Primarily through social media posts, the five-time draft-dodging President of the United States has waffled between ultimata and premature declarations of success, dragging not only our country, but several others into the muddled mess that he created by usurping the power to declare war from the US Congress.
Consider his words and the actions of his administration, as well as the responses from Iran, from the end of February until now:
February 28th – “…imminent threats from the Iranian regime.” – no context for “imminent”, even though he claimed to have decimated Iran’s nuclear abilities in June 2025. The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran killing 175 people, including several children at a girl’s school.
March 1st – An Iranian drone killed 6 US soldiers. Trump claimed to the New York Times that the US and Israel will continue to attack Iran for “four to five weeks.”
March 2nd – Iran formally closed the Strait of Hormuz.
March 7th – Trump stated, “We’re winning the war by a lot.”
March 9th – Trump stated that the war would be over “very soon,” and “the war is very complete, pretty much.”
March 11th – At a rally, Trump stated, “Let me tell you, we’ve won.”
March 11th-13th – Iran struck ships in the Strait of Hormuz while the U.S. bombed Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub.
March 14th – Trump stated “Many countries…will be sending War Ships.”
March 15th – Trump threatened NATO with a “very bad” future if its members fail to help the U.S. with the war in Iran.
March 18th – Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars gas field and Iran attacks Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City which is the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant.
March 19th – US launched ops to reopen Strait of Hormuz.
March 20th – Trump stated, “Oh, I think we’ve won.”
April 1st – Trump said about NATO, “I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way” and, about Iran, “we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.”
April 5th – “Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!” Trump, on Easter Sunday. The Strait remained closed.
April 7th – Trump threatened to “destroy a whole civilization [Iran],” then announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran.
April 8th – Iran releases 10 demands which they claim Trump agreed to and therefore briefly opened the Strait of Hormuz. Iran closed the Strait due to Israel’s attack on Lebanon.
April 11th-13th – US blocked the Strait of Hormuz
April 17th-18th – Trump claimed Iran “agreed to everything” and “The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready for business and full passage,” but the naval blockade remained in place.
April 20th – Trump threatened that if Iran doesn’t sign a U.S.-backed deal, the “whole country is getting blown up.” The US seized an Iranian tanker.
April 23rd -Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to ”shoot and kill any boat” that is laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
If you feel whipsawed, it is because you are. People who are incompetent, like Trump, often make wild claims, back down, double down on threats, declare victory prematurely, and flail until they are finally removed from power. Of course, Trump has no ability to make real peace, diplomatic agreements, nor will he improve the situation. He is a stupid bully who was voted into office by those to whom abuse, especially the patriarchal type, is familiar.
But the straightforward truth is: The American People are losing. We are losing our national security by wasting resource-intensive weaponry on Iran, instead of stock-piling it in the event of an attack by an actual enemy. We are losing money every day to this war that one mere mortal man started so that we don’t have the money for actual defenses, or programs and agencies that help the American People thrive. We are losing our money to inflation at the gas pumps especially, but also to high-priced groceries, and light bills. We are losing our trusted relationships with key Allies who rightly recognize not to help the United States while its power is in the throes of a lunatic who is desperate for attention and admiration.
And we are losing our Democracy while Republicans in Congress abandon their power to check Trump’s deranged actions and simply rubber-stamp them instead.
It’s not as if Trump’s incompetence is original. The Revolutionary Founders of this country noted many similar behaviors in Mad King George. It’s why they gave the gift of non-violent Impeachment to us in the U.S. Constitution. But until the American people vote out the entrenched Republicans in Congress, our safety and our affordability are held hostage by a fool.