Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran’s nuclear program earlier this year.
The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorized the dormant program even though it had enriched uranium to higher levels.
But Donald Trump dismissed the assessment of U.S. spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the Group of Seven summit to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was “very close” to having a nuclear bomb.
It’s really not that complicated. Trump is a bully and loves piling on to prove he’s the alpha male. But he’s also a coward (like many bullies) and is afraid to wade into something that will spiral out of control. So he’s trying to subjugate the government of Iran using threats so he can get the satisfaction of the former without the risk of the latter.