Saturday, May 2, 2026

Trump, Hegseth’s ‘cavalier attitude’ towards U.S. deaths in Iran is ‘unacceptable,’ says Vindman

Trump, Hegseth’s ‘cavalier attitude’ towards U.S. deaths in Iran is ‘unacceptable,’ says Vindman

 


Trump, Hegseth’s ‘cavalier attitude’ towards U.S. deaths in Iran is ‘unacceptable,’ says Vindman

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May 1, 2026 #iran #petehegseth #trump
Rep. Eugene Vindman joins MS NOW’s Ali Velshi to discuss his reaction to Defense Secretary Hegseth’s testimony about the war in Iran and how Trump’s claim that the ceasefire in Iran means the war is “terminated” in order to avoid the 60-day deadline for Congress to authorize the war is “absolute nonsense.” MS NOW: My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. » Subscribe to MS NOW:    / @msnow   » Subscribe to MS NOW’s We the People Newsletter for exclusive content from your favorite MS NOW anchors. Sign up now for free at https://ms.now/joinus MS NOW is the go-to destination for domestic and international breaking news, and best-in-class opinion journalism. For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day click here: https://www.ms.now/ #iran #petehegseth #trump

Follow along using the transcript.

2 seconds
deadline during which Congress must either authorize or end military action in Iran.
9 seconds
That deadline, that 60 days is today.
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But Donald Trump now says his war of choice with Iran has been terminated because of a C-swap fire between the Iran,
19 seconds
between Iran and the United States In a letter to Republican leaders, Donald Trump wrote, quote,
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there's been no exchange of fire between United States forces and Iran since April 7th of 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28th,
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2026 have terminated, end quote.
37 seconds
Now let's just consider how ridiculous that statement is.
41 seconds
That because the ceasefire is holding for now means that the war is over. A ceasefire simply means a pause in fighting.
48 seconds
Termination implies the war is over. So that's the president's take for the moment.
52 seconds
Yesterday, House Speaker Mike Johnson just blatantly denied that we're even in a war. What war? There's still a U .S.
1 minute
blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
1 minute, 2 seconds
Blockades are under international law, acts of war.
1 minute, 6 seconds
Trump even contradicts himself in the next line of the letter that he sent to Congress when he says,
1 minute, 11 seconds
quote, the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our armed forces remain significant.
1 minute, 17 seconds
Accordingly, the Department of War continues to update its force posture, end quote. OK, so the war is terminated. The threat remains significant.
1 minute, 25 seconds
The U .S. continues to update its force posture, but the war is over. Got it?
1 minute, 30 seconds
Meanwhile, Axios reports that Donald Trump was briefed yesterday on other possible military options in Iran after he continues to refuse
1 minute, 38 seconds
every proposal to actually end the war that Tehran sends his way. Two sources with knowledge told Axios,
1 minute, 44 seconds
quote, said Kamis prepared a plan for a short and powerful wave of strikes on Iran, likely including infrastructure targets,
1 minute, 51 seconds
in the hopes of breaking the negotiating deadlock.
1 minute, 54 seconds
Another plan is focused on taking over part of the Strait of Hormuz to reopen it to commercial shipping. Such an operation could include ground forces.
2 minutes, 2 seconds
Another option is a special forces operation to secure Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
2 minutes, 10 seconds
The longer this war drags on, the more support Donald Trump loses,
2 minutes, 13 seconds
both from within the Republican Party and with the American people at large.
2 minutes, 17 seconds
In fact, a new Washington Post poll found that Trump's war in Iran is as unpopular among Americans as the Iraq War was during the year of peak violence in 2006,
2 minutes, 27 seconds
and the Vietnam War was in the early 1970s.
2 minutes, 31 seconds
61 % saying it was a mistake for Trump to use our military against Iran. 61 % disapproval in two months.
2 minutes, 38 seconds
This is important.
2 minutes, 40 seconds
The two-month thing's going to come up again in a minute, so it's important to understand this.
2 minutes, 43 seconds
It took years for the Iraq and Vietnam wars to become this unpopular.
2 minutes, 49 seconds
But 60 days in, key Republicans are getting impatient with Donald Trump.
2 minutes, 54 seconds
This week, Republican Senator Susan Collins voted with Democrats for the first time on a failed vote to end the war.
3 minutes, 1 second
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski threatened to force a vote to authorize the war in the coming weeks.
3 minutes, 6 seconds
Even Republican Senator Josh Hawley told The New York Times, if Trump doesn't pull U .S.
3 minutes, 12 seconds
troops out or come up with a legal reason to keep them there,
3 minutes, 16 seconds
