Donald Trump has never been measured in his words or concerned about their coherence. But when it comes to Iran, he has reached a new level of excess and confusion, fueling attacks from his opponents on his mental health.
On Sunday, the American president wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Open the damn Strait, you bunch of morons, or you will live in Hell – YOU WILL SEE it!” He then added: “Glory to Allah.”
Then on Tuesday, he warned that “an entire civilization will die tonight.”
Asked about these statements, which have fueled speculation about the use of nuclear weapons, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said: “Only the president knows where we stand and what he will do.” The White House later denied considering the use of such weapons.
The Republican leader has made his “unfiltered” personality a trademark.
His close associates explain that his most deafening remarks are a subtle strategy designed to disorient the opponent, and his supporters see it as a mark of authenticity.
“Going mad”
Opponents of Donald Trump, on the other hand, question his mental health and interpret his latest statements as evidence of his descent into dementia.
“The President’s mental faculties are collapsing,” denounced progressive lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
“The time has come to say no to the President,” said influential far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, addressing White House officials and the military.
Former Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has become a fierce critic, said on Sunday that Donald Trump had “gone mad.” Joining many Democrats, this ultra-conservative figure on Tuesday advocated for the use of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which allows, through a stringent procedure, for the forced removal of a president deemed incapable of carrying out his duties.
Rare opposing voice in the Republican camp, Senator Lisa Murkowski stated that Donald Trump’s threats were “unacceptable.”
Contradictions
The American president’s violent rhetoric is accompanied by contradictions.
On Tuesday, in the same message, he threatened to annihilate Iran, mentioned the possibility of a diplomatic compromise, and ended with: “God bless the great people of Iran.”
Regarding the “damn Strait of Hormuz,” the 79-year-old Republican, the oldest president ever elected in the United States, recently claimed he was indifferent to the fate of this strategic maritime passage.
The billionaire also contradicted himself several times on the objectives of the military operation launched on February 28, initially linking it to “regime change,” then assuring that was not the case, and finally stating that the “regime” had already fallen.
He assured on March 26 that he “didn’t care” about the outcome of negotiations with Iranian officials.
He now demands, on the contrary, that these discussions result in the destruction of the country’s infrastructure and has set several successive ultimatums for this purpose.
The last one expired on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. in Washington. Shortly before the ultimatum, Mr. Trump proposed a two-week truce that Iran quickly accepted.
The site Axios quoted an anonymous American official on Tuesday describing Donald Trump as a “rabid dog.”
“The army kicked Iran’s ass”
His rhetoric is, in any case, increasingly blunt. He recently claimed that the American army had “kicked Iran’s ass.”
The excesses of the former reality show host go beyond the scope of the conflict.
At a private lunch last week, the video of which was mistakenly broadcast by the White House, Donald Trump mocked Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron.
“Macron, who his wife treats terribly, he’s still recovering from the punch he took to the jaw,” said the American president, who during the same event, bringing together religious leaders, seemed to compare himself to Jesus Christ.
Recently, he publicly applauded the demise of Robert Mueller, the prosecutor who had investigated possible collusion between Moscow and candidate Trump during the 2016 campaign: “I’m glad he’s dead.”
Beyond the insults, the constant mixing of genres practiced by Donald Trump is striking in a country where the decline of former Democratic president Joe Biden has dominated politics for months.
On Monday, in front of children participating in the traditional White House Easter egg hunt, next to a mascot dressed as a giant rabbit, he triumphantly spoke about war, judging that Iran was “not that strong at all.”
It is also common during his public appearances for him to enthusiastically discuss the conflict in the Middle East and projects of decoration or construction that fascinate him, such as the construction of a ballroom at the White House.
