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Few Republicans condemn Trump's Iran threat as Democrats ... - CBS News
By Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation. Read Full Bio Updated on: April 7, 2026 / 9:10 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — In the hours between President Trump threatening to eradicate a "whole civilization" unless Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz and the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, Republicans in Congress remained mostly silent about Mr. Trump's threat. The president had given Iran a deadline of 8 p.m. Tuesday to reopen the strait, a critical channel for global oil trade, or face attacks on its civilian infrastructure. Twelve hours before the deadline, and about 11 hours before he announced a ceasefire, Mr. Trump posted an ominous message on Truth Social."A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," he said. Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas appeared to be the first Republican in Congress to express unease, saying Tuesday afternoon that he does "not support the destruction of a 'whole civilization.'" "That is not who we are, and it is not consistent with the principles that have long guided America," he wrote, adding that "how we protect the lives of the innocent is just as important as how we engage the enemy." Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Mr. Trump's threat "cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran." "Everyone involved—especially the President and Iran's leaders—must de-escalate their unprecedented saber-rattling before it is too late," she said in a social media post. Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, who recently switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent, also weighed in, urging Mr. Trump against the escalation. "The United States does not destroy civilizations. Nor do we threaten to do so as some sort of negotiating tactic," he wrote. The lack of condemnation from most congressional Republicans stood in stark contrast to the dozens of Democrats who called for Mr. Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment or impeached over the rhetoric. By Tuesday afternoon, more than 70 Democrats in both chambers had called for his removal, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Donald Trump's instability is more cle...
Dozens of Democrats call for Trump's removal after his Iran threats
Dozens of congressional Democrats called for President Donald Trump to be removed from office Tuesday after he used extreme rhetoric against Iran that included threatening to wipe out "a whole civilization."More than 70 lawmakers, including a handful of senators, said in separate social media posts that Trump's Cabinet needs to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and declare him unfit to serve, Congress should impeach and convict him, or both."The House and Senate must return to session. The House must pass articles of impeachment, and then the Senate must vote to convict and remove the President. Or, the cabinet and Vice President, with congressional concurrence, must invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump," Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., wrote in a statement on X.Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said he agreed with calls to invoke the 25th Amendment, adding: “No President in control of his senses would publicly promise to eradicate an entire civilization.”“We need to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wrote Tuesday morning on X. “Threatening war crimes is a blatant violation of our constitution and the Geneva Conventions.”Khanna reiterated his position Tuesday night on MS NOW, adding that "we need to use all options" to remove Trump.The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.The lawmakers’ posts came shortly after Trump threatened Iran in a Truth Social post Tuesday morning, saying “a whole civilization” could die if Tehran didn’t reach a deal with the U.S. before an 8 p.m. ET deadline he had imposed.02:20Trump’s rhetoric sparked outrage from Democrats — as well as criticism from some Republicans — who said carrying out such threats would amount to war crimes.The United Nations' official X account posted a reminder of the Geneva Conventions, adding that “wars have rules,” while its secretary-general, António Guterres, said, without naming Trump, that “no military objective” justified the “wholesale destruction of a society’s infrastructure or the deliberate infliction of suffering on civilian populations.”Less than 90 minutes before the 8 p.m. deadline, Trump said that he was suspending U.S. attacks on Iran for two weeks and that the countries were now engaged in a “double sided” ceasefire.03:47Still, many of the Democrats who had called for his removal earlier in the day doubled down after Trump's ceasefire announcement, maintaining that he should no longer hold office."Temporary ceasefire ...
Many congressional Democrats call Trump's threats to blow up Iran ...
Multiple congressional Democrats are calling President Donald Trump "out of control" and "unhinged" after he issued a profanity-laden threat to Iran on Easter Sunday -- suggesting that on Tuesday he will target bridges and power plants in Iran if they don't open up the critical Strait of Hormuz. His threats to strike Iran's bridges and power plants have led several Democrats to suggest that ...
Trump's threat to Iran shocks global leaders, unnerves some Republicans ...
Trump demands Iran end proxy support, reopen Strait of Hormuz, threatens strikes on infrastructure Democrats and global leaders condemn Trump's threat as reckless and destabilizing
