Infomastaro

By Steve Mollman

Weekend Editor

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President Donald Trump drew a wave of backlash on Easter Sunday after posting an expletive-laced ultimatum to Iran that threatened strikes on the country’s power plants and bridges if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime chokepoint for global energy shipments, amid the ongoing war.

The post quickly dominated political reaction in Washington, with critics warning the language could escalate the conflict and raise fresh concerns about whether the U.S. is signaling attacks on civilian infrastructure.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy b******s, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The post and the blowback to it partly overshadowed the widely hailed Saturday rescue of a missing U.S. airman in Iran and the reaction to that earlier on Sunday, which drew praise from both sides of the aisle.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Among Republican lawmakers allied with the president, there was little direct comment on the post itself. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who pushed for the Iran war, wrote of Trump on Sunday on X: "He is deadly serious when it comes to his ultimatum to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face a massive military response against vital infrastructure."

Far‑right political activist Laura Loomer, who has a history of anti‑Muslim remarks, wrote: "This is what I voted for. Bomb jihadis back to the Stone Age where their mentality permanently lives. Trump said he’s going to bomb their infrastructure in Iran, and then he said 'Praise be to Allah'. On Easter. Amazing. Just amazing. Strategic bombing wins wars."

'Threatening Possible War Crimes'

The backlash to Trump's post was swift on X. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, described the post as the president “ranting like an unhinged madman on social media” as Americans “head off to church and celebrate with friends and family.” Schumer warned Trump was “threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies.”

Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, also condemned the message, calling it “the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual” and urging Congress to act to end the war.

Trump’s estranged niece, Mary Trump, wrote: “It's not that Donald sent this as awful as it is; it's that nobody felt they could stop him or, worse, nobody thought they should.”

Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, responded simply: "Threatening war crimes. Unhinged, clueless, and embarrassing."

Senator Patty Murray, a Washington state Democrat, wrote: “This is a deeply unwell man on a dangerous power trip, threatening possible war crimes. This is not how the President of the United States should be speaking about sending our servicemembers into harm’s way. Republicans should join Democrats to end this war immediately.”

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'A National Security Threat to Our Country'

Some lawmakers responded by bringing up the 25th Amendment, which allows a Cabinet to remove the president from office, and replace him with the vice president, under certain conditions.

“If I were in Trump's Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment," Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, wrote on X. "This is completely, utterly unhinged. He's already killed thousands. He's going to kill thousands more.”

Representative Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat, similarly posted: “The 25th Amendment exists for a reason. The President of the United States is a deranged lunatic, and a national security threat to our country and the rest of the world.”

Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who was once a Trump ally, also criticized his post, writing to administration officials on X: “I know all of you and him and he has gone insane, and all of you are complicit.”

Politically, the backlash signals that arguments about the war’s legality, proportionality, and congressional oversight are likely to intensify—especially as lawmakers point to potential humanitarian impacts and the risk of widening the conflict.

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