President Donald Trump reacts as he welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) at the White House in Washington, D.C., September 29, 2025. REUTERS Kevin Lamarque
President Donald Trump continues to receive sharp rebukes in his adopted home state, with the editorial board of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel tearing into his recent Iran rhetoric and likening him to a "genocidal maniac."
The paper's board published the scathing take down on Thursday, writing that "never in our history has a leader made such a ghastly threat as President Trump did," when, over the Easter weekend, he threatened to obliterate Iran's "whole civilization" if its government did not accept U.S. demands and reopen the Strait of Hormuz for oil shipments. The board noted that Trump "fortunately" backed down at the eleventh hour, citing an increasingly tenuous ceasefire agreement, but it also questioned what the motivating factors behind the decision truly were, and how strong the supposed peace really is.
"To some, it was just another TACO Tuesday (Trump Always Chickens Out)," the board wrote. "It’s preferable to think that he got wisdom rather than cold feet. Regardless, it was the right choice. Still, it’s only a truce with Iran, a 14-day pause on what would have become — and might yet be — a monstrous war crime and an indelible stain on our nation."
The board continued: "It is encouraging that the Trump administration and Iran both claim victory, which would be an excuse to call off the war. There are unconfirmed reports that some U.S. commanders were refusing to carry out genocidal orders, and that would be good news, too. But the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and Israel, the U.S. partner in misadventure, was still waging war in Lebanon Wednesday."
The Sun-Sentinel further argued that Congress must "intervene" against Trump's Iran conflict, calling for a war powers resolution to bar further military action against the Middle Eastern nation, "a serious investigation of his mental fitness" and impeachment proceedings, even if actually impeaching the president would be impossible under the current circumstances.
The board expressed deep concerns about what the handling of the conflict has revealed about Trump's fitness for office, echoing increasingly widespread concerns about his state of "mental decay."
"The nation and the world have long since become accustomed to Trump’s loutish behavior, coarse vocabulary and disrespect for the dignity of his office and America’s reputation," the board continued. "But his increasingly erratic conduct of late commands the attention of Congress, because it bears unmistakable signs of worsening mental decay in someone who can singlehandedly order the use of nuclear weapons. A telling symptoms of dementia is a loss of inhibition. Until now, presidents appreciated the power of their words, and whatever their private thoughts, none ever spoke so venomously as Trump at war."
The board concluded: "Whether our nation is at the whims of a madman is a question Congress should pursue."