CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday called out Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for giving President Donald Trump a pass for his “call for genocide” in Iran. (Watch more in the clip below.)
“You are putting those words in his mouth,” said Stefanik, who took issue with Tapper using the word “genocide” to describe the president’s threat to wipe out the “whole civilization” of Iran earlier this month. “You are putting those words in his mouth. He is engaging in diplomatic back-and-forth.”
Tapper chimed in, paraphrasing Trump’s post, “Your entire civilization will die?”
The tense TV faceoff began when the “State of the Union” host referred to Stefanik criticizing university presidents who refused to condemn pro-Palestinian students who chanted “from the river to the sea,” a phrase some critics view as a call for the elimination of Israel.
“You characterize [that phrase] as a call for genocide, to wipe out all the Jews in Israel from the river to the sea,” Tapper began. “Just to be clear, you believe wiping out an entire civilization is genocidal and nobody should make a call to do such a thing?”
“Yes, of course,” replied Stefanik as she recalled how she questioned university presidents at congressional hearings on antisemitism back in 2023.
“What did you think when President Trump threatened to obliterate the entire Iranian civilization?” Tapper later asked.
“He was focusing on the Iranian regime and what did it do? It brought the Iranians to the table, it led to the ceasefire,” replied Stefanik, who described Trump’s language in his statements as “very strong.”
As Stefanik tried to float away from Tapper’s question, the host reeled her back.
“‘Your whole civilization will die tonight.’ He didn’t say the regime will be wiped out. He said, ‘Your whole civilization will die tonight,’” Tapper said while reading from Trump’s post. “And I just have to say, it’s interesting that a 20-year-old college kid on a campus yelling, ‘From the river to the sea,’ that’s worthy of condemnation but a president of the United States who actually has—.”
“You don’t think it’s worthy of condemnation — Jake, you don’t think it’s worthy of condemnation of students that are targeting Jewish students,” replied Stefanik before the interview morphed into crosstalk.
Several seconds later, Tapper jumped back in, “I’m saying you’re applying two different standards here.”
