“Don’t.” That threat issued by a senile man, our current sort-of president, hasn’t worked terribly well thus far. Our enemies, particularly Islamist enemies, paid it no heed. It didn’t work any better when Kamala Harris uttered it. So, Joe Biden has upped the rhetorical ante: 

President Biden quietly tasked his National Security Council to warn Iran that the US would view any Tehran-backed assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump as an act of war, according to a report.

Iran is surprised, but surely not impressed:

With Hamas holding over a hundred Israeli hostages for more than a year and terrorists regrouping in northern Gaza, President Joe Biden’s administration has reportedly threatened to cut U.S. military aid to Israel if humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian enclave are ‘not improved’ in the next 30 days.

“The Biden administration sent a letter to Israeli leaders on Monday demanding Israel take steps within 30 days to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza or risk the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel being affected,” Israeli journalist Barak Ravid reported in the new website Axios.

Some might be tempted to see the Harris/Biden administration’s threat to consider assassination of an American politician an act of war a positive step. So it might be if Iran or its proxies could reasonably believe Harris or Biden might back that threat up with overwhelming, even regime-ending, military force, but rhetoric and military force are two very different things.

This is particularly so with Joe Biden who has proved himself to be a poor ally and a weakling and perhaps even a paid asset of America’s enemies.

Graphic: Truth Social Screenshot

What is Iran, or any enemy of America, to think of a fading POTUS who spends most of his time sleeping in the sun on a beach, a weak, senile man, who one moment makes a “don’t” threat should Iran kill Donald Trump (they’re threatening many other Americans), and the next threatens to starve Israel of munitions if Israel doesn’t save Hamas? What are they to think of a supposed superpower that allows a rag-tag band of Houthi terrorists to shut down maritime traffic in the Red Sea? That allows an Iranian proxy to repeatedly fire missiles at American warships, responding only with an occasional, and largely ineffective, bomb or missile strike, doing little or nothing to keep the Houthis from attacking civilian cargo ships and American destroyers? Isn’t repeatedly firing on American warships an act of war? Isn’t trying to assassinate Donald Trump on American soil an act of war?

Despite Kamala Harris’ and Joe Biden’s occasional weak rhetoric, Iran declared war on America decades ago, and has been carrying it out since, beginning with the hostage crisis and seizure of our embassy. Iran supplied men and materials, particularly shaped charge explosives, that maimed and killed hundreds of our troops during our wars in the Middle East. Iran was responsible for the Beirut Marine Barracks bombing of 1983 that killed 241 marines and sailors, the largest single day Marine death toll since Iwo Jima.   Since, they have daily chanted “death to America,” and are reportedly weeks away from nuclear breakout, despite the feckless Obama/Biden nuclear deal, which Iran cheated on before the ink was dry.

Their proxies continue to attack our troops in Syria and everywhere else possible, just as they slaughtered 1200 Israelis on October 7, 2023. They currently hold American hostages, though they’re probably long dead.

Graphic: X Screenshot

The Israelis are acting rather than threatening, and have nearly obliterated Hamas, most recently killing their leader. They’re starting on Hezbollah, and while several of our warships have contributed missiles to Israel’s defense during two direct Iranian attacks, Harris/Biden’s argument has essentially been: “hey, we shot down most of their missiles, drones and cruise missiles, so you don’t need to respond. Be proportional.” Isn't firing hundreds of missiles into Israel an act of war? Even as this is written, they’re trying to keep Israel from doing any real damage to Iran, and they’re particularly worried Israel might end the Iranian nuclear threat. What would they claim as a brilliant diplomatic accomplishment without the nuclear deal Iran has never honored, the deal they’re desperate to reinstate?

Why does Iran want Donald Trump and his advisors and cabinet officers, people who haven’t been in office for nearly four years, dead? Why have they endorsed Kamala Harris?  

Our enemies know the difference between pajama boy threats and leaders with the intellect and courage to use overwhelming military power to put America and Americans first and to protect America’s allies. That’s not Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, but they know it is Donald Trump. They fear him. They should, and so do Democrats.

With any luck, Israel will end Iran’s nuclear threat. Trump certainly will. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden? The best they can do is empty threats.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.