Trump Is Betraying His Base By Waging War on Iran |
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On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump, head of the Board of Peace, winner of the FIFA Peace Prize, and ardent opponent of America’s pointless wars in the Middle East, initiated a massive military campaign of regime change in Iran. At the end of the day, he proved unable to overcome the dominance of Iran hawks inside the Republican Party, and more importantly, incapable of resisting the temptation to use military force for unclear ends.
This is perhaps no surprise given his traditionally poor impulse control. But the decision to start another war of choice is a betrayal not just of the president’s base, but also of the American people more broadly. Trump’s own senior advisors portrayed him during his presidential campaign as the peace candidate; Stephen Miller once described the Kamala Harris campaign as “warmongering neocons [who] love sending your kids to die for wars they would never fight themselves.”
On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump, head of the Board of Peace, winner of the FIFA Peace Prize, and ardent opponent of America’s pointless wars in the Middle East, initiated a massive military campaign of regime change in Iran. At the end of the day, he proved unable to overcome the dominance of Iran hawks inside the Republican Party, and more importantly, incapable of resisting the temptation to use military force for unclear ends.
This is perhaps no surprise given his traditionally poor impulse control. But the decision to start another war of choice is a betrayal not just of the president’s base, but also of the American people more broadly. Trump’s own senior advisors portrayed him during his presidential campaign as the peace candidate; Stephen Miller once described the Kamala Harris campaign as “warmongering neocons [who] love sending your kids to die for wars they would never fight themselves.”
Trump has now become what he once denounced, with longtime supporter Tucker Carlson describing today’s attacks as “absolutely disgusting and........