The Constitutional plan to remove Donald Trump from the Presidency

A U.S. F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran. One crew member was rescued under fire, but the second was still missing on the ground in hostile territory with bounties placed on his head and Iranian state television telling civilians to shoot on sight. Four American aircraft were hit in a single day, two destroyed, multiple service members wounded. This happened less than 48 hours after Trump told the nation Iran had been "completely decimated" and had no anti-aircraft capability left. His response to a missing American: posting "KEEP THE OIL, ANYONE?" on Truth Social.

The Breakdown:
A U.S. F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran with two crew members ejecting onto hostile territory
Both Black Hawk rescue helicopters came under small arms fire, with crew members wounded
An A-10 Warthog providing air cover was hit and the pilot barely made it to Kuwait before ejecting
One American weapons system officer was missing in action with bounties on his head and has since been rescued.
Trump hid inside the White House all day, moving between the Oval Office and the dining room
The White House called a lid on the press, confirming Trump would not face the American people
Trump dismissed the worst day of the war in seven words: "No, not at all. No, it's war"
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired three generals in a single day, including Army Chief of Staff General Randy George
General George reportedly opposed sending ground troops into Iran and was told to retire immediately
Hegseth has now fired more than a dozen generals and admirals since taking office
Polymarket bets on U.S. ground forces entering Iran by end of April are trading at 85%
Blockchain analysts found six accounts that made $1.2 million betting on the exact date of the February 28 strikes
Someone with access to classified war planning appears to be profiting from military operations
Iran has been mining beaches and positioning anti-aircraft missiles on Kharg Island
Armed Iranian civilians jumped out of a car and shot at U.S. rescue helicopters with automatic rifles
Trump's approval is at 37.2% according to the FiftyPlusOne polling average, the lowest of this term
A CNN poll shows double-hater voters favor Democrats in the upcoming midterms by 31 points

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

I'm Heather Claney Reese, and you're listening to Hope for America, where every day I bring you the truth about our politics, our country, and the forces trying to destroy them. Together, we cut through the noise, expose the lies, and stay focused on what really matters, fighting for the survival of our country. On April 3, 2026, the President of the United States had been hiding from the American people all day inside the White House, moving between the Oval Office and the Oval Office dining room. In this critically dangerous moment that calls for visible strength, clear reassurance, and the steady promise of a president who is capable of rising to the occasion, we are instead being met with silence and closed doors. All while the situation overseas has deteriorated rapidly in a matter of hours, a U.S. fighter jet had been shot down, and multiple aircraft were sent into the rescue effort, and they were also hit. An American service member was missing in action, with bounties placed on his head. The F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran. Two crew members ejected and landed on Iranian soil. U.S. forces launched a rescue operation sending in Blackhawk helicopters to retrieve them. They were able to locate and extract the pilot, but both helicopters came under small arms fire on the way out, with crew members wounded before they made it back to base. An A-10 Warthog sent in to provide air cover was also hit by Iranian fire. That pilot barely made it to Kuwait before ejecting and being rescued. His aircraft was a total loss. The second crew member from the original F-15E was still missing. Some were on the ground, alone, in hostile territory, separated during ejection, armed with little more than a firearm, trained to hide and wait while forces close in and civilians were being told to shoot on site. Four American aircraft were hit in a single day, two destroyed, multiple service members wounded, and one was missing. And that happened less than 48 hours after the President of the United States stood in front of the cameras and told the nation that Iran had been completely decimated. He said they had no anti-aircraft equipment left and that their radar was 100% annihilated. He said we were unstoppable as a military force. CENTCOM's own commander said Thursday that Iran's air defenses had largely been destroyed, and then all of this happened. And everything they told us was proven wrong by the people who were supposed to have no ability to fight back. And as the days get darker, we have to admit a hard truth. The United States has fallen to a madman. I say this from a place of heartbreak. And I say that because I don't know what other word describes a president who receives news that an American is missing on the ground in hostile territory with a bounty on his head and state television telling civilians to shoot on site, and responds by posting, keep the oil, anyone? On True Social. That was his public reaction. Four words about stealing oil while an American weapons system officer was in such grave danger. While in hiding at the White House, Donald Trump did give two brief phone interviews, in one with an NBC News correspondent. He did miss the entire day in seven words when asked if the day's events could