3jeH
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 7, 2026
While this statement is stronger than that of most congressional Republicans, Johnson’s dreams of liberation have been all but deferred. On Tuesday, Trump warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
While former MAGA acolytes like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alex Jones have criticized Trump’s threats—even calling for his removal—Johnson is one of the few Republicans in Congress to voice a similar opinion. Other than him, Rand Paul has been the only Republican senator to try to rein in Trump’s war.
In fact, many Republicans spent their Tuesday morning doing incredibly unconvincing damage control.
“The new threat from the president is that a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. You say the president doesn’t want to do it. Does being reluctant to end a civilization make it OK?” CNN’s John Berman asked GOP representative and staunch Israel supporter Mike Lawler on Tuesday.
“I don’t think we’re talking about ending a civilization, the issue—”
“Do you say you don’t believe the president’s threat?” the host said, interrupting Lawler.
“It is their energy infrastructure and their civilian infrastructure, including roads and bridges. That will cripple the Iranian regime and certainly their economy,” Lawler said, deflecting. “It is not something we want to do.… We are not at war with Iranian people, we want them to be free from this oppression and tyranny that they have lived under for 47 years. But if the president has to take necessary action to strike their energy and infrastructure, that is going to cripple the regime.
“You don’t take him at his word that he will end a whole civilization?”
“He is talking about the energy and civilian infrastructure,” Lawler replied.
“He said ‘never to be brought back again.’ He just means the bridges and the infrastructure?”
“Again John, we’re talking about taking decision action against Iran’s energy and civilian infrastructure. That is what the president is talking about. He’s not talking about obliterating innocent people.”
BERMAN: The president is threatening a whole civilization will die tonight. You say he doesn't want to do it. Does being reluctant to end a civilization make it ok?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 7, 2026
LAWLER: I don't think we're talking about ending a civilization--
BERMAN: So you don't believe the president's… pic.twitter.com/0Z93e9vBPk
This is sad and pathetic. We’re watching politicians trying to rationalize the president’s genocidal intent by arguing full-throatedly that he doesn’t actually mean it when he says, “A whole civilization will die tonight.” Trump has already bombed multiple civilian targets beyond bridges, including a school full of girls on the first day of the war. Why would we put anything past him at this point?