Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has expressed opposition to President Donald Trump’s airstrikes against Iran, saying foreign interference detracts from the “America First” message that resonates with him and other voters.
Over the weekend, Jones hosted several livestreams discussing the ongoing military campaign that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini and 48 other Iranian leaders. The attacks on Iran have killed at least 787 people, including 176 children, more than 100 of whom came from a girls’ school in Minab, according to the non-profit organization Iran Human Rights Activists.
“This will outrage the world, against Israel and against the United States,” Jones said of the deadly school missile attack. “Again, I don’t like the mullahs, but this should be America first. We shouldn’t be running around doing this anymore.”
In another live broadcast, Jones said Trump had “broken a promise” to his supporters by attacking Iran and forcing “regime change.”
“Trump continues not to engage in regime change,” Jones said. “I’m just saying, you don’t tell us ‘no more regime change,’ we’ve seen the CIA do that, and a lot of times intentionally put worse people in it, and then you turn around and say ‘Oh, no, that’s a great thing.'”
“InfoWars” founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones criticizes Trump for downplaying attacks on Iran (Reuters)
Trump and members of his administration have issued conflicting statements about the targets of Iran’s attacks. On Monday, Defense Secretary Peter Heggs said the airstrikes against Iran were “not a regime change war.” But over the weekend, Trump told ABC News that the attack “eliminates most of the Iranian regime’s candidates.”
“We’re not going to think about anybody because they’re all dead. The second or third place is dead,” Trump said, suggesting a regime change was underway in the United States. The president also encouraged the Iranians to use the opportunity to “take over” their government.
Officials insisted the attack was aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities, preventing the country from building nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles, and destroying Iran’s navy to prevent it from attacking neighboring countries.
Trump administration officials reportedly told congressional staff in a private briefing on Sunday that U.S. intelligence did not indicate Iran was preparing to launch a preemptive strike against the United States. Instead, administration officials acknowledge the presence of a more general threat in the region from Iranian missiles and proxy forces.
Trump ordered a strike on Iran on Friday afternoon after talks with Iran over its nuclear weapons program stalled (AP)
Jones also criticized Trump for posting an AI-generated video of the U.S. bombing Iran on Truth Social to brag about the attacks, calling it “disgraceful.”
Jones had been a staunch Trump ally — supporting the president’s 2016 presidential campaign, peddling conspiracy theories against Democrats and raising money for Trump’s 2021 “Stop the Steal” rally that turned into an attack on the Capitol.
The founder of Jones is information warfarea far-right conspiracy theory and fake news website. His theories about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting led to a $1.4 billion defamation lawsuit, which Jones was ordered to pay to the families of the victims.
Jones has become more critical of the administration since Trump returned to power last year, disagreeing with the handling of the Epstein documents and the president’s desire to seek more foreign intervention. Other known Make America Great Again allies, such as former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, have voiced similar criticism of the president’s efforts to send U.S. troops to the Middle East.
According to the Associated Press
