The Week Trump Got Bored of His Own War
Let us walk through a single week of the Trump presidency.
On Monday, Trump declared the Iran war "already won." On Tuesday, Iran's military spokesperson used Trump's own catchphrase against him: "Hey Trump, you are fired." On Wednesday, Trump told a Republican fundraiser that Iran had offered to make him their Supreme Leader — he graciously declined. On Thursday, a senior White House official told reporters that Trump is "getting a little bored with Iran" and "just wants to move on."
Also on Thursday, the White House social media team posted war propaganda using clips from SpongeBob SquarePants. The Communications Director's response to internal criticism: "The memes will continue."
On Friday, at a Saudi-backed investment conference, Trump invited the audience to ask him about sex. The clip got 3.7 million views.
On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations inside Iran — Special Operations raids, conventional infantry, possibly seizing Kharg Island. The 82nd Airborne is deploying.
Also on Saturday, 8-9 million people marched in the streets in the largest single-day protest in American history.
Let's be clear about what this means.
Thirteen American service members are dead. Over 1,900 Iranians are dead, including more than 200 children. The war has cost $25 billion and counting. Oil hit $126 a barrel. Gas is $4 a gallon. The Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of the world's oil flows — is blocked. Two-thirds of Iran's missile arsenal is still intact. Iran rejected the peace plan. NATO refused to help.
And the President of the United States is bored.
He receives his war briefings as 2-minute video montages of "stuff blowing up." He wasn't told when five Air Force planes were hit in Saudi Arabia — he found out on TV. His own resigned counterterrorism chief says dissenting views are "not allowed to come express their opinion to the president."
There is a word for starting a war you don't have the attention span to finish: reckless. There is a word for treating the deaths of service members and civilians as boring: sociopathic. There is a word for posting cartoon memes while people die: obscene.
This is not normal. None of this is normal. And the fact that we've become accustomed to it — that a week like this barely registers as unusual — is perhaps the most damning indictment of all.