Congress would need to proactively pass legislation authorizing the war.
3 minutes, 22 seconds
And I don't really want to do that because I don't want to open up further conflict, said Mr. Hawley, I want to wind it down, end quote.
3 minutes, 30 seconds
So Iran has reportedly sent a new proposal to the United States to negotiate an end to the war.
3 minutes, 35 seconds
Two senior Iranian officials say to The New York Times, quote,
3 minutes, 38 seconds
the new proposal removes a previous condition Iran had set that Mr. Trump must first lift the sea blockade against Iran for negotiators to meet face-to-face.
3 minutes, 48 seconds
The proposal also offers more flexibility on the sequencing of steps,
3 minutes, 53 seconds
with Iran willing to first open the Strait of Hormuz, followed by the U .S. announcing the blockade was ending.
3 minutes, 59 seconds
The proposal still calls for nuclear negotiations to be postponed for a second phase of talks after a permanent ceasefire was reached,
4 minutes, 8 seconds
end quote. Okay, so that's what the Iranians said. Here's how Trump responded.
4 minutes, 14 seconds
They want to make a deal, but I don't satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens.
4 minutes, 19 seconds
Iran wants to make a deal because they have no military left essentially and they want to make a deal but I'm not satisfied.
4 minutes, 30 seconds
Of course he didn't specify exactly what he wasn't satisfied with.
4 minutes, 33 seconds
People familiar with the details tell The Wall Street Journal that Iran has indicated to mediators that it would be ready to sit down for talks in Pakistan by early next week if Washington is open to its new proposal.
4 minutes, 43 seconds
So that's Iran giving Donald Trump an off-ramp in this war that Donald Trump is stuck in that he won't call a war. The Wall Street Journal reports, quote,
4 minutes, 52 seconds
Iran is betting that America will crack first and end its blockade of Iranian ports in order to calm global markets and bring down American gasoline prices.
5 minutes
U .S.
5 minutes, 2 seconds
officials are betting that Iran will instead relent because of the deepening economic crisis.
5 minutes, 6 seconds
So yesterday, the defense secretary Pete Hegseth admitted to Congress that it could take months or even years to replenish the munition stockpiles that are being depleted by Trump's war on Iran.
5 minutes, 17 seconds
Our first guest tonight, Democratic Congressman Eugene Vindman questioned Pete Hegseth when he testified to the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday about American lives lost in Trump's war.
5 minutes, 29 seconds
On March 1st, six army soldiers, including a constituent of mine, were killed by an Iranian drone strike.
5 minutes, 35 seconds
Do you take any responsibility for those deaths? Um, I was there at Dover when they came back.
5 minutes, 42 seconds
Of course, I take responsibility for every aspect.
5 minutes, 44 seconds
Well, I appreciate that because you also complained about the fact that tragic things happen. The news makes it front page news.
5 minutes, 52 seconds
The press only wants to make the president look bad.
5 minutes, 55 seconds
Is it about the soldiers or is it about the president looking bad? It's not just the president who wants, the media that wants to make him look bad,
6 minutes, 3 seconds
it's you.
6 minutes, 4 seconds
It's actually about the soldiers and it's frankly reprehensible that you would make that statement.
6 minutes, 10 seconds
Joining us now is the Democratic Congressman Eugene Vindman of Virginia. He's a member of the Armed Services Committee. He's a retired Army colonel.
6 minutes, 16 seconds
I remember when Pete Hegseth was in the Pentagon briefing room and he said that.
6 minutes, 20 seconds
He said, you know, why do you guys always go for these headlines and make the president look bad?
6 minutes, 24 seconds
This was after soldiers were killed in a war that they won't call a that they won't ask Congress permission
6 minutes, 32 seconds
to fight and they won't justify why it's happening or how it's going to end. I think the point you brought up was key.
6 minutes, 38 seconds
People have died, innocent people HAVE DIED WHETHER THEY ARE U .S. MEMBERS OF THE U .S.
6 minutes, 43 seconds
MILITARY OR CIVILIANS ON THE GROUND ALL ACROSS THE REGION WHO HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS WAR.
6 minutes, 49 seconds
ABSOLUTELY, LOOK, THE STATEMENT THAT THE SECRETARY MADE during that press conference was shameful it was dishonorable it was disgusting
6 minutes, 57 seconds
and i gave him an opportunity to take it back and he he doubled down i mean for him he's got an audience of one he's
7 minutes, 6 seconds
got to please the president and um the cavalier attitude that he and the president have displayed
7 minutes, 14 seconds
to american casualties uh and and uh the deaths in this war uh and frankly the 400 uh
7 minutes, 21 seconds
or so that have been wounded um are is unacceptable uh that is uh those lives are permanently,
7 minutes, 31 seconds
permanently injured. The families, I've met the families, I've met the children that had lost parents,
7 minutes, 40 seconds
the parents that had lost CHILDREN, LOST CHILDREN, AND JUST UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR.
