Speaker Johnson calls for Biden to 'wake up,' stop 'placating Iran': 'America must project strength'

U.S. President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) applaud for Andrea Bocelli after he performed "Amazing Grace" during the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol on February 01, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., blasted President Biden's "long overdue" response following retaliatory strikes carried out in Syria and Iraq on Friday evening.

Johnson said that the "tragic deaths" of the three American soldiers, who were killed in an Iran-backed drone attack, "demanded" a "clear and forceful response" from the Biden administration.

"The tragic deaths of three U.S. troops in Jordan, perpetrated by Iran-backed militias, demanded a clear and forceful response," Johnson said in a statement on Friday evening. "Unfortunately, the administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response."

Johnson said that the Biden administration's "excessive signaling" weakens America's standing.

"The public handwringing and excessive signaling undercuts our ability to put a decisive end to the barrage of attacks endured over the past few months," he said.

The Republican house speaker noted that since Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, U.S. troops have suffered more than 150 attacks in the Middle East.

Johnson argued that it is "long overdue" for the Biden administration to "admit" that its Middle East foreign policy has been "disastrous."

“We have suffered more than 150 attacks on U.S. forces, lost American lives, and spent billions of dollars in the region since October," Johnson said. "It is long overdue for the Biden administration to admit that its strategy of appeasing Iran has been disastrous for the international community and regional stability. We must stand firmly against those who would harm Americans, propagate terror, or threaten our allies."

Johnson said that it is time for Biden to "wake up" and to admit that his policy of "placating Iran" has failed.

"Now is the time for President Biden to wake up to the reality that his policy of placating Iran has failed," he said. “To promote peace, America must project strength.”