On March 22, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social: “Now with the death of Iran, the greatest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly Incompetent, Democratic Party!” The sitting President of the United States declared that the opposition political party — which represents roughly half of all American voters — is a greater enemy to the country than any foreign adversary.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries responded on CNN's State of the Union: “Donald Trump should keep his reckless mouth shut before he gets somebody killed.” Jeffries characterized the Iran conflict as a “reckless war of choice” and said Democrats planned to introduce a War Powers Resolution to end it, noting the military operation had already exceeded $30 billion.
The statement was part of an early-morning posting spree in which Trump also falsely claimed “the death of Iran” and issued threats about ICE agents at airports. The Daily Beast described Trump's posts as a “crazed” early-morning spree.
Labeling the opposition party as “the greatest enemy” a country faces is a hallmark of authoritarian governance. In democracies, the opposition is a legitimate part of the system — a check on power, not an enemy to be destroyed. Trump has previously called Democrats “the enemy within” and “vermin,” suggested using the military against them, and called for the prosecution of Democratic officials. Each escalation moves the rhetoric closer to the language used by leaders who ultimately abolished opposition parties entirely.