‘I’m glad he backed off’: US political leaders relieved as Trump announces ceasefire | Donald Trump
Political leaders and many Americans breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday evening after Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire agreement after threatening to destroy Iran’s “entire civilization” if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his own deadline.
The announcement of the Pakistan-brokered deal came about 90 minutes before the 8 p.m. ET deadline, during which Trump vowed to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges in a move that legal and military scientists say would amount to a war crime.
“I agree to a two-week suspension of bombings and attacks against Iran, subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a post shared Tuesday evening.
Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be allowed under Iranian military rule for the next two weeks.
Trump had previously warned that “an entire civilization will die tonight.” will never be brought back again“If Iran does not allow commercial ships to pass safely through the strait. The president’s comments were swiftly condemned by Democrats, his longtime supporters who left Trump over the war, and by Pope Leo, the first American priest.
“I’m glad Trump is backing down and desperately looking for any way out of his ridiculous bluster,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday night, reacting to two weak reports of temporary ceasefires. Schumer had previously called Trump a “deeply sick person” who is waging a “immoral election war.”
Following his increasingly aggressive threats of impending destruction, dozens of House Democrats, including former speaker Nancy Pelosi, had called for Trump’s removal through impeachment or invoking the 25th amendment, a constitutional process that declares a sitting president no longer capable of performing his duties. Former Maga allies, including former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and far-right media personality Candace Owens, condemned Trump’s threats as “evil” and “madness.”
Many Republicans welcomed the president’s decision, calling it shrewd and tactical.
“Excellent news,” said Florida Senator Rick Scott. “This is a strong first step toward holding Iran accountable, and what happens when you have a leader who demonstrates peace through force rather than chaos and weak policies of appeasement?”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the House’s loudest and most aggressive Iran hawks, said Tuesday evening that he shared the hope that “we can end the Iranian regime’s reign of terror through diplomacy.”
But he added: “We must not forget that after the war began, Iran destroyed freedom of navigation by attacking the Strait of Hormuz. Going forward, it is imperative that Iran not be rewarded for this hostile action against the world.”
Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican with a history of breaking ties with Trump, chided many of the president’s critics for “clutching on pearls” over his bombastic rhetoric and once again taking the president “literally.”
“Breathe,” Crenshaw wrote to
