CNN host pushes back on Democrat calls to impeach Trump
NEW YORK (AP) — CNN anchor Michael Smerconish offered a pointed rebuttal Saturday to Democratic calls for President Donald Trump’s impeachment and invocation of the 25th Amendment, arguing that a detailed account of White House deliberations ahead of strikes on Iran contradicts the narrative that Trump is mentally unfit for office.
Smerconish opened his remarks by referencing a dinner that comedian and television host Bill Maher held with Trump at the White House earlier this year, which drew sharp criticism from some on the left. Smerconish said he sided with Maher’s decision to engage rather than demonize. “In a choice between two of my favorite comedians, I stood with Maher on theory that it is better to have dialogue and to break bread than to demonize,” Smerconish said on air.
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The CNN anchor then summarized reporting from The New York Times detailing the deliberative process that preceded Trump’s approval of what officials called Operation Epic Fury, a military strike targeting Iran. According to that account, senior administration officials including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe debated the merits of military action at length. Vance was described as the most vocal opponent of a strike, while Ratcliffe presented intelligence indicating a rare opportunity to target Iranian leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump ultimately approved the operation aboard Air Force One approximately 22 minutes before a self-imposed deadline.
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🚨NEW: CNN's Michael Smerconish *OBLITERATES* calls to remove Trump from office🚨
"You'd expect the guy that posts about a whole civilization dying would be simultaneously busting up the White House furniture — but there's NEVER been ANY reporting of Trump like that behind… pic.twitter.com/gA2bnbRcnj
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) April 11, 2026
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Smerconish argued the Times account undercut Democratic characterizations of Trump as impulsive and unstable. “It shows airing of competing views, some open to dissent, reliance on legal counsel, and a deliberative process, not the impulsivity with which Trump is so often associated,” he said. “There is nothing in the Times behind-closed-doors account of an unstable Trump at the same time that he was playing the madman card in public.” Smerconish added: “It is not that there is a method to his madness, it is that the madness is his method.”
Democratic lawmakers renewed calls for impeachment proceedings and 25th Amendment action in recent days following Trump’s public posts on Truth Social during a period of heightened tensions with Iran. A ceasefire brokered by Pakistan was announced roughly 90 minutes before Trump’s stated deadline expired. Smerconish concluded that the Times reporting and the outcome of the Iran standoff pointed to the same conclusion Maher reportedly drew from his dinner with Trump: that the president had demonstrated patience and deliberation under pressure. “That is not nothing, and it is certainly not the behavior of someone who needs the 25th Amendment invoked or warrants impeaching,” he said.
Reporting by Celeb BNews staff.