Casual threats of annihilation from Trump are not reality TV stunts
The spectacle is as grotesque as it is predictable. Here we have a man whose entire career is built on graft and bluster, a conman who has spent decades swindling contractors, stiffing workers, and peddling conspiracy theories, now playing at empire with the lives of millions.
READ MORE: Donald Trump on whether US will strike Iran: 'I may do it'
His rhetoric – equal parts mob boss and megalomaniac –would be laughable if it weren't so dangerous. When he boasts of 'complete and total control of the skies over Iran' and casually threatens to assassinate the country's supreme leader, one half-expects him to segue into a plug for Trump Steaks or a rant about 'fake news.'
But this is no reality TV stunt. The consequences of Trump's bloodlust are horrifyingly real. The US military, that vast engine of imperial violence, is surging bombers, warships, and God knows what else into the region, while Trump all but dares Tehran to retaliate so he can justify an even greater bloodbath. His demand that Tehran's citizens 'evacuate' carries the unmistakable whiff of nuclear menace – a threat as reckless as it is depraved.
READ MORE: Angela Rayner does not rule out following US into war with Iran
Of course, the usual suspects are lining up to cheer this madness. The G7, that club of imperialist powers, has dutifully parroted the lie that Iran – not the nuclear-armed Israel, not the US with its endless regime-change wars – is the 'principal source of regional instability'. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, ever eager to prove its bipartisan commitment to militarism, has offered its full-throated support. Adam Schiff, that perennial windbag of the liberal establishment, has already greenlit further aggression, proving once again that when it comes to war, there is no opposition party in America.
The truth is, this war is not about nukes, or terrorism, or any of the other threadbare pretexts trotted out by Washington. It is about oil, about empire, about the desperate flailing of a capitalist system in terminal decay. Trump, that bloated avatar of American decline, is hurtling toward catastrophe because he – like the oligarchs he serves – has no other cards left to play.
Alan Hinnrichs
Dundee
IRAN doesn't want nukes to destroy Israel, it wants nukes to deter the West from doing to Iran what it has done to the rest of the Middle East.
Who can blame Iran? Iran is one of the world's oldest countries, and whether they have proxies in other countries or do bad things to their people, the fact is that Iran has had one war in the last 200 years and it was started by Saddam's Iraq.
Google how many wars the USA has had in its 320 or so years, then google how many military bases the USA has around the planet.
READ MORE: Kelly Given: Israel's aggression makes mockery of self defence claims
The fact is, it's the West that is the warmongering terrorist.
Israel attacks Iran out of hate, the USA helps due to its liking for other countries' oil.
The UK tags along trying to look like a continent, but like Trump, ends up looking incontinent.
Scotland AND England need independence from these warmongering British nationalists who keep power and who have sold their souls to the donor at the expense of the voter.
They can't feed or heat pensioners, who already have the worst pensions in the developed world, but here we are fighting two proxy wars against Russia and Iran.
British nationalism and its unaffordable world stage must go.
The UK must return to being independent countries.
The days of England's huge Westminster majority controlling everything must be brought to an end. British nationalism is a disease, and there is a cure. Independence.
Bill Robertson
via email
THE US-Israel war against Iran (Trump using 'we' on Tuesday confirms this) is reminiscent of the Iraq war, where the smokescreen of imaginary weapons of mass destruction was really about regime change. Deja vu!
Trump and his administration lack the diplomatic nous to prevent wars and genocide. Trump declared there would have been no Ukraine invasion if he had been in power, bravado chest-beating but he has failed to stop it or reign in Israel's war in Iran and genocide in Palestine, so it is unlikely he would have stopped the Ukraine war – not until his good friend Putin had achieved his objectives, just like now.
A Wilson
Stirlingshire
I AM writing in response to Peter Thomson's letter in Wednesday's National. I made no comment on Peter's letter of the 16th in my letter, my comments referred to Leah Gunn Barrett's from the 16th.
