OKLAHOMA CITY – Despite statements from Democratic leaders nationwide, global government officials, United Nations leaders, far-right pundits, and even the Pope all condemning President Trump’s threats Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die” in American strikes across Iran, Republican congressional officials representing OKC have remained silent.
Early Tuesday morning, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform:
That post resulted in a day of global uncertainty that saw pushback, denouncements, market volatility, and scrambling intermediaries, culminating Tuesday evening in an announcement of a two-week ceasefire and an extended deadline for the Trump administration’s demands to be met, primarily a reopening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil-shipping lane.
Tuesday’s escalations come after weeks of intense bombing campaigns by the United States and Israel across Iran, actions that have seen retaliation in the forms of broader regional strikes, an American airman shot down, and the blockaded strait, which has wreaked havoc on the global economy and oil availability.
With estimates showing over 3,000 dead across the region in recent weeks, Trump’s statement Tuesday morning was quickly interpreted to be threatening potentially thousands more, including civilian casualties and targeted civilian infrastructure, moves that would constitute war crimes, according to accepted international law.
Oklahoma’s federal congressional delegation, all Republicans, joined a majority of other officials in their party in staying silent and declining to comment on the extreme nature of the President’s threats, even as a number of major figures from their own end of the political spectrum joined Democrats, the U.N., and Pope Leo in denouncing them.
Repeated attempts by Free Press to reach the offices of Representative Stephanie Bice, Representative Frank Lucas, and Senator James Lankford were all unreturned Tuesday evening, and none had made any post or statement of their own regarding the President’s violent rhetoric.
Many others across the nation and the world, however, firmly denounced Trump’s escalating statements and threats of criminal wartime actions, including UN Secretary General António Guterres, who said he was “deeply troubled” by the rhetoric, and Pope Leo XIV – the first-ever American in the role – who called Trump’s threats “truly unacceptable.”
Those sentiments were echoed by prominent Democrats in Congress, such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who characterized the President’s statement as “a threat of genocide” and called for his removal from office.
But joining those rebuking the Republican President were a range of major far-right figures, many of whom long supported President Trump.
Internet pundits Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones both loudly denounced the recent escalations of Trump’s rhetoric and made calls for officials to intervene or disobey orders to commit mass casualty actions in Iran, and former Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene – a one-time staunch Trump supporter – called for invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the President.
As of publication Tuesday evening, none of the figures that opposed Trump’s extreme rhetoric and threats Tuesday had reversed their opinion since the announcement of the ceasefire.
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
