Cotton argues Harris’s handling of war in Gaza is reason she shouldn’t be president

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) referenced Vice President Kamala Harris’s handling of the conflict in Gaza as why he believes she should not be president, arguing she has put more pressure on Israel than Hamas.

Cotton said the vice president’s handling of the war in Gaza since Oct. 7 is just one “example” of why Harris should not become commander in chief. The Arkansas senator contended that Harris has taken claims from Hamas “at face value” about civilian casualties and that Hamas, not Israel, is ultimately responsible for any civilian casualties that occur.

“Kamala Harris, like Joe Biden, has put more pressure on Israel than they put on Hamas in the very beginning,” Cotton said on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream. “Just look back a couple weeks ago when Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu was in town. She refused to preside over the joint session, her only constitutional duty as president of the Senate; she refused to have a meeting in public with them, and she came out and again blamed Israel for the civilian casualties in Gaza.”

Cotton continued by alleging Harris was “only emboldening Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists, and what do you have? Two days later, Hezbollah, another Iranian-backed terrorist, shooting rockets to Israel, and blew up children playing ball at a playground. Kamala Harris is naive and she’s not prepared to be the commander in chief.”

Harris and Biden have condemned Hamas since the Oct. 7 attack and expressed the need for the hostages still held by Hamas to be returned home to Israel.

Cotton also focused his attention on Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Harris’s chosen running mate. Cotton suggested that Walz ought to answer questions about his time leaving the National Guard, though he stressed that he respects all U.S. veterans, as he is a veteran himself. He did say, however, that Walz needs to explain his relationship with the “Chinese-Communist Party.”

Cotton also contended that the 2024 election has not changed much with Harris replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket with Republicans knowing from the beginning it would be a tough race. However, he predicted voters will be less likely to support Harris the more they learn about her.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.

Ahead of the election, Harris vowed to end taxes on tips during a campaign rally in Las Vegas, prompting some to accuse her of stealing a campaign promise made by former President Donald Trump earlier this year. Trump himself has knocked Harris for this, arguing her “honeymoon” period is ending soon.