Nearly one month after the U.S. began strikes on Iran, President Trump is sending thousands of troops to the Middle East to potentially fight in a war he said he has "already won."
That contradiction has frustrated some senior White House aides and outside allies, three of whom spoke to MS NOW about the president's public messaging. They described it as confusing, internally inconsistent and increasingly detached from battlefield reality.
Trump calling the war already won is "mostly hyperbole," said a senior White House official granted anonymity to speak candidly about the administration's thinking. "It's part [of Trump] just wanting to declare victory and move on."
That impulse, the official said, has become more pronounced in recent days.
The White House's public communications have suggested a similar detachment — presenting the conflict less as an ongoing war with human lives at stake and more as a cultural moment that generates online content. That has emerged as a major, if mostly quiet, point of dissension among White House staffers and Trump allies. This is a preview of Jake Traylor's latest article. Read the full article here. |
