Former US vice president Harris accuses Netanyahu of dragging Trump into Iran war

Potential 2028 candidate says Americans do not want war, US servicemen put at risk; Netanyahu has repeatedly denied claim, says US president made decision for good of his country

US President Donald Trump was “pulled into” the war with Iran by Israel against the will of the American people, former US vice president Kamala Harris claimed on Saturday.

Trump “entered a war, got pulled into it by Bibi Netanyahu, let’s be clear about that,” said Harris, referring to Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his nickname.

“He entered a war that the American people do not want, putting at risk American service members,” she told a Democratic Party fundraiser in Detroit.

Netanyahu has repeatedly derided the idea that he dragged the US into war with Iran, calling it “fake news” and insisting that Trump based his decision only on “what he thinks is good for America.”

A New York Times report earlier this month credited Netanyahu’s high-stakes prediction that the war against Iran would be swift with talking Trump into green-lighting the operation, while his top aides told him that the Israeli premier’s assessment was exaggerated.

Israel launched its campaign against Iran, alongside the US, on February 28 to degrade the Iranian regime’s military capabilities, distance threats posed by Iran — including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and “create the conditions” for the Iranian people to topple the regime, the military and other Israeli leaders have said.

Since being voted out of office, Harris has expressed criticism of the previous administration’s policies on Israel, charging that former US president Joe Biden failed to show enough empathy toward Gazans, and regretting not putting more pressure on Netanyahu over the Gaza war’s impact on civilians.

Harris’s opinions reflect an increasingly negative view of Israel among the Democratic Party at large. A poll this month showed about 80 percent of Democrats saying they have an unfavorable view of Israel, compared to 40% of Republicans. Nearly half of Democrats under age 50 said they have a “very unfavorable” view of Israel.

Last week, the US Senate nixed an effort to halt arms sales to Israel, but some 80% of Democrats voted in favor of the resolution.

Harris told Black activists this month that she’s actively considering another presidential bid, after chants of “Run again!” filled the room.

“I might. I am thinking about it,” Harris told Rev. Al Sharpton after he asked directly whether she was going to run for president in 2028.

Harris’s comments came during the National Action Network’s annual convention, where more than a half-dozen potential candidates appeared, hoping to make inroads among Black voters — who comprise one of the Democrats’ most powerful blocs.

The Democrats’ next presidential primary season won’t begin in earnest until after November’s midterm elections, but this week’s conference showcased a collection of Democrats already jockeying for position in what promises to be a crowded competition.

For now, at least, there is no clear early favorite. But there did appear to be a favorite at Sharpton’s conference.

Harris, the country’s first Black female vice president and the Democrats’ presidential nominee in 2024, earned the only standing ovation and the largest crowd of any other 2028 prospect this week.

Sharpton noted that Harris earned more votes in her losing 2024 campaign than even former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

“Whatever she decides to do, she made a point in history,” Sharpton said.

Harris has already raised the possibility of another presidential bid in the 15 months since she left office. She also recently launched a political action committee and began to travel across the United States to support Democrats, especially across the South.

Still, some in the party have shifted their focus to a new generation of Democratic leaders, given Harris’s struggle in the last presidential contest.

The convention lineup this week featured Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and Arizona senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego.

JTA contributed to this report.