A US congressman has ignited a political storm in Tunisia after publicly denouncing President Kais Saied and demanding an end to American financial aid.
Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina and a staunch Trump supporter, launched a series of posts on X condemning Saied’s leadership.
“The dictator in Tunisia has jailed 170 of his political opponents, canceled the Constitution, and destroyed the parliament, yet Biden funds him,” Wilson wrote.
Calling for immediate action, Wilson insisted that US aid must be cut off and sanctions imposed to counter Tunisia’s alleged democratic backsliding.
Saied, elected in 2019 as Tunisia’s leader, initially symbolized democratic hope after the Arab Spring but later consolidated power in a controversial 2021 move.
Wilson’s statements have rippled across Tunisian media, triggering a wave of reactions ranging from ridicule to outright indignation.
A commentator on Tunisia’s Diwan FM dismissed the congressman’s remarks as nothing more than “cartoonish theatrics unworthy of serious debate.”
Meanwhile, Fatma Mseddi, a pro-Saied lawmaker, fiercely rebuked Wilson, demanding a formal apology for what she called a blatant interference.
“No one, whether American or otherwise, has the right to undermine Tunisia’s sovereignty,” she declared in a fiery Facebook post.
Wilson, however, doubled down, misspelling her name in a response letter and refusing to backtrack on his position.
“I will never apologize for defending democracy,” he wrote, urging Mseddi to abandon what he called a collapsing regime.
Drawing comparisons to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, Wilson warned that Saied’s government would soon meet a similar fate.
When asked about the timing of his Tunisia-focused remarks, Wilson’s office insisted his stance had always been clear.
“With Trump’s return, we now have the chance to fix Biden’s failed foreign policy,” his office told AFP.