In many ways, Donald Trump’s ascent to the peak of American power is a complicated tale. But the president, the man himself, is quite simple.
His ultimate motive is not some sophisticated aim to carry out a policy agenda. It is not the thoughtful accumulation of wealth, though his brutish politics do produce that result. At Trump’s core is an instinctual urge, always irrational, to accrue more and more power in its rawest form.
The president’s order over the weekend to start yet another war in the Middle East, this time in Iran, is just the latest instance of his simple, myopic posture toward the world.
Positioning our military forces to strike over the past few weeks, Trump finally pulled the trigger early Saturday morning and ordered a barrage of missiles across Iran.
In a joint operation with Israel, a longtime nemesis of Iran, the strikes killed Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with dozens of other senior government officials. As of Monday, this act of war has resulted in at least 555 deaths in Iran, 11 in Israel and 31 in Lebanon. Four U.S. service members have died thus far.