President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy “a whole civilization” by bombing Iran was strongly rebuked by members of Congress from the El Paso-Las Cruces area.
The backlash to Trump’s comments has not only come from Democrats but also some Republicans and Pope Leo, who appealed for peace and dialogue, calling Trump’s threat “truly unacceptable.”
About two hours before Trump’s 6 p.m.MT/7 p.m. CT deadline for Iran to make a deal on Tuesday, April 7, Trump announced that the U.S. would delay hitting Iran with a barrage of strikes for two weeks as both sides worked on a ceasefire.
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U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar was among those, including GOP former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, suggesting that Trump should be removed from office under the 25th Amendment.
“Donald Trump is threatening to eradicate the Iranian people. This is the bloodthirsty rant of a madman eager to commit war crimes. If the people inside his administration do not stop him, they are all just as culpable as he is,” Escobar, D-El Paso, said on a post on X.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 6, 2026.
Escobar, in a statement, called on Speaker Mike Johnson to reconvene Congress back in session and put the war powers resolution to a vote.
Escobar questioned whether Vice President J.D. Vance’s comments about having “tools” that so far haven’t been used implied that Trump may utilize nuclear weapons in Iran.
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“Those around the President must certainly know the danger he has put us in. It is for this reason that I — with a solemn but urgent disposition — publicly call on Mr. Trump’s cabinet to find the courage to prioritize our country, and indeed our world, over a deeply unwell man who has never put Americans first and invoke the 25th amendment.”
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, says President Donald Trump’s threat to end civilization in Iran is “the bloodthirsty rant of a madman.” File photo.
New Mexico leaders says Trump’s threats place U.S. at risk
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat from Las Cruces who represents southern New Mexico, said that Trump’s threats undermine the standing of the United States around the world.
“Generations of Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice in conflicts across the globe to establish the United States as the leader of the free world,” Vasquez said in a statement posted on X.
“Threatening mass civilian casualties at the hands of the U.S. is unprecedented and undermines our nation’s standing on the world stage,” Vasquez said. “These threats must be taken seriously, not just by Iran, but by the American people and Congress. I have voted to end this war of choice that is wrecking our economy and resulting in the deaths of servicemembers, and I urge my Republican colleagues to find the courage to take the violent threats made this morning seriously and work across the aisle to prevent our great nation from having blood on its hands.
“The American people want stability and security now,” Vasquez said.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, said in a statement that Trump’s threat to destroy “a whole civilization” was “unhinged AND threatens a war crime.”
“This is not some real estate deal that’s dragging on,” Heinrich said. “We are talking about the very existence of a nation and the millions of innocent civilians within it, folks whose oppression President Trump claimed to care about only weeks ago.”
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Trump Iran threat draws backlash from Texas, New Mexico leaders