Granite State Republicans cheered the news, first delivered by Donald Trump Monday night, that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the Republican president.
Local Democrats, who’ve assiduously avoided taking a public position on the decision to launch U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear weapon, maintained radio silence as the news shocked the world.
“CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” Trump posted on social media.
“On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR.’”
Prominent national Democrats previously denounced Trump for ordering the secret military strikes on Iran without congressional authorization. Possible 2028 presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) declared Trump’s actions “absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
She had not commented on news of the ceasefire by press time.
Closer to home, U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander signed a letter with a handful of military veterans in Congress raising concerns about Trump’s legal authority to order strikes.
“We all swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Article 1, Section 8 explicitly requires a vote by Congress to declare war. In recognition of that clear and sacred Constitutional duty, we will all be supporting a War Powers Resolution,” the letter reads.
Nowhere in the letter is there any support for the military action in Iran or praise for its impact on Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Goodlander has refused to say whether she thinks the strikes against Iran’s nuclear program were the right policy. She has also declined to make a statement about the ceasefire deal reached Monday night.
The same was true for the rest of the state’s all-Democratic federal delegation.
Republicans, on the other hand, were more than happy to celebrate the ceasefire news.
“A strong America leads to peace,” potential U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown posted. “President Trump has once again delivered real results on the world stage, securing a ceasefire and keeping our allies and American troops safe.”
Manchester Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur ran in the First Congressional District GOP primary in 2024 and has talked about running in 2026 for the seat U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas is vacating to run for U.S. Senate.
“The dealmaker, Donald Trump, will go down as one of the truly great presidents of our time,” Levasseur said. “Rogue countries know better than to mess with America with Trump at the helm. Peace through strength is not just words; it is a deeply held belief by Trump, which he proved yet again by his strikes on Iran.”
Gov. Kelly Ayotte discussed her conference call with the Department of Homeland Security on the Jack Heath radio show Monday, and concerns about Iranian-backed terrorism here in the homeland. Asked for her view of the Iranian strikes, Ayotte didn’t hesitate to answer.
“When I served in the United States Senate, I was deeply concerned about Iran’s nuclear program, and their having a nuclear weapon is a danger to the entire world, but particularly the U.S. and Israel. And so I think the president took strong strategic action that needed to be taken, because if they were to have nuclear weapons, this would be devastating to everyone — not only in the region, but to the world.”
And state Rep. Jeremy Slottje (R-Hudson) posted, “If President Trump brokers peace between Iran and Israel, he will be remembered as the greatest president in history. Put his face on currency. A great reason to bring back the $1,000 bill!”
Some Democratic strategists have bemoaned how their party is handling America’s military success in Iran, arguing that voters are proud of what the country has been able to do, and they want to know that Democrats feel the same way.
For example, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is getting blowback from his side of the aisle for his attacks against Trump over the Iran strikes.
On Monday, he complained that he had not been fully brought up to speed on the strikes “What is the administration hiding?” Jeffries asked.
“We’ve seen no evidence to date that an offensive strike of this nature was justified under the War Powers Act or the Constitution,” Jeffries added.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) warned his fellow party members to stay away from the “I” word when it comes to American military action against a rogue regime like Iran.
“If you throw that word around — ‘impeachment’ — then you continue to cheapen what that word actually means,” Fetterman said Monday.
