In a bizarre display of hypocrisy, President Trump has been using the same bombastic rhetoric to condemn protesters in Iran as he does those in Minneapolis, highlighting the desperation and declining legitimacy of his administration. In one tweet, he called for "KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!" in support of protesters in Tehran, while just 63 minutes later he denounced the protests in Minnesota as part of an alleged fraud scandal, labeling their participants as "anarchists and professional agitators."
This apparent disconnect speaks to a larger issue: Trump's administration has abandoned all pretense of coherence or consistency on issues related to social justice and human rights. The president doesn't care about anyone but himself and his own survival, viewing the world through the lens of his damaged ego and perceived grievances against the establishment.
The contrast between Trump's tone towards protesters in Iran and those in Minneapolis is stark. In the case of Tehran, he expressed "solidarity" with demonstrators, decried the killing of protesters, and vowed that those responsible would pay a price – language that would be eerily familiar to those who followed his rhetoric during the 2016 campaign. However, when confronted with similar protests in Minneapolis, where police brutality has been a recurring issue, Trump's message was unmistakably different.
Trump's Iran policy is as much of a mess as his predecessor's, and it largely consists of social media posturing mixed with wishful thinking. His advisors are pushing for a lightning strike to decapitate the Iranian regime, but they're not reckless enough to risk an overseas war that could destroy their entire agenda.
For Trump's die-hard supporters, however, this hypocrisy is hardly a problem. They've grown accustomed to the president's contradictions and negative information being baked into their worldview. In their universe, reality is whatever the leader says it is – Monday's lies can become Tuesday's sacred truths.
But for those in the streets protesting against paramilitary rule and ethnic cleansing in Minneapolis, there's no parallel universe where they're still considered "real Americans." By opposing Trump's regime, they're exposed to the blatant anti-American cynicism of his entire project and are now facing excommunication from the imagined community that his supporters have worked hard to create.
It's also striking that Trump is so desperate to equate the protests in Tehran with those in Minneapolis – a move that ignores the obvious conclusion that his regime has far more in common with the theocrats in Tehran than with any strand of Iranian popular resistance. This is a convoluted and threadbare extension of the MAGA narrative that's completely untethered from reality, and one that Trump's supporters can't afford to inspect too closely.
As the situation continues to deteriorate, it's clear that Trump holds effectively full power over the United States government for at least another year. The danger is very real: he has declared a piecemeal civil war against major cities in his own country and is on the cusp of declaring war on a NATO ally.
While there's still a glimmer of hope that heightened media scrutiny, mounting public opposition, and Trump's animal instinct for self-preservation will stave off another catastrophe, we can't underestimate the risks. We can only hope that Vladimir Putin gives Trump a friendly call with undertones of come-to-Jesus, or that Trump's dream of building a new American empire on the cheap – his foreign policy in a nutshell – crumbles when faced with the true price of such monumental folly.
This apparent disconnect speaks to a larger issue: Trump's administration has abandoned all pretense of coherence or consistency on issues related to social justice and human rights. The president doesn't care about anyone but himself and his own survival, viewing the world through the lens of his damaged ego and perceived grievances against the establishment.
The contrast between Trump's tone towards protesters in Iran and those in Minneapolis is stark. In the case of Tehran, he expressed "solidarity" with demonstrators, decried the killing of protesters, and vowed that those responsible would pay a price – language that would be eerily familiar to those who followed his rhetoric during the 2016 campaign. However, when confronted with similar protests in Minneapolis, where police brutality has been a recurring issue, Trump's message was unmistakably different.
Trump's Iran policy is as much of a mess as his predecessor's, and it largely consists of social media posturing mixed with wishful thinking. His advisors are pushing for a lightning strike to decapitate the Iranian regime, but they're not reckless enough to risk an overseas war that could destroy their entire agenda.
For Trump's die-hard supporters, however, this hypocrisy is hardly a problem. They've grown accustomed to the president's contradictions and negative information being baked into their worldview. In their universe, reality is whatever the leader says it is – Monday's lies can become Tuesday's sacred truths.
But for those in the streets protesting against paramilitary rule and ethnic cleansing in Minneapolis, there's no parallel universe where they're still considered "real Americans." By opposing Trump's regime, they're exposed to the blatant anti-American cynicism of his entire project and are now facing excommunication from the imagined community that his supporters have worked hard to create.
It's also striking that Trump is so desperate to equate the protests in Tehran with those in Minneapolis – a move that ignores the obvious conclusion that his regime has far more in common with the theocrats in Tehran than with any strand of Iranian popular resistance. This is a convoluted and threadbare extension of the MAGA narrative that's completely untethered from reality, and one that Trump's supporters can't afford to inspect too closely.
As the situation continues to deteriorate, it's clear that Trump holds effectively full power over the United States government for at least another year. The danger is very real: he has declared a piecemeal civil war against major cities in his own country and is on the cusp of declaring war on a NATO ally.
While there's still a glimmer of hope that heightened media scrutiny, mounting public opposition, and Trump's animal instinct for self-preservation will stave off another catastrophe, we can't underestimate the risks. We can only hope that Vladimir Putin gives Trump a friendly call with undertones of come-to-Jesus, or that Trump's dream of building a new American empire on the cheap – his foreign policy in a nutshell – crumbles when faced with the true price of such monumental folly.
. His whole vibe is just all over the place – can't even be bothered to keep his own story straight. And don't even get me started on how he's just using social media to talk smack at protesters everywhere 
. Like, what's next? Is he gonna start wearing a pair of shades and a fedora just to look cool while he's condemning riots in Iran 
?
. I mean, if you're gonna be all about social justice one day, then what's the point? And can we please just have a president who knows what they want and sticks to it? It feels like Trump is just making this whole thing up as he goes along 
.
. Like, I get that some people might be invested in the MAGA narrative, but come on – can't we have a little bit of critical thinking around here? 
. We need a president who's actually going to listen to the people and do what's right for America, not just themselves 
.
. Can't they see the hypocrisy staring them in the face?
.
. Can't someone please just have a straight-up conversation with him about what's going on?
I'm literally watching how one person can say two completely opposite things and get away with it... like, what even is going on here? The guy's literally begging for a foreign leader to talk some sense into him 
. It's wild how detached from reality he is when it comes to people protesting in different parts of the country... like, I get that the man's got issues, but come on! 
it's all just too much drama. can't we all just get along?! 
like what even is going through this guy's head? He's literally telling protesters to "take over their institutions" in Iran but then he's quick to label them as "anarchists and professional agitators" in Minneapolis... it's just mind-boggling. And can we talk about how his policies are a hot mess? It's like he's just making it all up as he goes along 
. The fact that he's trying to equate protesters in Iran with those in Minneapolis just shows how out of touch he is with reality