President Donald Trump loves to project power, strength, and control, but when it comes to his deadly war on Iran, it’s been anything but. From the start, he’s offered constantly shifting explanations and contradictory messaging, leaving even his allies struggling to keep up as the situation spirals.
Full of bluster, Trump erupted Friday morning on his Truth Social platform, ranting about not getting any help from NATO in forcing open the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway Iran controls and has effectively shut down following the U.S. and Israel’s continued bombardment of the Islamic Republic. He fumed about the economic fallout, zeroing in on rising oil prices as the real-world consequences of his strategy begin to bite.
Then came the insult. In a burst of frustration, Trump lashed out at NATO, dismissing the alliance as a “paper tiger” — a term used to describe something that appears powerful on the surface but is actually weak or ineffective. The jab underscored his growing impatience, as the coalition he once leaned on now becomes the latest target in his escalating blame game.
Trump again threatened the U.S.’s European allies, repeating that he could take America out of the treaty, which he can’t because he lacks the authority to do so.
“Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!” he wrote, before continuing to grouse and, critics say, lie about member nations, who have agreed to help.
“They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a nuclear-powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices,” an angry Trump groused.
“So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!” he added.
Trump has been pressuring allies to help him in his ongoing military campaign against Tehran. At first, they declined, but then on Thursday, as energy prices soared, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands all signed a letter about their “readiness” to help open Hormuz, The Hill reported.
Twenty percent of the global oil supply passes through the critical waterway every day.
“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” NATO leaders said. “We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning.”
It’s as if Trump simply ignored them and continued on a tangent, berating them despite the letter and offer to help.
After his Truth Social tirade, he spoke with MS NOW host Stephanie Ruhle, falsely claiming Iran was two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon when he launched military strikes against the country on February 28, after crowing repeatedly last summer that the U.S. had annihilated Tehran’s nuclear program in a short bombing campaign last summer.
Ruhle reported, “[Trump] said we could leave the war right now. We could walk away tomorrow, because we have just decimated most of the country and their power, but he said the regime would rebuild. It would take them about 10 years, but that’s not an acceptable situation, which is why he thinks we should stay.”
Trump again claimed in his talk with Ruhle that “The major thing is they cannot have a nuclear weapon. We obliterated it. We totally obliterated it.” But he has said that before and opponents say it’s impossible to know the truth.
The president also complained about NATO allies again, Ruhle stated.
“We talked all about our European NATO allies, and he continued to crush them. He said, absolutely none of our allies in NATO have helped with support as it relates to the war. He said we don’t need their help, but they’ve proven themselves to be a paper tiger.”
Social media exploded, calling out Trump over his duplicity and suggesting it’s time to remove him from office.https://www.threads.com/@sandtrain/post/DWG_VTVjU84/embed/
“Now he’s blaming NATO… because he won’t blame himself… who’s the COWARD here?” a Threads user proclaimed.
“Trump is a mad mad man……..How can you not remove him from office? It’s beyond all sanity and makes me question all of the USA,” Salamo 0701 angrily declared.
Another Threads user took note of Trump’s statements that the U.S. has won in Iran.
“If it’s won and if it’s so simple why are there absolutely no US warships in the strait? This isn’t a request for help. Help implies the requesting party is already doing something. This is a request to do it for them. A request to clean up the mess America made.”
If history is any indication, Trump could find himself politically vulnerable over the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has rippled across the region as Iran lashes out against its neighbors and Israel continues airstrikes not only in Iran but in neighboring Lebanon.
