Lawmakers, media dinged for blaming Trump or ripping Israel on Iran: ‘You think Kamala could’ve stopped them?’

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Lawmakers and mainstream media figures were blasted online Friday morning over some of their responses to the development that Israel executed a widespread bombing campaign against key Iranian targets.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-CT., wrote on X that Israel’s attack was "clearly intended to scuttle the Trump administration's negotiations with Tehran," and is "further evidence of how little respect world powers - including our own allies - have for President Trump."

Murphy, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe, was later mocked for using the situation to slam Trump:

"Do you think Israel respected Biden, Obama, or Bush? Now is not the time for a partisan bromide," one critic replied.

"You think Kamala could’ve stopped them?" riffed another.

Former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, an occasional media figure and former campaign staffer for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., replied to Murphy’s critics, saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "always wanted a broader war."

"This was inevitable, given the U.S. foreign policy towards Israel. Arms embargo now," Turner added.

Left-wing former ESPN and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann informed Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on X that "your soul is lost" after the lawmaker celebrated Iran being attacked.

"Game on, pray for Israel," Graham originally wrote.

The oft-profane pundit did, however, receive some backhanded support from the right for the remarks, with one respondent saying, "you know society is about to collapse when I agree with Keith" – while another shared a "holy s---" meme featuring actor Keegan Michael Key.

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who has become one of President Donald Trump’s loudest critics, went after Trump’s supporters following the bombings.

"Yesterday: Trump scared to death of action against Iran."

On X, several pro-Trump ripped Kinzinger, saying he "lives in a bottle," "was too scared to run for reelection" in his swing Kankakee district because of his break with Trump, and should "cry harder."

Kinzinger, however, did appear to celebrate Israel’s killing of Iranian military commander Hossein Salami -- sharing a grinning GIF of the late Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain in response to a news alert.

GLOBAL CALLS TO AVOID ESCALATION POUR IN AFTER ISRAEL STRIKES ON IRAN

Several "Squad" members also got in on the action Friday, including Rep. Gregorio Casar of Texas.

Casar said Netanyahu’s "reckless strike risks provoking a wider war and pulling in the United States."

He called on Trump to oppose Netanyahu’s escalation and "not violate the Constitution" by involving U.S. troops without congressional approval.

Reaction to Casar was mixed, with some respondents asking what his own strategy would be, while one defender of the Austin lawmaker shared a meme of Trump dressed as a chambermaid standing aside Netanyahu in his office.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., actively sparred with critics of her statement that "regardless of what Trump thinks, Israel knows America will do whatever they want and feels confident about their ability to get into war and have the American government back them up."

"Everyone in America should prepare themselves to either see their tax dollars being spent on weapon supplies to Israel or be dragged into war with Iran if this escalates."

"Somalians belong in Somalia," one critic responded. "And in Congress," Omar shot back.

OLBERMANN LEADS LIBERAL MELTDOWN AGAINST CNN, CALLING TO ‘BURN IT DOWN’ AFTER BIDEN'S PERFORMANCE

When another critic said she should focus more on issues in her Minneapolis district, the congresswoman replied, "I am focusing on my district and we don’t believe our tax dollars should go to war. Thank for your input."

"This is all planned," tweeted "Squad" colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

"Both [U.S. and Israel] are liars."

Tlaib then claimed Jerusalem’s government is "genocidal" and that "war criminal Netanyahu will do anything to maintain his grip on power."

"Squad" member Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., followed by tweeting support for her "Block the Bombs Act" to withhold weapons sales to Israel in response to actions in Gaza.

The far-left lawmaker, who took over longtime moderate Democrat Dan Lipinski’s district, said that Netanyahu "cannot be trusted with offensive weapons that enable dangerous actions like what we saw last night."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Elsewhere on social media, other liberal figures were raging at the Trump administration for other recent developments, like the brief detainment of Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., after he crashed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s Los Angeles press conference.

Col. Alexander Vindman, now retired, but a key figure in the Trump-Ukraine impeachment saga and a twin brother of Rep. Yevgeny "Eugene" Vindman, D-Va., railed against Noem multiple times, calling her a "fascist b---h."

"Hey Kristi, f--- off," Vindman wrote.

Frequent "Special Report" All-Star panelist Mollie Hemingway responded to Vindman, remarking on how the mainstream media regularly characterized him as a "stable," nonpartisan whistleblower.

Trump rips NBC reporter for asking about Qatari jet gift amid tense meeting on genocide: ‘You’re a disgrace’

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Donald Trump ripped an NBC reporter for questions about the Department of Defense accepting a jumbo jet from Qatar to serve as Air Force One.

"The Pentagon announced that it would be accepting a Qatari jet to be used as Air Force One," an NBC reporter asked Trump in a news conference during the South African president's visit Wednesday to the White House.

"What are you talking about? You know, you ought to get out of here," Trump responded.

