The destruction of a legacy.
It’s one of the most justly celebrated moments in cinematic history. In Elia Kazan’s classic movie On the Waterfront (1954), the failed boxer Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), who was forced to take a dive during the bout that could have established him as a possible challenger for the championship belt, says to his brother, who was in on the fix: “I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.”
I was going to make the subtitle to this article “Instead of a bum which is what he is,” but it was just too painful. Trump isn’t a bum, and maybe, just maybe, he will eventually right the ship and get on with the business of making America great again. But showering billions on a regime whose leaders routinely scream “Death to America,” and pretending that the evil men who now control that regime are rational people with whom America can do business — that’s the behavior of one of the America-Lasters who has governed this unhappy land in recent decades, not that of the visionary who promised to take on and defeat those who were selling out our interests.
Or so we thought, anyway. But there no denying that Trump has changed, although some people are trying their best to maintain the illusion that he hadn’t, and that those who oppose his disastrous Iran deal are the same people who have so vociferously opposed him all these years. Mike Cernovich, who doesn’t seem to do much of anything but somehow has amassed 1.4 million followers on X, wrote on Friday: “Look at the Never Trump cover of National Review. Those are same people going after JD. He shouldn’t lose any sleep. lol. They all went all in against MAGA in 2016, and lost. Look also at the 2024 primaries. Same usual suspects. Not one Iowa caucus win.”
Commenting on Cernovich’s post, Donald Trump Jr. wrote: “It’s hard not to notice that nearly all the people shrieking like psychopaths about my father’s peace deal to end the war, opposed him in 2016 and in the 2024 primary. He achieved his goal and destroyed the Iranian nuclear program, but sorry guys, he’s not doing an endless war!!!”
Yet this is not true. I myself supported Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024. I’m opposed to endless wars. I’m also, however, opposed to surrendering to and propping up evil regimes. I even wrote a book, Who Lost Afghanistan?, about how one of those endless wars was wrongly conceived, wrongly executed, and wrongly concluded. In another book, Rating America’s Presidents, which I wrote in early 2020, I evaluated each American president on the basis of the America-First principle. After a string of disastrous chief executives came Trump, to whom I gave the highest possible rating.
Meanwhile, the far-left Muslim pundit Cenk Uyghur, who has always hated Trump as much as he hates America and Jews, wrote: “Today palpable joy broke out online when an American politician finally defied Israel and even put them in their place a little. It was so unusual that it was little hard to believe. If Trump and Vance keep this up, their numbers will bounce back up in a way that’ll shock people.”
So Trump Jr.’s claim that the people who hate Trump still hate him and the people who love him still love simply isn’t borne out by the facts.
I don’t have any plans to revise and update Rating America’s Presidents, but if I did, the president would get a significantly lower rating, down at the bottom end of the scale, joining Barack Obama whose policies he now seems to have adopted. But one reason why I’m not going to revise that book is precisely because I’m still hoping that Trump will turn this around.
Israel Hayom, which is owned by Miriam Adelson, who has also supported Trump ran an op-ed Friday that said to Trump: “You could have been the greatest president of all in this era… You could have been that president, as you claim to be, but you failed. You missed the opportunity. Instead, unless you change course against the advice of your vice president and envoy, you will be remembered forever as the president who brought about the humiliation of great America and gravely damaged its strategic power and its leading status in the world.”
I hope this isn’t the final turn in this remarkable president’s variegated career. I hope that once he has stopped turning and turning, he will turn ‘round right. He and those who support his deal, however, should stop pretending that this is the sort of thing Trump has been working toward all along. It’s precisely against all that he has been working toward all along.
And many of us who have stood by him all these years miss the man we stood by.
Bob Gold says
Brilliant. Sad but 💯.
Charles Ford says
The man who would be king See Sean Connery movie ending
Wellington says
Like Robert Spencer I too still hope Trump will turn matters around. Perhaps, just perhaps, this is all a deep head fake by Trump but it seems less likely with each passing week, even each passing day, that this is the case. Sigh.
ploome says
he seems optimistic
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/06/trump_walks_iran_into_a_trap.html
Wellington says
I already read this article but thanks for the link nonetheless. I certainly hope it is correct and I have allowed for this possibility myself (several times at JW as in my first post on this thread), though percentage wise I think increasingly it looks like a bad bet but then bad bets sometimes pay off just as good bets often don’t. Time will tell—and soon.
gravenimage says
I hope so–but fear not…
somehistory says
There is a headline today saying that ‘iran has pulled out of the peace deal.’ (I don’t believe they ever were in a peace deal)
“There is no peace, my God has said, for the wicked.”
