Senate Democrats are demanding Congress reconvene to impeach President Donald Trump following his warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight," regarding Iran.
Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, was among the first to call for immediate action. Speaking on CNN, Markey demanded that Congress reconvene specifically to impeach the president. "Congress must come back in session and impeach Donald Trump," Markey said. "What Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth were planning were war crimes. End of story."
Senator Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, echoed the calls during his own CNN appearance. "President Trump is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief," Kim said. "He has lost the trust and faith of the American people."
Calls for Trump's impeachment and removal have intensified since he launched his war on Iran, with the conflict reshaping the political landscape on Capitol Hill and among voters.
More than 60 Democratic lawmakers have joined calls for Trump's removal, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and Nancy Pelosi of California.
The calls echoed across the Democratic caucus within hours. Representative Sara Jacobs of California urged the Joint Chiefs of Staff to disregard any illegal military orders, warning that Republicans could no longer hide from the crisis. "The President just threatened genocide," she said on X. "We must consider all options, including impeachment, to stop Trump."
Representative Julie Johnson of Texas painted a darker picture. She described Trump's actions as reckless and pointed to American lives already lost in the Iran war. "This is a serious conflict, not a reality show," Johnson wrote on X. "What we're seeing now is insane behavior from a deranged president. It's time to invoke the 25th Amendment."
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut went further, arguing that Trump had lost his grip on reality. Writing on Substack, Murphy warned that the president was pursuing a war he could not win, one that threatened economic catastrophe and his own political survival. "The people around him should stop him from committing these war crimes," Murphy wrote.
Representative Joaquin Castro of Texas issued a direct plea to the cabinet. He said the president had continued to decline and was unfit to lead. "The members of his Cabinet must invoke the 25th Amendment immediately," Castro wrote on X.
The campaign in Iran has come at considerable political cost for Trump. His favorability rating fell to 39 percent approval in early April, down from 42 percent in late February before the war began, with 53 percent disapproving -- marking the lowest rating of his second term. Also, a majority of Americans support impeaching President Donald Trump, according to a new poll conducted by two progressive firms.
But Capitol Hill tells a different story. House impeachment requires only a simple majority. Democrats don't have it. Senate conviction requires two-thirds of that chamber, which remains solidly Republican. No votes for removal currently exist in either chamber.
During Trump's first term, the House impeached him twice. The Senate rejected the conviction both times. His second impeachment, for inciting the January 6 Capitol riot, drew 57 Senate votes, including seven Republicans, but occurred after Trump left office and fell short of the two-thirds threshold.
John Bonifaz, president and co-founder of Free Speech for People, commented on the newly released poll in a press release: "We're in a very polarized political environment, and generally that pattern has been true for a long time."
Connecticut Democrat John Larson said in a statement: "Donald Trump has blown past every requirement to be removed from office. And it's getting worse. His illegal war in Iran is not only driving up prices for American families -- it has cost American lives. He's becoming more unstable by the day. His profane and sacrilegious Easter Sunday and subsequent threats, including 'a whole civilization will die' and 'open the Strait...or you'll be living in hell' not only foreshadow war crimes, but put our security at risk."
President Donald Trump, at a rally in April, addressed previous articles of impeachment introduced against him, saying: "Today they did it again. Some guy that I've never heard of...is he a congressman? This guy, he said...'ladies and gentlemen, I am going to start the impeachment of Donald Trump.' What the hell did I do? Here we go again."
Republicans control both chambers, making impeachment unlikely to succeed. But the push to remove Trump could still damage his standing with GOP lawmakers. Democrats need to gain just a handful of seats to flip the House in 2026.