Last weekend was supposed to deliver a “deal” that ended the US-Iran war. It’s clear that Donald Trump had cleared the decks for a big signing ceremony – he skipped his son’s wedding, had Middle Eastern allies lined up for an Oval Office moment and had laid the groundwork in the press.
To say that Trump fell short of that goal would be a spectacular understatement. All that Trump has succeeded in delivering is more confusion, more delays and more mess.
It is evident that the White House thought it had some means of ending the conflict – but something has clearly gone very wrong in the days since. The US strikes on Iran targets overnight show a deal is far from clear – or even close.
Shorts
Trump usually doesn’t struggle to act as his own hype man. He is more than capable of directing the media’s attention almost anywhere he wants it, not least because there is a whole Maga ecosystem that hangs on his every word.
