As sure as Keir Starmer is losing the PLP, President Trump is losing his MAGA base. His anti-war and 'America First' campaign messages of 2024 have unravelled fast in the last eight months. A strong start to his presidency began to encounter some bumps six months in, when the bromance with Elon Musk turned into a very bitter public spat. This was followed quickly by the unthinkable - Trump ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.
The bombing was initially met with dismay by many conservatives, but Israel's decision to pull back from its own attacks on Iran gave Trump the opportunity to present the US bombing as a decisive act in delivering a peaceful resolution.
If that had been the end of his administration's overseas military adventures, Trump's place in history would still have been assured. Then he went and ordered a military strike against Venezuela, culminating in the kidnap of its communist dictator Nicolas Maduro. Paired with repeated threats against Greenland, a territory of NATO partner Denmark, the pretence about Trump's non-interference policy was up.
His initial refusal to entertain the release of - or even the existence of - files related to suspected Mossad proxy Jeffrey Epstein, also frustrated MAGA loyalists. This act was enough for the honourable, forthright and hugely popular Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. She sensationally resigned from Congress, ditching a $174k salary in the process.
Although rocked by Trump's repeated betrayals, many loyalists continued to nod along. Then he began building up forces in the Middle East, a region that has tainted many US presidents over the decades, in particular George W Bush. An attack on Iran seemed inevitable, but the involvement of only one other state in bombing this beleaguered and oppressed nation came as no surprise to anyone with an honest appraisal of the region. This was no war to safeguard democracy or protect ordinary Iranians against the Mullahs - this was the war that Israel had long craved. This is a war to remove a threat to Israel.
It's that simple.
MAGA exploded again: "This is not what we voted for". Quite. That's what you're getting though, and if Trump doesn't became a lame duck president after the midterms, things could worsen in the latter half of his term. Greenland and Cuba? Nothing appears to be off the table now for a president off the rails. Is it a rattle-throwing exercise after his overtures for a Nobel Peace Prize fell on deaf ears? Is it a distraction from the Epstein files? If either of those things are true, it is a terrible indictment to enact a war that will kill countless thousands, destabilise an entire region, push up domestic inflation and deliver millions more Arab and Persian migrants to towns and cities across Europe - merely due to an act of personal petulance or self preservation.
No, it's more than that. Israeli influence over the United States has deep roots, and there is growing evidence to suggest the Epstein operation was linked to Mossad. It might explain Trump's reluctance to entertain the release of the files, most of which will never see the light of day. An admission that Israel has been in a position to blackmail such high ranking members of government for decades would be hugely damaging for any president to admit - regardless of party affiliation. The Biden administration did not release any Epstein files at all.
It may be uncomfortable for many on the right to admit, but Benjamin Netanyahu is an indicted war criminal. Arrest warrants for him and his prime minister Yoav Gallant make for risky travel to Europe, South America, Australasia and much of Africa. All member states of the International Criminal Court are required to detain and deport Netanyahu and/or Gallant and deliver them to the Hague to face trial for war crimes related to Israel's abhorrent conduct in Gaza.
And yet there is one country that repeatedly hosts Netanyahu in spite of the alleged war crimes: the United States. The Israeli leader has travelled to the US no less than six times since his indictment in November 2024, including multiple visits to the White House to pose with his puppet.
The US - like Russia, China, Turkey, Iran and Israel - is not a member of the ICC. Quelle surprise?
The red MAGA hats that became so familiar with Trump supporters dating back to his first presidential campaign over a decade ago, are gradually giving way to 'America First' hats. The slogan may be associated with Trump, but conservative voices who longed for domestic priorities are using the slogan to remind him that America does not mean Israel by proxy - it means A-M-E-R-I-C-A.
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