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Don’t dismiss President Trump’s threat to destroy 'a whole civilization'

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Velshi Says Don’t Dismiss Trump’s Threat to Destroy ‘A Whole Civilization’

The MS NOW host and Citizen board member warns not to dismiss Trump's threats as anything less than a precursor to genocide, and a violation of international law

Listen

Velshi Says Don’t Dismiss Trump’s Threat to Destroy ‘A Whole Civilization’

The MS NOW host and Citizen board member warns not to dismiss Trump's threats as anything less than a precursor to genocide, and a violation of international law

BY Ali Velshi

Apr. 13, 2026

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Genocide does not begin with violence. It begins with language; it’s the slow, deliberate conditioning of otherwise decent people into accepting the unthinkable. “In just twelve words, Donald Trump crossed a line that cannot be ignored or walked back,” Ali Velshi says. Today, we must remember that there is no such things as only words. Words have meaning, and under international law, words can be crimes.

On his Truth Social account, the president of the United States threatened “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not comply with his demands. This comes after Trump threatened to destroy power plants and bridges in Iran. The targeting of civilian infrastructure, like genocide, is a war crime.

Genocide is made easier when the targeted people are no longer seen as people. History has shown the bridge between bluster and mass atrocity is dehumanization.

Presidents communicate to the public and the media what kind of situation we’re in and what kind of reaction is reasonable. The president of the United States did not threaten a regime or a military, he threatened 19 million human beings with their own culture, families, businesses, lives like ours. These threats fall within a globally understood and accepted legal framework. The Geneva Conventions don’t just criminalize genocide, they criminalize incitement to genocide.

Velshi warns that we cannot dismiss Trump’s threats as bluster. The American people cannot afford to stay silent.

LISTEN: TRUMP THREATS CONSTITUTE WAR CRIMES

 

WATCH: BETWEEN BLUSTER AND ATROCITIES LIES DEHUMANIZATION

 

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