Rep. Elise Stefanik defended President Donald Trump against CNN host Jake Tapper's claim that he called for genocide in Iran during a Sunday interview on State of the Union. Tapper compared Trump's Truth Social post to campus chants Stefanik previously labeled genocidal. Stefanik insisted Trump targeted only the Iranian regime, crediting his words with prompting a ceasefire.
On Sunday's edition of CNN's State of the Union, host Jake Tapper questioned Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) about a Truth Social post by President Trump threatening to obliterate Iran's civilization. Tapper likened it to pro-Hamas campus protests where students chanted 'From the river to the sea,' which Stefanik had called a call for genocide against Jews. 'So just to be clear, you believe that wiping out an entire civilization is genocidal and nobody should make a call to do such a thing?' Tapper asked. Stefanik affirmed that genocide is wrong and recalled pressing university presidents on whether such calls violated codes of conduct, criticizing their equivocation on context. Stefanik pushed back, saying Trump addressed the 'Iranian terrorist regime' to force negotiations. 'And what did it do? It brought the Iranians to the table. It led to the ceasefire,' she told Tapper. She noted Trump's strong statements targeted the regime, which finances Hamas and Hezbollah, amid rising antisemitism. Tapper insisted, 'He said the entire civilization will die,' but Stefanik repeated it was regime-focused and effective. The exchange grew heated as Tapper accused Stefanik of inconsistency in condemning student chants but not Trump. 'A 20-year-old college kid... that's worthy of condemnation, but a President... who actually has—' Tapper began. Stefanik interjected, questioning if he condemned assaults on Jewish students, spitting, swastikas, and property destruction. Tapper replied, 'I don’t need a lesson on what it’s like to be a Jewish student.' Stefanik accused him of equivocating like the university presidents. As the segment ended, Stefanik stated, 'President Trump was not calling for genocide. Shame on CNN for saying that.' Later that day, she shared a clip on X, captioning it to criticize Tapper for falsely comparing Trump to pro-Hamas antisemites.
