Minnesota Republicans laud Trump's military move against Iran; Democrats call for war powers vote

Minnesota Republicans are praising President Trump's military move against Iran, while Democrats say he needed congressional approval before launching an attack.

Democrats are demanding an immediate war powers vote.

Mr. Trump, while running for president in July 2024, told a cheering crowd in St. Cloud, Minnesota, "We had no wars, we had no wars."

Mr. Trump went on to say, "Remember when crooked Hilary Clinton used to say, 'He's going to get us into a war. Look at him. Look at his rhetoric.' I said, 'No, my rhetoric is going to keep us out of war. Thats what happened. We had no wars."

18 months later, the president is explaining how long this Iran war could last.

"Whatever the time is, whatever it takes. Many are projecting 4 to 5 weeks. We have capapbility of far longer than that," Mr. Trump said.

Democratic Sen. Tina Smith said, "The Senate must immediately return to Washington and use our Constitutional powers to pass a War Resolution to stop this. This war will not make us safer."

Republican Rep. Tom Emmer said on social media that Mr. Trump "campaigned on PEACE through STRENGTH, and he is delivering."

But the president also campaigned on no wars. 

"Donald Trump used the 'no more wars' as one of his major attack lines on Democrats," Larry Jacobs, professor at the University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, said. "He's been very critical of the way in which the U.S. got involved in wars and then stuck with it. So I think there's no doubt there's a part of the MAGA base that is just furious."

Any war powers votes in the U.S. Senate and House are expected to be close, but largely symbolic. If Congress denies President Trump war powers, he will be able to veto it with neither side having enough votes to override.

The war powers votes could happen later this week