Democratic White House hopefuls blast Trump on Iran — while making slightly different points

Democrats eyeing a White House bid in 2028 have unanimously opposed President Trump’s strikes on Iran but have split on their rationale, highlighting different approaches on what could be a crucial issue.

While many expect the 2028 presidential race to be dominated by domestic economic issues, the differing views offer an early glimpse at how each would-be candidate would approach foreign policy.

The differences — however slight — reflect long-standing tensions within the Democratic Party dating to the Iraq war and an overall wariness of open-ended military conflicts. 

Former Vice President Kamala Harris — who, according to polls, is a front-runner in the race and arguably has the most foreign policy experience of any leading contender — emphasized that Trump need not have made the choice to go to war at this time.

She also leaned into the argument of congressional Democrats that Trump first should have sought broader consent from Congress.

“Let me be clear: I am opposed to a regime-change war in Iran, and our troops are being put in harm’s way for the sake of Trump’s war of choice,” Harris said in a statement, which was posted on the social platform X after the strikes took place on Saturday. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, an old ally of Harris who is seen as the other front-runner, focused his weekend statement and subsequent remarks during his book tour on presidential authority, calling the strikes illegal and warning of executive overreach. 

“It stems from weakness masquerading as strength,” Newsom told a crowd at a San Francisco stop to promote his book, according to Politico. Newsom also dubbed Trump the “chaos president.”

“It seems from the complete failure of this administration, this president who’s historically unpopular,” said Newsom.

Newsom also, however, leaned into attacks on the Iranian regime in his statements. Newsom represents the largest Iranian-American population in the United States in California. 

In a statement put out before his book event, Newsom agreed that “the corrupt and repressive Iranian regime must never have nuclear weapons” and added that “the leadership of Iran must go.” But he said that doesn’t “justify” the actions taken by President Trump.  

Other 2028 contenders offered slightly different views on the conflict in their responses to Trump’s action. 

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was in the Navy Reserves and served a six-month deployment to Afghanistan, underscored the lack of a nuanced strategy and warned about the potential of escalating the war without clear objectives. 

Buttigieg said the military action could “lead to years of chaos and put America in still great danger.” 

He also added that “it does nothing to help with the urgent problems here at home that Americans face every day,” alluding to the economic anxiety that repeatedly comes up in polls and is likely to be a big attack line on the GOP from Democrats in 2026 and 2028.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker echoed those sentiments, saying domestic priorities should be paramount.  

“Americans asked for affordable housing and health care, not another potentially endless conflict,” Pritzker said. “Donald Trump is once again sidestepping the Constitution and once again failing to explain why he’s taking us into another war.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in his remarks emphasized that the president “could have made his case” at last week’s State of the Union address “but instead played political games.” 

“The American people were promised by the president that he would avoid foreign conflicts,” Beshear said. “Generations of Americans are still dealing with the long-term impacts of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.” 

Beshear said Trump owed the American public “a full explanation as these actions put American troops at significant risk.” 

For years, during his first campaign in 2016 and then again more recently, Trump vowed to “stop the reckless and costly policy of regime change.” 

During his victory speech on election night in 2024, he also pledged “not to start wars.”

“I’m going to stop wars,” Trump said. 

Democrats predicted Trump’s previous statements, coupled with his actions in Iran and in Venezuela — when the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January— would backfire on the GOP in the midterms and in 2028. 

“Donald Trump and Republicans cannot help themselves,” Democratic strategist Joel Payne said. “They are replaying the same failed neocon playbook from Iraq 20 years ago.

Payne said he expects to see growing opposition, so much so that it “puts the Senate in greater jeopardy for Republicans in 2026. And by the time we get to 2028, the Republican presidential primary could be a race among who can distance themselves further from the series of quarries Donald Trump is wading into across the world.”

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