Libertarian Leader Rips Trump Over Response to Israeli Attack On Iran: ‘And Some Tried to Sell Him’ as ‘Antiwar’

(Alex Brandon/AP photo)

Chase Oliver, the Libertarian Party’s 2024 presidential candidate, pulled no punches on Friday in slamming President Donald Trump over his response to Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear and missile sites.

Oliver shared Trump’s reply and wrote, “This man is a war monger. And some tried to sell him as an “antiwar” president. He’s a disgrace.”

Oliver replied to Trump’s statement on Truth Social that declared, “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to “just do it,” but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done.”

“I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it. Certain Iranian hardliner’s [sic] spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!” Trump added, celebrating the Israeli strikes that took out key Iranian military leaders.

“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!” he concluded.

Oliver posted again later in the day, adding, “Here’s the truth. If you are cheering the escalation and war brewing between Iran and Israel, you are cheering blood and death and violence. You are cheering actions that risk the lives of millions, perhaps billions, including American lives. Don’t cheer war, pray it ends, and work for peace. The US needs to stay out of it. This isn’t our war. No one voted for it, and we should oppose US interventionist policy.”

Libertarians in recent months have become some of the Trump administration’s sharpest critics as they deride its use of emergency powers to deport migrants without due process and warn of increased government spending. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) are among the most outspoken critics of Trump’s budget bill, and both align themselves with libertarian ideologies.

Oliver alluded to the Libertarian split with Trump in another post, writing, “Please, for the love of God, keep us out of a potential WWIII. We have enough stupidity and violence from government to deal with domestically, we dont need Afghanistan 2.0 to fuck things up for another 20 years.”

Trump courted Libertarian voters during his 2024 presidential campaign and even went so far as to address their convention, where some in the audience booed him.