A political firestorm erupted this week as more than 70 Democratic lawmakers demanded President Trump’s removal from office following his threats against Iran, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivering one of the sharpest rebukes yet from a high-profile Democrat.
The chorus of concern comes as a fragile two-week ceasefire appears to be collapsing and the U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports took effect Monday morning, sending oil prices surging toward $100 per barrel. Vice President Vance announced Sunday that talks had failed to produce an agreement, setting the stage for what could be another dangerous escalation in the conflict.
Clinton took aim at the 79-year-old president during a wide-ranging interview on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” on April 13, 2026, where she addressed Trump’s increasingly inflammatory rhetoric on Truth Social. She slammed Trump’s current approach to Iran as “incoherent” and warned that the United States now finds itself in “a very weak position” after the president’s aggressive threats failed to secure a lasting agreement.
“When you look at the last week of unhinged rants coming from Trump’s social media account, it’s just disgraceful,” Clinton said on the program, noting him threatening “civilizational genocide” and attacking Pope Leo XIV.
“Trump has become fully unhinged and we should talk about it,” Clinton wrote on X following her television appearance.
The former 2016 Democratic presidential candidate argued that effective diplomacy requires sustained engagement rather than brief, high-profile visits. Clinton mocked the administration’s reliance on the same negotiators across multiple simultaneous crises—Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza—as “a joke,” adding that reaching agreements requires “hours of sitting in a chair” that “Trump and his people are unable to do.”
Weekend talks in Pakistan between Iranian officials and Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner collapsed after more than 21 hours of negotiations. Following the breakdown, Trump announced a naval blockade of all Iranian ports beginning Sunday morning.
The president had set an 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday deadline last week for Tehran to meet his terms, warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if they failed to comply. Trump announced a two-week ceasefire deal approximately 90 minutes before the deadline, though Iranian strikes on Gulf nations and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have already tested the agreement’s durability. Netanyahu’s government has said the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon.
Democratic lawmakers expressed alarm over Trump’s Easter Sunday post, in which he ordered Tehran to “Open the F‑‑‑in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in **** ‑ JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez characterized Trump’s Tuesday post as “a threat of genocide” that “merits removal from office,” adding that “the President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted.” Even after the ceasefire announcement, the New York Democrat maintained her position, writing that the “statement changes nothing” and demanding Trump’s removal, whether by his Cabinet or Congress.”
Rep. Linda Sánchez told NewsNation’s Leland Vittert on Thursday that the president’s behavior warranted serious consequences. “When somebody threatens a genocide and has the nuclear codes, there is a problem,” Sánchez said.
Sánchez echoed concerns from her Democratic colleagues about invoking the 25th Amendment, arguing that Trump’s threats crossed a dangerous line. She emphasized that targeting civilian infrastructure like power plants and water facilities would constitute war crimes under international law.
Sen. Chris Murphy added his voice to the chorus of concern, writing on X: “If I were in Trump’s Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment. This is completely, utterly unhinged.” The 25th Amendment provides a mechanism for removing a president deemed physically or mentally unfit for office, though it requires action by the vice president and a majority of Cabinet members—none of whom have indicated any willingness to act.
In a striking development, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene joined Democrats in calling for the president’s removal. “25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization,” Greene wrote on X, calling Trump’s rhetoric “evil and madness.” The former Georgia congresswoman, once among Trump’s most ferocious defenders, resigned from Congress on January 5 following a bitter public feud with the president over the Epstein files and his handling of the Iran war.
Clinton’s blistering criticism came during her conversation with hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, where she emphasized the gravity of presidential rhetoric in international affairs. The former Secretary of State and First Lady focused on several of Trump’s recent posts, including his Tuesday morning, April 7, warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” in Iran without a diplomatic deal.
Clinton also condemned Trump’s decision to share a now-deleted AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ on Orthodox Easter Sunday—a post that drew backlash even from conservative Christians and former allies.