Martin Jay
Trump lost the midterms but the Iran war continues. He'll seek a fake victory for his legacy.
The statements which claim that the midterms would have been a landslide for Trump if his name was on the ballot say it all. Delusional Trump can't see the reality of his own failure as the American people say "enough is enough" to his unique batshit methods of running the country. But it's not only about the Iran war, which was a major factor. It's also about failing tariff policies, the corruption by him and his coterie, and his Third World style of behaving like a dictator - which includes renaming places (sometimes in his own name). Americans are not only tired of Trump's second term in office, but they are also embarrassed by how someone so stupid and self-obsessed could abuse such power on the scale that he has. We should never forget that Trump's real ace at getting elected was really about timing. On both occasions he was up against opponents which were simply 'also-ran' runners in a race which leant heavily on gimmicks and empty promises - the main one being that he would not take the American people into "forever" wars, even citing the Middle East.
The Iran war has been called by some commentators the biggest error of the entire history of America itself, certainly militarily. That might be the case. But there is every indication that it's about to get worse. With the news, just a day after the polls came in, that a U.S. aircraft carrier was being sent to the Middle East, we have to assume at the very least that the Iran war doesn't have an easy fix, despite the Democrats taking over both houses.
This period now in history is unprecedented in many ways, as it is a grand test of the American democratic model which, in theory, should shift power away from Trump's domain to the Democrats. We are told in U.S. newspapers that Trump will no longer be able to go ahead with grandiose ideas, certainly not internationally with the U.S. military, as everything will have to be rubber-stamped by Congress. It's a nice idea and looks good on paper as a shiny endorsement of America's democracy in action. Something for developing countries to be in awe of from a distance. But the reality is that it is simply not true. Trump will continue with the Iran war in much the same way he avoided Congress previously, and according to those who know him, he is likely to want to "seek revenge" for the defeat at the polls by making a bold statement for his legacy by chalking up a victory of any kind with Iran - even a fake victory which can be media-manipulated to look like a success for the Donald.
Two areas of troubling silence have been worrying some U.S. commentators in the days which have followed Trump's defeat at the midterms. One is the subject of whether the Democrats will go ahead with proceedings against Trump on his obscene, in-your-face corruption and embezzlement as U.S. president (as well as his closest cronies); and secondly, what is the fate now of the Straits of Hormuz and the current conflict that America is entangled in, following Trump's decision to go ahead on February 28th with massive attacks on Iran.
Is this silence due to talks now going on between the Democrats and Trump ? Likely. What we are almost certainly witnessing now is a compromise being thrashed out which will affect the next two years on major issues which the Dems will want turned around, like the Iran war and tariffs. Trump has signalled that he is looking forward to working with them, but it remains to be seen what that will entail. All that matters to Trump is his public image and his on-screen legacy. And of course his ability to loot the system as he sees fit. Those three key issues will be central to cooperating with the Dems, who don't even have a leader to present to the American public less than two years away from what Steve Bannon has already announced will be Trump's third term in office in 2028. What is worrying is the resonating complaint from many salient commentators in the U.S., which is that the Dems seem more than content to be an opposition party, seemingly happy to be losers in the big picture (perhaps this explains rumours that Kamala Harris is considering re-entering the presidential race). But being second fiddle to whoever is in the Oval Office will come at some price even for Trump, and Americans who care about democracy and the importance of the country's future should be worried about the current talks that Trump is having with the Dems. Is there an offer there for a guarantee that they won't impeach him if he plays ball on certain policy issues ? Could this be the core of the thinking why he is now certain to continue his big plans in Iran ? Ironically it was the Iranians who managed regime change in the U.S. system, but now they will also be central to Trump being allowed to retire with all the money he has illegally gained in exchange for getting out of the Iran war and retracting some of his more absurd tariff strategies. And so in the coming days, as we see perhaps more military activity and more talk of strikes and an invasion, we can assume that the Iran war, in fact, is going to be the basis of Trump saving himself, his legacy and his fortune. America is not a democracy. Never has been. It is ruled by elites who only know corruption, bribery and blackmail while they fool a gullible public that voting every two years makes it a functioning, formidable democracy which is a beacon to the world. Of course it is not, and the views that the super-rich have towards the masses are a clue. The contempt that elites in the U.S. have for ordinary folk is usually kept well under wraps - a rule Trump can't resist breaking, which gives us a clue. Trump recently said to a crowd of his own supporters: "I could say the stupidest things and you'd clap." And the crowd clapped.