Critics were quick to criticize President Biden over his response to Iran’s unprecedented escalation against Israel, accusing him of not immediately addressing the nation and of increasing support for the U.S. ally.
Biden, 81, urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to carry out a retaliatory attack on Tehran, amid fears such an act could lead to a major war. According to multiple reports.
This particularly angered his critics.
“I don’t agree with that,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I think we should follow the example of Israel and encourage this situation.”
“I disagree with the president. He’s still a great president, and I’m proud to support him, campaign for him, and vote for him. ”
Fetterman stressed that Biden “has the right to express his opinion,” but insisted, “I’m never going to bow down to fringe forces.”
Like Biden, Fetterman faces intense backlash from progressives for supporting Israel in its war against Hamas. But Fetterman is not shy about his pro-Israel stance.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) accused the administration of leaking the Biden-Netanyahu meeting to the press to further pressure Israel into retaliation.
“Why would the White House leak it? The only reason they leaked it is so that when Israel reacts, the White House can say we told them not to do it.” Rubio told CNN.
Rubio also accused the White House of trying to “appease” his “far-left” base.
Former President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton also pushed back against reports that Biden had encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike back against Iran.
“If Joe Biden is urging Israel not to retaliate at all, as some reports are saying, then he is an embarrassment to the United States,” Bolton said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” he said.
“This serves the United States’ interest in minimizing Iran, which is a major threat to international peace and security in the region.”
The White House pushed back against criticism from those who questioned Biden’s response and his commitment to Israel.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to discuss what Mr. Biden said to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their phone call on Saturday, which followed a wave of Iranian attacks on the Jewish state.
“The president was a man of his word,” Kirby told CNN when asked if Biden opposed Israeli retaliation.
Kirby also noted that the United States intercepted dozens of drones and missiles before they reached Israeli airspace.
Kirby also rejected calls from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for Biden to “match his words with his actions.”
“I don’t know how you can look at what happened and say he didn’t do anything,” Kirby said.
The president also endured backlash over his decision not to speak publicly on Saturday.
Mr. Biden, 81, on Saturday cut short a weekend beach trip to Delaware that had been widely anticipated earlier over the airstrike that killed Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Deputy General Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi. Rushed back to the White House ahead of Iran’s attack on Israel. Month.
But shortly after hundreds of Iranian missiles and explosive drones shelled Israel, the White House announced that Biden would have no more public appearances, and the president refused to speak.
The announcement, “calling the lid,” in Beltway parlance, was made Saturday just after 5 p.m.
Mr. Kirby said Mr. Biden directed the U.S. response behind the scenes and spoke by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, congratulating him on the “incredible military accomplishment” that averted an attack on Iran.
The president also subsequently issued a statement “condemning these attacks in the strongest possible terms,” directed the military to help shoot down Iranian weapons, and announced plans to convene an emergency meeting of the G7 summit. did.
Prominent Republicans and conservatives were not happy.
“Joe Biden and the White House have shamefully kept a lid on themselves and refused to address the nation and the world. Their silence is deafening,” said House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefani. said Mr. Ku (R-New York).
“On the contrary, I am confident that President Trump will speak to the American people in Pennsylvania, where he will make clear that the United States stands with Israel and condemns Iran’s heinous attack,” she said Saturday in Pennsylvania. he added, referring to the former president’s upcoming rally in the state. .
“I don’t care what political party you belong to, we all agree that the leader of the free world should project strength, clarity, and conviction,” conservative commentator Joey Mannarino said. I think we can do it,” he said.
“Biden couldn’t even speak yesterday because a major conflict broke out that could lead to a world war. We didn’t hear from him at all. Any other president would have been leading the charge. He would have stood up and told Iran to stop doing it.”
“If a Republican president went to his vacation home for the weekend knowing that an attack on a key ally was almost certain, the mainstream media would panic and accuse him of being out of control,” said Curtis, NewsBusters Editor-in-Chief. Mr. Hawke reprimanded.
“But they won’t speak out because Joe Biden is a Democrat.”
“Biden is weakened and has dementia. Our enemies have no respect for us. This is the result,” said OutKick founder Clay Travis.
Trump, 77, who led the escalation of relations with Iran after ordering the attack that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, has ousted his successor.
Iran subsequently carried out retaliatory attacks near U.S. assets in the region, but President Trump responded without cutting the gun.
“God bless the people of Israel, they’re under attack right now,” President Trump declared at a Saturday rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. “That’s because we’re showing great weakness.”
“If we were in power, this would not have happened.”
