AOC Says Trump’s Iran Strikes ‘Clearly Grounds for Impeachment’

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, ripped President Donald Trump for his military attack against Iran on Saturday saying the move is “absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”

Democrats are splintered on Trump’s move to strike the Middle Eastern country amid days of back-and-forth strikes between Israel and Iran as tensions catapulted amid nuclear concerns.

Newsweek previously reached out to the White House via email for comment on the strikes.

Why It Matters

Over the past few days, the conflict between Israel and Iran has escalated dramatically, with Trump calling for the evacuation of Tehran, Iran’s capital city home to over 9.5 million people.

Israel initially struck Tehran and several other cities in “Operation Rising Lion,” a campaign it said was meant to preempt a planned Iranian attack and disrupt Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Iran, which has said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, has since retaliated, though Israeli defense systems—bolstered by U.S. military technology—have intercepted about 99 percent of incoming missile fire, according to Israeli officials in Saturday morning in an X, formerly Twitter, post. Iran hit a hospital in southern Israel on Thursday, and local reports noted that buildings in Tel Aviv were on fire from Iranian missiles on Friday.

The United States is Israel’s closest ally, providing billions of dollars in military aid annually. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Trump was expected to make a decision about whether to directly support Israel in its attacks against Iran within the next two weeks.

What To Know

Trump announced the military action on Truth Social on Saturday evening saying the U.S. attacked sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan in Iran. The president said all planes are now out of Iranian air space and “safely on their way home.” The president addressed the nation at 10 p.m. ET regarding the strikes.

In response to the attacks, Democrats are either slamming the president for pulling the U.S. into “another endless” war or praising the commander-in-chief for the military move.

Ocasio-Cortez ripped the president’s action on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote, “The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”

Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, also ripped Trump on X, writing that he “struck Iran without any authorization of Congress. We need to immediately return to DC and vote on @RepThomasMassie and my War Powers Resolution to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war.”

On the other hand, Representative John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, came to Trump’s side and wrote on X, “As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS. Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.”

Fetterman has been a strong supporter of Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza and has recently called for the U.S. to provide the country with weaponry, intelligence and military assistance to strike Iran.

Other lawmakers like Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, have called Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities a “blatant violation of our Constitution.”

Responding to a post on X that said, “Nothing unites U.S. elites & politicians more than war – especially against Muslims in the Middle East,” Tlaib replied, “Yep, and it’s so f**king sick.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, released a statement calling out Trump for failing to deliver peace to the Middle East and added that now “the risk of war” has “dramatically increased.”

Jeffries said he is praying for the safety of U.S. troops “who have been put in harm’s way.” The House minority leader also warned Trump now bears “complete and total” responsibility for any consequences that may arise from the strikes.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has remained silent in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

Newsweek reached out to his office via email for comment.

What People Are Saying

D. Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, in an email to Newsweek Saturday when asked if the division over the strikes could cause additional fractures for Democrats: “The opposition party likely gains from internal division when the country faces a foreign-policy challenge. That way, no matter which way the crisis resolves, they have leaders who can say they were on the right side.”

Voss added: “Immediately after a foreign-policy conflict, Americans rally around the flag, including members of the opposition party. It would be costly for them to seem unsupportive of the country’s security interests. Yet if the conflict goes sour, they benefit from having party members who can flout their opposition to the engagement. Example: Democrats mostly supported the War on Terror despite, despite it being the initiative of a Republican president, yet they still had politicians like Obama able to take advantage of the war’s unpopularity later on.”

Political analyst and Florida Atlantic University professor Craig Agranoff to Newsweek via text message Saturday: “Their split over Iran’s strikes is a symptom of deeper fault lines; exposed and widened by their 2024 election loss. On one hand, progressives are pushing for restraint, wary of escalation; on the other, moderates fear looking weak on national security.”

He added: “This isn’t just tactical disagreement…it risks entrenching a broader ideological divide. With the party already on shaky ground, failing to coalesce on a clear stance could erode their ability to challenge Republican narratives or rebuild voter trust ahead of the midterms.”