Trump's Whiplash Foreign Policy, Iran War Escalates, Graham Platner Drops Out
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How did Trump's tone toward Iran shift from praise to condemnation?
President Trump went from praising Iran's leaders to calling them scum in a matter of weeks.
He used a similar strategy at the NATO summit, berating allies, then telling them he felt the love in the room is the whiplash part of his strategy or just a sign of his short fuse.
I'm Michelle Martin, that's A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News. The U.S. struck Iran for a second night in a row, and Iran fired back at U.S. bases again. Israel's military is preparing for the war to escalate, while the ceasefire deal in Lebanon is also falling apart. Is the Middle East going back to all-out war?
And Graham Plattner is out. The main Democrat suspended his insurgent Senate campaign last night, saying it's not an admission of guilt to the allegations he committed sex crimes, but an acknowledgment of political reality. Democrats have three weeks to find a replacement. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.
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Why do reporters call Trump's variable approach to NATO 'whiplash'?
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Three weeks ago, President Trump praised Iranian leaders as brave people who wanted to change the direction of their country for the better.
And we're dealing with people that I think are very rational people. They were nice to deal with. They were strong people, smart people. I think actually they're smarter than the first and second group.
But yesterday, in a dramatic shift in tone, President Trump in Turkey railed against those same Iranian leaders, accusing them of lying and failing to uphold commitments of their ceasefire agreement.
To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people. And they're vicious, violent people. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez joins us now to talk about the diplomatic whiplash that has come to define Trump's approach to global affairs. Franco, I just called it whiplash. Is that a fair word to use here? I think it is. I mean, and it's really part of this pattern that we've kind of been talking about for some time now, whether it's, you know, announcing the war is over or almost over when it's clearly not to dramatically change. swinging between praise and threats over the course of a few hours.
I mean, it's really like these different faces of the same president trying to will this war to an end. And you can almost hear, really hear, Trump struggling with that balance, even telling reporters later, insisting that the war will not start again. What did Trump say when asked about these obvious contradictions? Well, he was asked about it, and he strained a bit to kind of square the two conflicting assessments of, you know, those Iranian leaders.
I think they are more rational, but based on their actions over the last week or two, they're not doing a service to the people. And I think more than anything else is I got to know them, and I'm not sure I want to make a deal with them. We can play games, but I'm not sure I want to make a deal.
You know, the thing is with Trump is when he makes these kind of threats, you never really know if it's actual change in policy or simply a negotiating tactic.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
How did Trump's tone toward Iran shift from praise to condemnation?
0:02–1:46
2
Why do reporters call Trump's variable approach to NATO 'whiplash'?
1:46–5:39
3
What did Trump say at the NATO summit that signaled a reversal?
5:39–8:18
4
How many U.S. strikes hit Iran and where were they targeted?
8:18–14:28
Speakers
8 identifiedMore from Up First from NPR
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