'Sad-boy' Trump rushes to bomb Iran after parade flop hurt ego: columnist
An increasingly unstable Donald Trump is considering bombing Iran to soothe his wounded pride after a series of public humiliations left him desperate to project strength, according to a USA Today columnist.
The president's alarming comments about potential military action against Iran reveal a commander-in-chief driven by personal insecurities rather than national security concerns as Trump openly admitted "nobody knows what I'm going to do" when pressed about launching strikes that could plunge America into another Middle East war, Rex Huppke wrote.
Trump's response to the Iran crisis has been a masterclass in authoritarian bluster and juvenile posturing, the columnist wrote. Trump has been rage-posting on social media, bizarrely telling Tehran residents to evacuate while simultaneously claiming America isn't involved in Israel's attacks on Iran—then immediately contradicting himself by boasting about having "complete and total control of the skies over Iran."
The mixed messaging comes as Trump desperately tries to recover from a string of embarrassing failures that have left his fragile ego in tatters, Hupkke wrote. His much-vaunted military parade drew sparse crowds and widespread mockery, while his deployment of Marines to Los Angeles against anti-ICE protesters accomplished nothing beyond creating an expensive photo op.
"Trump's sad-boy feelings will always override what's best for America," Huppke wrote.
He added, "Trump is proving, as if we needed proof, that insecure men are dangerous. They act impulsively, with no focus beyond soothing their own tender feelings."
Trump spent crucial time during the Iran crisis supervising the installation of massive flagpoles at the White House—even gushing about their quality on social media.
"These are the most magnificent poles made," he posted. "They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality."
Despite Trump's saber-rattling, the American people have zero appetite for another Middle East conflict. A new poll shows only 16% of Americans support military involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, meaning Trump would be dragging the nation into an unpopular war to massage his own damaged psyche, Huppke wrote.
The disturbing pattern reveals a president whose personal neuroses consistently override America's actual interests, the columnist added. From his failed parade to his pointless troop deployment to his early G7 exit, Trump has repeatedly prioritized his ego over effective governance.