President Donald Trump sparked widespread outrage on Easter Sunday with an expletive-laden social media post threatening Iran, prompting condemnation from critics across the political spectrum and forcing the White House into damage control mode as it prepared for Monday’s traditional Easter Egg Roll.
The president posted his inflammatory message on Truth Social at 8:03 a.m. Sunday morning, declaring “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” before adding an obscenity-filled ultimatum to Iranian leadership.
“Open the F****’ Strait, you crazy b****, or you’ll be living in **** – JUST WATCH!” Trump wrote as part of his Easter message, referencing the Strait of Hormuz and concluding with “Praise be to Allah.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper read the post aloud uncensored during his Sunday morning “State of the Union” broadcast, warning viewers that “the president did not use polite language.” The jarring message came hours after Trump announced the successful rescue of a U.S. Air Force colonel whose F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over southwestern Iran on Friday—the first American aircraft lost in Iranian territory since the war began on February 28.
The weapons systems officer had evaded capture for more than 24 hours in the Zagros Mountains before U.S. forces extracted him in what Trump called “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History.” The jet’s pilot had been rescued shortly after the shootdown.
Trump’s threats drew sharp criticism from unexpected quarters. Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a fierce Trump loyalist, posted a blistering response on X: “He has gone insane, and all of you are complicit.” She called on administration officials “to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God” and declared “Our President is not a Christian.” Greene has criticized Trump repeatedly since he launched the war, accusing him of betraying his MAGA base.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut called the message “completely, utterly unhinged” and said he would be “calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment” if he were in Trump’s cabinet.
International law experts quickly condemned the president’s stated intentions. Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director of research, advocacy, policy and campaigns, warned that attacking power plants “would be disproportionate and thus unlawful under international humanitarian law, and could amount to a war crime” because such infrastructure is “essential for meeting the basic needs and livelihoods of tens of millions of civilians.”
Pope Leo XIV, in his first Easter Urbi et Orbi message from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, appeared to address the escalating conflict without naming Trump directly. “Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace!” the American-born pontiff declared, adding: “Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue.” The pope has increasingly criticized the war, which human rights groups estimate has killed more than 3,500 people in Iran, including over 1,500 civilians.
Trump skipped church on Easter Sunday—a notable break from tradition—instead taking a “ceremoniously slow” presidential motorcade tour around Memorial Circle, near where he hopes to build an arch honoring himself, before stopping at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
In a 15-minute phone call with Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, Trump doubled down on his threats. “If they don’t make a deal, and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil,” he said, adding, “You’re going to see bridges and power plants dropping all over their country.”
Hours later, in an interview with ABC News’ Rachel Scott, the president escalated further: “If it happens, it happens. And if it doesn’t, we’re blowing up the whole country.”
Following his initial post, the White House shifted to damage control, with both Trump and official White House accounts posting a video of artist Vanessa Horabuena painting an image of Jesus Christ. “Vanessa is AMAZING!” the president wrote—a marked contrast to his earlier rhetoric.
Multiple government agencies joined the coordinated religious messaging effort. The Department of Homeland Security shared a graphic featuring “The Resurrection of Christ” by Peter Paul Rubens, the Pentagon posted a message from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the Justice Department proclaimed its pride in protecting religious liberty—an unusual approach following the president’s profanity-laden threats earlier the same day.
The controversy overshadowed Monday’s White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn. This year’s event features a patriotic theme celebrating America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, with activities including card-writing stations for U.S. troops and a sensory-friendly egg hunt.
Trump scheduled a press conference for 1 p.m. Monday, where he faces questions about his Easter Sunday posts and the ongoing conflict. The president had imposed a 48-hour deadline Saturday for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, threatening that “all **** will reign down on them” if they refuse—a misspelling that drew additional mockery online.
The episode marks another flashpoint in Trump’s unconventional approach to presidential communications, with critics questioning the appropriateness of using profanity and threatening potential war crimes on Christianity’s holiest day while supporters remained largely silent.