Dem Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Doesn’t Budge When Asked If Party Should Become ‘Anti-War’

Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said during a resurfaced June interview that her party should not seize the chance to become “the anti-war party” after America’s bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.

The June 21 strikes President Donald Trump ordered prompted bipartisan backlash, including from Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna. Politico’s Dasha Burns, during her outlet’s NATO summit, asked Shaheen about Khanna’s push for the Democratic Party to become more dovish, but the senator said he was misguided. (RELATED: Will American Allies’ Crippling Covert Strikes Be Wake-Up Call For US?)

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“I’ve interviewed Congressman Ro Khanna recently, who’s been advocating for the Democratic Party to be the anti-war party. He said that the party’s become too hawkish, in his opinion,” Burns said. “Is this an opportunity for Democrats to move more in that direction, as you’re hearing from Americans that they don’t want us — I mean, one of the reasons so much of the president’s base is frustrated is because they voted for him because they felt that he was the anti-war president, that he made promises that we would not be entangled in foreign conflicts.”

“Is this an opportunity for Democrats? Might you be missing that opportunity if you don’t sort of look at that messaging as a path for the party?” she asked.

Shaheen immediately responded that she disagreed with Khanna.

“No. And I think Ro Khanna is wrong. The fact is, foreign policy isn’t that easy,” the senator said. “You can’t just say, ‘I’m against all conflicts,’ because they’re all going to be against America’s interest or against global interest.”

She noted that she believed it was crucial for the United States to back Ukraine in its war against Russia.

“I think it’s an important message for us to send to our allies and partners as well as our adversaries. The ‘I don’t want to be involved in any wars,’ isolationist movement — we’ve been down that road,” Shaheen said. “We saw what happened at the start of World War II. And that was not a place where I think we want to be again as Americans. Now, that doesn’t mean to say we want to get involved in every conflict — because we don’t.”

Trump campaigned on ending the Russia-Ukraine war and said in his January inaugural address that he wanted to finish wars and refrain from entering them, asserting that his “proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.”

While the Russia-Ukraine war is still raging, Trump was ultimately able to help broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Iran struck Al Udeid U.S. Air Base in Qatar in retaliation for America bombing its nuclear facilities, but it did not lead to any injuries or casualties or escalation.

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