Video of Bernie Sanders Reacting to Trump's Iran Strike Live Goes Viral
Sanders posted the clip from his "Fight Oligarchy" tour on X, formerly Twitter, late on Saturday. "I learned about Trump's unconstitutional attack on Iran at a large rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here is the response," the senator, who caucuses with Democrats, wrote.
As of the time of writing on Sunday afternoon, the video has been viewed more than 5 million times. It has been reposted by 20,000 X users and liked by 101,000.
The progressive lawmaker's response came after the U.S. carried out attacks targeting three nuclear sites across Iran—at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump described the operation as a "very successful attack" and has now called for "peace," while Iran has said it will retaliate.
Trump's decision came after Israel and Iran have exchanged consistent strikes since June 13. Israel had urged the U.S. to target Iran's nuclear facilities, saying that Tehran was moving close to creating a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian, not military, purposes.
The strikes have sparked concerns from some Democrats and some Republicans about a wider war breaking out—with some lawmakers accusing the president of violating the U.S. Constitution with the strikes.
In the 1-minute and 13-second clip, Sanders reads Trump's statement on the Iran strikes to the crowd of rally attendees. Immediately, a loud chorus of boos can be heard from the crowd, demonstrating the attendees' displeasure with the news.
The crowd then begins to chant "no more war," with Sanders nodding in agreement. The camera pans out, showing the animated audience raising their fists in the air as they chant, with an American flag visible and being waved by at least one rally goer.
"I agree," the senator eventually responds, after allowing the chorus of chants to continue for several seconds. "And I want to tell you something, not only is this news, that I've just heard...It is so grossly unconstitutional," he said.
"All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right," Sanders said. His remarks drew a large cheer from the crowd.
Last week, in anticipation of a strike on Iran, Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, introduced a War Powers Resolution in a bid to curb the president from escalating the conflict with Iran. After the attack was announced, Massie was quick to respond on X, writing on Saturday: "This is not constitutional."
The U.S. struck Fordow, roughly 60 miles south of Tehran, as well as the Natanz complex to the southeast and Isfahan, southwest of Natanz, Trump said. The president hailed the attacks as a "spectacular military success," adding: "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated."
Experts said it was too early to tell exactly how much damage has been done to Iran's network of nuclear sites. U.S. Air Force General Dan Caine, the chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, said on Sunday morning that initial assessments of the operation dubbed "Midnight Hammer" indicated "all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction," but analysis was ongoing.
Israel continued attacking Iran into Sunday, and Tehran launched fresh strikes on several Israeli cities.
Ash from airstrikes covers much of the area, and several of the entrances to Fordow's tunnel network appear to be blocked with dirt, Maxar, an American space technology company, said. Images separately published by Planet Labs on Sunday also showed ash covering the area around Fordow.
Fordow is built under a mountain, a facility that was secret until 2009 and Israel has been unable to destroy it with its weapons. While Israel has carried out strikes on Iran's nuclear sites—including Natanz and Isfahan—since it started its campaign over a week ago, the U.S. is considered the only country able to reach the deeply buried sites like Fordow using B-2 bombers and "bunker buster" bombs. These huge bombs had never been used before in combat.
Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat said in a statement emailed to Newsweek on Sunday: "Stopping Iran from having a nuclear bomb is a top priority, but dragging the U.S. into another Middle East war is not the solution. Trump's strikes are unconstitutional and put Americans, especially our troops, at risk. Congress needs to come back to DC immediately to vote on Rep. Thomas Massie and my bipartisan War Powers Resolution to ensure there is no further conflict and escalation."
President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Saturday evening: "ANY RETALIATION BY IRAN AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT. THANK YOU!"
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on X on Sunday: "The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations. The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior. In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people."
Vice President JD Vance to NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday: "We're not at war with Iran. We're at war with Iran's nuclear program...The operation was really extraordinary. These guys flew from Missouri. They didn't land a single time. They dropped 30,000-pound bombs on a target the size of a washing machine and then got back home safely without ever landing in the Middle East or ever stopping other than to briefly refuel."
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, on X on Sunday: "When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that's an act of war. I'm amazed at the mental gymnastics being undertaken by neocons in DC (and their social media bots) to say we aren't at war... so they can make war."
Iran's foreign minister said after the attack that his country reserves "all options to defend its sovereignty." The U.S. military is preemptively preparing for any attack from Tehran in response.
It's unclear whether the War Powers Resolution sponsored by Khanna and Massie, which aims to curb Trump's ability to take military action against Iran, has the support to move forward in the House. However, with Republican control of both chambers, it is not widely expected to succeed.
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