Norman Robertson
via email
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Democrats wrestle over chance to kill the ban on transgender care in Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful Bill'
Despite being in the minority, Democrats have a chance to remove a provision from President Donald Trump's ' One Big, Beautiful Bill ' that would prevent Medicaid dollars from being used to cover gender-affirming care.' The questions is, will they? The issue emerges more than eight months after a 2024 election from which Democrats are still digging out and also working out their messaging about how to defend the rights of transgender people without being painted as too radical by Republicans. In the presidential race, Trump and his associated super PACS hit Kamala Harris in ads for supporting taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for inmates, ending the ad by saying 'Kamala is for They/Them. President Trump is for you.' Republicans also hit Democrats in down-ballot races specifically on the subject of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. That might be why when The Independent asked some top Democratic senators about whether they would try to strike the language from Republicans' bill, even some of the most liberal voices said they did not know . 'I don't know,' Sen. Chris Murphy told The Independent last week when asked if it could the strict criteria the Senate Parliamentarian would subject the bill to. Sen. Patty Murray, the vice chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, simply told The Independent, 'I haven't seen the language.' Murray later clarified on Bluesky that she opposed the ban in Medicaid. 'I had not seen the language but let me be clear: I support stripping out as much from the bill as Democrats can, including this ban.' But even liberal Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren dodged the question. 'I haven't seen it, ' she told The Independent last week when asked if she would raise a point of order on it. When asked if she was worried about it, she repeated, 'I haven't seen it.' The avoidance shows how Democrats are in the position of being on the defensive on an issue where Republicans think they can win against Democrats, while at the same time defending a vulnerable population the party has long said it would support. Some Democrats have said they would support efforts to challenge the language. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who is the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, told The Independent earlier this month that she assumed Democrats would but that she had not seen the details of the legislation 'What I would say substantively is that, this is, again, talking about taking away people's health care, and taking parents' ability to decide what kind of health care their children need,' she said. The Republican bill in the House that passed through the House Energy & Commerce Committee banned Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance dollars from being used to provide gender-affirming care for minors. In a last-minute addition before the bill went to a vote on the floor, an amendment struck the term 'for minors' from the legislation, meaning it would put in place a blanket ban on gender-affirming care for all transgender people. The legislation would also prohibit coverage of gender transition care as an 'essential health benefit' offered by health care exchanges created in the 2010 Affordable Care Act signed by former president Barack Obama. The Senate Finance Committee released the health care part of its version that is almost identical to the House version except it does not include the 'essential health benefit' provision. 'I obviously think these issues are private and personal,' Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee which is in charge of health care, told The Independent. Republicans, who have only 53 seats in the Senate, plan to pass the bill through the process of budget reconciliation. That would allow them to pass the bill with a simple majority and avoid a filibuster as long as the legislation relates to the budget and federal spending. As part of the process, the legislation goes through the 'Byrd Bath,' named for late Senator Robert Byrd, where the Senate Parliamentarian determines whether parts of the legislation relate directly to the budget or are 'merely incidental.' Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, who sponsored the amendment, told The Independent that he believes it will comply with the rules because it saves taxpayer dollars. But if the the Senate parliamentarian rules that part of the legislation does not comply with reconciliation rules, the majority party can still bring the amendment on the floor, but the minority party can raise a point of order. If Republicans want to waive the point of order, it would require three-fifths of the Senate, or 60 votes, vote to waive it. Sen Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said that he thought Democrats would likely challenge it. 'Well, we're certainly taking a look at all of the pieces of policy that don't belong in this type of bill,' he told The Independent. 'You don't put policy in there. That sure sounds like policy to me.' It also comes after when Republicans regularly criticized Democrats in campaign advertisements about allowing transgender athletes in women's sports. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who recently told The Dispatch that he opposes allowing transgender athletes in some women's sports, told The Independent he thought that Democrats would challenge the Medicaid ban. 'I think it's outside the boundaries of reconciliation,' Gallego told The Independent. Mady Castigan, independent journalist and advocate who has published updates on the bill and urged people to call their lawmakers about it, has been pushing for people to make calls to lawmakers to oppose the bill. 'I really doubt there's a ton of people calling and asking their senators to vote for this specific provision,' she said. 'But I guarantee you, there's a ton more calling in to oppose it, and whenever something like that happens, you know, it definitely swings the political calculations.' But as of right now, much of the future of the legislation is unclear because Senate Republicans have yet to release the tax and health care aspects of their bill. 'I would assume so, but I haven't seen the details of it,' Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota, who is retiring, told The Independent about whether Democrats would challenge the ban. But other Democrats avoided the question. 'There's a whole list of stuff that's being scrubbed there. Both in the privilege scrub now and in the later point of order challenges, and I can't say any more than that,' Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island told The Independent. This would not be the first time that Democrats and supporters of transgender rights pushed back on anti-transgender legislation. Earlier this year, Senate Democrats blocked legislation that would have banned transgender athletes from women's sports.
