Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on Oct. 26, 2024. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images / DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh
October 27, 2024
Israeli strikes on military sites in Iran Friday night, an operation closely coordinated with the Biden administration, garnered rare bipartisan U.S. support. Both presidential candidates – Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump – endorsed the strike as a critical step for regional stability and security.
“The attack on Iran was precise and powerful, achieving all its objectives,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who thanked the U.S. “for its close coordination and assistance.”
The White House and the Harris campaign expressed relief that Israel didn’t hit critical infrastructure, possibly averting Iranian retaliation and reducing the risk of a regional war less than two weeks ahead of the presidential election.
President Joe Biden told reporters on Saturday that he hoped the Israeli strikes would mark “the end” of the escalation in the Middle East.
Here is what Trump, Harris and Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said about Israel’s action against Iran:
Trump’s response
As the strikes were taking place Friday night, Trump — speaking at a campaign rally in Michigan — criticized Harris for appearing at the same time at an event with Beyoncé in Texas. “Israel is attacking. We’ve got a war going on, and she’s out partying,” Trump said.
On Saturday, Trump was joined on stage at another Michigan rally with a group of imams who endorsed him. “Muslim and Arab voters in Michigan across the country want a stop to endless wars and a return to peace in the Middle East like we had under President Donald J. Trump. Have you ever heard of him?” Trump said, referring to himself in the third person.
Trump didn’t directly address the strike from a policy standpoint, but he nonetheless offered his total backing of the Israeli government’s decisions to defend itself from Iran and its proxies. The Washington Post reported that in a recent phone call with Netanyahu, Trump said, “Do what you have to do.” Earlier this month, Trump advised Israel to “hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later” in response to Iran’s second ballistic missile attack on Israel.
Harris’ response
In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell, Harris said “it would be a mistake” for Tehran to respond to Israel’s counter strike. “We are prepared to defend Israel, as we have before. We will again,” Harris said. “But the critical point is that there must be a de-escalation in the region. And we are working through diplomatic channels, and other channels, to ensure that there is a de-escalation in the region.”
Commenting on Trump’s call with Netanyahu, Harris said on Sunday, “It is critically important that we as the United States of America be an active participant in encouraging, one, that this war ends, that we get the hostages out; but also that there is a real commitment among nations to a two-station solution.”
Vance’s response
A staunch supporter of Trump’s “America First” agenda, Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, has opposed interventionist policies. But on Sunday, Vance said he supports the position of U.S. troops in the region to protect U.S. national interests and its allies from its adversaries.
“I think it’s reasonable to support Israel as it deals with this extremely unprovoked attack from Iran,” Vance said in an interview on CBS News’ Face the Nation. “I don’t think that we should be taking assets out of the Middle East at a time when our most important ally in the region is coming under significant attack. I don’t think that would send the right message. And most importantly, it’s not just Israel, it’s us. We have interests that are important in the Middle East.”
Vance also suggested the Biden administration “empowered” Iran by easing sanctions and releasing frozen assets meant for humanitarian purposes. “The reason that Iran has all of these weapons to fire at Israel is because they have a lot of money,” he said. “That big mistake was to empower Iran financially to afford a lot of weapons that they’re now firing, not just at the Israelis, but also at us.”
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