A War No One Wants, Started by a Man No One Trusts

Trump's Iran war is unpopular, unjustified, and Democrats need to say so

We are a few days into Donald Trump’s War with Iran, and a couple of things are already clear.

First, this was a regime change war of choice. No evidence has emerged that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States in any way. Iran was neither on the cusp of developing a nuclear weapon nor a ballistic missile capable of striking the United States. If there were any intelligence suggesting that Iran was planning to use its proxies, like Hezbollah, to strike the U.S. or Americans abroad, the Trump Administration would be screaming it from the mountaintops.

Second, Trump, Hegseth, and the rest of the Administration have no clear endgame. No one has laid out the objectives of the operation, how it serves U.S. interests, or what victory looks like. Trump said on Saturday that freedom for the Iranian people was the goal, but then suggested he may be okay with a Venezuela-style resolution where the regime stays in power if they promise to be nicer to the U.S. Everyone in the Administration seems to be making it up as they go along. While, per usual, our military is executing its mission with bravery and precision, there is no overall strategy or plan for the war’s aftermath.

Finally, while it’s still early and public opinion around war is pretty dynamic, one thing is very clear: this is a war the American people do not want, executed by a leader they do not trust.

1. A War No One Wants

There have been a bunch of polls done since the first bombs dropped on Friday night/Saturday morning. They all ask the question a little differently, and wording affects the results, but they paint a similar picture. The majority of Americans don’t want war with Iran.