Next Democratic President Must Say ‘No More Foreign Wars—None!’ Declares Ro Khanna at Summit in Denver

US Rep. Ro Khanna, a leading progressive contender for 2028, was met with cheers at a Democratic strategy conference in Denver on Friday as he called on the next Democratic president to categorically reject foreign wars.

"When the foreign policy blob comes, and they say, 'Mr. President, we need an aerial bombing campaign on a rogue regime,' a president must say, 'Not on my watch,'" Khanna said. "And when they come back, and they say, 'It will only be a few days, it will only be a few places, it will only be a few planes,' the next American president must stand firm and say, 'No more foreign wars! None!'"

Khanna (D-Calif.) was one of several Democratic politicians who headlined the "What's Next" conference, put on by the group Majority Democrats in the wake of the party's blowout midterm victory earlier this month.

According to exit polls, opposition to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran and the resulting economic fallout were major factors that fueled unprecedented gains for Democrats in territory that has been represented by the GOP for decades.

That includes the victories of Sens.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) and Troy Jackson (D-Maine), who won competitive elections while aggressively criticizing the US foreign policy establishment and advocating for a progressive domestic agenda.

Khanna told the crowd that the election results showed "being uncompromised" is the way "to reach disaffected independent and MAGA voters who want change."

"This means standing up to private insurance and drug companies and delivering Medicare for All. No half measures!" he shouted. "It means saying no to the defense contractors and cutting a $1 trillion, bloated Pentagon budget. It means a wealth tax on the billionaires who are the economic royalists of our time... It demands rejecting AIPAC [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee], calling out the genocide that Americans saw with their own eyes, and saying zero aid to Israel!"

Khanna told MS NOW on Friday that Democrats' historic wins “made it more likely than not” that he'd launch a presidential bid, joining a field of possible contenders that includes other similarly minded progressives, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

“We elected so many unique candidates: a Muslim senator in Michigan, a young preacher in Texas, an African American district attorney in Mississippi,” he said, referring to El-Sayed and Sens.-elect James Talarico (D-Texas) and Scott Colom (D-Miss.).

“It shows that this country is open to diversity," Khanna added. "It shows that they’re open to people who are not part of the establishment, unique outside voices, and that someone can surprise."