In a dramatic twist that shook both politics and diplomacy, Bernie Sanders was delivering a fiery address at his “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in Tulsa when President Donald Trump declared a successful U.S. airstrike on three Iranian nuclear sites. As Sanders paused mid-speech to read Trump’s sudden Truth Social post aloud, the crowd erupted in chants against war. With planes reportedly out of Iranian airspace and bombs dropped on Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, the move ignited fierce debate over presidential war powers and raised fresh questions about America’s role in escalating Middle East conflicts.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Trump announced U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites during Sanders’ Tulsa rally.

• Sanders interrupted mid-speech, read Trump’s post aloud, and called it “grossly unconstitutional.”

• Trump declared “a full payload of BOMBS” was dropped; all U.S. planes reportedly exited Iran airspace safely.

• A bipartisan War Powers Resolution seeks to restrict unauthorized military action in Iran.

• Sanders reaffirmed “only Congress can declare war” and urged focus on U.S. domestic problems.

• He warned against Netanyahu’s influence on U.S. military policy, labeling recent Israeli actions as violations of international law.

• Rally was part of Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour aimed at flipping Republican-held districts.

At what began as an energized and focused political rally in Tulsa on Saturday evening, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was mid-sentence, passionately speaking against economic inequality and oligarchy in America, when the atmosphere abruptly shifted. An aide stepped onto the stage, handed him a slip of paper, and the crowd quickly sensed something was amiss.

The message was urgent — and stunning. President Donald Trump had taken to Truth Social to announce that the United States had conducted successful airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. The news broke in real time, leaving both Sanders and his audience visibly shaken.

The announcement read:
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.”

Sanders paused, rereading the statement, and shook his head as the crowd absorbed the implications. It was a jarring moment, especially in the middle of a rally focused on domestic issues like health care, wealth disparity, and corporate influence in politics. Suddenly, foreign policy took center stage.

The crowd erupted into a chant:
“No more wars! No more wars!”

Trump’s post continued with celebratory military language, stating:
“All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

The tone, Sanders implied, was triumphalist — and deeply troubling. After briefly gathering himself, the Vermont senator addressed the crowd once again, his voice now charged with frustration.

“This is not only alarming — it is so grossly unconstitutional,” he declared.
“All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right.”

In response to Trump’s move, members of both major parties in Congress voiced concern over the legality of such an action. Sanders joined this chorus, aligning with a bipartisan coalition calling out the president’s apparent disregard for constitutional protocol. A War Powers Resolution had already been introduced earlier in the week, amid rising fears over potential U.S. military involvement in ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran.

The proposed resolution seeks to remove U.S. Armed Forces from “unauthorized hostilities” in Iran and demands that the president end military actions not explicitly approved by Congress.“The American people do not want more war, more death!” Sanders exclaimed.

“It might be a good idea if we concentrated on the problems that exist in Oklahoma and Vermont rather than getting involved in another war that the American people do not want.”

While Sanders acknowledged the gravity of the moment, he urged the crowd not to lose sight of the broader mission of his tour. The “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in Tulsa was part of a larger campaign to build grassroots opposition to what he sees as an aggressive and anti-democratic policy agenda by the Trump-led GOP. Despite the night’s dramatic detour, Sanders ended on a note of persistence and unity.

“In this moment in American history, what we have got to do in Vermont and Oklahoma, in Texas, all over this country, is stand up and fight back, and tell them this is our country!”

he said, drawing strong applause from the crowd.

Earlier this week, Sanders had already made his position on escalating military tensions clear, criticizing Israel’s preemptive strikes against Iran and cautioning against U.S. involvement. On social media, he addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s influence on American policy.

“Netanyahu is not the President of the United States,” Sanders wrote.

“He should not be determining U.S. foreign and military policy. If the people of Israel support his decision to start a war with Iran, that is their business and their war. The United States must not be a part of it.”

He went further, condemning Netanyahu’s conduct following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, stating that the Israeli leader’s retaliatory military decisions in Gaza and Iran had violated international law.

“It’s just his latest violation,” Sanders said during an interview, adding that Netanyahu’s actions made him “look like a war criminal.”

Saturday’s Tulsa event was the second of the day for Sanders, part of a broader Southern swing that includes rallies in key Republican strongholds. The tour, which began earlier this year, reflects a growing Democratic strategy to bring progressive messages to deep red districts.

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Tx., and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Tx., are expected to join Sanders in Texas for events on Sunday. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., previously joined the tour during its Western phase. The goal is to build momentum by reaching beyond traditional blue territories, a method also employed by Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., and supported by the Democratic National Committee’s “People’s Town Halls” initiative.

Before arriving in Tulsa, Sanders made a stop in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s hometown of Shreveport, La., continuing his push to confront Republican leadership on their home turf.

Though the evening took an unexpected turn, Sanders’ message remained consistent: American democracy, he argued, must be defended both from corporate dominance at home and reckless foreign policy abroad.

As tensions mount and questions of constitutional authority resurface, Senator Bernie Sanders’ impromptu reaction has spotlighted the fragile balance between presidential power and congressional oversight. With chants echoing against war and Sanders reaffirming the public’s demand for peace, the Tulsa rally became more than a campaign stop — it became a reflection of a nation caught between conflict abroad and uncertainty at home. As the dust settles from the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, the debate over America’s role in global warfare is once again front and center.

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