affect any negotiations with Iran. He said, no, not at all. No, it's a war. Which was an odd choice of words to describe what was happening in Iran, since he has continued insisting it's not a war, so he doesn't have to get congressional approval for this non-war. When the independent asked what he would do if the missing American was captured or harmed by Iranian forces, Trump said, Well, I can't comment on it because we hope that's not going to happen. And then he ended the call shortly after. He offered no warning to Iran, no projection of strength, no plan. He just ended the call. And then the White House called a lid on the press for the entire day, officially confirming that the president would not appear before cameras and that he would not face the American people on the single worst day of this war. By that evening, and as the day worsened for Trump, according to NBC News, his national security team had gathered at the White House for what could only be described as an emergency meeting. Instead of gaggling with the press that day, you know, before Easter weekend, his White House was in full crisis mode because reality had finally broken through. This war is a disaster. And we have to remember how it got to this point. The people who are normally in the room for decisions like this, whether to send Americans into combat or whether to escalate or pull back, whether the risk is worth the cost, are trained for these decisions. Many have spent their entire life studying warfare, understanding global consequences, weighing what happens on the ground and what it means here back at home. Donald Trump has never had that level of understanding. He has never shown the ability to step back and ask the most basic questions a leader should be asking in moments like this. What does this look like in the bigger picture? In his first term, he at least had people around him who could ground him in reality, people who brought him real intelligence, real consequences, real limits that are so desperately needed. This time he doesn't. Now he is surrounded by enablers, people who benefit from chaos and from escalation and from the dismantling of systems that were designed to protect us. And to make it worse, he may never hear the truth again. Because the generals who would have told him, who likely were trying to, were fired. The day before the worst escalation of the war. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forced out three generals in a single day. Army Chief of Staff, General Randy George, a 38-year-plus career infantry officer, a West Point class of 1988 graduate, who served in the Gulf War, the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War, and commanded at every level from company to corpse. And he was told to retire immediately. He was roughly three years into a typical four-year term. General David Hodney, who led the Transformation and Training Command, also referred to as T2COM, was also removed. So was Major General William Green Jr., the Army's chief of chaplains. No official explanation was given, but the word circulating among active duty and retired military, including Army Rangers, who were expressing shock and outrage is that General George opposed sending ground troops into Iran, although Axios described him as leaving over personality clashes. And this wasn't an isolated move. Hagsith has now fired more than a dozen generals and admirals since taking office. The Atlantic is reporting that discussions are underway about the possible departure of Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and also FBI Director Kash Vital, Army Secretary Daniel Drisko, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez de Remer, and the people replacing them will be chosen by the same criterion that has governed every appointment in this administration, loyalty at any cost, even if it involves the lives of our military members. I want to add that the costs go beyond just our military. There are civilians that are also being harmed and killed because of Trump's war. And we cannot forget them either. And while the generals who opposed a ground invasion were being fired, the evidence that a ground invasion is coming has been mounting. Beyond the buildup of troops in the region on Pali market, the prediction market platform, the bet for US forces entering Iran by the end of April is now trading at 85%, as of the writing of this. That bet has generated more than 99.9 million in trading volume. And the pattern of betting on this platform has been alarming. Blockchain analysis identified six freshly created accounts that collectively made$1.2 million by correctly betting on the exact date of the February 28th strikes. Those accounts were funded within 24 hours of the attack, and bets were placed hours before the first bombs fell? We have to ask the question. We need to understand what that means. That is the question we need to know. Are people in the administration profiting from this war? If troops on the ground do happen, it won't just make people rich. It has the potential to get a large number of people killed. But Trump isn't thinking about that or truly does not understand the risk. He told the Financial Times he thought the U.S. could take Karg Island very easily, and that Iran has no defenses there. The intelligence says otherwise. Iran has been mining the beaches, positioning shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles on the shoreline, and moving additional troops onto the island. It sits roughly 20 miles from the Iranian mainland, within range of missiles, drones, and artillery. Retired Admiral James Stevritis, the former NATO Supreme Alley commander, said he