GOP congressman tempers ‘Nagasaki and Hiroshima’ comments on Gaza: ‘I used a metaphor’

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) on Sunday said that his recent comment that the war in Gaza should “be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima” was not meant to be taken literally.

The reference by Walberg came in a town hall meeting last week, invoking the nuclear bombings by the United States of Japan that led to Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II, according to a video clip posted on YouTube.

“I don’t think any of our aid that goes to Israel to support our greatest ally, arguably maybe in the world, to defeat Hamas and Iran and Russia, and probably North Korea’s in there, and China, too, with them helping Hamas — we shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid. It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick. The same should be in Ukraine. Defeat Putin quick,” Walberg can be heard saying in the roughly three-minute clip of the meeting in Dundee, Michigan, posted online.

In a statement posted on social media Sunday, the Michigan Republican said that the comment was metaphoric.

“As a child who grew up in the Cold War Era, the last thing I’d advocate for would be the use of nuclear weapons. In a shortened clip, I used a metaphor to convey the need for both Israel and Ukraine to win their wars as swiftly as possible, without putting American troops in harm’s way,” Walberg said.

“My reasoning was the exact opposite of what is being reported: the quicker these wars end, the fewer innocent lives will be caught in the crossfire. … 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,” Walberg continued.

Walberg’s remarks come as the situation in Gaza grows increasingly dire. The death toll in the besieged region has reached over 30,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and 70 percent of the people living there are experiencing catastrophic hunger, according to the United Nations. Israel has been fighting in Gaza since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a deadly incursion into the country, killing 1,2000 and taking others hostage.

Michigan, which Walberg represents, is home to some of the country’s most prominent Arab American cities, as well as Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress.