Dozens of congressional Democrats pushed to remove Donald Trump from office Tuesday after he warned that “a whole civilization” could be wiped out if Iran failed to meet his deadline.
More than 70 lawmakers, including several senators, called for his removal, urging either the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, Congress to impeach him, or both.
“Donald Trump’s instability is more clear and dangerous than ever,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posted on X.
“If the Cabinet is not willing to invoke the 25th Amendment and restore sanity, Republicans must reconvene the Congress to end this war,” she added.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again."
Donald Trump's instability is more clear and dangerous than ever.
If the Cabinet is not willing to invoke the 25th Amendment and restore sanity, Republicans must reconvene the Congress to end this war.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 7, 2026
Pelosi pushed for the 25th Amendment during Trump’s first term and pointed again to that option as the fastest path.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for Republican lawmakers to take action against Trump.
“Congress must immediately end this reckless war of choice in Iran before Donald Trump plunges us into World War III,” Jeffries tweeted.
“It’s time for every single Republican to put patriotic duty over party and stop the madness,” he added. “Enough.”
This is an extremely sick person.
Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is. https://t.co/o6lMRWareJ
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 7, 2026
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also took aim at Republicans who refuse to break ranks.
“Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is,” Schumer posted, calling Trump an “extremely sick person.”
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Sen. Ed Markey called for Congress to return to session and take immediate action.
“The House and Senate must return to session. The House must pass articles of impeachment, and then the Senate must vote to convict and remove the President,” he wrote.
“Or, the cabinet and Vice President, with congressional concurrence, must invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump.”
My Statement Calling for Trump Removal Over Threat to Eradicate "Civilization" in Iran. pic.twitter.com/NwRNuC9K1R
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) April 7, 2026
Several Democrats tied their calls directly to Trump’s language about Iran.
“No President in control of his senses would publicly promise to eradicate an entire civilization,” Sen. Chris Murphy posted.
“We need to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump,” Rep. Ro Khanna penned on X. “Threatening war crimes is a blatant violation of our constitution and the Geneva Conventions.”
Khanna repeated his stance later on television, saying “we need to use all options” to remove Trump.
The only people our base is more upset with than Trump is the fecklessness of Congress to stand up with urgency and moral conviction when the president was threatening genocide. pic.twitter.com/e4Ya9KCozo
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 8, 2026
“25th Amendment RIGHT NOW! Trump is too unhinged, dangerous, and deranged to have the nuclear codes!” Rep. Mark Pocan wrote.
The push followed Trump’s Truth Social post earlier in the day. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump wrote. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
“However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?” he continued.
25th Amendment RIGHT NOW! Trump is too unhinged, dangerous, and deranged to have the nuclear codes! https://t.co/JdgwJIT1wH
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@RepMarkPocan) April 7, 2026
“We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”
The United Nations account posted that “wars have rules,” while Secretary-General António Guterres warned that no military objective justified “the wholesale destruction of a society’s infrastructure or the deliberate infliction of suffering on civilian populations.”
Less than 90 minutes before the 8 p.m. deadline, Trump pulled back. He announced a two-week pause on U.S. attacks and described it as a “double sided” ceasefire after speaking with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir.
“This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump wrote.
“We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate,” he pointed out.
“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.”
The Iranian Supreme National Security Council confirmed it accepted the two-week pause and would begin negotiations with U.S. officials in Islamabad.
“It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” the council wrote. “Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”
The ceasefire did not slow calls for Trump’s removal from office. “Temporary ceasefire or not, Trump already committed an impeachable offense,” Rep. Seth Moulton posted.
“Congress needs to get back to work and remove him from office before he does more damage to our country and the world.”
Republican Rep. Henry Cuellar shifted his stance and said he would now support a war powers resolution when it returns to the House.
“I respect the weight of the decisions before the president and the responsibility he carries to protect the American people,” Cuellar wrote. “However, I believe we must be careful with the language we use.”
“Strength and destruction are not the same. The words we choose matter, not just here at home, but around the world.”
“I continue to ask the administration for answers about our objectives, our long-term goals, and most importantly, a clear exit strategy,” he added. “So far, those answers have not been sufficient.”
Cuellar had previously voted against a war powers resolution earlier this year, joining a small group of Democrats who opposed halting the military campaign at that time.
Jeffries said Democrats will bring another war powers resolution to the floor as soon as the chamber returns to session, calling it a matter of privilege.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski criticized Trump’s language but stopped short of backing removal.
“The President’s threat that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran,” she tweeted.
The President’s threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight” cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran.
This type of rhetoric is an affront to the ideals our nation has sought to uphold and promote around the world for nearly 250…
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) April 7, 2026
“This type of rhetoric is an affront to the ideals our nation has sought to uphold and promote around the world for nearly 250 years.”
“It undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home.”
Former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former ally-turned- foe, also broke with Trump.
“Not a single bomb had dropped on America,” she wrote. “We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness.”
Trump was impeached twice during his first term and acquitted both times by a Republican-led Senate.
