The past is coming back to haunt Democrats as a video of then-House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) resurfaces while the left continues to hammer President Donald Trump for carrying out a joint strike with Israel on Iran, claiming he doesn’t have the authority to do so without getting permission from Congress. This is what happens when you don’t practice the principle of consistency. Then again, does the left practice any principles at all?
After then-President Barack Obama launched a strike on Libya in 2011 and took serious heat for it, Pelosi defended his actions and said he did not, in fact, need authorization from Congress before launching the attack. As Michael Scott so brilliantly stated, my how the turn tables.
“Madam Speaker — Madam Leader, you’re saying that the president did not need authorization initially and still does not need any authorization from Congress on Libya?” a reporter asked Pelosi. She responded simply and articulately with a single word: “Yes.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi 2026: Condemning Trump’s attack on Iran, declaring “The Constitution is clear: decisions that lead our nation into war must be authorized by Congress.”
Pelosi 2011: Defending Obama’s unilateral attack on Libya and confirming that he “did not need authorization.”— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) March 3, 2026
And just like that, Pelosi’s past statement undercuts the whining and complaining of Democrats today who are throwing a hissy-fit over the president eliminating a threat to our nation’s well-being and setting free the oppressed people of Iran. What’s really happening is a mass manifestation of Trump Derangement Syndrome, not a sincere desire to uphold the separation of powers outlined in the Constitution.
So either Pelosi has forgotten her previous statements on this issue—which isn’t beyond the realm of possibility, seeing as she’s now officially older than dirt—or she has changed her mind since Obama’s strike, because she now says the exact opposite about Trump’s Operation Epic Fury.
“President Trump’s decision to initiate military hostilities into Iran starts another unnecessary war which endangers our service members and destabilizes an already fragile region. The Constitution is clear: decisions that lead our nation into war must receive authorization from Congress,” the California Democrat said on Saturday.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) expressed similar sentiments, saying, “Trump ripped up the Iran nuclear deal and created this mess. Now, he’s putting service members in harm’s way with no clear plan and no Congressional approval. The American people deserve answers — and Congress needs to do its job.”
And then there’s everyone’s favorite Native American lawmaker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who accused Trump of “single-handedly” launching a full-scale war with Iran. She later added, “‘America first’ doesn’t mean dragging the United States into another forever war built on lies while ignoring the needs of Americans here at home. The Constitution is clear: only Congress can declare war. The Senate must come back in session immediately to vote up or down on a War Powers Resolution.”
But once again, Pelosi’s former statements contradict those claims, as does the War Powers Resolution of 1973. On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out that the War Powers Resolution requires the commander in chief to notify Congress within 48 hours after hostilities begin. It also allows him to wage war for 60 days, with an additional 30 days for necessary troop drawdowns, without a single vote from Congress.
To summarize, President Trump doesn’t need congressional permission to launch a strike against a country that poses a threat to our national security. Democrats know it. In fact, they have upheld the War Powers Resolution in the past. The only reason they oppose it now is their intense hatred of Trump.
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