Harris: ‘American people do not support’ Trump ‘threatening to commit war crimes’

## Summary
Administration Harris: ‘American people do not support’ Trump ‘threatening to commit war crimes’ Comments: by Sarah Davis - 04/07/26 3:52 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Sarah Davis - 04/07/26 3:52 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Former Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against President Trump’s Tuesday threat to escalate military operations against Tehran. “The President of the United States is threatening to commit war crimes and wipe out a ‘whole civilization’ — all because he started a disastrous war of his own making and had no plan and no strategy for how to end it,” Harris wrote Tuesday afternoon on the social platform X. Kelly was one of six Democratic lawmakers who said they were investigated by the Justice Department last year after they posted a video advising military troops against complying with “illegal orders.” A grand jury declined in February to indict these members of Congress on charges filed by the Trump administration related to their participation in the video. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who also participated in the “illegal orders” video last fall, re-upped her concerns that military service members could be placed in “very real legal jeopardy” if they carried out the strikes Trump suggested on Tuesday. “The President of the United States is taking his threats against the Iranian people to new extremes,” Slotkin wrote on X . “Targeting civilians en masse would be a clear violation of the law of armed conflict as laid out in the Geneva Conventions, as well as the Pentagon’s Law of War Manual.” Democratic Rep. Comments: Link copied More Administration News See All Administration Blanche says DOJ providing counsel on legality of Iran strikes by Ashleigh Fields 8 minutes ago Administration / 8 minutes ago International Kuwait tells citizens to stay home as Trump’s Iran deadline looms by Max Rego 36 minutes ago International / 36 minutes ago Defense Top Armed Forces Democrat: Trump has ‘become as fanatical as the regime leaders in Tehran’ by Tara Suter 44 minutes ago Defense / 44 minutes ago Health Care RFK Jr. moves to broaden CDC vaccine panel eligibility after federal judge found new members unqualified by Joseph Choi 47 minutes ago Health Care / 47 minutes ago See All Video/Hill.TV See all Hill.TV See all Video THE HILL TV Rising: April 7, 2026 by TheHill.com 04/07/26 12:25 PM ET THE HILL TV / 4 hours ago THE HILL TV Rising: April 6, 2026 by TheHill.com 1 day ago THE HILL TV / 1 day ago THE HILL TV Rising: April 3, 2026 by TheHill.com 4 days ago THE HILL TV / 4 days ago See all Hill.TV See all Video Top Stories See All International China, Russia sink UN vote on Strait of Hormuz; 10 countries join US in support by Sophie Brams 2 hours ago International / 2 hours ago See All Most Popular Spanberger drop in approval rating ‘stunning’: Sabato China, Russia sink UN vote on Strait of Hormuz; 10 countries join US in support Democrats call for Trump’s removal over threat against Iran Trump’s gone too far: Invoke the 25th Amendment before it’s too late Graham: Iran will suffer 'massive military attack' Tuesday night without ...

