Say what you like about Donald Trump, but he certainly has a way of getting the people talking. What people actually then say while they’re talking is another matter entirely, but I think at this point it’s fair to opine that he might be the most polarizing US president in history.
We’re just months into Trump’s second term at the White House and already he’s made more headlines that his predecessor Joe Biden did in four years. Shouting the loudest has always been one of Trump’s go-to tactics – even before he rose to political significance – while screaming about perceived falsehoods and staunchly denying wrongdoing are also similar plays.
In any case, it seems as though attention is what the president thrives on above all else. All press is good press, or so they say, and ensuring each and every single day of his presidency contains at least one noteworthy happening has become Trump’s clear modus operandi.
Of course, at present he doesn’t have to do all that much to stir the hornets’ nest. US involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran has been met with widespread criticism around the world after Trump ordered an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday, June 21.
In the immediate aftermath of the operation, which Trump himself labeled a “success”, Iran claimed it would retaliate. Trump warned them against such a course of action, warning that any act of retribution on Iran’s part would “be met with force far greater” than the weekend’s strikes.
Iran delivered their response yesterday, June 23, launching missiles towards US air bases in Qatar and Iraq, boldly challenging Trump and the US in the process.
The POTUS claims that a ceasefire has since been reached between Iran and Israel, though few can argue that the entire debacle hasn’t been a messy, ill-thought out affair.
Trump himself has taken flack for the way in which he addressed his country following the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities at the weekend, with critics quick to compare him to former US presidents.
“Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” Trump said in his address. “Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.
“Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace – if they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”
Following the address, people on social media erupted, with many of them discussing Trump’s body language.
One X user compared Trump’s address to those given by the likes of former presidents Joe Biden, Barrack Obama, and George W. Bush, writing: “I have never seen a US President that was so weak and so scared about taking military action that he needed his yes-man entourage to keep him company at the podium in the Cross Hall.”
Another added: “I think this is why Trump looked so uncomfortable during that very short speech. The ball is Iran’s court, he’s hoping it won’t spike it.”
A third wrote: “Never seen President Trump so nervous. I think he fears Irans retaliation, possibly nukes?”
“@realDonaldTrump looked scared and his tone is one of uncertainty!” a fourth wrote. “Even he doesn’t know what forces he may have unleashed and what his legacy will be if America is dragged into a broader war in #Iran!”
What do you make of the Trump involving the US in the conflict between Israel and Iran? Let us know in the comments.