Thread by @MarkGoldfeder

Dear @aoc,

Your hateful ignorance knows no bounds.

Everything you said is wrong, and it must bother you to no end that President Trump just saved the free world.

Let me explain:

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1936600627221565468

@AOC First the legal landscape: The President has full constitutional and statutory authority to respond to attacks against the United States without waiting for Congressional permission.

@AOC The War Powers Resolution of 1973 makes that clear.
The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force reinforces it.
There is bipartisan agreement—even if selectively remembered.

@AOC Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the president, as Commander-in-Chief, has the authority to direct military actions.

@AOC Courts and historical practice have supported the president's ability to conduct short-term, limited military actions and strikes in self-defense to protect U.S. interests, personnel, or in response to imminent threats.

@AOC For over forty years, Iran has waged a relentless shadow war against the United States, its allies, and the free world.

@AOC From the 1979 hostage crisis to proxy terrorism, from nuclear brinkmanship to chants of “Death to America,” from cyberattacks to assassination plots, Tehran’s aggression has been unyielding.

@AOC Ending this endless war—not through appeasement, but through resolute strength—is not just a moral imperative; it is a cornerstone of American survival.

Iran is not a regional irritant; it is a global predator, and its threats are not theoretical. It is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, with American blood on its hands.

@AOC Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has fueled attacks through proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, killing hundreds of U.S. service members—603 in Iraq alone, according to a 2019 Pentagon report.

@AOC Some examples: January 8, 2020: Iran launched over a dozen ballistic missiles at Al-Asad Airbase and Erbil in Iraq. The attack injured over 100 U.S. troops, primarily with traumatic brain injuries.

@AOC October 2023–February 2024: Iran-backed militias under the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" (IRI) conducted over 170 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. Notable incidents include:

@AOC October 17, 2023: A drone strike on Al-Asad Airbase. January 20, 2024: IRI missile attack on Al-Asad, injuring U.S. and Iraqi personnel.

January 28, 2024: drone attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan (Tower 22) killed three U.S. soldiers and injured 47.

@AOC August 5, 2024: A Katyusha rocket attack on Al-Asad injured five U.S. servicemembers and two contractors.

June 14, 2025: Iran-backed Shiite militias launched three drones at Al-Asad Airbase, which were shot down by U.S. forces.

@AOC @repaoc, i know you hate Israel, but do you also hate America so much that you don't value American lives?

@AOC @RepAOC In August 2022, the U.S. Justice Department charged Shahram Poursafi, a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with plotting to assassinate John Bolton, @realDonaldTrump's former National Security Adviser.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump U.S. officials noted that Iran identified multiple former Trump administration officials for assassination, including General Frank McKenzie, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, General Mark Milley, Robert O’Brien, Brian Hook, and former Secretary of State @mikepompeo.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo In 2023, the U.S. sanctioned IRGC officials, including Mohammad Reza Ansari, for supporting assassination plots against Bolton, Pompeo, and others. In October 2024, the State Department confirmed active Iranian plots against Pompeo and Brian Hook.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo In July 2024, U.S. intelligence obtained information about an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, leading to increased Secret Service protection.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo In November 2024, federal prosecutors charged Farhad Shakeri, an IRGC asset, with plotting to assassinate Trump before the 2024 U.S. election.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo Iran has engaged in numerous cyberattacks targeting the United States, including:

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo 2012–2013: IRGC hackers conducted denial-of-service attacks targeting major U.S. banks. Over 176 days, the attacks disrupted online banking services, costing tens of millions of dollars.

In 2016 the DOJ indicted seven IRGC-linked individuals for these attacks.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo 2013: Iranian hackers accessed the control system of a dam in Rye, New York, in a reconnaissance operation that raised concerns about Iran’s ability to target U.S. critical infrastructure.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo 2020: Iranian hackers accessed a U.S. municipal website used for reporting unofficial election results but were expelled by U.S. military hackers.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo 2021: IRGC hackers attempted a cyberattack on Boston Children’s Hospital, exploiting vulnerabilities in Fortinet software.
The attack was thwarted due to quick FBI intervention and hospital defenses, preventing harm to patients.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo 2023: The IRGC-linked group “Cyber Av3ngers” targeted U.S. water facilities, including a municipal water authority in Pennsylvania.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo As of August 2024, the FBI and CISA reported that IRGC actors were enabling ransomware attacks on U.S. organizations, including healthcare, education, and defense sectors, gaining network access for espionage and then facilitating ransomware deployment for profit.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo Also in 2024, Iranian cyber operations targeted both the Trump and Harris campaigns, involving phishing and social engineering to steal sensitive data. The U.S. warned Iran of consequences if such activities continued, reflecting concerns about election interference.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo To summarize: Iran's militias target our bases, its assassins target our leaders, its cyberassaults probe our infrastructure, and its leaders openly vow our destruction.

