Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tore into President Donald Trump on Monday, condemning his recent social media posts as dangerous and disgraceful while calling for accountability over threats she described as promising “civilizational genocide.”
Clinton’s blistering criticism came during a wide-ranging interview on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” where she addressed Trump’s increasingly inflammatory rhetoric on Truth Social and what she characterized as the administration’s failed diplomatic approach to the ongoing Iran war. The 79-year-old president had set—and then backed off from—an 8 p.m. deadline threatening mass destruction of Iranian civilian infrastructure.
“Trump has become fully unhinged and we should talk about it,” Clinton wrote on X following her television appearance.
The former 2016 Democratic presidential candidate zeroed in on several of Trump’s recent posts, including his Tuesday morning warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” in Iran without a diplomatic deal. Clinton also condemned Trump’s decision to share a now-deleted AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ on Orthodox Easter Sunday—a post that drew backlash even from conservative Christians and former allies.
During her conversation with hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, Clinton emphasized the gravity of presidential rhetoric in international affairs. She slammed Trump’s current approach to Iran as “incoherent” and warned that the United States now finds itself in “a very weak position” after the president’s aggressive threats failed to secure a lasting agreement.
“When you look at the last week of unhinged rants coming from Trump’s social media account, it’s just disgraceful,” Clinton said on the program, noting him threatening “civilizational genocide” and attacking Pope Leo XIV.
Clinton’s criticism extended beyond Trump’s social media presence to the administration’s broader diplomatic strategy. Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner met with Iranian officials in Pakistan over the weekend but failed to secure a deal—talks that lasted more than 21 hours before collapsing. Following the breakdown, Trump announced a naval blockade of all Iranian ports beginning Sunday morning.
She argued that effective diplomacy requires sustained engagement rather than brief, high-profile visits. Clinton mocked the administration’s reliance on the same negotiators across multiple simultaneous crises—Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza—as “a joke,” adding that reaching agreements requires “hours of sitting in a chair” that “Trump and his people are unable to do.”
The diplomatic setback in Islamabad came amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Trump had set an 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday deadline for Tehran to meet his terms, warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if they failed to comply. The president announced a two-week ceasefire deal approximately 90 minutes before the deadline, though Iranian strikes on Gulf nations and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have already tested the agreement’s durability. Netanyahu’s government has said the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon.
Clinton’s comments arrive as multiple Democratic lawmakers have called for Trump’s removal from office following his threats against Iran. Rep. Linda Sánchez told NewsNation’s Leland Vittert on Thursday that the president’s behavior warranted serious consequences. “When somebody threatens a genocide and has the nuclear codes, there is a problem,” Sánchez said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez characterized Trump’s Tuesday post as “a threat of genocide” that “merits removal from office,” adding that “the President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted.” Even after the ceasefire announcement, the New York Democrat maintained her position, writing that the “statement changes nothing” and demanding Trump’s removal “whether by his Cabinet or Congress.”
In a striking development, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene joined Democrats in calling for the president’s removal. “25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization,” Greene wrote on X, calling Trump’s rhetoric “evil and madness.” The former Georgia congresswoman, once among Trump’s most ferocious defenders, resigned from Congress on January 5 following a bitter public feud with the president over the Epstein files and his handling of the Iran war.
Sen. Chris Murphy added his voice to the chorus of concern, writing on X: “If I were in Trump’s Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment. This is completely, utterly unhinged.” The 25th Amendment provides a mechanism for removing a president deemed physically or mentally unfit for office, though it requires action by the vice president and a majority of Cabinet members—none of whom have indicated any willingness to act.
More than 70 Democratic lawmakers called for Trump’s removal in the wake of his threats, according to NBC News. Democratic lawmakers also expressed alarm over Trump’s Easter Sunday post, in which he ordered Tehran to “Open the F‑‑‑in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in **** – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
Sánchez echoed concerns from her Democratic colleagues about invoking the 25th Amendment, arguing that Trump’s threats crossed a dangerous line. She emphasized that targeting civilian infrastructure like power plants and water facilities would constitute war crimes under international law.
The controversy highlights deepening tensions between the White House and congressional Democrats over Trump’s approach to foreign policy and his use of inflammatory language on social media platforms. Clinton’s intervention represents one of the most forceful rebukes from a high-profile Democrat since Trump took office in January 2025, coming as the U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports took effect Monday morning and oil prices surged toward $100 per barrel.
As calls for impeachment or removal grow louder and the fragile ceasefire with Iran appears to have collapsed, the administration faces mounting pressure to address concerns about the president’s rhetoric and the effectiveness of its diplomatic efforts. Vice President Vance announced Sunday that talks had failed to produce an agreement, setting the stage for what could be another dangerous escalation in the conflict.
