WASHINGTON: Democrats sharply criticised United States President Donald Trump following his national address on the ongoing war in Iran, framing the conflict as deadly, costly, and lacking clear objectives.
In a 19-minute prime-time address from the White House, Trump described the conflict as a “decisive, overwhelming victory” and said the US was “getting very close” to finishing the “job” in Iran.
“We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We are going to bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong,” Trump said. “In the meantime, discussions are ongoing.” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said Trump’s address was a failed attempt to justify a war that has already burdened Americans and strained the economy.
“Tonight, Americans watched Donald Trump desperately try to justify his deadly and costly war of choice in Iran that has killed over a dozen brave service members and injured hundreds more,” Martin said.
“Trump offered no new information to the American people and once again failed to give the public a clear rationale for his war, while he forces them to foot the bill to the tune of billions of dollars and causes their gas prices to skyrocket.”
Martin emphasised the domestic impact of the conflict, noting that the average price of a gallon of gasoline hit $4.00 on Tuesday — the largest monthly jump ever recorded. “Trump and JD Vance have already spent $25 billion on their war, which could have funded a year of health care for more than three million Americans or food assistance for nearly 30 million children,” he said.
Martin also cited Goldman Sachs reporting that the war is costing the US economy 10,000 jobs per month. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Member Jim Himes (D-Conn.) pointed out that since Trump’s speech ended, oil prices “are up $5 a barrel and stock market futures are down 1pc”.
“Going to be a wild night on Truth Social. And I’m still not sure what the hell he said,” Himes quipped. Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari termed Trump’s remarks of sending Iran to the “Stone Ages where they belong” as “vile, horrifying, evil”. “He’s talking about a country of 90 million people,” the Democrat wrote on X. Rep. Lloyd Doggett remarked it was “hard to say what was the biggest whopper in Trump’s desperate address attempting to justify his reckless war in Iran”. He added, “I think the winner is his declaration that under his great leadership ‘no inflation’ in America. When you shop this week, you can be the judge of his claims. The remainder of his case for his war is equally unjustified.” Public reactions to Trump’s prime‑time address noted that he was reiterating existing messaging rather than changing policy directions. “My guess is he was trying to threaten Iran into making concessions, in the hopes they would fold,” said Jonathan A. Goff, a retired rocket engineer. Peter Petrides, a retired police officer, added, “Thought his comment about ‘bombing them into the stone age’ was a pretty interesting perspective.” An apparent Republican sympathiser, D. A. Ronin, pointed out that the media was not reporting that Iran was being absolutely destroyed and kept focusing on a diversionary trap like Hormuz, which was not a strategic priority for the US. “So he took over their airwaves and reported it himself,” he added… Source: dawn.com/news
