US lawmakers react to Trump’s speech

VIA BBC NEWS:

US lawmakers have also been reacting to the president’s speech.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted the speech before adding “Donald Trump’s actions in Iran will be considered one of the greatest policy blunders in the history of our country”.

Schumer, a Democrat from New York, says Trump is “failing to articulate objectives, alienating allies, and ignoring the kitchen table problems Americans are facing”.

Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham gave a more positive reaction to the speech. He told Fox News that Iran has the option to make a deal or face more bombing.

“President Trump outlined targets that would destroy the ability of this regime to survive over time,” Graham says, referring to Trump’s threats to strike Iran’s electric grid.

“If you don’t take this deal, we’re going to blow up all of the things that you need to come back. This was a defining moment in this campaign.”

More reactions to Trump’s speech

Trump’s threats to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages where they belong” drew sharp criticism from some lawmakers.

“He’s talking about a country of 90 million people,” Representative Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona, says. “Vile, horrifying, evil.”

On X, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote simply: “Back to the Stone Age.”

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, is also critical of the address. “Trump, as always, lied to us,” Van Hollen, a Democrat, says. “Over 2 weeks ago he said ‘we won.’ If so, then why are we still there? What’s next? All we can count on is more lies from Trump. This delusional man is a danger to our country and the world.”

US House Majority Leader Steve Scalise complimented the speech.

“Tonight, President Trump laid out an incredibly compelling case to the nation for Operation Epic Fury,” Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, says. “The Iranian regime’s long history of terror and murdering Americans demonstrates why it was necessary to stop them from getting a nuclear weapon.”