MAGA Lobbyist Faces Fury Over 'Better Off Dead' Comment on Iranian Schoolgirls
A prominent conservative lobbyist has ignited a firestorm of controversy by suggesting that Iranian schoolgirls killed in recent airstrikes might be better off dead than living under Iran's regime. Matt Schlapp, chairman of the Conservative Union advocacy group which organises the Conservative Political Action Conference, made the remarks during a heated debate on Piers Morgan's Uncensored programme.
Controversial Remarks During Heated Television Debate
During Wednesday night's broadcast, Schlapp interjected during a discussion about a missile strike that killed 175 children and staff at an elementary school in Minab, southern Iran. The attack occurred on Saturday during the opening day of joint U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran. "They'd be alive in a burqa," Schlapp declared before being cut off by host Piers Morgan.
When invited back into the conversation minutes later, Schlapp elaborated: "It's hypocritical to say that these attacks harmed women and children when those women and children, the young girls that you reference, would be... live a life in a barbaric, unequal society behind a burqa, with no ability to make career choices."
Immediate Backlash and Challenge From Fellow Panelists
Turkish-American commentator Cenk Uygur immediately challenged Schlapp's remarks, asking pointedly: "So just kill them?" Schlapp denied this interpretation, responding: "No, that's not what I'm saying either." However, Uygur countered: "That is what you said," before Schlapp pivoted to defending former President Donald Trump's decision to authorise bombing campaigns against Iran.
The humanitarian organisation Iranian Red Crescent Society confirmed the devastating death toll at the elementary school. While Iran has blamed the United States and Israel for the attack, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Wednesday that the administration was "investigating" the incident.
Critics Highlight Fundamental Ignorance About Iranian Society
Journalists and commentators quickly condemned Schlapp's remarks, highlighting what they described as his "basic ignorance" about Iranian society. Journalist Yashar Ali noted in a social media post: "For a man who claims to understand so much about Iran, Matt Schlapp sure gets a lot wrong. Also, schoolgirls do not wear burqas in Iran."
Ali explained that Iranian schoolgirls are required to wear headscarves and school uniforms with long coats, sometimes called manteaus, and occasionally wear maghnaehs. "That system is oppressive and imposed by the regime—but confusing Iran with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan shows a basic ignorance about the country Matt claims to be lecturing the world about," Ali added.
White House and Pentagon Respond to School Attack Questions
At a Wednesday briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt faced questions about potential U.S. involvement in the school attack. "Not that we know of," Leavitt responded. "The Department of War is investigating this matter." Earlier that day, Defense Secretary Hegseth briefly addressed the incident at a Pentagon briefing, stating: "All I know is we're investigating that. We of course never target civilian targets, but we're taking a look and investigating that."
Political Context and MAGA Divisions
Schlapp, who regularly appears on the right-wing network Newsmax, is married to former Trump White House staffer Mercedes Schlapp and remains a fierce supporter of former President Donald Trump. The war in Iran has exposed divisions within Trump's MAGA base, with prominent figures including Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly criticising the joint military operation with Israel.
Trump himself has pushed back against these criticisms, asserting: "I think that MAGA is Trump. MAGA's not the other two." The controversy surrounding Schlapp's remarks adds another layer to the ongoing debate about U.S. foreign policy and military intervention in the Middle East.
Journalist Peter Beinart, editor-at-large at Jewish Currents, argued during the debate that the United States and Israel bore responsibility for the school attack regardless of which specific missile caused the destruction. "We know that if the U.S. and Israel had not attacked a country that poses no serious threat to them—Israel has hundreds of nuclear weapons, America has thousands—that those girls would be alive," Beinart stated.
