Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) on Sunday pushed back against assertions that Israeli influence shaped President Trump's military escalation in Iran, arguing that the president acts on his own impulses.
“Donald Trump is gonna do what Donald Trump does. And I think it’s a fool’s run to place blame on him supposedly being dictated by others,” Stevens said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”
Her comments come as the United States has resumed strikes on Iran, effectively returning to open conflict in the region. The renewed hostilities have sparked debate over whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has pushed Trump toward a wider war. Vice President Vance has suggested that some Israeli officials are working to prolong the fighting indefinitely, a charge Trump denies.
Stevens, who is vying for Michigan’s open Senate seat, did not spare Netanyahu from criticism. “What is clear is that Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, have failed in the goal of long-term peace. They have both failed,” she said.
The clash in the Middle East has become a flashpoint in U.S. campaigns, particularly in Michigan, home to a large Arab American and Muslim population. Stevens said she believes many in her state are eager to move past the Trump-Netanyahu era. She reiterated her support for a two-state solution as the path to a durable ceasefire, adding that she wants “dignity for Palestinian people, innocent Palestinian people.”
Stevens’s stance on Israel has drawn fire from her Democratic primary opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, who has attacked her for ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobby. El-Sayed previously told Semafor, “Haley Stevens is a suit with a large AIPAC bank account, that’s it. I hope maybe they find some way to teach her how to string together two coherent sentences.” He accused her of being beholden to corporate and special interests.
Stevens hit back on Sunday, contrasting her position with El-Sayed’s. “I want to see a two-state solution. My opponent in my Democratic primary here in Michigan, he cannot say that,” she said.
The intra-party rift mirrors broader divisions among Democrats over Israel. Last week, the House voted on an amendment to cut off U.S. aid to Israel, which failed 104-314-10. While 103 Democrats supported the measure, 98 opposed it, and 10 voted present—a sign of shifting sentiment within the party. Stevens voted against the amendment.
As the Iran conflict escalates following U.S. retaliation for troop deaths, the debate over foreign influence and presidential decision-making continues to reverberate through the 2024 campaign. Stevens’s remarks underscore the balancing act Democratic candidates face: criticizing Trump’s Middle East policy while avoiding the appearance of being anti-Israel.
