Tipsheet

Where the 2020 Democrats Stand on War With Iran

Iran shot down a U.S. drone on Thursday. On Friday morning President Trump tweeted that while he had nearly executed a retaliatory strike against Iran, he ultimately decided to call it off because it would have resulted in 150 deaths which would not have been a proportional response to the Iranian attack against an unmanned aircraft. 

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have both warned that the U.S. should not become involved in a war with Iran. 

Omar published a multi-tweet thread on Thursday, writing to President Trump: “So I urge you: be strong. Do not listen to the warmongers and war profiteers whispering in your ear. Do not send our men and women into harm's way.”

She also shared screenshots of two tweets posted years ago by Trump. One of those messages said, “In order to get elected, @BarackObama will start a war with Iran.” Another read, “Now that Obama’s poll numbers are in tailspin – watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate.”

Sanders tweeted on Thursday that, “If you think the invasion of Iraq was a disaster, a war with Iran would be worse.” 

On Friday, Sen. Sanders tweeted that Congress should prevent the president from engaging in a war: 

Democratic primary contender Pete Buttigieg recently said about President Trump, “The president of the United States has trouble making decisions and is relatively easy to manipulate.”