Trump Hit by Damning Leaks on Iran Decision as Polls Turn Brutal Fast | The New Republic
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Trump Hit by Damning Leaks on Iran Decision as Polls Turn Brutal Fast

As media scrutiny of Trump’s attack on Iran intensifies, the author of a piece on White House lawbreaking explains why his violent “Mad King” public image is already turning people against the war.

Donald Trump speaks vehemently
Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Image
With Donald Trump’s war on Iran getting worse, a new report in The New York Times reveals damning details about the runup to the decision. We learn that Trump’s case rests on lies about the “imminent threat” Iran poses, and that he publicly misrepresented his own top general’s misgivings about the invasion. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguably misled congressional leaders, and JD Vance privately called for going big, undercutting his “noninterventionist” cred. This comes as a new CNN poll finds a whopping 59 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s war, and a Reuters poll finds support at an abysmal 27 percent. We talked to Mark Jacob, who has a good piece for his “Stop the Presses” Substack on Trump’s lawbreaking. We discuss why public impressions of his violent lawlessness are turning voters against the war, what will happen in the midterms if things get worse, and how Trump is assuming the powers of a mad dictator. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.