Trump-loving Sen. Markwayne Mullin struggled through a CNN interview about the Trump administration’s plans for Iran before getting called out for his bizarre messaging.
The Oklahoma Republican was pressed on U.S. involvement in Iran after President Trump took to social media with an all-caps message to protesters there, declaring that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY” and urging them to “TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!” The president has repeatedly threatened military action as demonstrations have turned violent throughout the country.
The White House, meanwhile, has appeared to relish in stoking speculation, with Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, quoted saying: “Nobody knows what President Trump is going to do except for President Trump. The world can keep waiting and guessing.”
Mullin, appearing on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, made clear that also applies to him.
“I would support removing the regime that’s killing their own people,” he said when asked about Trump’s threatened military strikes. When asked directly if that meant he was in favor of “taking out the Iranian regime,” he replied: “I am at this point.”
But moments later, Mullin appeared to walk back his position, insisting, “We’re not into regime change. This isn’t the Arab Spring…” The reversal prompted immediate pushback from Collins, who noted that Mullin had just said the opposite.
Mullin then attempted to clarify, saying, “No, I said I’m for the strikes.” He went on to argue that “taking out the regime” is “different than regime change,” because the latter is “up to the Iranian people.”
In comments on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” the same day, Mullin stopped short of explicitly calling for regime change, but labelled Iran’s leadership a “murderous regime.”
“Well, first of all, for the regime that is killing its own people, I think they better pay attention to the president’s words. The president doesn’t bluff,” he said.
The Daily Beast has contacted Mullin for comment.
The standoff between Washington and Tehran has intensified as Iranian authorities cracked down on protests across the country, with activists warning of more than 2,000 demonstrators killed. The protests erupted in December over economic hardship and political repression and have seen demonstrators call for the death of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump has openly weighed a spectrum of responses — from sanctions and tariffs to possible military action. After his dramatic message of support to Iranian protesters on Tuesday, he took a softer tone in comments to reporters, saying he was waiting to confirm the number of demonstrators killed before responding “accordingly.”
Of Iran’s security forces, he said: “It would seem to me that they have been badly misbehaving, but that is not confirmed.”
Iranian officials have signaled that Tehran is “prepared for war” but insisted they are also willing to engage in dialogue and negotiations.
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