Donald Trump drew fierce backlash on Monday for remarks about sinking Iranian ships.

The president, during an address to House Republicans at his Doral golf course, was praising U.S.-Israeli military operations in Iran, claiming the “enemy” was being crushed “in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force.”

Trump: "I said, 'Why don't we just capture the ship? We could use it. Why did we sink them?' He said, 'It's more fun to sink them.' They like sinking them better." pic.twitter.com/nR6KOxFCTY

“Iran’s drone and missile capability is being utterly demolished,” he boasted.

Trump then turned to the Iranian navy:

“The navy is gone. It’s all lying at the bottom of the ocean. Forty-six ships, can you believe it? In fact, I got a little upset with our people. I said, ‘What quality of ship?’ ‘Excellent, sir, top of the line.’ I said, ‘Why don’t we just capture the ship? We could have used it? Why did we sink them?’ He said, ‘It’s more fun to sink them.’”

The comment prompted laughter in the room.

Trump continued:

“They like sinking them better. They say it’s safer to sink them. I guess it’s probably true. But, uh, think of it, we knocked out 46 and actually took three and a half days.”

Critics called the comments “disgusting,” “grotesque,” “sadistic” and suggested they will “play well at The Hague,” the home of the International Criminal Court. More than 100 people were reportedly killed in a U.S. attack on an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka last week.

“More fun to sink them” - we are governed by fundamentally unserious amoral children. https://t.co/5wSP5EogxX

Grotesque. https://t.co/54T4Pl3ppQ

This idiot’s addled confabulations are sentencing American troops to international arrest warrants. https://t.co/rSvAGo6K9m

This will play well at the Hague. https://t.co/9eLTgqocL0

Disgusting. Monstrous. Psychopathic. Sadistic. Evil. https://t.co/Dz8g1mQWaT

I often wonder who are those people who voted for a psychopathic, malignant narcissist, Machiavellian, sadistic, warmonger like Donald Trump as President. But then I find my answer in videos like these. When Trump cheerfully, with no regret speaks about sinking ships…there is… https://t.co/xwsSnfhutM

Dear God.(Capturing the ship would have been a far better move, especially if we offered the crew asylum.) This is basically admitting a crime. https://t.co/PVmdILdgpZ

Pathetic. Disgusting. Impeach. https://t.co/dM0prqHXJn

And the arseholes laughing? https://t.co/Ycn0tjnoVi

They've gone rogue. I've been saying that ever since they started sinking fishing vessels off the coast of Venezuela. This inflicting of cruelty when there were other options available is a measure of how it won't be beyond them to use nukes and worse. https://t.co/YDRb84YyPR

Sickening https://t.co/l76dP5Jd2g

Killing people for fun? https://t.co/2TlAJQaY7x

More fun to kill people…what a sick bastard https://t.co/ZTimAEDogh

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