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump ally slams 'lunatic' advisors telling president to negotiate with Iran as MAGA civil war spirals
Conservative radio host Mark Levin voiced his frustration after President Donald Trump appeared to step back from a decision to launch a military strike on Iran to make more room for diplomatic talks. 'Iran says no unconditional surrender. Again. And again. And again. They cheat and lie and kill. They're TERRORISTS,' we wrote on social media. The president said via his press secretary Karoline Levitt Thursday he would make a decision to act within 'two weeks,' extending the timetable for military action in Iran, as supporters of further military action in Iran predicted immanent strikes from the United States. Levin blamed the presidents envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for advising the president against military strikes in Iran. 'They're a damnable cabal of lunatics, many of whom are antisemites, completely out of step with the overwhelming majority of Americans,' he wrote, describing them as 'fifth column isolationists.' 'We, the people, know Iran wants to nuke us and it's in our national security interest and our own survival to stop these bastards cold,' he continued', and added, 'Enough with the fake MAGA demagogues and grifters.' Republican hawks centered on Witkoff's ongoing role in negotiations with Iran, blaming him for the president's decision to wait. 'Time to say it again — f**k Witkoff,' wrote Trump supporter Marina Medvin, one of many influential Republicans who voiced their frustration with Trump's inaction. The attacks prompted Witkoff's supporters to rally to his defense. 'My friend Steve Witkoff is an America First patriot!!!!' Donald Trump Jr. wrote on social media, sharing another post from Trump political advisor Alex Bruesewitz. 'The attacks against Steve Witkoff are ridiculous. Steve is a patriot who gave up his incredible life in the private sector to serve the President and America — and he's doing a GREAT job,' Bruesewitz wrote. 'Steve Witkoff is a true patriot who I guarantee on any given day over the last seven months has done more for this country than you have in your entire life,' wrote former Pentagon official Dan Caldwell. 'Imagine having this much hatred for a man who gave up a comfortable life to work nonstop to end wars and free hostages.' The president has not given up on diplomatic negotiations with Iran, as British Secretary David Lammy met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff at the White House. Lammy plans to head to Geneva, Switzerland for further negotiations with European officials for further diplomatic talks with Iranian officials. 'A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,' he said in a statement. Levin continues to press the president on his show and on Fox News to act to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities, describing the Iranians as terrorists who should not be trusted in ongoing negotiations. The veteran conservative radio host has a long friendship with Trump, despite his decision to back Sen. Ted Cruz during the 2016 Republican presidential primary Levin met with Trump for dinner just days before the Israel strikes were launched last week, raising concerns from journalist Tucker Carlson that he was trying to convince the president to engage militarily with Iran. Carlson and Trump's former political strategist Steve Bannon both urged the president away from getting the United States involved in the Iran/Israel conflict, triggering a messaging civil war between them and more hawkish Republicans. Trump met for lunch with Bannon on Thursday and spoke with Carlson on the phone on Wednesday as White House advisors are working behind the scenes to diffuse the conflict. Advisors are urging both sides to trust the president to do the right thing, pointing out that he was listening to his national security team before making a decision. 'TRUST IN TRUMP!' wrote White House communications advisor Steven Cheung on social media on Thursday. 'NO PANICANS!'
Sky News
43 minutes ago
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: Iran launches new wave of missiles at Israel; UK says it will get Britons out on charter flights
Iran has launched a new wave of missiles at Israel. Earlier, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the government would get Britons out of Israel as soon as it can. Listen to Trump 100 as you scroll.
