President Donald Trump on Sunday called for the impeachment of Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, escalating a war of words after the lawmaker publicly condemned Trump's decision to abandon the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and cast doubt on the new preliminary agreement with Tehran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Reed of lying about the merits of the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the new deal struck by his administration. “Senator Jack Reed, a Dumocrat from R.I., lied when stating the the Deal we just made is not as good as the Obama disaster known as the JCPOA,” Trump wrote. “Reed is either an outright fraud, or incompetent.”
Trump went on to describe the Obama-era pact as a “road to a Nuclear weapon for Iran,” while touting his own agreement as “a WALL against Iran ever having a Nuclear weapon.” He concluded his post with: “Impeach Jack Reed!”
A sitting senator cannot be impeached; expulsion requires a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, an extremely high bar. The call nonetheless underscores Trump's willingness to target individual lawmakers who challenge his foreign policy decisions.
Reed's comments came during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, where he characterized the new deal as a “birthday gift” for Trump that fails to meaningfully improve U.S. security or achieve long-term non-proliferation goals. “First of all, we’re in a much worse position than we were under the JCPOA,” Reed told host Shannon Bream. “The breakout time … was 12 months during the JCPOA. Today it’s a week.”
Reed also argued that abandoning the original accord was a “bad mistake” by the president and that any attempt to renegotiate from current conditions would be difficult, especially given the more hardline leadership now in power in Iran.
On Sunday, Trump and Vice President Vance signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, initiating a 60-day negotiation period to build the framework for a longer-term agreement. Details remain sparse, though the full text is expected to be released Friday. Critics, including former President Barack Obama, have warned the new pact may simply mirror the JCPOA's terms.
In response to Trump's online tirade, Reed told reporters Monday: “The president does not like to be questioned in any way, shape or form, which is bad for an executive. Executives — the good ones — listen to criticism and then rationally dispose of or concur with it. That was just a tirade by someone who was upset.” He added, “And I think he was upset because there was a lot of truth in my statement. We don’t have a deal yet — we have a deal to make a deal.”
The dispute arrives as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has demanded a full briefing on the murky terms of Trump's Iran deal, reflecting broader unease on Capitol Hill about the administration's approach to Tehran.
Meanwhile, Trump's noncommittal stance on attending the deal's signing ceremony has added to the confusion. Even as the president pushes forward, the political fallout continues, with Reed now the latest target of Trump's ire.
