"Pod Save America" co-host and former Obama spokesperson Tommy Vietor said he hopes for a "total mindset change" in military support for Israel on Tuesday.
Though Vietor emphasized that Hamas committed an "evil act of terror" against Israel, he, along with his fellow podcast hosts, believed that Israel was guilty of "dehumanizing" the people in Gaza. As a result, Vietor said that any Democratic presidential candidate needs to campaign to end federal aid to the country.
"The thing I want to see Democrats at least calling for is cutting off military assistance to Israel. It's a rich country, by the way. They don't need our $3 billion a year," Vietor said.
Tommy Vietor acknowledged former President Barack Obama's support for Israel during his time in office. (Photo by Christy Bowe/ImageCatcher News Service/Corbis via Getty Images)
He acknowledged former President Barack Obama previously signed a deal to provide aid to Israel while in office but argued that Democrats should take this opportunity to "correct it."
"I would like to see talk about sanctioning Israeli government officials who use genocidal rhetoric or who talk about ethnic cleansing openly. We should support a ceasefire resolution at the UN. We should demand that international press be allowed into the Gaza Strip to report on what's happening without an IDF minder. It's insane that the press still can't go into Gaza and cover what's happening," Vietor said.
He continued, "And I also think there has to be a total mindset change in the Democratic Party. When the war ends, we are not going back to the pre-October 7th status quo, because it's not where the party is. It's not where the world is. We are not going to shovel billions a year in military aid. We're not going to veto every effort to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN. We should not take money from AIPAC."
"I will hold out hope for better political leadership in the US and in Israel, but we have to also recognize that the Biden-era, hug-Bibi-Netanyahu strategy has to be thrown in the trash can for f---ing ever," Vietor added.
Several Democratic lawmakers have blasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months over Israel's attacks on Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett agreed that there will have to be a "shift" in the Democratic Party that would include "putting far more pressure on Israel." Fellow Obama aide Jon Favreau also called cutting off military aid to Israel the "least" the U.S. can do after its actions.
Though Lovett and Vietor said Democrats need to press harder against Israel, several Democratic lawmakers have already openly attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s actions during its ongoing war against Hamas.
Last month, members of the House's progressive "Squad," including Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., denounced Netanyahu as a "war criminal" after his government launched attacks on Tehran and surrounding areas.
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.