David Sacks, an important advisor to President Trump, became the first senior administration figure to publicly criticize the Iran war and has made dramatic comments about Israel’s potential use of nuclear weapons
Haaretz
A senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump became the first administration official on Friday to express on-record concern over the course of the U.S.-Israel war in Iran.
David Sacks, a prominent right-wing figure, made waves with his criticisms of Republicans who want to ‘escalate the war’ and dramatic claims over how hard Israel has been hit by Iranian missiles and the potential for Israel to use nuclear weapons against Tehran.
Sacks currently serves as the administration’s AI czar and was a prominent surrogate and donor to Trump’s 2024 Presidential campaign.
The AI czar made surprising claims concerning Israel, warning that ‘Israel is getting hit harder than they’ve ever been hit before in their history, and we’re only two weeks into this,’ adding: ‘If this war continues for weeks or months, Israel could just be destroyed.’
There is a worry, Sacks said, ‘about Israel escalating the war by contemplating the use of a nuclear weapon, which would truly be catastrophic.’
No suggestion has been made by Israeli officials that deploying nuclear weapons has been contemplated in this conflict.
According to Sacks, the best alternative to such an escalation would be ‘de-escalation and reaching some sort of cease-fire agreement or some sort of negotiated settlement with Iran.’
‘We have to find the off-ramp,’ Sacks said, publicly imploring Trump in a manner that other senior officials have been hesitant to do. The President has offered some indication that the ‘excursion,’ as he termed it, has already completed its goals ahead of schedule. ‘This is a good time to declare victory and get out.’
Sacks gave a public glimpse into an internal Republican conflict over the expansion of the war’s aims, taking issue with hawks like Sen. Lindsey Graham, who are publicly encouraging Trump to target Iran’s energy interests.
‘A faction of people, I’d say largely but not exclusively in the Republican Party want to escalate the war,’ Sacks said, warning that a tit-for-tat escalation could ‘literally render the Gulf almost uninhabitable.’
Iran’s state media picked up on Sacks’ comments about Israel’s apparently imminent destruction. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran’s official news agency, reposted a clip of Sacks’ description of how hard Israel has been hit on its X account.
Sacks is an important figure of influence in both Trump’s greater foreign policy initiatives as well as a highly visible public figure in orbits of power relevant to Trump.
Sacks’ comments come as a Politico report fueled speculation over Vice President JD Vance’s wariness of the war. The report, citing anonymous sources, claimed Vance was ‘skeptical’ of Trump’s decision to launch the war. The Vice President has been a longstanding critic of American military adventurism in the Middle East.
When asked about the report during an official visit to North Carolina, Vance declined to deny the story, instead saying, ‘It’s important for the President to talk to his advisers without those advisers running their mouths in the American media.’
Despite vocal criticism emerging from America-First influencers and growing disapproval from independent voters, polls largely indicate that by and large, self-identified MAGA Republicans still support Trump’s efforts amid rising gas prices and growing U.S. casualties.