Former Vice President Kamala Harris criticized President Donald Trump ahead of his Iran address, arguing that he had brought the United States into an unwanted war, put U.S. troops in danger, and failed to address concerns at home.
Harris released a video statement ahead of Trump’s Wednesday night address to the nation on Operation Epic Fury, saying:
Hey everyone, so I’m not going to be able to watch the president’s address tonight, but here’s the thing, he brought America into a war that people do not want. He has put American troops in harm’s way. Costs are rising by the day, and meanwhile, he has done nothing to address the needs of the people of America. And I bet you he’s going to try and claim victory tonight. But the reality is, we’re watching what he does instead of listening to what he says.
During his nationally televised update on Operation Epic Fury, Trump said Iran had suffered devastating losses, declaring, “Iran’s navy is gone, their air force is in ruins,” while adding that much of the country’s leadership had been killed and that “their commanding control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is being decimated as we speak.”
He said Iran’s missile and drone capabilities had been “dramatically curtailed” and that its weapons factories and rocket launchers were “being blown to pieces.” Earlier Wednesday, Trump said on Truth Social that the Iranian government had “asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE,” but added the United States would only consider one when “Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear.”
Trump maintained the administration’s objectives of destroying Iran’s navy and air force, dismantling its missile capabilities, preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and crippling its ability to support terrorist proxies were nearing completion. “We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” he said, adding that the United States would continue strikes “over the next two to three weeks” and “bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong.”
The president stated Iran’s nuclear sites had been struck so heavily that it would take months to get near what he called the “nuclear dust,” and warned that any effort to restart the program would trigger immediate retaliation. “They have no anti-aircraft equipment, their radar is 100 percent annihilated,” Trump said, adding that the sites are under “intense satellite surveillance” and that if Iran makes “a move, even a move,” the United States will respond with “very hard” missile strikes.
Trump noted the United States had deliberately avoided striking Iran’s oil and energy infrastructure so Iran would retain the ability to rebuild if its new leadership agreed to cooperate with the United States in peace talks. He warned that if Tehran refused to engage, those facilities could still be destroyed, taking away Iran’s capacity for “survival or rebuilding.”
He also addressed rising gas prices, saying America produces “more oil and gas than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined” and imports “almost no oil” through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump blamed recent fuel price increases on Iranian attacks on commercial oil tankers and said prices would decline once the conflict ends and the Strait reopens.
The operation appears to have broad support among Republican voters. A March J.L. Partners survey found that 83 percent of likely Republican voters either strongly or somewhat supported Trump’s military action against Iran.
Harris’s comments also came after comedian Adam Carolla blasted Harris and Democrats opposing Trump’s policies, saying, “If Kamala Harris was in charge right now, Iran would have a nuclear device and the border would be wide open.” Carolla added that Harris was “a dunce who’s a word salad shooter”
