THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent Angry Trump Erupts at Media as GOPers Quietly Start to Break over War
Apr 7, 2026
Elizabeth Saunders, Columbia political scientist who studies international security and US foreign policy. She warns why threats to strike Iranian infrastructure are legally and morally fraught. She outlines how norm-busting rhetoric and press attacks raise unique dangers. She discusses GOP tensions over war funding and the bleak, constrained choices that could lead to humiliation or major escalation.
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Threat To Bomb Civilian Infrastructure Signals Norm Collapse
- Donald Trump explicitly threatened to bomb Iran's power plants and bridges, which Elizabeth Saunders and Greg Sargent describe as a clear signal of intent that would likely be indiscriminate.
- Saunders notes that bombing all such infrastructure would violate the Geneva Conventions and signal a collapse of norms constraining U.S. use of force.
Attacks On Press Tie To Rejection Of Constraints
- Trump lashed out at a New York Times reporter, framing critical questions as support for Iran getting nuclear weapons and attacking the press's legitimacy.
- Saunders calls this a "norm-busting singularity" where Trump denies press scrutiny and rejects legal or moral constraints on force.
GOP Fractures May Emerge After Escalation Not Before
- Reporting indicates some House and Senate Republicans are showing signs of unease about further war funding without a formal congressional authorization.
- Saunders warns not to bet on GOP restraint before escalation, but expects potential pushback if Trump actually executes large-scale strikes.