The question regarding the Qatari jet was asked immediately after Trump directed his staff to lower the lights and show video footage of the treatment of White farmers in South Africa during his meeting with the African nation's president.

ESPIONAGE, CONSTITUTIONAL CONCERNS ABOUND FROM TRUMP DETRACTORS, ALLIES OVER QATARI JET OFFER

The Trump administration began welcoming white Afrikaners from South Africa to the U.S. in the past week as they face "unjust racial discrimination" in their home country, according to the administration.

"What does this have to do with the Qatari jet?" Trump shot back at the reporter, believed to be NBC News' Peter Alexander, before slamming NBC News for trying to divert the meeting's topic from genocide in South Africa.

"They're giving the United States Air Force a jet. OK? And it's a great thing. We're talking about a lot of other things. It's NBC trying to get off the subject of what you just saw," Trump said. "You are a real … you know, you're a terrible reporter. No. 1, you don't have what it takes to be a reporter. You're not smart enough. But for you to go into a subject about a jet that was given to the United States Air Force, which is a very nice thing.

"They also gave $5.1 trillion worth of investment in addition to the jet. Go back, you ought to go back to your studio at NBC because Brian Roberts and the people that run that place, they ought to be investigated. They are so terrible the way you run that network. And you are a disgrace. No more questions from you," Trump continued.

"His name is Peter something. He's a terrible reporter," Trump added as he began calling on other reporters for questions.

FLASHBACK: DEM CRITICAL OF TRUMP'S QATARI JET GIFT RODE CAMEL IN EXPENSES-PAID 2021 TRIP TO GULF EMIRATE

Fox News Digital reached out to NBC News for comment on the matter but did not immediately receive a reply.

Fox News confirmed earlier Wednesday that the Department of Defense had formally accepted a 747 jetliner from Qatar.

Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized Trump after he announced the Department of Defense planned to accept a jumbo jet from the government of Qatar earlier in May, arguing the gift is riddled with both espionage concerns and constitutional questions.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR 'IMMEDIATE' ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP

At the heart of Democrats' concern over the matter is the emoluments clause in the Constitution, which states, "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

It's questionable if the emoluments clause even applies to the president, however, because the Constitution typically stipulates when a clause specifically affects a president and cites the title, such as in the impeachment clause, Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, previously told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP CLARIFIES OWNERSHIP OF AIRCRAFT IN DEFENSE OF QATAR'S GIFT

"The clause was specifically inserted because of concerns by the founders at the Constitutional Convention over corruption of our foreign diplomats, especially by the French government," von Spakovsky explained.

"It is questionable whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president since he is not named, and the Constitution usually names the president when a provision applies to him. That is why the impeachment clause specifically provides that it applies to the ‘president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States.’ If ‘officers’ of the U.S. included the president, there would be no need for him to be separately listed."

Von Spakovsky said if the plane is a government-to-government gift — meaning if Qatar gave the plane to the Department of Defense and not as a personal gift to the president — the Trump administration is likely in the legal clear to accept the gift.

"If this gift is being considered as a gift to the government of the U.S., there is no legal issue to consider, since there is no constitutional or legal problem with such a gift. If this is a personal gift to the president, the Justice Department would be weighing the constitutional issue I have raised — whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president," he said.

TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET

Trump and his administration have previously and repeatedly said the jet would be given to the Department of Defense and used as a temporary Air Force One because Boeing has not yet delivered a new fleet of Air Force One aircraft.

"We're very disappointed that it's taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One," Trump said during a press conference on drug prices Monday morning. "You know, we have an Air Force One that's 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it's not even the same ballgame.

"When I first came in, I signed an order to get (the new Air Force One fleet) built," he added. "I took it over from the Obama administration, they had originally agreed. I got the price down much lower. And then, when the election didn't exactly work out the way that it should have, a lot of work was not done on the plane because a lot of people didn't know they made change orders. That was so stupid, so ridiculous. And it ended up being a total mess, a real mess."

Espionage, constitutional concerns abound from Trump detractors, allies over Qatari jet offer

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized President Donald Trump after he announced the Department of Defense plans to accept a jumbo jet from the government of Qatar, arguing the gift is riddled with both espionage concerns and constitutional questions. But as one expert tells Fox, the latter concern is likely overblown.

Trump ally Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for example, said during an interview on Tuesday that the acquisition of the plane poses "significant espionage and surveillance problems," while Democrats such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., declared, "Trump cannot accept a $400 million flying palace from the royal family of Qatar. Not only is this farcically corrupt, it is blatantly unconstitutional."

Reports spread Sunday morning that the Trump administration was expected to accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar's royal family, setting off concerns that Trump would personally take ownership of the plane and violate the emoluments clause of the Constitution. ABC News reported that Trump would use the jet until the end of his term, when it would be given to his presidential library.

