Trump tells Iran’s military to surrender or face ‘certain death’
President Trump has called on Iran’s military to surrender or “face guaranteed death” as the conflict in Iran continues.
The definition of a bad day at the Trump White House: if you’re raising questions about an unpopular war it’s not the worst news you’re dealing with.
President Donald Trump on March 6 found himself dealing not only with a serious US attack on Iran but also with the decline of jobs, rising gas prices and unconfirmed accusations of adultery from the release of some of Jeffrey Epstein’s files.
It was a reminder that even leaders with big ambitions can’t control their agenda, not everything. Others have seen signs of a “second-term” curse, where fraud has sometimes affected leaders, including those with first terms.
Trump chose the duration of the week-old war against Tehran, one that has increased in NATO and the Persian Gulf states. But the calendar marked the release of the Labor Department’s February jobs report that showed an unexpected loss of 92,000 jobs. Gas prices, for many Americans a thermometer of economic well-being, rose to a national average of $3.32, reflecting the oil shock from the war.
That price set a record high during Trump’s two terms as president, and came last week after he boasted in his State of the Union address that low gas prices are proof that “inflation is falling” under his administration.
“I don’t care at all,” Trump told Reuters. “They’ll fall fast once this is over.”
Then there’s the Justice Department’s delayed release of additional files from the investigation into disgraced financier and rapist Jeffrey Epstein. They included accounts of an FBI interview with a woman who said she was abused by Epstein and Trump as a child. The allegations are unsubstantiated, and Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Mr. Trump has a reputation for calmness and violence. However, what is a president?
He suggested putting another ball in the air.
“Cuba will fall soon,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash in a phone interview this morning. “I’ll put Marco there and see how it goes.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio already has a lot on his plate, of course.
That’s the economy, stupid. All the time.
Presidents at their peril look to other countries, or something else, at the expense of the kitchen-table economy.
Ask George HW Bush, who after a quick victory in the first Gulf war was defeated for the election by his opponent Bill Clinton, who promised to focus “like a laser” on the economic problems of the American people.
The Trump administration blamed the disappointing performance on the strike report, bad weather and former President Joe Biden.
“There are positive signs for our economy that continue to show that American workers are recovering from the mess left behind by Biden,” Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. However, the 46th president resigned more than a year ago.
Democrats, who see voter concerns about inflation and health care as the most pressing issues in this year’s midterm elections, blamed Trump.
“The alarm is alarming that Donald Trump’s economy is rapidly declining,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement. The economy is “tumbling” on the brink of recession, he warned, and could “go over the edge.”
The decline in the number of jobs is sure to sharpen the debate at the next meeting of Federal Reserve governors March 17-18 on whether to further reduce interest rates – a step to boost growth and jobs – or hold them steady due to concerns about rising prices.
Next week, we will learn more about where inflation stands with the release of the Consumer Price Index.
Oh, and about that battle
Trump’s rhetoric on Iran won.
“There will be no deal with Iran other than UNCONNDITIONAL SURRENDER!” he announced in a March 6 post on Chokwadi Social. “After that, and the election of a GREAT and PROGRESSIVE President(s), we, with many of our best and most courageous allies and partners, will work hard to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction.”
He closed: “MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).”
But a post on a social media site raised questions about the war.
He called for “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” after telling the Atlantic magazine that he was open to negotiations with Iran. His claim that Washington would decide whether the new president in Tehran “MOVES” to sign regime change was the target of the strike, something the administration denied.
One more thing: A sign of, well, something else when you fire the secretary of Homeland Security after a riot doesn’t make the news.
Long time, Kristi Noem.
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