Defense

Top Armed Forces Democrat: Trump has ‘become as fanatical as the regime leaders in Tehran’

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by Tara Suter - 04/07/26 3:37 PM ET

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by Tara Suter - 04/07/26 3:37 PM ET

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Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, went after President Trump for a recent Truth Social post threatening that Iranian “civilization will die tonight,” referring to an 8 p.m. EDT deadline on Tuesday the president gave.

“President Trump’s social media post goes beyond what any president should say or do. Threatening to eliminate a civilization is comparable to genocide. That is illegal, immoral, and should not be in the vocabulary of an American president. The ominous sentiment he’s suggesting would be a criminal act,” Reed said in a Tuesday statement.

“I think the president’s behavior is setting back our chances of a peaceful ceasefire. Our allies are no longer just skeptical. They’re shocked and appalled. And they can’t tolerate even the suggestion, let alone the behavior, he’s talking about. And I think he’s not focused on realistically ending this conflict and he seems to have lost control. In fact, he’s become as fanatical as the regime leaders in Tehran,” the Ocean State senator added later in his statement.

The U.S-Israeli conflict against Iran recently entered its second month, with Trump in recent days making intense threats against Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway for the oil industry that has been effectively closed since the start of the fighting.

On Tuesday, Trump said on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” in a message posted close to 12 hours before Trump’s deadline for Iran to make a deal.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. 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?” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Many other Democrats on Tuesday also took to social media to criticize the president’s remarks, with many saying the threats are illegal. Others have called for impeachment.

“The House must bring up impeachment articles, and the Senate needs to remove a president who wants to commit war crimes. We cannot sit idly by as Donald Trump threatens to end an entire civilization,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in a post on X.

The White House earlier Tuesday called these responses and calls for impeachment “pathetic.”

“Democrats have been talking about removing President Trump since before he was even sworn into office. The Democrats in Congress are deranged, weak, and ineffective, which is why their approval ratings are at historic lows,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday mocked Trump’s threat against Tehran, claiming his “civilized” country will defeat “brute force.”

“The power of a ‘CIVILIZED’ nation’s culture, logic, and faith in its righteous cause will undoubtedly prevail over the logic of brute force. A nation that has every faith in the righteousness of its path shall harness all its capacities and capabilities to safeguard its rights and legitimate interests,” Esmaeil Baqaei, the foreign ministry spokesperson, said on the social platform X in response to Trump’s comments.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

Emily Brooks contributed.

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