Trump, the Israel First President

Last Wednesday, I wrote about Israel's attempt to drag the United States into its war with Iran. Then, on Saturday, cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump launched bombing and missile attacks on sites involved in Iran's nuclear program, effectively putting the U.S. at war with Iran. Following the attack, Trump administration officials were quick to argue that the U.S. attacks on Iran were limited to stopping its nuclear weapons program and not aimed at broader goals such as regime change. However, at nearly the same time, Israeli officials began to argue in favor of regime change. Appearing to contradict his own officials, Trump then posted on his Truth Social social media platform that "It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" On the face of it, Trump appearing to side with Israelis against his own officials, especially on the topic of regime change which Trump has explicitly campaigned against, might seem strange. However, it follows a very consistent pattern of Trump putting Israel first.

When Trump's second term first started, there was a brief period during which it appeared that Trump might steer an independent path in the Middle East. His de facto secretary of state, Steve Witkoff, negotiated a ceasefire with Lebanon and held direct talks with Hamas about freeing Israeli-American captives held in Gaza. Witkoff pointedly didn't even bother to inform the Israelis about his talks with Hamas. But this all soon appeared to be a mirage. The ceasefire in Lebanon simply codified Israeli goals and allowed Israel to continue conducting attacks within Lebanon, something it has continued to do regularly. Witkoff was able to negotiate a short-term ceasefire in Gaza and an Israeli-American was released by Hamas, but the Trump administration soon reverted to the familiar U.S. position of complete support for Israel. The Trump administration's position might have best been articulated by State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce who recently said during an interview that the United States is "the greatest country on Earth, next to Israel." Trump and his administration have become "Israel First".

When Israel resumed its attacks in Gaza, the Trump administration completely acquiesced to Israel's genocide, dropping any hint of impartiality. When Israeli officials began suggesting that the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza might be the best solution, Trump toyed with the idea of removing the Palestinians and turning Gaza into a Trump resort. Trump held meetings with Arab leaders in an attempt to find a place to which the Palestinians could be relocated. When no Arab country appeared willing to accept those Trump hoped to expel from Gaza, he seemed to have lost interest. Israel was left free to kill as many Palestinians as it wished.

Not only did Israel restart its attacks on Gaza, but it established a complete blockade of food, medicine, and other humanitarian goods. Gazans were soon starving. This resulted in a public relations problem for Israel, of which even Trump took notice. However, rather than lifting the blockade and rushing aid to the Palestinians, Israel and the Trump administration engaged in one of the most grotesque exploitations of food assistance in history. The U.S. and Israel established the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, reportedly funded initially by Israel but set up and run by Americans. The GHF established a small number of food hubs to distribute food assistance. These hubs have literally become killing grounds. Not a day has passed since the program was launched that there has not been a massacre of Palestinians seeking desperately needed food. Starving people are lured with the promise of food and then killed in the hundreds as they approach the sites. Over 100 Palestinians are killed most days. Now the Trump administration is attempting to provide $30 million in funding to the GHF. While the details are sketchy, the request actually appears to be for three months, meaning a total of $120 million may be planned. This is U.S. taxpayers' money that will be used to set up shooting galleries at which Palestinians can be killed. It is unfathomable cruelty that is fully supported by the Trump administration in league with Israel.

When Israel resumed its attacks on Gaza and established its blockade, the Houthis in Yemen announced that they were ending the ceasefire they had been observing and launched missile attacks against Israel. Again, putting Israel first, Trump ordered U.S. attacks against the Houthis. One thing the leaked Signal chat involving top U.S. officials discussing the Yemen attack plans revealed is that none of the participants knew exactly why the attacks were being launched. Vice President J.D. Vance even opposed the attacks. Most of the chat participants seemed to believe that the U.S. was protecting Red Sea shipping. However, the Houthis had not attacked shipping for months. In reality, the entire purpose of the attacks was to defend Israel. Ironically, the U.S. failed to achieve that goal and, as soon as the U.S. and Houthis reached a ceasefire agreement, the Houthis again fired missiles at Israel. 

By this time, Israel's attention had moved to Iran. For 30 years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been claiming that Iran is on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons. Throughout that time, Netanyahu's predictions have failed to come true. Yet, Trump, for reasons only he knows, chose to believe Netanyahu. In March, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to Congress that Iran was not pursuing nuclear weapons. She reiterated what has been the long-standing position of the U.S. intelligence apparatus, saying that the intelligence community "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003." Yet, Trump, relying on Israeli intelligence, told the press that "I don’t care what she said." Trump, who once said that he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin rather than U.S. intelligence services, put Israel's claims about Iran ahead of the findings of his own services. Again, Trump put Israel first.

Israel launched its attack against Iran at a time that Trump was publicly engaged in negotiations with Iran. Israel clearly believed, rightly as it turned out, that if it launched a war, the U.S. could be counted on to come to its defense. Indeed, U.S. forces immediately engaged in missile defense. Netanyahu further seemed certain that he could convince Trump to eventually join in offensive strikes against Iran, and a very public campaign to convince Trump was launched. Obviously, this also proved successful and Trump authorized the attacks over the weekend. Now, the Israelis appear to be on the verge of convincing Trump to support regime change in Iran. It is notable that Trump is not engaged in any war-related discussions with the U.S. public or even elected representatives. Trump makes decisions himself, ignoring Congress, ignoring the U.S. public, and even ignoring his own administration officials. Instead, he coordinates with Netanyahu. This is a Trump-Netanyahu war, and Americans are informed of their decisions after the fact. Trump is putting Netanyahu and Israel first.

We are now in a highly dangerous situation. There is no national consensus about a war with Iran. Even many prominent MAGAs such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Steve Bannon were opposed to the bombing. Even more MAGAs will be opposed to regime change. There is no stated end game. What happens if the Iranian government is removed? Who will replace it? Bombs and missiles can destroy a government, but they cannot create a new one. Either Iran will be left as a failed state or it will require occupation. Israel simply does not have the resources for an occupation, so that means American boots on the ground. Will Americans, who elected Trump largely based on the belief that he would end wars rather than start them, support such a thing? The sad fact is that this will likely be decided solely by Trump and Netanyahu. Americans thought that they were electing an "American First" candidate, but ended up with an "Israel First" president.

One thing that can be guaranteed however is that Israel will soon present a bill to the United States. History has shown that U.S. taxpayers rather than Israelis pay for Israel's wars. Israel will need to restock its weapons supplies, rebuild whatever Iran is currently destroying, and generally refill its financial coffers. It will not expect Israeli taxpayers to supply that money. Rather, the U.S. will be asked to pay. Forget the national debt, the budget deficit, the social programs that Republicans are currently cutting. Forget that as Obamacare, Medicare, and Medicaid are cut, Israelis will continue to enjoy socialized medicine. Forget DOGE's efforts aimed at efficiency. Forget everything. Funds will be promptly approved for Israel. Under this administration, Israel comes first.