{"id":23419,"date":"2026-04-19T18:33:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T18:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/19\/tapper-hurls-genocide-accusation-stefanik-fires-off-a-sharp-counterpunch\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T18:33:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T18:33:24","slug":"tapper-hurls-genocide-accusation-stefanik-fires-off-a-sharp-counterpunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/19\/tapper-hurls-genocide-accusation-stefanik-fires-off-a-sharp-counterpunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Tapper Hurls \u2018Genocide\u2019 Accusation \u2014 Stefanik Fires Off A Sharp Counterpunch"},"content":{"rendered":"


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CNN anchor Jake Tapper repeatedly insisted that President Donald Trump had openly called for \u201cgenocide\u201d in Iran, prompting a quick response from his Sunday morning guest, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).<\/p>\n

Stefanik joined the longtime host of \u201cState of the Union\u201d to discuss her book, \u201cPoisoned Ivies<\/a>\u201d \u2014 where she confronts the \u201cacademic and moral rot\u201d that have taken over America\u2019s elite educational institutions \u2014 and Tapper used her criticisms of the recent pro-Hamas protests to lay a rhetorical trap for her.<\/p>\n

Stefanik shared a clip from Sunday morning\u2019s interview along with her own caption that read, \u201c@jaketapper falsely compares President Trump to the radical pro-Hamas antisemites who physically assaulted, spit on American students faces, drew swastikas on their doors, and rioted and destroyed university property. President Trump has targeted the Iranian terrorist regime to save the Iranian people and the world from the largest state sponsor of terror that has slaughtered their own people.\u201d<\/p>\n

WATCH:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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And here it is \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25from @cnn<\/a> @CNNSOTU<\/a> @jaketapper<\/a> falsely compares President Trump to the radical pro-Hamas antisemites who physically assaulted, spit on American students faces, drew swastikas on their doors, and rioted and destroyed university property.<\/p>\n

President\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/dXO68D98DW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) April 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tapper began by noting that Stefanik had called out the anti-semitic protests at the time, saying, \u201cYou were praised by many in the Jewish community when you criticized the college presidents who refused to condemn students for chanting \u2018From the river to the sea,\u2019 which many Jews interpret to be, and you agreed \u2014 you characterized it as a genocide, a call for genocide, to wipe out all the Jews in Israel, \u2018From the river to the sea.’\u201d<\/p>\n

But then he pivoted: \u201cSo just to be clear, you believe that wiping out an entire civilization is genocidal and nobody should make a call to do such a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stefanik said yes, genocide is always bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why the question I asked, which was, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university\u2019s code of conduct, yes or no? I worded it because it was a very simple straightforward question. It was not a political one. And the world heard as these universities equivocated saying it depends on the context or it\u2019s a context-dependent decision. It is not,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Tapper dropped the other shoe then, referencing Trump\u2019s blustery Truth Social posted threatening the Iranian regime and asking, \u201cWhat did you think when President Trump threatened to obliterate the entire Iranian civilization?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stefanik pushed back immediately, noting that Trump had been speaking directly to the Iranian regime in an attempt to verbally strong-arm them to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what did it do? It brought the Iranians to the table. It led to the ceasefire. We know that President Trump has very strong statements when it comes to his tweets, but it has been targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said the entire civilization will die,\u201d Tapper insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was focused on the Iranian terrorist regime. And Jake, isn\u2019t it true that it brought the Iranians to the table to a cease-fire agreement?\u201d Stefanik continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Tapper replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt did, because they had a ceasefire agreement going on for days. And President Trump is correct to call out the Iranian terrorist regime, which has financed Hamas and Hezbollah, which I believe has led to some of the financing of the skyrocketing antisemitism,\u201d Stefanik said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but I\u2019m not talking about the regime,\u201d Tapper protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cJake, you can ask this question, but the reality is it was targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime. It was an effective tool to bring them to the table. They have no cards,\u201d Stefanik added.<\/p>\n

Tapper continued to insist that he was not talking about the regime, and that what Trump had said was clearly a call for genocide \u2014 but Stefanik was not convinced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just have to say it\u2019s interesting that a 20-year-old college kid on a campus yelling \u2018From the river to the sea,\u2019 that\u2019s worthy of condemnation, but a President of the United States who actually has\u2014\u201d Tapper began.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think it\u2019s worthy of condemnation? Jake, you don\u2019t think it\u2019s worthy of condemnation of students that are targeting Jewish students, that are physically assaulting them, that are spitting in their face, that are drawing swastikas on their doors, these students who have to hire security?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need a lesson on what it\u2019s like to be a Jewish student,\u201d Tapper replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019re equivocating, like those university presidents,\u201d Stefanik declared.<\/p>\n

The two went on in that same vein for several minutes as Tapper tried unsuccessfully to end the interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump was not calling for genocide. Shame on CNN for saying that,\u201d Stefanik jabbed as they wrapped the segment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI read the quote. Thank you so much,\u201d was Tapper\u2019s reply.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n