President Donald Trump’s use of a catering truck in a secret escape from a NATO country amid an Iranian threat is the latest embarrassing twist of a war that repeatedly defies his claims of victory.
The Secret Service did its job by using whatever method was necessary to spirit Trump out of Turkey in July, ultimately on an alternative jet to one that has been bringing presidents home safely since the 1990s.
But belated revelations about the drama, first reported by the Washington Post, kicked up a major new political storm. Most significantly, the ruse conjured up damaging new imagery about an unpopular war that Trump can’t end.
The existence of a potential threat against the president doesn’t in itself mean his war against Iran is a failure. But the spectacle of him leaving incognito after a NATO summit is likely to be interpreted overseas as a new affront to American power. It also raises this question: If Trump cannot guarantee his own safety on the territory of a major ally, how can his administration’s case that it has all but obliterated Iran’s military capability and regional terror threat be fully believed?
Iran has yet to comment. But its apparent success in metaphorically forcing Trump to take cover is a propaganda coup. For all the president’s bravado, the regime doesn’t seem to be heading for collapse or begging for a deal.
