A troubling video clip circulating on social media appears to show a Republican member of the House of Representatives saying the US should nuke Gaza to "get it over quick" as he gave remarks during a town hall on the Israel-Hamas war.
Now, the internet is blasting Rep. Tim Walberg, who serves Michigan's 5th Congressional District, which encompasses the strip of land in the state's south that borders Indiana and Ohio. During a town hall, he was asked what his thoughts were on the Biden Administration pushing for humanitarian aid in the region.
"We shouldn't be spending a dime on humanitarian aid," the Republican could be heard saying. The aid in question could help the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have been displaced and are now starving amid Israel's incessant bombing of the Gaza Strip.
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But he didn't stop there — Walberg, 72, added: "It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick." He was referencing the Japanese cities that were bombed in 1945, the first and only cities ever to have atomic bombs used against them.
The attacks led to Japan's surrender, which essentially spelt the end of World War II, but the fallout from the bombings was felt for decades as those who survived them developed cancer or other ailments. The clip of his comments, from a town hall on March 25, come as negotiations over a potential ceasefire and hostage deal between Hamas and Israel resumed in Cairo on Sunday.
President Joe Biden recently stated that he planned to craft a floating pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip that would allow the US and others to easily send aid into the region for Palestinians. One constituent was concerned about the proposition, leading to him asking what Walberg's thoughts were.
"Why are we spending our money to build a port for them?" the man asked. That's what launched Walberg into his 30-second tirade, in which he also reportedly said Ukraine should be nuked, too, amid its ongoing war with Russia after the latter invaded in February 2022.
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Explaining his statement to the New York Post, Walberg said he grew up in the Cold War Era and that he would never advocate for the use of nuclear weapons. He said he simply mentioned them as a metaphor, a statement he said should not be taken literally that drove home his point that the US should be decisive and end both wars by helping both Israel and Ukraine win and saving American troops from harm.
"My reasoning is the exact opposite of what is being reported: the quicker these wars end, the fewer innocent lives will be caught in the crossfire," he said in a statement to the publication. Concluding: "The sooner Hamas and Russia surrender, the easier it will be to move forward. The use of this metaphor, along with the removal of context, distorted my message, but I fully stand by these beliefs and stand by our allies."
Nevertheless, the general public wasn't too fond of what he said as both state and congressional representatives in Michigan bashed the Republican for his "horrific" and "shocking" statement. Democratic Representative Elissa Slotkin, who is now attempting to secure a seat in the Senate, posted on X: "This is a reprehensible thing for anyone to suggest, especially an elected official and someone who considers himself a man of faith."
Ms Slotkin is Jewish and has been a staunch supporter of Israel in its campaign to eradicate Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 invasion that killed about 1,200 Israelis. She added: "Rep. Walberg should take back his comments and try to put himself in the shoes of many Michiganders who see themselves in the casualties in Gaza."
She was likely referring to Michigan's large Arab population, the largest of any American state, who have largely turned against the Biden Administration amid the slaughter of around 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza in Israel's retaliatory airstrikes and invasion. Many of them were women and children, killed as Israel bombs hospitals and refugee camps where it believes Hamas leaders are hiding.
"Rep. Walberg's comments are horrific & shocking. It is an indefensible position to argue against humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza while also calling for the wholesale massacre of the Palestinian people," Rep. Daniel Kildee, another Democrat representing the state, added in his own post. He stated that he "couldn't disagree more" with Walberg's statements, which he called "extreme & dangerous."
Other users of X, formerly known as Twitter, reacted to the viral video, with one writing: "I am absolutely disgusted that my representative, @TimWalberg says this kind of thing about people's lives. Supposedly he listens to me but my regular calls to his office about the Palestinian people have gone unanswered."
Another added: "I was there and heard him plain as day. I was shocked but really not surprised. Walberg should resign." Yet another emphasised the sheer number of children in Gaza, while another wrote: "This is the genocidal perverse congressman @RepWalberg who called to wipe out #Gaza just like Nagasaki and Hiroshima | unseat him now!"
Around 2.2 million people live in Gaza, and most of them are now homeless, displaced by Israel's war of attrition as they also starve and struggle to find water and shelter. Biden, in recent months, has been much more vocal and outspoken about the mass casualties incurred in the region as he warns Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid them at all costs. Biden is up for reelection in November.