Donald J. Trump has been playing dictator for 153 days, and now, the United States is at war with Iran. Not by act of Congress. Not by the will of the people. But by the unilateral decision of a single man.
Trump has once again demonstrated his contempt for democracy, diplomacy, and the rule of law.
In a reckless escalation that defies both constitutional norms and strategic logic, Trump has ordered military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, plunging the nation into a conflict with one of the most volatile powers in the Middle East.
No congressional authorization was sought. No meaningful consultation with allies was conducted. No coherent explanation has been provided to the American people, who now face the consequences of a war they did not choose.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started the unprovoked bombing of Iran and U.S. President Donald Trump joined in this insanity, rather than stopping the nuclear threat in negotiations.
The pretext for this aggression? The same tired specter of an Iranian nuclear threat—a claim contradicted by Trump’s own intelligence officials.
Just months ago, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before Congress that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. Yet Trump, ever the authoritarian, dismissed these facts in favor of his own reality.
Sound familiar? It should. This is the same playbook used to justify the catastrophic invasion of Iraq in 2003—a war built on lies that cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
But Trump’s motives are even more transparent.
Facing mounting domestic failures—economic instability, stalled legislative priorities, and historic protests against his authoritarian tendencies—he has resorted to the oldest trick in the autocrat’s handbook: wag the dog.
A foreign crisis distracts from domestic unrest. A wartime president demands unchecked power. And the American people, once again, are left to pay the price in blood and treasure.
Iran will not back down. It cannot. National pride, regional influence, and sheer survival dictate that Tehran must retaliate and while Trump prides himself for pretending to be unpredictable, the mullahs in the Islamic Republic may prove to be surprising, too.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil, could be choked off, sending gas prices soaring. Sleeper cells, if they exist, could strike U.S. interests abroad—or even at home.
If Trump follows his instincts, as he always does, this will escalate further, sending American troops into another unwinnable quagmire.
Congress, meanwhile, remains paralyzed.
Republican lawmakers, who once railed against executive overreach under Obama, now stand silent as Trump usurps their constitutional authority to declare war.
Democrats pretend to be outraged and claim they lack the votes to stop him. The War Powers Act may force a debate, but unless more Republicans than Tom Massie break ranks, this unauthorized war will continue unchecked.
Let there be no illusion: This is not about national security. It is about consolidating power.
Trump has spent years purging dissenters from government, replacing experts with loyalists, and dismantling the institutions meant to check his worst impulses.
His inner circle—a cabal of ideologues and sycophants—eggs him on, ensuring he hears only what he wants. The result? A foreign policy driven not by strategy, but by ego, vengeance, and the desperate need to appear strong.
The American people, however, are not fooled. Polls show overwhelming opposition to military intervention in the Middle East.
Trump promised no new wars. He promised lower gas prices. He promised to put America first. Instead, he has delivered the opposite—another endless conflict, another surge in oil costs, another betrayal of the public trust.
The dogs of war have been let slip.
There is no telling where this ends.
Iran will retaliate.
Trump will escalate.
And the American people—soldiers and civilians alike—will bear the brunt of another conflict they never asked for.
This is not leadership. This is dictatorship in real time.
Unless Congress finds the courage to act, or unless the public rises in protest, this war will only grow bloodier, costlier, and more destructive.
The question now is not whether Trump has taken us to war—he has. The question is whether we, as a nation, will allow him to do it alone.
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