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SO WHEN ONE OF YOUR COLLEAGUES SUGGESTED THAT THE U .S.
7 minutes, 50 seconds
MIGHT HAVE GOT himself into a bit of a quagmire here, which happens. He thought that was insulting.
7 minutes, 54 seconds
Hegs had said it's two months in to call this a quagmire is an insult to the troops who are fighting this war.
8 minutes, 1 second
But it's an insult to the troops to send them into wars without any valid justification. Absolutely. I mean, we have a job to do.
8 minutes, 9 seconds
We represent constituencies.
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In my case, I represent three military installations,
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72 ,000 veterans and only 20 ,000 activity service members.
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And it is my job to ask the tough questions about how we ended up in a war without a plan.
8 minutes, 26 seconds
And what does our plan on getting out of this war. And the secretary, frankly, did not have a plan.
8 minutes, 32 seconds
And right now this preposterous statement saying that the ceasefire is a termination of the conflict is just absolute nonsense.
8 minutes, 40 seconds
A Cease fire is just that cease firing. It's a temporary pause to bombing, shooting and fighting.
8 minutes, 47 seconds
The president and the secretary owe it to the American people and owe it to Congress to come with a plan on how we actually
8 minutes, 56 seconds
exit a conflict where the status quo before would be, frankly, a dream.
9 minutes, 4 seconds
You know, the Iranians control the Great of Hormuz. oil prices have skyrocketed.
9 minutes, 10 seconds
The American people are paying the price for this war.
9 minutes, 13 seconds
So there's a lot of trickery going on because they really haven't called it a war. They've not gone to Congress. to ask permission for this.
9 minutes, 21 seconds
Now Donald Trump says, he used the term,
9 minutes, 24 seconds
the war has been terminated because of the ceasefire.
9 minutes, 27 seconds
The idea here is not simply that Congress may not give Donald Trump permission to conduct this war.
9 minutes, 34 seconds
It might, it might not. It's going to be close one way or the other.
9 minutes, 37 seconds
It's that the president seems to be making the point that I don't really have to get your approval to go to war. Well, he's done that repeatedly.
9 minutes, 46 seconds
I mean, this is sort of the eighth conflict twice now in Iran that we've been engaged in conflict.
9 minutes, 52 seconds
And the president has not sought congressional approval for any of these. And he's gotten basically a blank check,
10 minutes, 1 second
a rubber stamp from the Republican-led House of Representatives and the Senate. And he doesn't feel like he has a need,
10 minutes, 9 seconds
has AS AN OBLIGATION TO TAKE THIS TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE OR CONGRESS. AND THAT IS WHY THIS WAR IS SO UNPOPULAR.
10 minutes, 17 seconds
TWO MONTHS IN, OBVIOUSLY, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE PAYING HIGHER GAS PRICES AND, YOU know, there's significant inflation.
10 minutes, 25 seconds
But I'll tell you one of the reasons is the president never laid out the case of why we fight now in Iran and that's showing in the approval.
10 minutes, 35 seconds
And there were there are a lot of experts who are involved in this who say there was more space on the diplomatic front. There was more space on the sanctions front.
10 minutes, 43 seconds
There was a lot more to do.
10 minutes, 44 seconds
The idea of choosing war when you when you have other options is a difficult and complicated one and it doesn't seem to make sense.
10 minutes, 51 seconds
And Pete Hegseth couldn't seem to make it make sense in his performance before Congress this week.
10 minutes, 57 seconds
Yeah, that's right. I mean, he struggled to make the case. He claimed repeatedly that, you know, imagine Iran with a nuclear weapon.
11 minutes, 5 seconds
Well, guess what? Iran does not have a nuclear weapon. Correct.
11 minutes, 8 seconds
Iran has not demonstrated a desire to get a nuclear weapon.
11 minutes, 14 seconds
In fact, there was a fatwa issued by the PREVIOUS IYATOLA PROHIBITING A NUCLEAR WEAPON, THE ASSESSMENTS WERE THAT THERE'S NO NUCLEAR WEAPON.
11 minutes, 22 seconds
NOW, OBVIOUSLY, THAT WOULD BE AN UNACCEPTABLE OUTCOME,
11 minutes, 27 seconds
BUT IT IS AN ABSOLUTELY FABRICATION TO CLAIM THAT THEY WERE ON THE VERGE OF A NUCLEAR WEAPON, ESPECIALLY EIGHT OR NINE MONTHS NOW,
11 minutes, 36 seconds
OR I GUESS A LITTLE BIT MORE SINCE WE OBLITERATED IT LAST IT'S NONSENSICAL AND THEY BOTH MAKE THE POINT THAT A NUCLEAR
11 minutes, 45 seconds
WEAPON ON A MISSILE THAT CAN HIT AMERICA ALSO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE. SO AT SOME POINT THIS, WHATEVER THIS IS, WE CALL IT A WAR OR not,
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it's built on a house of cards. Congressman, good to see you as always.
11 minutes, 56 seconds
Thank you, Congressman Eugene Minman of Virginia.
11 minutes, 59 seconds
All right, coming up, how much more are you

 

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