Rand Paul: If a foreign country bombed our air defense missiles, captured and removed our president and blockaded our country, would that be considered an act of war?
Rubio: We don't believe this does not fit anywhere close to the definition of war. pic.twitter.com/yvyXAV4Mu9
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) January 31, 2026
Factcheck, straight up:
Under international law, Rubio’s answer does not hold. Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter explicitly prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. Bombing air defense systems is a use of force. Capturing and removing a sitting president constitutes an armed attack and regime seizure. A naval blockade is itself legally defined as an act of war under the San Remo Manual on Naval Warfare and has historically triggered formal war declarations, including by the United States. Each element Rand Paul listed individually qualifies as an act of war under established international and US military doctrine. Together, they describe a full scale invasion.