In a post on Truth Social, the president dropped an F-bomb and wrote "Praise be to Allah" while making renewed threats against Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the Iran war continues.
"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 bs, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP," he wrote.
Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, urged the Cabinet to consider the 25th Amendment, which allows it to remove the president from office under certain conditions, calling the president's post "completely, utterly unhinged."
"If I were in Trump's Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment," he wrote. "He's already killed thousands. He's going to kill thousands more."
The "thousands" likely refers to civilians across the Middle East caught in the crossfire of the war as well as Iranian military personnel. U.S.-based rights group HRANA reported that 3,531 people have been killed, of which 1,607 have been civilians, and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have said at least 1,900 people have been killed and 20,000 injured in the strikes so far, according to Reuters.
This is in addition to the 13 U.S. military service members who have died during the war.
Newsweek reached out by email on Sunday morning to the White House for comment and context about the president's post.
On February 28, the United States and Israel targeted key military targets in Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other government leaders. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones targeting Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to global shipping lanes, is one of the world's most critical chokepoints for energy supplies. Roughly one‑fifth of global oil shipments pass through the strait, and any prolonged disruption could have major consequences for global markets.
Despite Trump's warning, the strait is not fully closed to international shipping. Vessels from a range of countries -- including China and some European nations -- have continued to transit the waterway, often under heightened security measures or with coordination from regional navies. Iranian officials have said the strait remains open to what they describe as the "world," while reserving the right to restrict access for perceived enemies, creating a patchwork system in which passage is uneven rather than completely blocked.
Trump's language drew a sharp rebuke from Iranian officials. In a statement posted by Iran's Embassy in Thailand, the mission criticized the tone of the president's remarks, saying: "We get it that you're a blood thirsty empire in decline, but you don't have to show your inferiorly by this language. Allah is far greater and all-encompassing to be used by your Najis mouth. Go ruin some more enterprise and never come back to global politics."
The 25th Amendment was drafted by Congress after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and ratified by 38 states in 1967. It was instituted to prepare for medical emergencies and incapacitation that could prevent a president from performing normal duties.
Section one of the amendment states, "In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President."
Section four states the vice president can become president whenever they, together with a majority of the Cabinet deem the president "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."
The 25th Amendment is widely regarded as a measure of last resort.
Trump, and his predecessor, Joe Biden, have regularly faced calls for their Cabinets to invoke the 25th Amendment with concerns centering on their physical and mental fitness to serve as president given their advanced ages. Both men set new records for being the oldest person elected president each time they won their election; Trump is currently just two months from turning 80 while Biden was 82 when leaving office in 2025.
Democrats have called for section four of the 25th Amendment to be called on several occasions since Trump's first term in the White House, including after the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
In August, Representative Maxine Waters called for the 25th Amendment against Trump after he removed Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve's board, saying he stood to upend the U.S. economy.
The new calls follow Trump's post on Truth Social: John Harwood, a former White House correspondent for CNN, wrote that "the 25th Amendment was written for precisely this situation."
"Trump cannot think clearly. He cannot function effectively as president. Unfortunately Republican Party leaders are weak, low-character people unwilling to even try acting honorably," Harwood wrote, receiving plenty of criticism in the responses to his post as people raised Biden's health concerns.
Adam Cochran, a professor at Mesa State College in Colorado, wrote that he would go "a step further" and argue that "failing to invoke the 25th Amendment at this point, is a violation of their own oaths to this country."
"It should be seen as nothing short of criminal negligence, and they should be held fully liable for the death and destruction that stems from this," he added.
Patrick Henningsen, founder of the outlet the 21st Century Wire, wrote that Trump posted a "satanic rant on Easter" and called the post an "abomination" and "disgrace to his office & the country."
"For the good of the nation, and safety of the world - this failing President needs to be removed from office ASAP," he wrote. "If anyone in Washington has any integrity left they would be working to find a way to remove this rogue actor & his psychotic cabinet before they drag us all into WWIII. Their loyalty should be to the country, not the octogenarian psychopathic reality TV star masquerading as POTUS...."