WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump ignited a political firestorm on Easter Sunday after posting an expletive-laden warning to Iran and threatening further military escalation if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz and agree to a deal.

As Christians celebrated Easter, Trump demanded on Sunday in a post on his social media platform: “Open the Fin’ Strait, you crazy b**s, or you’ll be living in Hell.”

US Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, urged Trump to “please dial back the rhetoric.” On Meet the Press Kaine said Trump’s language was “embarrassing and juvenile” and raised the risk for US service members.

Senator Kaine said on NBC’s Meet the Press that the president’s rhetoric — “bombing them back to the Stone Age, cursing them” — was “embarrassing and juvenile,” arguing that the administration has shown “the absence of a plan, the absence of a clear rationale.”

“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 Trumps madness,” former US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who was one of Trump’s most vocal defenders before her recent resignation, said online about the president’s language.

In a statement posted on Instagram, the Council of American-Islamic Relations said: “The casual use of ‘Praise be to Allah’ in the context of violent threats reflects a disturbing willingness to weaponise religious language while simultaneously denigrating Islam and its followers.”

The US president also suggested a dramatic expansion of Washington’s involvement, telling Fox News chief correspondent Trey Yingst that Washington had sent weapons to Iranian protesters. “We sent guns to the protesters, a lot of them,” Trump said. “And I think the Kurds took the guns.”

He further warned Tehran of sweeping action if negotiations stall. “If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil,” Trump told Yingst, while adding that he believes he could secure a deal with Iran “by tomorrow.”

The remarks drew immediate condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans, particularly given their timing on a major Christian holiday.

“One month after starting the war in Iran, this is the statement of the President of the United States on Easter Sunday,” said Senator Bernie Sanders. “These are the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual. Congress has got to act NOW. End this war. Trump and Netanyahu started this war. Now they must end it.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticised the president’s tone and threats. “Happy Easter, America. As you head off to church and celebrate with friends and family, the President of the United States is ranting … on social media,” Schumer wrote on X. “He’s threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies. This is not who we are. Our country deserves so much better.”

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut called Trump’s attitude “completely, utterly unhinged,” adding: “If I were in Trump’s Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed that concern 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,” Jeffries said.

“Instead, 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.”

Criticism also emerged from within conservative ranks. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a staunch Trump ally, rebuked the president’s language. “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 wrote. “Our President is not a Christian and his words and actions should not be supported by Christians.”

However, some Republicans backed the president’s hardline approach. Florida Congressman Randy Fine wrote, “Hard pass. Bombs away. Until the nuclear terror threat is forever destroyed.”

Conservative commentator Laura Loomer praised Trump’s rhetoric. “This is what I voted for. Bomb jihadis back to the Stone Age where their mentality permanently lives,” Loomer wrote. “Trump said he’s going to bomb their infrastructure in Iran, and then he said ‘Praise be to Allah.’ On Easter. Amazing. Just amazing.”

Meanwhile, Middle East scholar Vali Nasr warned of broader consequences from the ongoing campaign. “Israel’s systematic bombing of Iran’s key industrial infrastructure — steel works, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals — is designed to destroy Iran’s economy, prevent post-war reconstruction, setting the country on the path to becoming a failed state,” Nasr said.

The latest exchange underscores the deepening political divide in Washington as the conflict with Iran enters its second month, with mounting questions on Capitol Hill about strategy, oversight and the risks of further escalation in the region.

With additional input from Agencies

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2026