A combat veteran who commanded soldiers in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, has accused President Donald Trump of showing “a lack of seriousness” in addressing the continuing tension between Israel and Iran.
“It is disappointing to see such a free-wheeling conversation about issues of life and death, as someone who has worn this uniform and, along with my fellow service members, risked my life in defense of this country,” Moore said in an interview Thursday.
Moore’s remarks follow a day in which Trump informed reporters that he had sent a “ultimate ultimatum” to Iranian authorities demanding that they dismantle their nuclear program and then told them, “I may do it, I may not do it” in reference to the possibility of American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The White House said on Thursday that Trump will decide in two weeks whether or not to strike Iran.
The enormous stakes in the continuing and intensifying Mideast war were underscored by Moore, who is considered as a possible presidential candidate in 2028 and a rising star in the Democratic Party.
“We are living through very serious times and these are serious issues,” Moore stated. “This larger conversation is not being helped by the lack of seriousness surrounding these conversations, by the whole ‘will I-won’t I’ playing games.” The lives of these individuals are under danger.
A request for comment was not promptly addressed by the White House.
After declaring he was “not the leader of the resistance,” the first-term governor has been more critical of the Trump administration.
According to Moore, the Trump administration’s decision to fire federal employees in the form of pink slips endangers both American security and competitiveness on the world stage.
In the wake of Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the abolition of slavery, Moore has spoken out. On the same day, the governor introduced a slew of measures, including a pardon program that would allow around 7,000 individuals convicted of minor cannabis possession to apply for one.
Some members of his party have attacked the nation’s only Black governor, who is running for reelection in 2026, for vetoing a reparations law that was enacted by the Democratic-controlled state legislature of Maryland. The legislation mandated a study of racial inequity in the state that would last for several years.
Despite his repeated denials, Moore has been increasing his national profile in recent months, possibly in preparation for a run for president.
Earlier this month, he made a quick appearance in South Carolina, a state that has early primaries for Democrats, when he spoke at Rep. Jim Clyburn’s annual fish fry and was the featured speaker at a dinner and fundraiser hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party.
Moore made an appearance on “The View” and flew to Pennsylvania—one of the most crucial swing states in the country—in early May to give a graduation speech at Lincoln University, a historically Black college. At the Gridiron Club’s annual dinner in March, he was the featured performer.
“The reception was very good,” he said Thursday when asked if his experience in South Carolina had an impact on his decision to run for president. I still have no intention of running.