The contradictory messages of Trump on the war in Iran sow confusion

At the start of the second month of the war in Iran, American President Donald Trump is spreading confusion due to his penchant for embellishments, exaggerations, and lies. Among his contradictions, he claims that the United States is already winning the war but needs to send thousands of additional soldiers to the Middle East. He has criticized other countries for not helping Americans before declaring that he does not need them. He has threatened to “reduce to ashes” the Iranian energy facilities if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, while asserting that the United States is not affected by this.

Leon Panetta, who served under Democratic presidents as Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, and White House Chief of Staff, stated that truth is often the first casualty of armed conflict. “This is not the first administration to not tell the truth about war. But this president has made it an almost systematic approach. On all subjects, he lies in one way or another about what is actually happening and broadly describes that everything is fine and we are winning the war,” he said.

Michael Rubin, a historian at the American Enterprise Institute who served as an advisor on Iran and Iraq at the Pentagon from 2002 to 2004, said that Mr. Trump is the first president in recent history not to be constrained by rhetorical limits. “This, therefore, creates a great deal of confusion,” he added.

For his critics, the president’s style is a sign of a lack of coherent long-term strategy. But for him, these contradictions seem to be the desired outcome, a method that keeps his adversaries – and practically everyone else – constantly on edge.

This approach was evident this week, just hours before he announced the second extension of the deadline imposed on Iran to reopen the strait. Asked what he planned to do about this deadline, Donald Trump replied that he did not know and had one day left to decide. “On Trump’s scale, a day, you know what it is, it’s an eternity,” he said, triggering laughter from his ministers.

But investors were not impressed. American stocks had their worst week since the beginning of the war. For some in the Capitol, this nonchalant attitude is more frustrating than amusing.

Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, deplores Trump’s constant flip-flops and contradictions. “The administration improvises. How can anyone believe what the president says?” he questioned.

Concern among Republicans is palpable as a two-week recess approaches in Washington. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana declared that his constituents supported what the president has done. “But most of my constituents are just as, if not more, concerned about the cost of living,” he acknowledged.

Republican Chip Roy, sitting on the House Budget Committee, said his constituents agreed to “blow up a few things.” He expressed reservations about the prospect of troop engagement on the ground, adding that the administration did not provide enough details during briefings for lawmakers. These sessions, he said, only reveal information that “we read in the newspapers.”

Republicans support Trump, but there are risks of alienation.

A survey conducted this week by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that the president risks disappointing his supporters if the United States engages in the type of prolonged war in the Middle East that he had promised to avoid. While 63% of Republicans support airstrikes against Iranian military targets, only 20% favor the deployment of American ground troops.

These political challenges that await Donald Trump reflect the pressures mounting on Republicans as the war prolongs or escalates before the November elections when their majority in Congress is threatened. Some party members have stated that sending ground troops would be a red line that the president should not cross.

The administration will likely need congressional support to obtain an additional $200 billion to finance the war. This sum, which Mr. Trump welcomed, even as he claimed the war was “coming to an end,” would face a difficult vote in any circumstances. But it presents particular risks for budget-conscious Republicans in this election year.