WASHINGTON — Washington state’s federal lawmakers swiftly denounced President Donald Trump as “reckless” and “unhinged” after he warned Tuesday morning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not capitulate by his evening deadline.
About an hour before his 5 p.m. Pacific Time deadline, Trump announced the U.S. would suspend the bombing of Iran for two weeks. Iran later announced it had agreed to the ceasefire.
“These are the rantings of a bloodthirsty lunatic,” said Sen. Patty Murray, Washington state’s senior Democrat. “It is sick beyond measure to threaten to wipe out an entire civilization.”
Rep. Adam Smith, from Bellevue and the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, called it a “very frightening situation.”
“The president has become both unhinged and vaguely homicidal,” Smith said, adding that Trump’s threat — even if unfulfilled — has already inflicted “lasting, irreparable damage.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, pointed to the abrupt shift from escalation to talk of a ceasefire as evidence of what she described as reckless, destabilizing leadership, as Republicans framed the same sequence as proof of hard-line negotiation strength.
“Create unnecessary chaos, terrify the world, then walk it back and take a bow. Give me a break … The people aren’t fooled and Congress shouldn’t be either,” she wrote, calling for Trump to be impeached.
Ahead of the ceasefire news, Iranian Americans said they were rattled by the president’s threats. A demonstration was held Tuesday afternoon outside the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle to show solidarity for those in Iran.
The lawmakers, who return to Congress next week, vowed to force another vote on a war powers resolution aimed at pulling U.S. armed forces out of hostilities within or against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. Similar efforts have already failed along party lines, and even if it succeeds this time, it would likely be symbolic. Trump is unlikely to sign it.
But it would function, Smith said, to apply pressure on Trump to change course.
The majority of Washington state’s federal lawmakers have largely condemned the Trump administration’s war in Iran, which began in late February after U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Democratic lawmakers, alongside those nationwide, say Trump overstepped his authority by launching the strikes without consulting Congress, unjustly chaining the U.S. to a prolonged conflict with no clear exit.
The war has continued to split Congress as it drags deeper into its second month. Congressional Democrats mounted longshot attempts in March to curb Trump’s ability to deploy additional military force in Iran — efforts that failed without Republican support.
Reps. Michael Baumgartner, of Spokane, and Dan Newhouse, of Yakima, alongside most of their congressional GOP colleagues, have publicly backed the war and argued the president operated within his authorities. Both voted against efforts to restrain Trump. Neither of their offices responded to requests for comment.
Newhouse did not publicly react to Trump’s latest threat; Baumgartner reposted a statement on X that implied Trump’s rhetoric was a strategic choice, and later called the news of the ceasefire “a positive development resulting from strong American leadership.”
Trump issued the threat on Truth Social on Tuesday morning, about 12 hours before his deadline for Iran to agree to a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Otherwise, the nation will face punishing strikes, Trump wrote, “never to be brought back again.”
Zahra Eslami, a King County resident, said she has been consumed with worry for her family living in Iran. “I cannot even express it,” Eslami said. Communication has been sporadic, she said. “When they reach out, they just say, ‘We’re here, we’re alive.’”
Mahdie Seyed, a Redmond resident who emigrated from Iran, called Trump’s threats “a preadmission to a war crime.”
Imraan Siddiqi, executive director of CAIR-WA, a Seattle-based Muslim civil rights advocacy group, said it is “genocidal rhetoric.”
“This cannot be normalized — and we call on Democrats, Republicans and all people of conscience to hold this administration accountable immediately,” Siddiqi said in a statement Tuesday.
State Rep. Darya Farivar, whose parents hail from Iran, said she feels sick for Iranians. “I feel angry for Iranians, I feel scared for Iranians,” said Farivar, D-Seattle.
Farivar said she hopes Congress passes the war powers resolution. “I think that’s one of the most important and tangible things we can do right now,” she said, adding that Republicans must back the resolution as well. “Blood will be on their hands … if this continues.”
Murray called on Congress to return to session, joining House Democratic leaders in demanding a vote to “end this war immediately.” Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Sammamish, said Trump’s comments are “completely unhinged behavior” from the president.
“President Trump never had a plan or a strategy for this war he started and now is threatening tens of millions of innocent civilians,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina. “Republicans must stand with Democrats and put a stop to this reckless war.”
