President Donald Trump reneged this week on public threats to wipe out “a whole civilization” after reaching an 11th hour ceasefire with Iran. But the bell has been rung in Silicon Valley.
Santa Clara County’s congressional delegation isn’t backing down from calls to start Trump’s removal proceedings under the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which came in response to Trump’s Truth Social post Tuesday in regards to the U.S. war with Iran.
Trump wrote that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran did not meet a deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy and fuel trade. Later in the day, Trump said Iran and the U.S. had agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. The president has since focused his public remarks on a peace agreement and reconstruction in Iran.
But the president’s earlier words are still drawing condemnation from Democratic lawmakers, including those representing Silicon Valley.
Congressman Ro Khanna still supported the 25th Amendment proceedings as of Wednesday afternoon. He has increasingly positioned himself as the voice of Democratic opposition to the Trump administration — and has spoken publicly about eyeing a presidential run in 2028.
“Dragging us into a costly and illegal war isn’t America first,” he told San José Spotlight. “America first is new economic patriotism, creating good-paying jobs and putting the working class over the Epstein class.”
The 25th Amendment, adopted in 1967 after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, outlines procedures for replacing the president. Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday wrote a letter informing colleagues of a virtual briefing Friday to discuss the 25th Amendment.
Congressman and former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said dismissing the pause in fighting as another instance of Trump backing down doesn’t acknowledge the current “deeply dismal moment.”
“Didn’t have it on my bingo card that Pakistan would persuade an American president to stand down from threats to commit war crimes,” he said in a statement Tuesday. “Our president is deeply unwell, and the Cabinet must invoke the 25th Amendment.”
Liccardo’s feelings haven’t changed despite the relief of the ceasefire.
“Still applies,” he told San José Spotlight.
On X, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren called for an end to the “illegal war” and warned the president’s “erratic behavior” and “cognitive decline” have threatened the lives of millions of people.
“The 25th Amendment should be invoked to spare our country and the world from his increasingly unhinged behavior,” Lofgren wrote hours after Trump’s Tuesday morning post. “Congress needs to end this illegal war, and Speaker (Mike) Johnson needs to call the House back to vote on the War Powers Resolution.”
The outcry from Silicon Valley’s congressional delegation is significant, largely because some of these lawmakers have resisted earlier calls to invoke the 25th Amendment during Trump’s term, according to Santa Clara County Democratic Party Chair Bill James.
“Folks like Zoe Lofgren are careful to come to a point like that,” James told San José Spotlight. “Sam Liccardo is mindful about his image as a moderate. Ro Khanna is sensitive to Silicon Valley businesses. To have them come forward in this way is significant.”
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
