President Donald Trump’s threat to wipe out Iran — “a whole civilization” — has shattered the restraint many Democrats had maintained over whether to try to remove him from office during his second term, reports AP.
Dozens of Democrats have since said Trump should no longer remain in the White House, pointing to either impeachment or the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president and Cabinet to declare a president unfit to serve.
Although Trump later stepped back and agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, the episode intensified pressure within the party to confront the Republican president more forcefully. Lawmakers said congressional offices were flooded with calls from constituents alarmed by his rhetoric.
The breadth of the Democratic backlash underscored the gravity of Trump’s threat toward a country of more than 90 million people, while also raising the domestic political stakes of a conflict that remains unresolved. The administration now faces mounting demands to testify before Congress and justify requests for hundreds of billions of dollars in additional military spending.
“We cannot excuse what the president said as a negotiating tactic,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs. She added that even with a ceasefire in place, the president must be held accountable, saying that threatening genocide violates both international and U.S. law.
Still, Democratic leaders and many moderates have stopped short of endorsing impeachment, recognizing that any effort to remove Trump is unlikely to succeed while Republicans control Congress.
In the near term, party leaders in both chambers are instead urging Republicans to support legislation requiring Trump to seek congressional approval before launching further military action against Iran. A small group of Democrats attempted Thursday to advance a war powers resolution in the House, but Republicans declined to take it up.
“We need Speaker Mike Johnson to call us into session,” said Rep. Emily Randall, arguing that lawmakers should debate the issue openly.
At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s remarks, saying the threat was a show of strength that helped push Iran toward a ceasefire agreement.
As Democrats sharpen their criticism, they are also responding to growing concern among their constituents. Congressional offices reported being inundated with calls and emails, many focused on Iran and the possibility of removing Trump from office.
In the House, Rep. Suzan DelBene’s office received a surge of messages, including calls for impeachment or invoking the 25th Amendment, according to an aide. Staffers returning from a short break found dozens of new voicemails waiting.
“My office phones have not stopped ringing,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter, who urged colleagues to return to Washington. Her office recorded an unprecedented number of calls in a single day.
The groundswell appeared largely organic rather than the result of a coordinated campaign. While some advocacy groups circulated information about the legal mechanisms for removing a president, there was no centralized effort behind the surge, according to a Democratic strategist familiar with internal discussions. Instead, the reaction seemed driven by widespread alarm at the scale of Trump’s rhetoric.
On the political right, some prominent voices — including former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — also suggested Trump could be removed through the 25th Amendment.
Democrats impeached Trump twice during his first term, though he was acquitted both times. In recent months, party leaders have avoided revisiting impeachment, focusing instead on economic issues ahead of upcoming elections. Republicans, who hold the House majority, have already blocked multiple impeachment efforts during Trump’s second term, including resolutions introduced by Rep. Al Green.
That dynamic shifted after Trump’s threat to destroy “an entire civilization.” Rep. Seth Moulton said the president had already committed an impeachable offense and urged Congress to act before further damage was done.
It remains unclear how House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries will respond to mounting calls for impeachment. Party leaders are preparing discussions focused on holding the administration accountable, including possible use of the 25th Amendment.
Speaking at the Capitol, Rep. Madeleine Dean said she supports impeachment in principle but acknowledged the political limits while Democrats remain in the minority. For now, she urged Republicans to confront Trump’s rhetoric directly.
She warned that pressure to remove the president could intensify as fragile ceasefire negotiations continue, arguing that Trump’s threat alone had already raised profound concerns.
“The president brought the entire globe to watch his madness,” she said.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
