Former President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday that “Iran was in total check” while he was in office, as the country began a ballistic missile attack on Israel.
The Republican presidential candidate’s claim came as his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, met with President Joe Biden to discuss the United States’ response to the escalation.
After initial reports of a planned strike, Iran began firing rockets toward Israel on Tuesday evening local time, as confirmed by both countries.
What Has Donald Trump Said About the Attack?
In a statement released by his campaign, Trump said Biden and Harris lacked leadership.
“The World is on fire and spiraling out of control,” Trump said. “We have a non-existent President in Joe Biden, and a completely absent Vice President, Kamala Harris, who is too busy fundraising in San Francisco, a City which she and Gavin Newscum totally destroyed, and staging fake photo ops.”
Harris did not have any campaign events scheduled for Tuesday, October 1.
Trump went on to claim that when he was president, “Iran was in total check.”
“They were starved for cash, fully contained, and desperate to make a deal,” the statement said. “Kamala flooded them with American cash and, ever since, they’ve been exporting terror all over, and unraveling the Middle East.”
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images
Trump went on to say that Iran wanted Harris as the next U.S. president, and that was why the country had tried to target him, referring to reported attempts on his life planned by Iranian-linked suspects.
“If I was in charge, October 7th never happens, Russia/Ukraine never happens, Afghanistan Botched Withdrawal never happens, and Inflation never happens. If I win, we will have peace in the World again. If Kamala gets 4 more years, the World goes up in smoke.”
Newsweek reached out to the Harris campaign via email for comment.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham backed the former president, saying “decisive action” was needed.
“The only thing the Iranian regime understands is strength,” Graham posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Now is the time to show unified resolve against Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
What Has Joe Biden Said About the Attack?
“This morning, @VP and I convened our national security team to discuss Iranian plans to launch an imminent missile attack against Israel,” Biden posted on X on Tuesday. “We discussed how the United States is prepared to help Israel defend against these attacks, and protect American personnel in the region.”
As the Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Harris has come under scrutiny over her position on Israel’s war with Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. When asked about the conflict in mid-September, Harris repeated that she was committed to her “support for Israel’s ability to defend itself.”
Recent polling in swing states showed that Trump is more trusted than Harris on world affairs. Another showed that he is also ahead on national defense.
Some voters, including some Muslims in key swing states, have become frustrated with Harris for not giving a clearer message on the conflict’s impact on Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israel’s Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, on Tuesday morning.
He told his Israeli counterpart that the U.S. had been increasing its “force readiness” in recent days and could help where needed in its defense against “threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations.”
