Sen. Mark Kelly Criticizes Trump's Iran Strikes

Claims random people "off the street" could do better than the administration on Iran

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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Sen. Mark Kelly slammed President Trump's Iran strikes, arguing that a random group of people "off the street" could do a better job handling the situation with Iran than the Trump administration. Kelly criticized Trump for not discussing the Iran strikes during the State of the Union address and said the president's actions are not helping Americans with their everyday lives.

Why it matters

Kelly's criticism of Trump's handling of the Iran situation highlights the ongoing political tensions and disagreements over the administration's foreign policy decisions. As a former military pilot, Kelly's perspective carries weight and could influence public opinion on the president's actions.

The details

During a conversation with MSNBC's Jen Psaki, Kelly said he watched the group of people "supposed to be leading our country" on the Iran issue and thought "you could pick a random group of people off the street tonight here in Washington, D.C. — just a random group — and they could probably do a better job than our government is doing right now." Kelly also criticized Trump for not discussing the Iran strikes during the State of the Union address, saying the president should have explained how the actions would help Americans with their everyday lives.

  • On Saturday, Trump announced the U.S. and Israel were striking Iran.
  • The Pentagon released a video highlighting the U.S. military's power during the first "100 hours" of Operation Epic Fury.

The players

Mark Kelly

A U.S. senator and former military pilot who flew combat missions during the first Gulf War.

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States who ordered the strikes on Iran.

Jen Psaki

An MSNBC host who interviewed Kelly.

Hakeem Jeffries

The House Minority Leader who predicted the Iran strikes would end in failure.

Kush Desai

A White House spokesman who defended Trump's actions.

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What they’re saying

“I watch this group of people who are supposed to be leading our country — not just the president, Secretary of Defense and others — you know, five people that were on the background on the slide here, and I'm thinking, you could pick a random group of people off the street tonight here in Washington, D.C. — just a random group — and they could probably do a better job than our government is doing right now with this.”

— Mark Kelly, U.S. Senator (MSNBC)

“The American people want us to focus on making their life better and making their life more affordable; not getting involved in another endless war in the Middle East that is going to end in failure. This administration somehow found the resources, has found billions of dollars for bombs but can't find any money to actually bring down the high cost of living here in the United States of America.”

— Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader (Fox News)

“President Trump can walk and chew gum at the same time. While the U.S. military continues wrecking the Iranian terrorist regime, the Trump administration at home remains laser-focused on delivering more economic relief for the American people.”

— Kush Desai, White House Spokesman (Fox News)

What’s next

A federal judge ruled in February that the Pentagon cannot punish Kelly for taking part in a video that called on U.S. military members to defy "illegal orders".

The takeaway

Kelly's criticism of Trump's handling of the Iran situation highlights the ongoing political tensions and disagreements over the administration's foreign policy decisions. As a former military pilot, Kelly's perspective carries weight and could influence public opinion on the president's actions.