On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump took to social media and threatened to destroy an entire civilization unless Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight.”
Trump later on Tuesday pulled back on his threats to wipe out Iranian bridges, power plants, and other civilian targets, which could constitute a war crime under international law, subject to Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The president said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point proposal and that this period will “allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.”
While the temporary ceasefire has quelled Trump’s threats of imminent widespread civilian destruction, congressional Democrats and right-wing commentators have been calling for Trump’s removal from office by way of impeachment or by stripping him of his powers through the 25th Amendment.
Several high-profile Democrats are calling to oust Trump, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender. “This is a threat of genocide and merits removal from office,” Ocasio-Cortez urged on X. “The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted. To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat.”
House Democratic leadership released a joint statement describing Trump as “completely unhinged” and pressured House Speaker Mike Johnson to call the House back into session and “vote to end this reckless war of choice in the Middle East before Donald Trump plunges our country into World War III.”
Former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ex-Trump ally who shifted to one of his most vocal detractors, wrote, “25TH AMENDMENT!!!” following Trump’s threats to eviscerate the people of Iran. “Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness.”
Far-right conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones bluntly asked during a show, “How do we 25th Amendment his ass?” Jones, a longtime supporter of the president during his first term, also posted a video in response to Trumps threats, and said, “That is the definition of genocide.“
Conservative commentator Candace Owens also joined the growing group of Democrats and conservative pundits pushing for the president’s removal from office. “The 25th amendment needs to be invoked. He is a genocidal lunatic,” wrote Owens on X. “We are beyond madness.”
Although former Trump ally Tucker Carlson did not explicitly call for the president’s ouster, the he directly addressed those who work in the White House or U.S. military and said in a video posted to X: “Now it’s time to say no, absolutely not, and say it directly to the President,” and to reject any use of a “weapon of mass destruction.”
Following Trump’s threats earlier on Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV called the president’s actions “truly unacceptable.” Speaking in Italian to reporters in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, per PBS, Leo said, “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole, entire population.” The pope, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s war against Iran said, “I would like to invite everyone to truly think in their hearts about the many innocent people, so many children, so many elderly, completely innocent, who would also become victims of this escalation of a war that began from the very first days.”
