Dozens of congressional Democrats on Tuesday urged that President Donald Trump be removed from office after he used extreme rhetoric toward Iran, including a threat to “wipe out a whole civilization.” More than 70 lawmakers — including several senators — posted on social media calling for Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and declare him unfit, for Congress to impeach and convict him, or both.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said the House and Senate must return to session, pass articles of impeachment and vote to convict, or the Cabinet and vice president must invoke the 25th Amendment with congressional concurrence. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., agreed the 25th should be considered, saying no sober president would promise to eradicate an entire civilization. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., urged the Cabinet to act, calling the threats a violation of the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions and saying all options to remove Trump should be used.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The lawmakers’ statements followed a Truth Social post from Trump in which he warned that “a whole civilization” could die if Iran did not reach a deal with the U.S. before an 8 p.m. ET deadline he set.
Trump’s language drew outrage from Democrats and criticism from some Republicans, who warned such promises could amount to war crimes. The United Nations posted a reminder of the Geneva Conventions, with the secretary-general, António Guterres, saying that no military objective justifies the wholesale destruction of a society’s infrastructure or deliberately inflicting suffering on civilian populations.
Less than 90 minutes before the deadline, Trump announced he was suspending U.S. attacks on Iran for two weeks and said the countries had entered a “double sided” ceasefire. Even after that announcement, many Democrats who had demanded his removal maintained he should no longer hold office. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said the earlier threat already amounted to an impeachable offense and urged Congress to act before further damage occurs.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term and was acquitted by a Republican-controlled Senate both times. He has suggested a third impeachment could occur if Republicans lose the 2026 midterms and Democrats control the House.