'That is not who we are': Some Republicans break with Trump over Iran threats
'That is not who we are': Some Republicans break with Trump over Iran threats
SARAH BETH HENSLEY and JUSTIN GOMEZTue, April 7, 2026 at 9:08 PM UTC
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With hours until President Donald Trump's self-imposed Tuesday night deadline for Iran to make a deal or face U.S. attacks, lawmakers are reacting to the president's latest threats and wipe out a "whole civilization" -- with some Republicans speaking out against Trump's words.
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson broke with Trump on his threats to bomb Iran's civilian infrastructure, saying in a podcast, "I hope and pray" he is "using this as bluster."
"I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure ... We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them," Johnson, a Trump ally who rarely breaks with the president, said on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast out on Monday.
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE - PHOTO: In this Jan. 29, 2026, file photo, Senator Ron Johnson departs following a vote at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Texas Republican Rep. Nathaniel Moran said in a post on X that he does not support "the destruction of a 'whole civilization'" -- a reference to Trump's social media post on Tuesday in which he threatened that a "whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" although he said "I don't want that to happen."
"That is not who we are, and it is not consistent with the principles that have long guided America," Moran wrote.
And Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, also rejected Trump's threat in a post on X, calling his rhetoric "an affront to the ideals our nation" that "undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home."
Their reactions came after Trump has threatened to bomb bridges and power plants, which would be devastating for Iranian civilians. Some experts have warned that such actions could violate international law; many Democrats are saying it amounts to a war crime.
Asked on Monday if he is worried attacking civilian infrastructure would break international law, Trump said "No, no I'm not."
Earlier this year, amid an investigation into a U.S. military strike in an area where an elementary school was hit and dozens of children were killed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that "we, of course, never target civilian targets."
Trump has said that he will target those bridges and power plants in Iran if they don't open up the critical Strait of Hormuz -- giving Iran a deadline of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday to act.
Many congressional Democrats call Trump's threats to blow up Iran 'unhinged'
'Stop the madness'
Many lawmakers have lambasted Trump over his threat on social media to wipe out a "whole civilization." The comments also come on the heels of a profanity-laden Easter Sunday social media post where Trump threatened "Hell" if the Strait of Hormuz weren't opened up.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP, FILE - PHOTO: Prior to votes, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer makes a statement to a forum on climate change and the consequences for home insurance, grocery prices, and health care costs, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 26, 2026.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate's top Democrat, called President Trump an "extremely sick person" for threatening that a "whole civilization will die tonight."
"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 said in a post on X.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also called on Republicans to act.
"Congress must immediately end this reckless war of choice in Iran before Donald Trump plunges us into World War III. It's time for every single Republican to put patriotic duty over party and stop the madness. Enough," Jeffries said in a statement posted on X.
In a joint statement Tuesday, House Democratic leaders called for the House to return to Washington to "immediately" debate the war in Iran.
"Donald Trump is completely unhinged. His statement threatening to eradicate an entire civilization shocks the conscience and requires a decisive congressional response," the leaders stated.
The House, currently on recess, is not scheduled to have votes until April 14.
No Republican in Senate leadership, Speaker Mike Johnson nor any Republican leading relevant House or Senate committees has responded to ABC News' request for comment on Trump's post.
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Several other congressional Democrats are calling on Republicans to act as the war -- now in its sixth week -- continues.
"Trump's illegal war in Iran has already led to enormous death and destruction, including a school bombing that killed over 100 children. Congress must immediately act to rein him in before more people die," Washington Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal wrote in a post on X.
Matt Mcclain/Getty Images, FILE - PHOTO: Rep. Pramila Jayapal speaks outside the United States Capitol, on March 18, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, of Illinois, said in a statement on X that Trump's threat amounts to "mass murder" and that he is "urging every Cabinet Member and Republican leadership to call the President IMMEDIATELY."
"The Iranian people do not deserve this," Quigley wrote.
California Democratic Rep. Mike Levin slammed Trump's rhetoric, saying, "Threatening the annihilation of an entire civilization is dangerous beyond words, and hearing it from the person commanding our military should alarm every American."
Democrats who told service members to refuse illegal orders speak out
Several Democrats who appeared in a social media video last year that told U.S. service members they have a right to refuse unlawful orders are reiterating their message amid Trump's latest threats.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin reacted to Trump's Tuesday morning post, saying that if members of the military are "asked to do things that violate the law and their training, it puts them in very real legal jeopardy."
"I know that our service members up and down the chain of command know their duty and the law to refuse illegal orders. Even as the Commander-in-Chief tells the world otherwise," Slotkin wrote. "It’s moments like these that are why we made the video to service members last year. And I hope and believe our troops -- especially those in command -- will have the moral clarity to push back if they are given clearly illegal orders."
Sen. Mark Kelly appeared in the November social media video and said Trump's behavior is "making America less safe."
"After a 25-year career in the United States Navy, I have never met or served with anyone who so completely lacks the qualities of good leadership as Donald Trump does," Kelly wrote in a post on X.
Rep. Jason Crow, who also appeared in the social media video to service members, said members of the military "must only follow lawful orders."
"These are not the words of a sane person," Crow wrote on X about Trump's threat. "Calling for the elimination of a civilization is a war crime. As I’ve repeatedly said, our military must only follow lawful orders. Every American of good conscience must repudiate this."
'Complete demolition': Trump outlines 4-hour attack plan if Iran deal isn't reached by 8 p.m. ET Tuesday
Carlson, Greene react to Trump threats
Other conservative voices are breaking with Trump over his Iran threats.
Conservative broadcaster Tucker Carlson offered scathing criticism of the president, blasting his recent threats toward Iran and specifically Trump's threat to Iran on Easter Sunday.
"It is really the most real thing this president has ever done, and also the most revealing on every level. It is vile on every level," Carlson said of Trump's Sunday post during "The Tucker Carlson Show" on Monday.
Trump fired back at Carlson in a social media post on Tuesday morning, calling him a "low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what's going on."
Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reacted to Trump's Tuesday morning post, mentioning the 25th Amendment -- a potential vehicle for removing the president from office.
"We cannot kill an entire civilization," Greene said. "This is evil and madness."
ABC News' Allison Pecorin, Lauren Peller, John Parkinson, Nicholas Kerr and Will Steakin contributed to this report.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
