A social media post from President Trump on Sunday shocked Washington and the international community after the president issued a profanity-laced ultimatum to Iran on Easter Sunday.
The message, posted to Truth Social, demanded the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and threatened specific infrastructure strikes, prompting a sharp and sustained rebuke from MS NOW host Joe Scarborough during Monday’s broadcast of Morning Joe.
The controversy began Sunday morning, shortly after the successful rescue of a U.S. fighter pilot whose jet had been downed behind enemy lines. Trump took to his platform to warn Iranian leadership of “dire consequences” if maritime blockades continued.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” the post read. It concluded with an explicit command: “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
READ: Hell Of A Rescue: Trump Saves Airmen From Iranian Cliffs, Vows Jail Time For ‘Sick’ Leaker
Scarborough spent significant portions of his Monday morning program lashing out at the rhetoric, calling the statement both “obscene” and “outrageous.” He argued that the political world has become desensitized to behavior that would have ended previous presidencies.
“The muted response to a statement that would have been absolutely shocking and it would have shut down Washington had it been done by Joe Biden, by Barack Obama, by George W. Bush, by Bill Clinton, by anybody that sat in the Oval Office before Donald Trump shows you just how numb not only the Republican Party, but also a lot of members of the press have become,” Scarborough said.
The host specifically highlighted the timing of the post, noting it fell on a major religious holiday. Scarborough suggested the message was an insult to both Christians and Muslims, noting that the rhetoric comes at a delicate time for Middle Eastern diplomacy.
“On the most blessed holiday for Christians across the globe, the message that was being sent out again should have been insulting to the evangelicals who line up to support a president who doesn’t support a great deal of what they have at least claimed in the past have been their values,” Scarborough said.
He added that the post “insulted Muslims across the world,” which he described as “the last thing we want to be doing right now.”
The tension in the region remains high, though there are signs of potential diplomatic intervention. As the Tampa Free Press reported, Pakistan presented a formal peace plan to both the United States and Iran in an attempt to de-escalate the standoff.
Nevertheless, Scarborough attributed Trump’s aggressive stance to a perceived lack of progress in the ongoing conflict, stating, “Maybe we saw some of that frustration Easter morning with that absolutely obscene quote.”
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