Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) publicly disagreed with President Donald Trump on Sunday over the commander in chief’s decision to downplay the ongoing Iran conflict.
Trump made the remarks in the Oval Office on Friday, describing the situation as “a military conflict because it’s small potatoes for us,” adding, “It’s not a big thing.”
Lawler pushed back firmly when confronted with the president’s characterization during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” with anchor Dana Bash.
“Any time you are at war or in a military escalation, it is certainly not small potatoes. It is serious. I think we all recognize that,” Lawler told Bash directly.
Lawler went further, outlining what he sees as the broader strategic stakes of the conflict with Iran and the threat it poses to regional and global security.
“Ensuring Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon, stopping them from continuing to finance terrorism, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other terror proxies, stopping them from mass-producing ballistic missiles, drones, which are being used by Russia against Ukraine, is critical,” he added.
When Bash asked Lawler directly whether he agreed with Trump’s “small potatoes” description, the congressman responded with a confident and unambiguous “No.”
Lawler has previously noted that over 50 percent of his district is made up of service members, veterans, law enforcement, and first responders, a constituency for whom such language carries particular weight.
Despite the public disagreement, Lawler and Trump have maintained a close relationship throughout the second Trump administration, with the president traveling to New York in May to support Lawler’s reelection bid.
Lawler has generally backed the administration’s position that Iran must not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon, but this is not the first time he has broken with Trump, having helped lead a bipartisan letter in July urging the president to refrain from selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
Trump’s comments were made in defense of Vice President JD Vance’s earlier remarks that the ongoing conflict did not constitute a war, a characterization that has drawn scrutiny as the Iran conflict passed the six-month mark on Friday.
Peace talks between the parties have been intermittent and have produced no concrete ceasefire or major breakthrough, leaving the conflict’s resolution uncertain heading into a competitive election cycle.
Lawler is running in one of the tightest congressional races in the country against Democrat Cait Conley, who also appeared Sunday on “This Week.”
