Elizabeth Warren says GOP avoid eye contact over Iran war: ‘They know they can’t explain it’

Warren also called the war unconstitutional, warning it lacks a clear plan and could cost lives, money, and US global standing
Warren spoke about Republican lawmakers’ reactions to the Iran conflict during a TV interview (@alexchristy17/X)
Warren spoke about Republican lawmakers’ reactions to the Iran conflict during a TV interview (@alexchristy17/X)


WASHINGTON, DC: On ‘The Late Show' US Senator Elizabeth Warren said that her Republican coworkers are avoiding eye contact with her because of the ongoing conflict in Iran.

Warren told host Stephen Colbert that the behavior was because GOP lawmakers were embarrassed about the war.

Warren made the comments while talking about the political climate in Washington, where tensions with Iran are still high.

Warren questions Iran war strategy and lack of clear justification

During the interview, Warren said Republican senators are increasingly unable to justify the conflict.

She stated that their “eyes are just glued to the floor,” adding that they understand the situation but are unable to explain it.

“It’s no secret that [when] Trump ran for president one of his promises was no foreign wars,” Colbert put it to the senator.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 22: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks with reporters on her way to a lunch w
The senator called for an end to the conflict, urging Republicans to work with Democrats to stop the war (Getty Images)

“Certainly no regime change wars, and here we are in one that doesn’t seem to have an exit strategy – and not much of an entrance strategy, either.

“Last year, when you were here, you said that your GOP colleagues in the hallways of the Senate ‘don’t make eye contact anymore’ because they know he’s wrong. How’s the eye contact these days?”

“Oh man, those guys… Their eyes are just glued to the floor all the time,” said Warren.

“Because they truly do understand. The president and his team cannot explain why we went to war, what the strategy is in this war, what will constitute winning this war, how to get out of this war…”

Iranian Red Crescent emergency workers use a bulldozer to clear rubble from a residential building that was hit in an earlier U.S.-Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian emergency workers cleared rubble after a strike in Tehran amid ongoing tensions (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Warren questioned the rationale behind the war, saying the administration has not clearly outlined why the US entered the conflict, what the strategy is, or how success would be defined.

She also asked how the war benefits Americans, saying that this remains unclear.

Warren cites Constitution and urges Congress to act on Iran war

Warren pointed out that the Constitution states only Congress can declare war.

She noted that Trump’s failure to consult this legislative body before starting Operation Epic Fury on February 28 was unconstitutional.

She continued: “And the number one thing they cannot explain is how this war is helping one single person in the United States of America. It is time for those Republicans to help the Democrats and put an end to this war right now. Right now.”

President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (L) and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (C) speak to the media aboard Air Force One enroute to Washington, DC on January 04, 2026. Trump is returning to the White House after giving the order for the United States law enforcement to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Washington, DC (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Her response earned a strong round of applause from Colbert’s studio audience. The two then agreed that American soldiers deserve a clear reason for the risks they face, as do the public and its elected representatives.

The senator also criticized Trump’s new nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh.

She called him a "sock puppet" and expressed her belief that he was being put in place to raise interest rates at the president’s request, which goes against the tradition of independent decision-making in the central bank.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 21: Kevin Warsh, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for Chair of the Federal Reserve, is sworn in to testify during his Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump nominated Warsh, a former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, to replace Jerome Powell amid bipartisan concerns over the Justice Department's criminal investigation into the central bank’s current leader. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Kevin Warsh testified during his confirmation hearing for Federal Reserve chair in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

She said she had written to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers on the “chaos and incompetence” of it all and had received no reply, warning that the ultimate cost would be measured not just in human lives or financial expense but in damage to the US’s stance globally.

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