Tillis and other NC lawmakers respond to Trump’s Iran tirades as Congress returns
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Trump demanded Iran open the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to destroy Iran.
- Sen. Thom Tillis was among the Republicans who criticized Trump’s rhetoric this week.
- Democratic Rep. Valerie Foushee joined dozens calling for 25th Amendment proceedings.
Good morning! It’s Danielle Battaglia with the latest edition of Under the Dome focused on the Trump administration.
What a week.
President Donald Trump threatened to kill “a whole civilization” in Iran in a social media post that riled up members of Congress and many Republican pundits.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
In an Easter message two days earlier, Trump had posted a profane message telling Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or “be living in hell!”
The Strait of Hormuz is a major oil trade route connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. Iranian forces shut down the strait after the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
Trump gave Iran until 8 p.m. Tuesday to open the strait or face total destruction. Less than two hours before his deadline, he announced a cease-fire agreement.
That agreement seems to be on thin ice though, as Iran continues letting few ships pass through the strait and is confounded by Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon, a country Iran’s leaders said they thought was part of the ceasefire.
As I was in the middle of writing this Friday afternoon, Trump put out a new post, writing: ”The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!”
Tillis says don’t make excuses for Trump’s comments
Many Republicans have stopped short of condemning Trump’s tirades over the past week.
Rep. Pat Harrigan, a Republican from Hickory, told a reporter: “I would have chosen a different way to go about this. But I don’t think that the president actually intends what has been communicated here, or what some people fear he’s talking about. There’s not even 1% of me that thinks that that’s the case.”
He added that Trump was giving Iran one last chance to come to the table.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, told WBT that people who are making excuses for Trump’s rhetoric are too scared to tell Trump he went too far.
“When you tell 92 million people — 80 million of which probably wish to hell we’d be successful in Iran — that they may cease to exist, that’s just not good leadership, in my opinion,” Tillis said. “And anybody who excuses it because the dude grew up in New York, I think, is either being a chicken or they’re uninformed.”
Tillis supports both freeing the Iranian people and getting rid of the country’s nuclear weapons, he said.
“I think that we need to tighten up our message, tighten up our focus, and end the broad swings of a destruction of a civilization,” Tillis said. “’Oh, no, never mind. We’re going to talk peace.’ That’s just not how the United States operates. And the United States is at its best when we communicate only what’s necessary to give the American people and the world population an indication of where we’re headed; and then when we actually realize the goals that we set forth consistently we’re really at our best.”
War powers push
Tillis also worries Trump’s messaging could have ramifications, like Congress not extending Trump’s efforts in Iran.
Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a president has 60 days before he has to go before Congress and seek permission to continue, or be forced to end the attacks.
Trump hits that deadline at the end of April.
And this is where Rep. Valerie Foushee, a Democrat from Hillsborough, has carved out a path to be a key person to watch from North Carolina on where the efforts on Iran move forward.
Congress left Washington two weeks ago for a recess. They return this week and must face the fallout.
Foushee is one of dozens of Democrats calling for Trump’s Cabinet to implement the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.
She also signed onto a separate War Powers Resolution “to stop all U.S. military involvement in Israel’s hostilities in Lebanon.”
“Trump’s incoherent threats regarding his war in Iran, and more throughout this Administration, indicate that he may not be fit to carry out the duties of his office,” Foushee wrote on social media. “I’ve been proud to support impeachment proceedings against Trump throughout his term, but this level of detachment from reality means that 25th Amendment proceedings must begin immediately.”
Welcome back to Washington!
Headlines you won’t want to miss
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- New DHS secretary vows to ‘ease the pain’ after slow WNC Helene recovery under Noem
- Budd praises Mullin’s momentum on NC Helene relief. He sees more red tape to cut.
- What NC’s members of Congress said as Trump threatened to destroy Iran
- DeCarlos Brown Jr. found incompetent to proceed in Charlotte light rail killing
- Former NC Army employee charged with leaking classified defense information
- Both NC Senate candidates are talking about high prices. Who will voters believe?
- Lawsuit over Trump’s new tariffs goes to court. NC’s attorney general signed on.
- Feds continue to send millions to support Triangle’s local bus service
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and supporting local journalism.
Be kind to each other. If you have any feedback or tips for this edition of the newsletter, feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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