General Discussion

As many Americans woke up on Sunday morning, they were greeted with heartening news worth celebrating: A missing American airman who’d been shot down over Iran had been rescued as part of a successful military operation. Common sense might have suggested that Donald Trump, on Easter morning, would want the public to focus on the breakthrough developments.

The Republican president, however, appeared eager to change the conversation. MS NOW reported:

Fresh off the daring nighttime rescue of the U.S. airman shot down in Iran on Friday, President Donald Trump warned Iran Sunday morning, ‘Open the F*****’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!’

The president then set a new deadline of 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday for Iran to reach a deal with the U.S., making yet another extension.

.....On Sept. 2, 1901, Teddy Roosevelt told attendees at the Minnesota State Fair, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Almost 125 years later, a very different kind of president believes in tweeting loudly and carrying an overused cellphone.

Journalist and historian Garrett Graff described Trump’s online message as “the most unhinged public comment by a president in U.S. history,” and though the competition is admittedly fierce, the assessment seemed more than fair. It was the kind of deranged missive that, in most advanced democracies, would immediately generate speculation about whether he could reasonably expect to remain in office.

But when we step back and assess the madness in context, what we see is a desperate and flailing president who doesn’t appear to have any idea what to do about an unnecessary war he doesn’t know how to end.

Trump’s online message, in other words, reflected panic.

Indeed, one of the great ironies of Trump’s public posture is that every time he tries to convey strength and command, he ends up doing the opposite. Instead of showing leadership, he comes across as a toddler throwing a tantrum after failing to get his way.