Former Vice President Kamala Harris said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled President Donald Trump into the war with Iran, a conflict she described as one the American people do not want.
Harris made her comments at an event hosted by the Michigan Democratic Women’s Caucus in Detroit. “He entered a war, got pulled into it by Bibi Netanyahu,” she said, referring to Netanyahu’s common nickname. “Let’s be clear about that.”
Trump denied this claim on Monday via Truth Social. “Israel never talked me into the war with Iran,” he posted. He did not provide more details.
Netanyahu has publicly denied influencing Trump’s decision. “Fake news,” he said earlier when asked about reports of Israeli pressure on the White House.
Former VP Harris says Israeli PM Netanyahu “pulled” President Trump into the war with Iran.
“He entered a war — got pulled into it by Bibi Netanyahu, let us be clear about that — entered a war that the American people do not want, putting at risk American service members.” pic.twitter.com/8AkIXhz0hk
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 18, 2026
An NBC News poll released this month showed that roughly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war. Trump launched military operations against Iran on February 1 after Iran-backed militias attacked U.S. positions in the region. U.S. and Israeli aircraft targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, missile depots, and proxy networks in the initial days of the conflict.
Harris also linked the war to domestic political motives. She called Trump’s military campaign, officially called Operation Epic Fury, “a weak attempt to distract from the Epstein files.” She did not provide any evidence for this claim.
Harris labeled the Trump administration as “the most corrupt, callous, and incompetent” in U.S. history. “The man doesn’t know what real strength looks like,” she said. “He constantly overcompensates, trying to present himself as some sort of mob boss.”
On foreign policy, Harris stated that Trump has broken with decades of bipartisan agreement. “This president is the first president of the United States from either party since World War II to abandon America’s responsibility to nurture and protect our alliances, our friendships,” she said.
She warned that reduced U.S. credibility abroad could boost China’s global influence. “We are becoming weaker, unreliable, and less influential,” Harris said.
BREAKING: Kamala Harris just mocked Trump for his lies about Iran.
“The man said he got rid of their nuclear arsenal. Obliterated it, he said… which is not an ambiguous term… well evidently he didn’t do that!” pic.twitter.com/7GWpGV3JSN
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 10, 2026
Trump’s actions in Iran have cost more than $50 billion, according to congressional budget estimates. A naval blockade of Iranian ports began on April 13. A 14-day ceasefire negotiated through Pakistan ended last week after Iran refused to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Harris did not call for a complete U.S. withdrawal, but she said the war puts American troops in danger. “This is a war that puts the lives of our service members at risk for a conflict the American people did not ask for,” she said.
Netanyahu has pushed for U.S. actions against Iran’s nuclear program since at least the 1990s, according to public records and congressional testimony.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not directly respond to Harris’s comments in Detroit. “The president makes his own decisions,” she said during a briefing on Monday.
Harris is among several Democrats testing messages ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The following day, she spoke at a fundraiser in Detroit.
U.S. envoys will hold indirect talks with Iran in Pakistan on Monday as Trump restates threats to bomb power plants and bridges if Tehran ignores his 15-point peace proposal.
