In one of his increasingly common late-night posting sessions, Donald Trump on Friday threatened to attack Iran if the government killed protestors. In response, one of Trump's most prominent GOP critics claimed that the president's "threat isn’t about freedom of speech in Iran," and laid out what he suspected were the true motivations.
At a little before 3 a.m. ET, Trump took to Truth Social with a post about recent violence emerging from nationwide protests in Iran, following a report about the story on Fox News. Iranian shopkeepers and students have been taking to the streets in large numbers over the past week, calling for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to be removed from power amid a collapse in the value of the nation's currency.
"If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue," Trump posted. "We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
As highlighted in a report from The Hill, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican and vocal critic of Trump, took to his official X account to counter Trump's post, laying out his belief about the real motivation for threatening Iran, in the form of a numbered list.
"We have problems at home and shouldn’t be wasting military resources on another country’s internal affairs," Massie's post began, followed by, "Military strikes on Iran require Congressional authorization."
Massie's post concluded: "This threat isn’t about freedom of speech in Iran; it’s about the dollar, oil, and Israel."
Massie has emerged as one of the most consistent and vocal critics of Trump's second term from within his own party. He notably co-sponsored the bill compelling the Justice Department to release all of its files on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, alongside Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna. The bill, which Trump initially opposed in strong terms, eventually passed in the House by a vote of 427-to-1, and in the Senate by unanimous consent. Amid the fight over the bill, Trump launched personal attacks against Massie for remarrying a year after his first wife's passing.
Massie previously made a similar attack against Trump's ongoing threat of military escalation against Venezuela, accusing the administration of being motivated by the desire for regime change and access to the country's oil.