Former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has lashed out at White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt for declining to categorically rule out drafting U.S. citizens into the Iran conflict.
Leavitt was interviewed by Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures about the possibility of seeing American boots on the ground in the Middle East as the campaign develops.
“Mothers out there are worried that we’re going to have a draft, that they’re going to see their sons and daughters get involved in this,” Bartiromo said, seeking assurances and noting that the fight has solely consisted of an exchange of airstrikes so far.
“It has been, and it will continue to be,” the secretary answered. “President Trump wisely does not remove options off of the table.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt interviewed by Maria Bartiromo about the Iran conflict (Sunday Morning Futures/Fox News)
“I know a lot of politicians like to do that quickly, but the president as commander-in-chief wants to continue to assess the success of this military operation. It’s not part of the current plan right now, but the president, again, wisely keeps his options on the table.”
Reacting to a clip of the exchange on X (Twitter) Sunday, Greene said: “Karoline Leavitt doesn’t rule out a draft.
“How about the answer is NO DRAFT AND NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND because we campaigned on NO MORE FOREIGN WARS OR REGIME CHANGE!!! Liars every single one of them! Not my son, over my dead body!!!!!”
In a follow-up post, the ex-congresswoman added: “By the way a bunch of psycho Republicans want to not only draft your sons but your daughters too!!!!!
“Send Lindsey Graham, Mark Levin, and Laura Loomer and ALL the murderous blood thirsty maniacs that support this America LAST WAR.”
Former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has remained a vocal critic of the Trump administration despite retiring from Congress in January (Getty)
In a third post, she wrote: “They tried to add women to the draft to selective service multiple times while I was in Congress. Trump and Republicans need to guarantee that there will be NO DRAFT AND NEVER DRAFT OUR DAUGHTERS.”
Since leaving office in January after falling out with Donald Trump last year, Greene has positioned herself as the true voice of the MAGA movement, holding the president and administration to account for their perceived failure to honor its “America First” principles and their own election promises.
Interviewed by 60 Minutes on CBS later Sunday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked about the conflict’s potential duration and said: “People ask boots on the ground, no boots on the ground, four weeks, two weeks, six weeks?
“President Trump knows, I know, you don’t tell the enemy, you don’t tell the press, you don’t tell anybody what your limits would be on an operation. We’re willing to go as far as we need to in order to be successful.”
Hegseth was speaking shortly after the death of a seventh U.S. soldier since the commencement of Operation Epic Fury was announced.
Central Command declined to identify the servicemember on Sunday, but said they had succumbed to serious injuries sustained during an attack on an American base in Saudi Arabia on March 1.
President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance attend a dignified transfer ceremony for U.S. service members killed in the Iran conflict (Getty)
The bodies of the six troops previously killed in the conflict were flown home to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Saturday, with Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance in attendance to witness the dignified transfer and comfort the grieving families of the deceased.
Trump was previously criticized for his choice of words when announcing the deaths of the six soldiers, describing it in a Truth Social video as “the way it is.”
Democrat veterans were angered by what they regarded as a callous dismissal of the ultimate sacrifice from a president who has never served in the military and instead received at least five draft deferments during the Vietnam War.
In his CBS interview, Hegseth did not rule out the prospect of further Americans losing their lives in the hostilities.
“The president’s been right to say there will be casualties,” he said. “Things like this don’t happen without casualties. There will be more casualties.
“And no one is — I mean, especially our generation knows what it’s like to see Americans come home in caskets… But that doesn’t weaken us one bit. It stiffens our spine and our resolve to say this is a fight we will finish.”