Trump confirmed and clarified in a Truth Social post later on Sunday that the Department of Defense was slated to receive the gift, while slamming Democrats for their criticism of the offer.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR 'IMMEDIATE' ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP

"So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane," Trump wrote. "Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA."

At the heart of Democrats' concern over the matter is the emoluments clause in the Constitution, which states: "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

"Trump is literally trying to fly around on a plane from a foreign government while serving as president. That’s a violation of the Constitution. The Emoluments Clause wasn’t a suggestion. It’s the LAW," Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said Monday morning following the announcement.

Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that it's questionable if the emoluments clause even applies to the president, as the Constitution typically stipulates when a clause specifically affects a president and cites the title, such as in the impeachment clause.

"The clause was specifically inserted because of concerns by the Founders at the Constitutional Convention over corruption of our foreign diplomats, especially by the French government. It is questionable whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president since he is not named and the Constitution usually names the president when a provision applies to him. That is why the impeachment clause specifically provides that it applies to the ‘president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States.’ If ‘officers’ of the U.S. included the president, there would be no need for him to be separately listed," von Spakovsky explained.

He added that the president is the individual "who appoints the ‘officers’ who are subject to the emoluments clause."

"Antonin Scalia, when he worked at the Justice Department, certainly agreed since he issued an opinion in 1974 pointing out that when the Constitution refers to an ‘officer,’ ‘it invariably refers to someone other than the President or Vice President,’" he continued.

FLASHBACK: DEM CRITICAL OF TRUMP'S QATARI JET GIFT RODE CAMEL IN EXPENSES-PAID 2021 TRIP TO GULF EMIRATE

The jet offer comes after Trump railed against Boeing for pricey government deals to construct a new fleet of Air Force Ones. Even ahead of his first administration, Trump posted on social media in December 2016 that the Boeing "costs are out of control, more than $4 billion" to build the two aircraft.

Trump in 2018 awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion fixed-price agreement to manufacture two new jets. The construction of the jets, however, is not expected to be completed until 2029.

TRUMP CLARIFIES OWNERSHIP OF AIRCRAFT IN DEFENSE OF QATAR'S GIFT

"When I first came in, I signed an order to get (the new Air Force One fleet) built," he continued. "I took it over from the Obama administration, they had originally agreed. I got the price down much lower. And then, when the election didn't exactly work out the way that it should have, a lot of work was not done on the plane because a lot of people didn't know they made change orders. That was so stupid, so ridiculous. And it ended up being a total mess, a real mess."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also brushed off concern over the Qatari royal family donating a Boeing jumbo jet to the U.S. Department of Defense, arguing on Monday there will be no quid pro quo arrangement and that the donation is under legal review to ensure full compliance with the law.

Von Spakovsky said that if the plane is in fact a government-to-government gift – and not a personal gift to the president – the Trump administration is likely in the legal clear to accept the gift.

"If this gift is being considered as a gift to the government of the U.S., there is no legal issue to consider, since there is no constitutional or legal problem with such a gift. If this is a personal gift to the president, the Justice Department would be weighing the constitutional issue I have raised – whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president," he said.

Von Spakovsky said such a government-to-government gift "is no different than the thousands of cherry trees gifted to the U.S. by the Japanese government" in 1912 that still draw more than a million tourists to Washington, D.C., each spring.

Allies of the president, such as Cruz, said espionage concerns weigh heavily over the planned deal, citing Qatar's ties to terrorist groups.

"I’m not a fan of Qatar. I think they have a really disturbing pattern of funding theocratic lunatics who want to murder us, funding Hamas and Hezbollah. And that’s a real problem," Cruz said during an interview Tuesday on CNBC.

"I also think the plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems," he added. "We’ll see how this issue plays out, but I certainly have concerns."

TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET

Democrats, such as Sens. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Dick Durbin of Illinois also warned that the plane would come with security issues. Reed, for example, claimed in a statement that using the plane as Air Force One "would pose immense counterintelligence risks by granting a foreign nation potential access to sensitive systems and communications."

While Democrats and some Republicans have criticized Trump over the move, other Republican lawmakers have said they are zoned in on legislative matters and are not looped into the plane issue.

"I actually haven't paid attention to it," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., previously told Fox News Digital. "I'm sorry to be so out of the loop on that. I've just been thinking about Medicaid and about what the House is sending over."

QATAR OFFERS TRUMP JUMBO JET TO SERVE AS AIR FORCE ONE

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, another Trump ally, said she didn't know enough about the deal to comment on it when pressed by Fox News Digital. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Eric Schmitt of Missouri also said they did not know details of the plane.

Trump is currently in the midst of a four-day trip to the Middle East, including visiting Qatar on Wednesday, where his motorcade was met by dozens of camels, as well as Tesla Cybertrucks in an apparent nod to Department of Government Efficiency official and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The plane is not expected to be presented to the president nor accepted by Trump during his trip abroad.

"The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!" Trump posted to his Truth Social account while in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. "It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive."