Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was interviewed by the Center for American Progress on Friday, and when asked for his reaction to the news that Israel had carried out bombings in Iran overnight and Iran has retaliated. He pointed to Trump’s “I told you so” post on Truth Social as a prime example of the president’s moral impotence on global matters.
“And, here we are. Yeah, here we are with the Middle East back on fire in a way that is now expanded,” Walz said. “Iran has to retaliate in their mind, I’m sure. And now, who is the voice in the world that can negotiate some type of agreement in this? Who holds the moral authority, who holds the ability to do that?”
While acknowledging that many would argue the United States has never been a “neutral actor” in the Middle East, Walz noted that America’s influence there is now greatly diminished.
“And I mean consistently, over and over again, we’re going to have to face the reality: It might be the Chinese. And that goes against everything they say they’re trying to do in terms of the balance of power,” Walz added.
Trump’s mismanagement of the region goes back to his first term when he abandoned President Barack Obama’s Iran deal. Iran responded by ramping up its uranium production, and tensions have only escalated since.
Trump’s promises to solve global conflicts through his cult of personality have failed in Gaza and Ukraine. His positions on the matter remain unpopular and his solutions are simply telling people to listen to him.
Now, Trump is scrambling to regain control of the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, and attempting to negotiate a new nuclear deal to replace the one he tore up six years ago. What could possibly go wrong.