This browser does not support the Video element.
Trump issues profanity-laced Iran threat on Easter
We are now watching as the war between the U.S. and Iran enters its 37th day this Sunday. This comes as fighting continues despite President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran had been "completely decimated." Reports indicate that Iranian officials have warned that further attacks could have catastrophic regional consequences, raising fears of a broader crisis in the Middle East. LiveNOW’s Andy Mac is speaking with Ahmad Sharawi, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who focuses on Middle East affairs.
President Donald Trump’s Easter morning post about Iran prompted criticism across the country this weekend, with some lawmakers now calling for his removal.
Several Democratic lawmakers have posted to social media that they think Trump’s Cabinet should look at invoking the 25th Amendment and removing him from office.
Trump’s Easter message
FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump during a prime-time address to the nation in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Photographer: Alex Brandon/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The backstory:
President Trump renewed his threats against Iran Sunday in a profanity-laced post on Truth Social, saying "you'll be living in Hell" if the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for oil shipments, isn't reopened by Tuesday.
"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," Trump wrote on Sunday. "There will be nothing like it!!! Open the [F***in'] Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP."
RELATED: Inside the daring rescue of airman behind enemy lines: How CIA assisted with 'deception campaign'
Lawmakers respond
What they're saying:
Trump’s harsh tone was met with criticism by lawmakers and others around the country - with many calling for his removal from the White House by way of the 25th Amendment.
Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (D, Ariz.) was one, saying she believes he’s a national security threat.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D, N.M.) urged Congress and the Cabinet to act.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D, Conn.) posted, "If I were in Trump’s Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment. This is completely, utterly unhinged. He’s already killed thousands. He’s going to kill thousands more."
Anthony Scaramucci, financier and former White House Communications Director briefly to Trump during his first presidency joined in.
"It was at this point that our Founders thought the best thing to do would be to remove a mad man who has the executive office. It became more formalized with the 25th amendment, but more people now should be calling for this man’s removal," he wrote."
And former GOP Congressman Joe Walsh said Trump "will forever be a stain on this country."
Dig deeper:
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nationwide advocacy group, responded by assailing Trump’s "deranged mocking of Islam."
What is the 25th Amendment?
This browser does not support the Video element.
Here's how the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution works
It was created to clarify the rules for replacing a deceased or incapacitated president, ultimately ratified in 1967.
Big picture view:
The amendment allows for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare a president unfit for office. The vice president then becomes acting president.
The backstory:
The amendment was added to the Constitution following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. It was created in order to clarify the rules for replacing a deceased or incapacitated president, ultimately ratified in 1967.
How it works:
To temporarily transfer power to the vice president, a president sends a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President pro tempore of the Senate.
The letter says the president is "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."
When the president is ready to resume authority, they send another letter, which is spelled out in the amendment’s Section 3.
Dig deeper:
Section 4 lays out what happens if the president becomes unable to carry out their duties but doesn’t transfer power.
In that case, the vice president and majority of the Cabinet can declare the president unfit.
They would then send a letter to the Speaker and President Pro Tempore saying so. The vice president then becomes acting president.
Previously:
Lawmakers have called for Trump’s removal before through the 25th Amendment, such as after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and, most recently, over his push to take control of Greenland.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from the Constitution, social media posts and previous FOX Television Station reportings. This story was reported from Detroit.