'This Is Evil': Trump Faces Backlash From Allies, MAGA Base Over Iran 'Civilisation' Remark

Last Updated:April 08, 2026, 03:39 IST

Trump's threat to destroy Iranian civilisation drew condemnation from Democrats, former allies and MAGA supporters, the UN chief, and the first American pope.

With hours left to go for his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to expire, US President Donald Trump’s latest threat to Iran hit a new extreme as he warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again" if Tehran fails to make a deal.

His remarks drew widespread condemnation from Democrats, who described him as “completely unhinged" and called for a US Congress session on the matter, former allies, some Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters, the United Nations chief and the first American pope.

Former Republican Congressman Majorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who split with him last year, called for invoking the 25th Amendment to impeach the US president. “25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilisation. This is evil and madness," she said.

She further said Trump was elected to go to war against America’s deep state and to end America’s involvement in foreign wars, not to kill an entire civilisation and wage a foreign war on behalf of Israel.

Lisa Murkowski, the Republican Senator from Alaska, said Trump’s threat “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 years. It undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home," she said.

Anthony Scaramucci, a financier who briefly worked in Trump’s first White House, urged Republicans to “wake up" because the president “is calling for A NUCLEAR STRIKE. Seek his removal immediately."

Joe Kent, a former counterterrorism official who resigned last month in opposition to the war in Iran, said in a post on X that if Trump follows through on his threat, the US “will no longer be viewed as a stabilising force in the world, but as an agent of chaos — effectively ending our status as the world’s greatest superpower."

“This would upend our economy and shatter the global order," Kent added. “The process is already underway, yet we still have time to avert catastrophe if Trump finds the courage to pursue serious negotiations rather than reckless rage and destruction."

Cracks Emerge In MAGA Base

Trump’s remarks also faced criticism from once-loyal media figures who had long sung his praises, including the likes of Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Matt Walsh. Carlson called Trump’s comments the “first step toward nuclear war."

Carlson had criticised Trump for going to war on behalf of Israel. “It’s hard to say this, but the United States didn’t make the decision here. Benjamin Netanyahu did," he said on his podcast.

Megyn Kelly, another Trump and MAGA supporter, said about American casualties on her show that “no one should have to die for a foreign country." She said, “I don’t think those service members died for the United States. I think they died for Iran or Israel."

However, some Republicans suggested that Trump’s comments were a negotiating tactic. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell voiced support for Trump’s war with Iran, saying, “They’ve been at war with us for 47 years. They’ve killed Americans. They killed Israel. They’ve killed throughout the Middle East our Sunni Arab allies, like Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia."

The White House has so far denied that the US is considering a nuclear attack on Iran and stressed that Trump “will always stand with innocent civilians while annihilating the terrorists responsible for threatening our country and the entire world with a nuclear weapon."

News world 'This Is Evil': Trump Faces Backlash From Allies, MAGA Base Over Iran 'Civilisation' Remark

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