## Article Content
Administration
Harris: ‘American people do not support’ Trump ‘threatening to commit war crimes’
Comments:
by
Sarah Davis
- 04/07/26 3:52 PM ET
Comments:
Link copied
by
Sarah Davis
- 04/07/26 3:52 PM ET
Comments:
Link copied
NOW PLAYING
Former Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against President Trump’s Tuesday threat to
escalate military operations
against Tehran.
“The President of the United States is threatening to commit war crimes and wipe out a ‘whole civilization’ — all because he started a disastrous war of his own making and had no plan and no strategy for how to end it,” Harris
wrote Tuesday afternoon
on the social platform X.
The president warned earlier Tuesday that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran did not comply with his administration’s demands by 8 p.m. EDT.
“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”
Trump’s former campaign rival called the post “abhorrent,” adding, “the American people do not support this.”
Harris joined a
slew of Democrats
on Tuesday condemning the president’s threat.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a retired Navy captain who has frequently clashed with the president on military issues,
called the proposed operation
“illegal.”
“If those words become orders to destroy civilian infrastructure with no valid military purpose, it’s hard to see how they would not violate the laws of armed conflict,” Kelly said. “America leads best with strength, discipline, and professionalism.
“Illegal orders to make civilians suffer would be a black mark on our military and our country,” the retired captain continued.
Kelly was one of six Democratic lawmakers who said they were
investigated by the Justice Department
last year after they
posted a video
advising military troops against complying with “illegal orders.”
A grand jury
declined in February
to indict these members of Congress on charges filed by the Trump administration related to their participation in the video.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who also participated in the “illegal orders” video last fall, re-upped her concerns that military service members could be placed in “very real legal jeopardy” if they carried out the strikes Trump suggested on Tuesday.
“The President of the United States is taking his threats against the Iranian people to new extremes,” Slotkin
wrote on X
. “Targeting civilians en masse would be a clear violation of the law of armed conflict as laid out in the Geneva Conventions, as well as the Pentagon’s Law of War Manual.”
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.)
called the president’s statement
“a threat of genocide.”
“The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted,” Ocasio-Cortez
wrote in an X post
. “To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat.”
Add as preferred source on Google
Tags
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Donald Trump
Elissa Slotkin
Kamala Harris
Mark Kelly
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments:
Link copied
More Administration News
See All
Administration
Blanche says DOJ providing counsel on legality of Iran strikes
by
Ashleigh Fields
8 minutes ago
Administration
/
8 minutes ago
International
Kuwait tells citizens to stay home as Trump’s Iran deadline looms
by
Max Rego
36 minutes ago
International
/
36 minutes ago
Defense
Top Armed Forces Democrat: Trump has ‘become as fanatical as the regime leaders in Tehran’
by
Tara Suter
44 minutes ago
Defense
/
44 minutes ago
Health Care
RFK Jr. moves to broaden CDC vaccine panel eligibility after federal judge found new members unqualified
by
Joseph Choi
47 minutes ago
Health Care
/
47 minutes ago
See All
Video/Hill.TV
See all Hill.TV
See all Video
THE HILL TV
Rising: April 7, 2026
by TheHill.com
04/07/26 12:25 PM ET
THE HILL TV
/
4 hours ago
THE HILL TV
Rising: April 6, 2026
by TheHill.com
1 day ago
THE HILL TV
/
1 day ago
THE HILL TV
Rising: April 3, 2026
by TheHill.com
4 days ago
THE HILL TV
/
4 days ago
See all Hill.TV
See all Video
Top Stories
See All
International
China, Russia sink UN vote on Strait of Hormuz; 10 countries join US in support
by
Sophie Brams
2 hours ago
International
/
2 hours ago
See All
Most Popular
Spanberger drop in approval rating ‘stunning’: Sabato
China, Russia sink UN vote on Strait of Hormuz; 10 countries join US in support
Democrats call for Trump’s removal over threat against Iran
Trump’s gone too far: Invoke the 25th Amendment before it’s too late
Graham: Iran will suffer 'massive military attack' Tuesday night without ...
GOP patience with Iran operation growing thinner as Trump escalates tensions
Retired general: Trump ‘an absolutely terrible commander in chief’
Gre

---

## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- Administration Harris: ‘American people do not support’ Trump ‘threatening to commit war crimes’ Comments: by Sarah Davis - 04/07/26 3:52 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Sarah Davis - 04/07/26 3:52 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Former Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against President Trump’s Tuesday threat to escalate military operations against Tehran. “The President of the United States is threatening to commit war crimes and wipe out a ‘whole civilization’ — all because he started a disastrous war of his own making and had no plan and no strategy for how to end it,” Harris wrote Tuesday afternoon on the social platform X.
- EDT. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?” Trump’s former campaign rival called the post “abhorrent,” adding, “the American people do not support this.” Harris joined a slew of Democrats on Tuesday condemning the president’s threat.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) called the president’s statement “a threat of genocide.” “The President’s mental faculties are collapsing and cannot be trusted,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in an X post . “To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders.

### Implications
- The president warned earlier Tuesday that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran did not comply with his administration’s demands by 8 p.m.
- EDT. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?” Trump’s former campaign rival called the post “abhorrent,” adding, “the American people do not support this.” Harris joined a slew of Democrats on Tuesday condemning the president’s threat.
- Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who also participated in the “illegal orders” video last fall, re-upped her concerns that military service members could be placed in “very real legal jeopardy” if they carried out the strikes Trump suggested on Tuesday. “The President of the United States is taking his threats against the Iranian people to new extremes,” Slotkin wrote on X . “Targeting civilians en masse would be a clear violation of the law of armed conflict as laid out in the Geneva Conventions, as well as the Pentagon’s Law of War Manual.” Democratic Rep.
- This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers trump, ago, president topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 936.