Trump's Barrage of Posts: The First Tweet War | Dan Perry
Donald Trump has turned his social media account into a central weapon of war, issuing threats, retreats, and contradictory declarations about a deal with Iran. The posts are causing volatility in markets and among allies, and undermining US credibility. The article compares this to previous crises and analyzes the impact of this conduct on deterrence.
Donald Trump has turned his personal social media account into one of the United States' central tools of war, and the results look absurd. He threatens, retreats, announces deals, and changes subjects, leading to general confusion. The backdrop is embarrassment on a rare scale: Iran has received extensive concessions, including control of the Strait of Hormuz, and continues to demand more. On Friday, Trump posted a video with threats, followed by US travel advisories and Israel declaring a high state of alert. During the Sabbath, he posted dozens of posts, including photoshopped images, declarations of Venezuela as the 51st state, and threats against Greenland. On Sunday at 5:05 AM, he wrote about readiness to act against Iran with force not seen since World War II, but also claimed a deal had been reached. Iran immediately denied it. The article compares this conduct to previous crises, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and analyzes the impact of unreliability on deterrence. It notes that repeated threats lose their power, and that uncertainty creates volatility in markets. It also raises questions about revealing military intentions in advance and the damage to trust in the US.