This Just In: Iran Proposed Making Trump Supreme Leader

Someone had to report it!

From last night’s National Republican Congressional Committee’s fundraising dinner. (If you prefer a write-up, see The Hill, Live updates: Trump says Iran wants deal ending war ‘so badly’ at NRCC dinner.)

The fact that this little riff isn’t the main headline across all news outlets this morning is telling (I did hear one clip from it on NPR this morning, FWIW).

Why do I say this? Well, if any other president had claimed that Iran had proposed they become the Supreme Leader, and/or that Iran badly wanted a deal, it would be a massive headline (either because it was true or because it would raise profound concern about the president’s mental status). The fact that there aren’t screaming headlines on that topic means, quite plainly, that everyone knows he is making it all up.

Basically, it boils down to this: if what Trump is saying is true, this is a massive story, but no one is treating it that way.

If this is untrue (which it clearly is), this is either a sign of mental deterioration (and maybe it is) or it is just Trump doing what he has always done rhetorically, which is bullshit his way through reality as influenced by the power of positive thinking. As such, this may be the peak “Sir” story (even though he doesn’t use “sir” in this one, but he does use the voice he uses in Sir stories).

I suspect some allies and supporters will see this as some kind of negotiation tactic, or simply dismiss it as “Trump being Trump.” And, no doubt, some in his political coalition will find it necessary to publicly go along with these remarks as a sign of loyalty.

But the fact that no one actually believes what the President of the United States is saying is truly remarkable. FNC doesn’t have a word of it on their front page, for example. Instead, the main headline is a crime story, followed by a story about a Democratic member of Congress facing ethics charges and a story about trans athletes. You know, things that are way more important than Trump being asked to be the Supreme Leader of Iran.

Here’s OAN. There is a link to an Iran story, but not about Trump’s NRCC comments.

I know we passed this threshold many, many, many years ago, but it really is stunning the degree to which, in the middle of a war of choice that is already having global economic consequences and is risking serious long-term economic damage, we collectively can’t just shout that the emperor has no clothes.

FILED UNDER: Dumbest Timeline, In Front of Our Noses, Media, Middle East, The Presidency, US Politics, World Politics, , , , , ,
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter and/or BlueSky.

Comments

  1. Gregory Lawrence Brown says:

    If Dorthy found herself today in a place full of men with no brains, no heart and no courage she would not be in Oz.
    She would be in Washington DC…
    (seen on Facebook)

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  2. Modulo Myself says:

    The one pro-Trump person I know (locked in because of Israel) has concluded that every politician is exactly like Trump. That’s their line. Everyone is Trump, end of story. Not only that, they act mystified at the belief that others believe differently. If you think Obama or Biden were not the same, they’re genuinely confused. What can you be thinking?

    The confusion is what gets to me. Face-to-face, it’s a weird phenomenon and I try to steer discussions away from politics because I find it unnerving to be told things like the Muslim Brotherhood is running NYC with the assumption that we can all, whichever side we’re on, believe that to be case.

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  3. charontwo says:
  4. charontwo says:

    Michael Cohen has thoughts:

    Michael Cohen

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  5. Michael Reynolds says:

    OK, stay with me. Trump accepts the offer and becomes the new Supreme Leader and Israel bombs him.

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  6. Kathy says:

    What? you don’t get daily offers to be Supreme Leader of Iran, Queen of England, Emperor of Japan, Sultan of Brunei, Pope, and Chancellor of the Klingon High Council?

    I was tempted by the latter. All those warp ships and cool and impractical hand weapons. But gagh is a deal breaker

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  7. Assad K says:

    This can be filed along with the mysterious Extremely Expensive, Very Rich Prize that Iran sent for him (or do we now know what it was? I can’t keep up with everything!).

    But while we know nothing about that, we do know that the Republicans gave him a solid gold statue, the first-ever America First Award. Ya know, I’m from Pakistan originally, Pakistan has a pretty weak democracy and pretty venal and shallow politicians, and I have never seen any politician there quite as obsequious and spineless as the current crop of Republicans.

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  8. Assad K says:

    @Kathy:

    also, GLORY!

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  9. CSK says:

    Trump has these bursts of manic energy, or goes into a frenzy that’s mistaken for energy, and that to his fans makes up for the witless babble that comes out of his mouth. They talk the way he does anyway.

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  10. Daryl says:

    In that same speech he admitted to being in violation of the War Powers Act and no one will do a goddamned thing about it.

    “I won’t use the word ‘war’ because they say if you use the word ‘war,’ that’s maybe not a good thing to do,” Trump said Wednesday at a GOP fundraising dinner. “They don’t like the word ‘war’ because you’re supposed to get approval. So, I’ll use the word ‘military operation,’ which is really what it is. It’s called a military decimation.”

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  11. charontwo says:

    Crazy happening, there is a transcript button so I am just reading.

    Nance

    ReplyReply

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