Walter Sieruk says
Trump had been a good President, but for some reason or reasons he has turned bad, very bad . For his former true statements about that Sharia based tyranny, that is officially titled “The Islamic Republic of Iran” not fit not have ballistic missiles , had now flipped-flopped by saying the exact opposite. That inconsistency will prove to be very dangerous.
Furthermore, that Obama’s” deal” with Iran was disaster. Now, Trump’s new “deal “with Iran is likewise a disaster,
It’s a another version of that Obama “deal” with that “mullah regime” of Iran.
Shame on Trump, he “caved in” he’s a sellout. For Trump is giving new lease on that demonic Islamic regime to continue with all Its many evil activities
Walter Sieruk says
Trump’s farce of a “deal” abandons both Israel and the Iranian people. As for Israel Trump turns his back on Americas friend, because he trusts the lying words of America’s enemy, that still has as its theme “Death to the USA…” Trump’s likewise abandoned the Iranian people, after encouraging them to revolt against that Islamic tyranny that they suffer under, leaving them open the savagery cruel and severe repercussions of the IRGC.
Walter Sieruk says
With the horrible betrayal of the State of Israel and the Israeli people by President Trump by his pushing for that awful; “deal” with that dangerous hostile and menacing Islamic regime of Iran .as well as Trump’s new appeasement policy that is part of that so called “deal.” Likewise, VP Vance follower suite on such wickedness. All this is terrible enough but Trump and Vance are now severely criticizing israel and not evil “mullah regime” of Iran.
Therefore, regarding those two Trump and Vance, it’s best the the Israelis don’t let them be too discouraged. As the old wise saying in Latin is good to remember at this time, The saying is “Illegitimi non carborundum ” which means “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
Walter Sieruk says
Just to think about Donald Trump has either “caved in” out of weakness, or has become beguiled by disinformation given to him which had led accept that farce of a “deal” with that “mullah regime” of Iran then comes down hard on Israel and not that hostile America hating Islamic regime of Iran Either way that doesn’t say much for him.
VP Vance likewise follows suit in all this folly. The point is that Vance might be nominated in about two years as the next Republican candidate for the Office of the Presidency.
Democrat chose for President ,we may be sure, will be even worse than Vance. All this about two years
Speaking only for myself, taking all this into account, concerning the not too far in the future. As things are now heading for America, Therefore I am glad that I’m no longer a young man and I’m very sorry for the children of this country.
Mo says
Mr. Spencer has been writing about these difficult topics for years. But he always seemed to hold out some hope and optimism. This is the first time that I don’t see that. It makes me sad.
Elizabeth says
I can’t help but notice the simultaneous receipt of that enormous lavish Boeing jet gift from Qatar and Trump’s sudden and catastrophic changes in attitude. What happened to “Help Is on The way”? He is now owned and I’d like to know who the authors of this MOU are. Gee I wonder if the Qataris had anything to do with it?
Do I feel betrayed? 100% staggeringly betrayed.
The “Zeal For The Deal” is Trump’s Achilles Heel except he is unaware of how he can be manipulated through it. If I, a simple homemaker, can figure that out, see that path right in front of my face, I’m sure the Iranians and others have as well.
Acceptance of that jet has something to do with his flips in decision making. And Vance looks weak and borderline silly at times as he attempts to explain how great this is. He’s way out of his depth. Pathetic. Do I feel betrayed?
Robert Spencer: you are a National Treasure. You have opened up a side of history to me (and hopefully to the rest of the country) of which I knew absolutely NOTHING. Islam as a school subject, are you kidding: never discussed or even glossed over in school at any level; and it is one of the most important subjects we should be, and should have been, including in every curriculum in the country.
GH says
You said it best. Signed, Broken-hearted.
Pray Hard says
There is no peace with moslems. Trump simply hasn’t seen the elephant in the room yet. I don’t know what will open his eyes. The Iranians will bomb the “deal”. Trump should know this by now. Maybe when they spit in his face hard enough and enough times, he’ll wake up and take care of business. I haven’t given up on his yet.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I saw a meme on X, where Trump is asking people not to drink their own urine, and in the next panel, a Leftard is shown drinking what looks like…. okay, won’t say it
I do congratulate Cenk Uygur – a mohammedan jihad-sympathizer in his own right – for being ideologically consistent and praising Trump here. More inexplicable is Susan Rice and Richard Haas being critical of it, since it does everything that the JCPOA does. Only difference is the absence of a sunset clause, but the islamic regime should be able to cheat on that just like before
OLD GUY says
Considering the fight Trump has with the Media and the Democrats with the Mid-term elections coming up he’s caught in a hard spot of satisfying his Republican Party also. I believe that President Trump knows exactly what Iran and Islam are up too and is buying time until the mid term election is over.
Larry Estavan says
Donald Trump has a Sharia Problem –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFBQ0fEveKo