Former President Trump on Tuesday bashed President Biden and Vice President Harris in the wake of an Iranian missile attack on Israel, arguing if Harris is elected in November, it would lead to mass chaos on the world stage.
“I’ve been talking about World War III for a long time, and I don’t want to make predictions because the predictions always come true. But they are very close to global catastrophe,” Trump said. “We have a nonexistent president and a nonexistent vice president who should be in charge. But nobody knows what’s going on. She was at a fundraiser in San Francisco.”
Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel on Tuesday, shortly after the U.S. warned an attack was imminent. The attack appeared to be over within an hour of starting.
White House officials said the attack appeared to be “defeated and ineffective,” and there were no known casualties in Israel as a result. Still, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan called the move a “serious escalation” by Iran amid simmering tensions in the Middle East.
In the wake of Tuesday’s missile attacks, Trump and his campaign sought to drive home the message that world leaders did not respect Biden or Harris, leading to rising tensions in the Middle East.
“If I were in charge, today’s attack on Israel never would have happened. All of the things that we’re talking about never would have happened, including that botched withdrawal that made us look so bad,” he said, referring to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021.
“If I win, we will have peace in the world again. I guarantee we will have peace in the world again,” Trump added. “And if Kamala gets four more — unthinkable, right? — if she gets four more years, the world goes up in smoke.”
The Biden administration has been grappling with the conflict in Ukraine, Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, and now the prospect of a widening conflict as Israel and Iran clash.
The former president has long argued his tough approach on foreign policy would be an effective way to prevent global conflict, even if it has alarmed U.S. allies at times.
Trump as president withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal despite the opposition of some allies and reimposed harsh sanctions on Tehran. His administration targeted Iranian leaders, and the former president frequently used blunt language to warn adversaries against striking the U.S. or its allies.
The U.S. airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020 sparked fears of a conflict with Iran, though the situation never escalated to a broader war.
Trump spoke in Waunakee, Wis., his first of two planned stops in the battleground state on Tuesday ahead of the vice presidential debate. The former president’s remarks were meandering, veering from topic to topic.
Trump spoke about his 2016 election victory, his trip to Iraq in 2018 to meet with troops, his support for tariffs and his belief that New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted for speaking out about the influx of migrants into the city.
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