Not leadership, just MAGA

Trump’s Iran war is getting worse, not better -- and the problem isn’t just the war itself. It’s that nobody can explain what the war is actually for.Reuters says two out of three Americans don’t think Trump has clearly explained why the US has gone to war with Iran. Every time Trump talks about it, the rationale changes. First it was the nuclear program. Then it was Iran’s uranium. Then it was terrorism. Then it was regime behavior. Then, suddenly, the uranium buried under rubble wasn’t such a big deal because, according to Trump, Space Force is watching it and we’ll just blow people up if they go near it.And keep in mind the larger absurdity here: Virtually every gram of Iran’s highly enriched uranium was produced after Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal. He tore up the agreement, didn’t replace it with anything, so Iran got back to work being a nuclear baddy. So now we’re supposed to pretend the solution to Trump’s first mistake is Trump starting a war to clean up the mess he helped create. And so far, the war doesn’t appear to be solving anything.Then there’s the Pentagon side of this. Senator Mark Kelly says the hit to US weapons stockpiles is serious -- Tomahawks, ATACMS, SM-3s, THAAD rounds, Patriot interceptors. These aren’t magic weapons that replenish themselves because Trump says “America First” three times in a mirror. These systems take years to replace. Which means Trump’s Iran war could weaken our ability to respond to a future conflict with China, for example.Meanwhile, the rest of tonight’s show is basically a guided tour through the Trump corruption-and-crazy machine. The reflecting pool project that started at $1.8 million, then $7 million, and now $13.1 million. Sean Duffy taking a seven-month family vacation, reportedly paid for by companies his department regulates, while still serving as Transportation Secretary. Trump heading to China with Elon Musk and Tim Cook. The US sanctioning an International Criminal Court judge so aggressively that hotel reservations, wire transfers, credit cards, packages, and even insurance become a problem.And then, because the fever dream never ends, Trump is spreading vaccine misinformation again, talking about babies getting “a vat” of vaccines, which is not how children’s vaccines work. He’s now talking about making Venezuela the 51st state because of oil, and because, in his mind, “Venezuela loves Trump.” He appeared to fall asleep again in the Oval Office, while the White House insisted he was just blinking for 30 seconds. And the IRS is reportedly in talks to settle Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit — meaning, Trump will decide whether, and how much, the US government settles with himself.So tonight’s show is Iran first, because that’s the real-world crisis. But the larger story is the same one we keep seeing: Trump creates chaos, calls it strength, leaves everyone else to pay the bill, and then moves on to the next scam.That’s not leadership. That’s just MAGA. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aravosis.substack.com/subscribe