It’s usually not a particularly good day when you have to discuss Ben “Hamas” Rhodes, lefty social media personage Alex Cole, one of the Krassenstein brothers, and the man who calls himself “BrooklynDad_Defiant!” in the same article.
It’s made a little better by the context that this has to do with Israeli attacks that wiped out several top Iranian military officials — including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — and nuclear scientists in one blow.
In addition, according to the Associated Press, the early Friday attacks damaged Iran’s nuclear sites, including its main enrichment facility at Natanz.
The United States made it clear that this was “unilateral action against Iran,” to use Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s words, and warned Tehran against retaliating against U.S. targets. There were signs the United States were informed about the decision, as it pulled staffers from the the embassy in Baghdad earlier in the week.
So naturally, on the Very Online left, there was one reaction on X: This was terrible, and it was all Donald Trump’s fault.
The most august member of this contingent was former Barack Obama White House speechwriter and deputy national security advisor (and current media dilettante) Ben Rhodes, one of the guys behind the lefty foreign-policy podcast “Pod Save the World.”
He was not living his best life as the attacks unfolded:
This war will above all harm innocent people for no good reason. We live in truly cruel, perilous and stupid times.
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) June 13, 2025
Do you support Israel’s attack on Iran?
And naturally, as one of the motive forces behind supporting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the toothless, hopeless 2015 treaty better known simply as the Iran nuclear deal — he blamed Donald Trump for pulling out of it and (this is rich) appearing too weak for the mullahs in Iran.
“War is breaking out because Trump pulled out of the Iran Deal and got humiliated by Netanyahu while trying to negotiate his own, and he’s gonna have a military parade for his birthday. The weakest strongman,” he posted.
“Trump was either totally humiliated by Bibi [Netanyahu] or has been lying about his commitment to ending wars. Either way, this is an utterly pointless, dangerous, and immoral action.”
War is breaking out because Trump pulled out of the Iran Deal and got humiliated by Netanyahu while trying to negotiate his own, and he’s gonna have a military parade for his birthday. The weakest strongman.
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) June 13, 2025
Trump was either totally humiliated by Bibi or has been lying about his commitment to ending wars. Either way, this is an utterly pointless, dangerous, and immoral action.
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) June 13, 2025
This is all so unnecessary. All of it. Everywhere.
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) June 13, 2025
As conservative pundit Steve Guest noted, we should remember that Rhodes apparently had the nickname “Hamas” due to his anti-Israeli sentiments in the Obama White House.
REMINDER: Politico reported in 2021 “Ben Rhodes was so critical of Israel that his nickname in the White House was “Hamas.”” https://t.co/XucwSGwbZG pic.twitter.com/bIAgyGY6VX
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) June 13, 2025
He was too anti-Israel for the Obama White House. Let that sink in, X denizens.
Ed Krassenstein — one of the notorious Krassenstein brothers, who somehow used to make headlines by facile, quick responses to President Trump’s tweets during his first term — echoed the idea that this was some kind of show of weakness that Trump had to be called to account for.
“Remember when Trump tried to blame Biden for the Ukraine war and the Hamas attacks on Israel? Looks like this war is on Trump’s watch and the world sees just how weak he is.”
BREAKING: Iran is set to declare war on Israel and they are currently planning retaliatory strikes.
Ted Cruz has just admitted that Iran gave Trump a giant middle finger.
Remember when Trump tried to blame Biden for the Ukraine war and the Hamas attacks on Israel? Looks like… pic.twitter.com/ptJuhKp4Sh
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) June 13, 2025
Yes, and remember who was president when Iran-funded Hamas attacked Israel! It was Donal– oh wait, no, it was the other guy. But this is a Krassenstein, why expect ideological consistency?
Don’t expect it, either, from the genius formerly known as Majid Padellan. Author Gore Vidal once said that the three most discouraging words in the English language were “Joyce Carol Oates.” Rough, and once upon a time accurate, but Gore didn’t really live to see the worst of the man who calls himself “BrooklynDad_Defiant!”
You guys, he can’t make trade deals and he can’t stop wars, I’m beginning to think trump was lying about knowing the Art of the Deal.
Just a hunch.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) June 13, 2025
We also have lefty personage Alex Cole, who seemed angry that “American tax dollars just bombed Iran” but also blamed Donald Trump for not being tough enough to convince Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike and also for backing out of the JCPOA. Not that these arguments have to cohere, mind you — they just have to go out and get clicks.
American tax dollars just bombed Iran
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) June 13, 2025
Bibi ignoring Trump shows how little he and other leaders think of Trump.
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) June 13, 2025
Trump backed out of the Iran nuclear deal
He said he would get a better one, this is the result of his lies and failure.
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) June 13, 2025
This is peak Trump Derangement Syndrome in action, ladies and gentlemen: We’re paying for this, but it shows that Trump has no control over the Middle East, but also Trump caused this.
All of it makes you wonder: How long before the Iranian flag joins the Palestinian and Ukrainian flags on lefty social-media profiles? I’d be shocked if it were more than a week, were this to keep up.
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