Interview · moment 12 of 28
From Anti-War Populism to Invading Iran
from Donald Trump’s Endgame | The Tim Dillon Show #501 · #501
6 min
Guest
Tim asks how Trump went from campaigning against foreign wars to bombing Iran; Swan describes the revealing 'most powerful man in history' document Trump had an aide fetch, comparing him to Mao, Stalin, and Genghis Khan, and explains Trump's belief the Iran operation would be quick like the Noriega/Caracas snatch.
- Trump's anti-war platform appealed to people who lived through Iraq and Afghanistan, promising not to bankrupt the country with unwinnable foreign wars.
- Despite warnings from the Joint Chiefs and CIA that Iran regime change would be extremely difficult, Trump decided to invade anyway.
- During a March 16th interview, Trump had an aide fetch a document comparing him to history's most powerful figures: Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan.
- The document's metric for power has no moral dimension—it measures Trump's control of the US military and economy, arguing he's willing to use that power unlike other presidents.
- Trump wants to be a Napoleonic, world-historical figure, believing the way to achieve that is through big actions on the global stage.
- Netanyahu pushed extremely hard for war, and the CIA showed Trump a video montage about regime change in Iran that the agency itself said was nonsense.
- Trump's experience with Delta Force snatching a foreign head of state in Venezuela made him overestimate the military's ability to reshape events worldwide.
Donald TrumpBenjamin NetanyahuSyriaLibyaIraqAfghanistanTucker CarlsonIranNew York TimesRatcliffeChinaVenezuelaCaracasNatalie HarpRussiaHugo Chávez