The combined political and liberal media counteroffensive against President Trump was underway within hours of the Iran strike.
As socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) launched a frontal assault on Trump’s decision — declaring the military action “absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment” — the New York Times provided covering fire, unleashing a barrage of skepticism about the justification for the strikes.
Reacting to the joint U.S.–Israeli operation, AOC blasted the president’s move as “a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,” accusing him of “impulsively risk[ing] launching a war that may ensnare us for generations.” (See her statement here.)
Impeachment talk. On Day One of active combat operations.
The New York Times likewise unleashed a hail of skepticism. In its live coverage of the unfolding strikes, the paper wrote that Trump “made little effort to argue that any immediate threat had prompted the latest U.S. and Israeli strikes.” It highlighted intelligence assessments indicating that Iran had not made a decision to pursue an intercontinental ballistic missile and noted that although Trump reiterated that Iran could never be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons, he did not attempt to show that Tehran was closer to producing one.
(New York Times live coverage)
Rather than emphasizing deterrence or strategic objectives, the nation’s most influential liberal newspaper concentrated on what it suggested were weaknesses in the administration’s case.
The result was a striking one-two punch: impeachment demands from a leading progressive lawmaker paired with immediate media skepticism about the operation’s legitimacy.
With American forces engaged overseas, the political and media barrage began at home within hours — unrestrained even as service members moved into harm’s way.
There were other Times updates championing the Left (without labeling them as such):
Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York called the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran a “catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression.” In a strongly worded post on X, the mayor said: “Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change.”
…Several dozen protests opposing the U.S.-led strikes in Iran are planned in cities across the United States as part of a national day of action today. The sponsors of the demonstrations, a coalition of organizations, including [radical-left] Answer Coalition, a group that opposes war and racism, said they were protesting the Trump administration’s “illegal attack” on the country.
But they did find a “right-wing firebrand,” of course:
The U.S. Agency for Global Media said it had “significantly expanded” Voice of America’s Persian-language service in recent months and was broadcasting Trump’s speech announcing today’s attack “to the brave people of Iran across every available platform, including satellite.” The agency’s head, Kari Lake, the right-wing firebrand who has overseen enormous cuts to U.S.-funded media abroad, posted on X: “Iran will be FREE.”
