Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said President Donald Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth’s rhetoric was “embarrassing and juvenile.”
Partial transcript as follows:
KRISTEN WELKER: Let’s start with that breaking news overnight, the fact that the U.S. military was able to rescue that second pilot that was down in enemy lines in Iran. What was your reaction to learning the news, Senator?
KAINE: Overwhelming relief. Our — our Easter service at my church was last night, and I know that that was a prayer on virtually everybody’s minds during the service. And so to wake up this morning and hear about the rescue of the pilot, so very — so very grateful for that, for the service of the search and rescue teams. Kristen, this is why the — the president and Secretary Hegseth’s rhetoric about no mercy, no quarter, death from above, bomb you to the Stone Ages, this kind of rhetoric is really dangerous because the likelihood of having downed pilots or others who are captured in a war like this is very high. And if you send the message that there’s no quarter for the folks on the other side, that — that really encourages them to mistreat our folks. And so I hope the White House — I doubt the president will, but please dial back the rhetoric, because you don’t need to put people like these pilots more at risk by the rhetoric that you use.
WELKER: Well, you raise the rhetoric. Let me ask you about some of the president’s rhetoric this morning, posting on Truth Social, quote, “Open the strait, you blank bastards.” Do you think that is an effective negotiation tactic?
KAINE: No, the bombing them back to the Stone Age, cursing them, Secretary Hegseth saying, you know, ‘It’s death from above, no mercy, no quarter, we will ignore stupid rules of engagement,’ this is all embarrassing and juvenile. And it’s people trying to act like they’re puffed up and tough when what we really see from the administration in this war is the absence of a plan, the absence of a clear rationale, no effort to get allies on board, and thus deep unpopularity of this war with the American public. I know that’s the case in Virginia. I was traveling around Virginia all last week, and I’ll be doing the same this week. People see this president as having blundered into a war with no clear rationale. And there’s no amount of cursing, or boasting, or tough talk that will cover up for the fact that this president didn’t have a rationale and he doesn’t really have a plan.
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