Democratic congressional candidate and U.S. Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford today condemned Donald Trump’s latest threats against Iran as "reckless, dangerous, and deeply destabilizing," warning that the president’s rhetoric is "making the United States look weak, unhinged, and fundamentally unfit to lead."
“Donald Trump is humiliating our country,” Deford said. “When the President of the United States talks like a madman, threatens mass destruction with no discipline and no moral seriousness, and treats war like a spectacle, it does not make America look strong. It makes us look weak, unstable, and out of control. It puts our credibility at risk abroad and puts all of us at risk at home.”
Deford said Congress has an "immediate obligation to act before this crisis spirals further out of control."
“Congress must reassert itself as a coequal branch of government and make clear that no president has the authority to drag this country deeper into chaos without constitutional restraint,” Deford said. “This is a moment for moral clarity, for constitutional seriousness, and for political courage.”
Deford said the moment has also "gone far beyond ordinary politics and now raises a clear question of presidential fitness."
“The Cabinet should invoke the 25th Amendment,” Deford said. “This is not a question of party. It is a question of whether those entrusted with the fate of this Republic still possess the will to defend it. If the men and women around this president know he is unfit, and remain silent still, then they too will bear responsibility for the damage that follows.”
Deford also said that moments like this "test the character of everyone seeking public office, including those running to represent South Carolina’s First Congressional District."
“This is also a test of leadership,” Deford said. “Too many politicians, including candidates in this race, are staying quiet and waiting to see what happens. That is not leadership. Political courage is a rare commodity in Washington, but this is exactly the kind of moment that demands it.”