The Real Reason Trump is Going to War Against Iran
The real reason for the war with Iran has come into view over the last twenty-four hours — and it has nothing to do with foreign policy, nuclear programs, regime change, or democracy-building. Or, at least, none of these are the primary reasons whatsoever.
Donald Trump inadvertently told us the quiet part out loud yesterday, while using bombs to do it. Several hours after American strikes began in Iran, Trump posted on Truth Social that “Iran tried to interfere in 2020, 2024 elections to stop Trump, and now faces renewed war with United States,” linking to an article Just the News.
But this is not even about payback, because punishing Iran for whatever misdeeds he thinks it committed is not Trump’s ultimate rationale for this war. Even if you accept the premise that Iran tried to meddle in American politics — and there is real, documented reason to take Iranian cyber activity seriously — that is not how a constitutional republic decides to unleash military force and take out the nation’s senior leadership. Nor is this about “freedom for the [Iranian] people.” despite what he told The Washington Post yesterday.
Pay attention to what Trump did as he was providing his various rationales for this war. He yoked foreign interference to a hot war and wrapped himself in the one cloak that reliably silences institutional resistance in Washington: national security.
https://saltypolitics.substack.com/p/the-real-reason-trump-is-going-to