But you, @aoc, don't care.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo Thank God President Trump does.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo As it relates to Iran's nuclear capabilities and ambitions, 11 days ago, @CENTCOM Commander Gen. Erik Kurilla said:

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM "It is estimated that current stockpiles and the available centrifuges ... are sufficient to produce its first 25 kg of weapons-grade material in roughly one week and enough for up to ten nuclear weapons in three weeks."

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM A nuclear-armed Tehran would spark a regional arms race, with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey racing to match it. Our troops in Qatar, Bahrain, and Iraq would face immediate danger. Iran’s terror networks, shielded by a nuclear deterrent, would strike with impunity.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM Iran’s threats are not someone else’s burden. When a regime targets our shores, as Iran has already done, isolationism is a delusion.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM An emboldened Iran would choke oil routes through the Strait of Hormuz, spiking prices and hitting American wallets. It would deepen ties with Russia, China, and North Korea, forming an anti-Western axis. Cyberattacks, more terror plots, and economic shocks would follow.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM Ignoring Iran doesn’t neutralize it—it brings the danger closer to home.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM Ending Iran’s war on the world does not mean diving into another quagmire. It demands a strategy of airtight sanctions, unwavering support for allies like Israel, and targeted measures to disrupt Iran’s nuclear and terror networks.
This is exactly what President Trump is doing.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM Why trust President Trump to do this without "launching a war that may ensnare us for generations"?

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM Because unlike most of his critics, including @mtgreenee and @mattgaetz, President Trump actually has a record—and it’s a crystal clear record of strategic restraint paired with decisive action, prioritizing targeted operations over prolonged engagements.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz He hit the Houthis for six weeks, not six years.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz He took on ISIS, dismantled their caliphate in two years, and walked away.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz He took out Qassem Soleimani—arguably the most dangerous terrorist on the planet at the time—and avoided the regional war everyone said would follow.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz He did the same with Qasim al-Raymi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz He pushed back on Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and then exited on his terms.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz Let’s be clear: Trump doesn’t start wars. He responds to and ends threats—with precision, resolve, and zero appetite for forever conflicts.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz That’s not warmongering.
That’s responsible leadership.
That's peace through strength.
That is America First.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz America First means protecting our people, our prosperity, and our principles by confronting a regime that has terrorized the world for too long. It means standing with allies who share our fight, not leaving them to face our mutual enemies alone.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz Weakness invites aggression; strength compels restraint.
The world is watching, and tonight the world saw a historic display of American leadership, courage, and strength.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz At least most of the world did.
You, @aoc, are too foolish and/or hateful to do anything more than yell and whine about the fact that the person protecting the United States is none other than @realDonaldTrump .

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz That must really suck for you. Enough that you are on the record wanting to impeach the President of the United States for responding to attacks against the U.S. and protecting American lives and interests from imminent disaster.

Shame on you.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz Thank you President @realDonaldTrump, @VP @JDVance, SecDef @PeteHegseth and Secretary of State @SecRubio.
The entire world is safer tonight because of your decisions.
Real and lasting peace is now possible, because of your actions

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz @VP @JDVance @PeteHegseth @SecRubio And thank you @aoc for demonstrating once and for all to the entire world that you do not have what it takes to be a leader: Vision, strength, moral clarity, or at least the ability to appreciate those traits in others.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz @VP @JDVance @PeteHegseth @SecRubio Of course, you are not alone, and have plenty of other Iran-sympathizing friends you can commiserate with:

https://x.com/RashidaTlaib/status/1936586174757244965

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz @VP @JDVance @PeteHegseth @SecRubio The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice- and it does not bend itself.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz @VP @JDVance @PeteHegseth @SecRubio So while the rest of us celebrate a turning point in history and the chance for a better tomorrow, I also hope and pray that you get the help you need.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz @VP @JDVance @PeteHegseth @SecRubio It must be hard to look in the mirror and realize that your hate has put you on the side of those who murder women for learning, gays for existing, and religious and ethnic minorities for being different.
Beware the power of the dark side.

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz @VP @JDVance @PeteHegseth @SecRubio And sorry about all of your friends in the Middle East who just lost their main source of funding!

@AOC @RepAOC @realDonaldTrump @mikepompeo @CENTCOM @mtgreenee @mattgaetz @VP @JDVance @PeteHegseth @SecRubio On a happier note, we all remember how much you cried when the US voted to help Israel fund their purely defensive Iron Dome.

Now that Iran and its proxies have been degraded, maybe (God willing) Israel will not need it so much!

And maybe, just maybe, with your true colors showing, New Yorkers will finally realize that they do not need you at all.