RELEASE: Remember When: Hawley and Schmitt said Trump was the “Peace President”, promised that Trump wouldn’t start war in Iran

President Donald Trump started a war with Iran this weekend that will cost billions of dollars and has already led to American deaths.  

Missouri’s U.S. Senators, Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley, have both openly opposed wars in the Middle East, called Trump the “peace president,” and berated the Biden administration for being “a bunch of corporate liberals and warmongers.” 

Hawley explicitly promised that Trump would NOT start a war with Iran. 

Are they now comfortable with the President’s actions?

Hawley: “I’d be real concerned” if the US proactively started a war with Iran 

  • “It’s a very different thing for us to then say, ‘We are going to offensively, affirmatively go strike Iran or insert ourselves into the conflict.’ That to me is – that’s a whole different matter. I’d be real concerned about that.” – Josh Hawley, June 19, 2025
  • “For decades, we’ve concerned themselves with every interest under the sun except for that our own citizens. The purpose of American government is to advance the interests of Americans—full stop. Endless wars don’t serve our interests—so President Trump is pushing for peace.” – Eric Schmitt, February 19, 2026
  • “He doesn’t want another Forever War. He wants peace.” – Eric Schmitt, June 21, 2025
  • “The point of American foreign policy should not be to remake the world, but to keep Americans safe and prosperous.” – Josh Hawley, 2019
  • “The American public is rightly skeptical of open-ended commitments and rightly tired of endless wars.” – Josh Hawley, April 8, 2021
  • Both Schmitt and Hawley voted to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Iraq War authorizations in 2023. 

Hawley: “there’s very little danger” of Trump leading the U.S. into war with Iran. 

  • Hawley opposed a bipartisan resolution to limit Trump’s war powers in Iran, telling  reporters “there’s very little danger” of Trump leading the U.S. into war in Iran. (June 2025)

Schmitt: Trump is the “peace president” who doesn’t start wars

Hawley: Biden the “warmonger”

  • “My concerns… about what I’m seeing from Vice President Biden is the people who he wants to be in his cabinet are all a bunch of corporate liberals and warmongers.” – Josh Hawley, April 5, 2021
  • On Biden’s national security team: “What a group of corporatists and war enthusiasts. Take Tony Blinken. He’s backed every endless war since the Iraq invasion.” – Josh Hawley, April 8, 2021
  • “You didn’t see wars happening when President Trump was President the first time. Then of course, you saw America disrespected around the world, including Vladimir Putin moving into Ukraine.” – Eric Schmitt, April 30, 2025

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