Mark Hamill Among Those Calling Out Trump for Saying Obama Would Start Iran War to Get Re-Elected
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill is among those criticizing President Donald Trump for a string of tweets he sent years ago claiming former President Barack Obama would start a war with Iran in order to win the 2012 presidential election.
Some are calling President Trump a hypocrite after the impeached U.S. leader assassinated Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani in an early Friday morning airstrike as the influential military official was leaving Baghdad International Airport.
“#PerpetuallyProjecting,” Hamill wrote on Twitter, quoting a resurfaced 2011 tweet from Trump that said, “in order to get elected, @BarackObama will start a war with Iran.”
#PerpetuallyProjecting https://t.co/7B0t72Liwv
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) January 3, 2020
RELATED: Iranian Leaders Promise ‘Revenge’ Against U.S. After Airstrikes Kill Top Military Official
In a 2011 MSNBC interview, Trump called Obama “weak and ineffective” and said that the then-president would start a war with Iran “because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate” and it was the only way Obama would get re-elected.
Others joined Hamill in using Twitter to draw the comparison between Trump’s former comments and his current actions, like editor Jim Roberts, who wrote, “And there’s no question that Trump will use his attack on Gen. Soleimani in political events going forward to rally his supporters.”
And there's no question that Trump will use his attack on Gen. Soleimani in political events going forward to rally his supporters. https://t.co/BGxEM6btU2
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) January 3, 2020
And here we are, in an election year, and look at what you've done https://t.co/yL3tP910Ma
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) January 3, 2020
Your envy of Obama is only one of many weaknesses that you have. But it seems like the one that could put our entire nation and many other innocent people at risk. The reality is that Obama could always be counted on to put our country first. You, OTOH- yourself. #WagTheDog.
— (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) January 3, 2020
There is a tweet for every occasion.#TrumpIsADisgrace
— Ethan C (@epc303) January 3, 2020
Top Iranian officials responded to the attack on Friday morning with threats that the country would seek “revenge” on the United States. The Associated Press reported that the United States is sending 3,000 additional troops to the area and urged all American citizens to leave the country immediately.
“The great nation of Iran will take revenge for this heinous crime,” tweeted Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, after the U.S. claimed responsibility for the act in a statement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif labeled the airstrike “international terrorism” in a tweet following the attack and said that America “bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism.”
Trump’s order to kill the Iranian military leader prompted a scare across the United States about a potential war, including a trending “WWIII” hashtag on Twitter that has nearly two million tweets midway through Friday.
RELATED: Donald Trump Orders Airstrike Killing Qassem Soleimani the Head of Iran’s Elite Military Force
Multiple members of Congress said they were not notified of Trump’s order and that he carried out the attack without Congressional authorization, including House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.
“Tonight’s airstrike risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence. America — and the world — cannot afford to have tensions escalate to the point of no return,” Pelosi said in a statement late Thursday night. “The full Congress must be immediately briefed on this serious situation and on the next steps under consideration by the Administration, including the significant escalation of the deployment of additional troops to the region.”