would be very worried about such an operation and that Iran would do everything they can to inflict maximum casualties on U.S. forces. And we saw what that looked like in practice. Because armed civilians jumped out of a car and were shooting at rescue helicopters with automatic rifles. That is not a military force. That is a general population. And it is a preview of what any American ground force would face. Trump ran on America first. The only thing that is first right now is Trump and his enablers. The rest of us are last. The world is last. The service members risking their lives are last. The families waiting to hear if their loved one is alive are last. The children who will inherit the consequences of this madness are last. So what do we do? We turn to Congress because that is where every single one of these threads converges. That is where the constitutional power to stop this still lives. The war powers clock is ticking. The strikes began February 28th. Without a formal authorization for the use of military force, the legal basis for this war has an expiration date. Congress can force that question. They can refuse to authorize continued operations. They can refuse to fund the$1.5 trillion proposal Trump is asking for. Every dollar requires their vote. The power of the purse is the most fundamental check in the entire constitutional system and it belongs to Congress. I want to say something about why the mechanisms of impeachment and the 25th Amendment exist. They were not created as theoretical exercises. They were built by people who understood that this exact scenario was possible, that a leader could rise who would not leave voluntarily, who would not feel shame, who would not resign the way Nixon did when the walls close in on their corruption. Nixon, for all of his crimes, still had enough awareness of the institution to know that staying would destroy it, and that he himself would face a worse fate. Trump does not have that awareness, and he does not have that dignity. And mechanisms exist because the founders knew that someday a president would lack both. That day has arrived. And as I shared recently, JD Vance has a choice in front of him too. He could invoke the 25th Amendment and become president. He would go into the history books as the one to end Trump's reign of terror. His presidency could shatter the MAGA stronghold because that cult-like devotion is personal to Trump. It would not transfer, because Vance does not have it. He is described as creepy, unlikable, and a chameleon with no fixed convictions. But he would be president and the spell would be broken, at least in that way. He will almost certainly never do it, because the cabinet has been purged of anyone who would support the move. But the option exists, and history will record whether he had the courage to use it or not. And if Vance will not act, Congress can, and they must. If every Republican stood together and said no more, they could end this. They could vote to stop funding Trump's madness, or they could take it one step further, and they could impeach both Trump and Vance. They could install new leadership. They could face the world and say our government was taken over by a madman. He was mentally incapacitated. We have cleared out that problem and we are making reparations to the world. The only way we get out of this war without mass American casualties and casualties beyond Americans into the Iranian civilians is if the people with the constitutional authority to act use it. And even then, I do not know if we can undo what has already been done. We have destabilized an entire religion, broken faith with allies who may never trust us again. But stopping it now is still better than letting it continue. And every day Congress refuses to act, the cost in lives and in damaged short standing in the world grows. I know how unlikely this sounds. I know the Republican caucus as it exists today is not built for courage. But I also know that Congress is facing a very messy midterm election cycle. It is in their best interest to come back from vacation now and take a stand. They must act immediately. And our job, every single one of us, is to make sure they hear from us so loudly and so consistently that the political math of inaction becomes more dangerous than the political math of standing up. Donald Trump is a once-in-a-generation madman. Every century seems to produce one of these figures who creeps up and somehow convinces people that they alone have the answers to all of their problems. They make promises based on simple solutions to complex problems. And then they deliver nothing while taking everything for themselves and their enablers. That is Trump. But every madman loses in the end because of those same lies. And a new CNN poll shows that roughly one quarter of Americans who view both parties negatively, the double haters, if you will, favor Democrats in the upcoming midterms by 31 points. These are not party loyalists. These are the most delusioned voters in the country, the ones who look at the entire system and feel disgusted. And even they have made a moral judgment about what the Republican Party has become under Trump. His approval, according to 50 plus 1 polling average, is at 37.2%. The lowest of his term and falling. The ground is shifting, and no one can deny that. Not because of one poll or one bad day, though, but because his corruption and chaos are collapsing under their own weight. And that's why I still have hope for America. And you should too. And remember, no matter how dark the days get, I will be here every single day. And together we will always have hope for America. See you tomorrow.