Trump Demands End to Iran’s Leadership Amid Khamenei’s Accusations Against U.S.

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Saturday, 17 January 2026 12:45 PM EST

President Donald Trump on Saturday called for an end to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s reign, stating it is “time to look for new leadership” as protests in the country appeared to be fading.

“The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” Trump said in a recent interview. “His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”

The president’s comments came after weeks of unrest in Iran, during which thousands of protesters across the country were killed.

Trump has repeatedly warned of possible U.S. military intervention and earlier this week urged Iranians to keep protesting and “take over institutions,” saying “help is on its way.” A day later, Trump shifted course, stating he had been informed the killings had stopped. “The best decision he ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago,” Trump said Saturday when asked about the size of a potential U.S. military operation in Iran.

Trump spoke shortly after Khamenei’s X account posted messages accusing him of being responsible for violence and unrest in Iran. “We find the U.S. President guilty due to the casualties, damages, and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation,” Khamenei wrote. In another post, Khamenei said Trump had mischaracterized violent groups as representing the Iranian people, calling it “an appalling slander.”

Trump responded by stating that Iran’s rulers rely on repression and violence to govern. “What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump said. “In order to keep the country functioning, even though that function is a very low level, the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control.”

“Leadership is about respect, not fear and death,” Trump concluded.

Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism.