Appearing as a guest during Sunday’s MS NOW coverage of the U.S. war with Iran, former CNN contributor Reza Aslan invoked the deaths of anti-ICE agitators in Minneapolis as he compared the Donald Trump administration to the dictatorship in Iran that has murdered pro-democracy protesters.
Aslan has a history of hateful tweets about the Trump family and others. Toward the end of a discussion of the war, MS NOW host Alicia Menendez cued up her guest:
Just to tie it back to some stories that we have followed here domestically, I know you have been outspoken about this President, about his Islamophobia. This war is being overseen by a defense secretary who has crusader tattoos. I mean, you can just talk us through the religious dynamics you see in this conflict?
Aslan immediately labeled President Trump as an “authoritarian” as he began:
Yeah. I mean, again, we are talking about a President who is presenting himself as a liberator of, you know, the Iranian people, who himself is an authoritarian, who himself has these strongman dictatorial impulses, who has shown no interest in, you know, promoting democracy or freedom, who rightly lambastes Iran for slaughtering innocent protesters on the streets of Tehran and calling them terrorists who deserve to, you know, be killed for their actions; but then who uses the exact same rhetoric when it comes to his own people in places like Minnesota.
He then added:
Donald Trump is not a good faith actor. He is not someone who has sort of a sort of cohesive policy or an ideology that he is pursuing here. I think, honestly, what he is probably going to do is drop these bombs and kind of forget about it, declare victory, give himself, you know, some award, maybe have a little parade, and then he’ll forget all about Iran. Meanwhile, we have thousands and thousands of dead Iranians as a result of this military attack.
Menendez then called the war against Iran a “war of aggression” as she pivoted to plugging the next segment:
Reza Aslan, I am so grateful for you and for your time. Thank you so much for being with us. Coming up, as Donald Trump starts a war of aggression without congressional approval, Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs is going to join me right here…
Transcript follows:
MS NOW Iran War Coverage
March 1, 2026
10:15 p.m. Eastern
ALICIA MENENDEZ: Just to tie it back to some stories that we have followed here domestically, I know you have been outspoken about this President, about his Islamophobia. This war is being overseen by a defense secretary who has crusader tattoos. I mean, you can just talk us through the religious dynamics you see in this conflict?
REZA ASLAN, EX-CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah. I mean, again, we are talking about a President who is presenting himself as a liberator of, you know, the Iranian people, who himself is an authoritarian, who himself has these strongman dictatorial impulses, who has shown no interest in, you know, promoting democracy or freedom, who rightly lambastes Iran for slaughtering innocent protesters on the streets of Tehran and calling them terrorists who deserve to, you know, be killed for their actions; but then who uses the exact same rhetoric when it comes to his own people in places like Minnesota.
So, you know, we’re — Donald Trump is not a good faith actor. He is not someone who has sort of a sort of cohesive policy or an ideology that he is pursuing here. I think, honestly, what he is probably going to do is drop these bombs and kind of forget about it, declare victory, give himself, you know, some award, maybe have a little parade, and then he’ll forget all about Iran. Meanwhile, we have thousands and thousands of dead Iranians as a result of this military attack.
MENENDEZ: Reza Aslan, I am so grateful for you and for your time. Thank you so much for being with us. Coming up, as Donald Trump starts a war of aggression without congressional approval, Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacob(s) is going to join me right here and what happens next. Stay with us.
