Donald Trump has framed his political career around being a peacemaker at heart — an image derided by critics but internalized by many of his supporters. Now he’s testing that image’s reality: positioning himself as a president who can swiftly end wars, even if that means first getting involved in them.
The political impact all comes down to whether the war in Iran really does wind down in the next few days as the president now says it will, strategists from both parties said.
Trump and his administration have repeatedly said they hoped the weekend strike against Iran would be a one-off event, to be followed quickly by diplomacy and de-escalation from Iran. On Monday, Iran launched missiles at a U.S. military base in Qatar, which analysts considered a muted response to the attacks on the country’s nuclear program. Trump wrote soon after that “perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region,” and later said, “There will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE.”