President Donald Trump issued his bluntest ultimatum yet to Iran’s IRGC on Sunday, demanding they reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face U.S. and Israeli strikes on their energy infrastructure. In a Truth Social post, he warned:
Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP
The remnants of the regime’s leadership have held roughly 20% of the global oil and gas supply hostage for a month, its last remaining point of leverage.
Trump’s fiery statement was red meat for Democratic lawmakers and the legacy media, who quickly filled the airwaves with vitriol. And as usual, they all delivered the same message. The words of the day were “unhinged” and “war crimes.”
Shocked by Trump’s abrasiveness, CNN host Jake Tapper told viewers, “he has just threatened Iran in extraordinarily graphic terms.”
Before reading the quote, he cautioned, “If the children are watching, be warned. The president did not use polite language.”
“We should note that destroying civilian power infrastructure is generally considered to constitute a war crime under international law although the president could argue that the infrastructure has duel use and also is utilized by Iran’s military,” Tapper added.
In a post on X, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), one of the most partisan and hyperbolic gaslighters in Congress, called the message “completely, utterly unhinged.” He recommended that members of Trump’s cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from office.
Ironically, just four months before former President Joe Biden’s disastrous, career-ending debate with Trump in June 2024, Murphy said Biden was “incredibly competent and he’s incredibly effective.”
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), once a close Trump ally and now one of his most vocal critics, responded in a scathing social media post.
She began, “Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness.
“I know all of you and him and he has gone insane, and all of you are complicit.” Greene’s bitter screed goes on to recite all of the Democratic talking points.
Senate Minority Leader and eternal blowhard Chuck Schumer (D-NY) joined the fray on social media calling Trump an “unhinged madman” who was “threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies.”
He added, “This is who he is, but this is not who we are.” I could write ten posts about who the Democrats are.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) mixed up the wording a little bit, calling Trump’s message “the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual” and declared that, “Congress has got to act NOW. End this war.”
In a Sunday appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) accused Trump of “failing U.S. troops in Iran who remain under fire even though the president has claimed to have destroyed Iran’s military capabilities.”
“We need to end this war now,” Khanna said, “We need an immediate ceasefire. Iran, Israel and the United States need to stop bombing and have a negotiated settlement.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) also appeared on Meet the Press during which he called Trump’s language “embarrassing and juvenile.” He also claimed that it “raised the risk for U.S. service members.”
And Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), a marine veteran, joined Fox News Sunday. In addition to condemning Trump’s message, he deemed the war to be a strategic failure.
“Iran recognizes that, in fact, their control over the strait is even more strategically vital to them than the development of a nuclear weapon,” he said.
According to The Guardian, the Iranian president’s office issued a statement on Sunday that said “Iran would only open the strait after receiving compensation for war damages, paid via a ‘new legal regime’ based on transit fees.”
The statement also noted that Trump had “resorted to obscenities and nonsense out of sheer desperation and anger.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m with the X user who posted the meme below: “I prefer a president who blows away our enemies rather than sneaking billions to them on pallets in the middle of the night! FAFO.”
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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