US President Donald Trump did not take a break from his polarising rhetoric on Easter Sunday, delivering an expletive-laden attack on Iran that sparked criticism on Capitol Hill and beyond.

In his message, he warned Iran that “you’ll be living in hell” if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened.

He renewed his threat to unleash heavy bombing on Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran refused to unblock the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

While the Republican president is well known for his straight talk, the post on his Truth Social network raised eyebrows, especially on a Christian holiday.

“Happy Easter, America. As you head off to church and celebrate with friends and family, the president of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X.

“He’s threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies. This is who he is, but this is not who we are. Our country deserves so much better.”

For Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who opposes the war on Iran, Trump’s attitude was “completely, utterly unhinged.”

Murphy added: “If I were in Trump’s cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment,” referring to the clause that provides for a transfer of power if the president is unable to serve.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, also a Democrat, noted it was not the first time that the 79-year-old Trump had used stark language since the US and Israel launched their assault on Iran in late February.

“Bombing them back to the Stone Age, cursing them,” Kaine said on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ news programme.

“This is all embarrassing and juvenile, and it’s people trying to act like they’re puffed up and tough, when what we really see from the administration in this war is the absence of a plan, the absence of a clear rationale.”

Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on X: “One month after starting the war in Iran, this is the statement of the president of the United States on Easter Sunday. These are the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual. Congress has got to act NOW. End this war.”

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC’s ‘This Week’: “Donald Trump has gotten us involved in this reckless war of choice without any plan, any strategic objectives and no clear exit strategy … Billions of dollars are being spent every day to drop bombs in the Middle East when Donald Trump as a candidate promised to never get us involved in this type of conflict.”

‘Stop worshipping the president’

Criticism was not limited to Trump’s Democratic opponents.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former congresswoman who was once a staunch Trump backer but now a fervent critic, slammed his message, especially on Easter Sunday.

“Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the president and intervene in Trump’s madness,” Greene said in a post on X.

“Our president is not a Christian, and his words and actions should not be supported by Christians,” said Greene, who opposes US military interventions abroad.

Some, however, praised Trump’s fiery rhetoric.

Conservative firebrand commentator Laura Loomer, who speaks regularly with Trump and has described herself as an Islamophobe, had nothing but praise.

“This is what I voted for,” Loomer wrote on X.

Additional input from Anwar Iqbal