Former President Trump said that recent attacks on Israel by the militant group Hamas are a result of the U.S. being seen as “weak and ineffective” in remarks on Saturday.
“The Israeli attack was made because we are perceived as being weak and ineffective and with a really weak leader,” the former president said at an event in Waterloo, Iowa.
“All over the world things are not what they were just three years ago,” he added.
Trump also said in an earlier statement on the attack that “Israel has a right to defend itself.”
“Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks, which many reports are saying came from the Biden Administration,” Trump said. “We brought so much peace to the Middle East through the Abraham Accords, only to see Biden whittle it away at a far more rapid pace than anyone thought possible. Here we go again.”
President Joe Biden, Trump’s 2020 presidential rival and likely his 2024 rival, also released a statement in which he said the U.S. condemns the attacks.
“The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, and I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel,” Biden said in a statement.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) went after Republicans on Saturday for their critiques of Biden during the attacks, calling the criticism “partisan hackery.”
“This is partisan hackery at a time when we need statesmanship. Really bad faith,” Murphy said on X. “Trying to win cheap political points by shifting the blame away from the terrorists is a gift to Hamas right now”