Mercogliano True Blog

 In politics, there is a fundamental rule: if you are elected, you must adhere to your mandate. Granted, there may be compelling reasons not to, but they must be truly compelling. Trump’s mandate was: no wars, lower costs, and keeping them low. By 2025, he was well on the path to success. Costs were coming down. The pressure on consumers was easing. Then, things changed. For most voters, "no wars" means exactly that—no wars. This is especially true for large segments of the "America First" base. They are firmly opposed to regime change and nation-building operations. They have had enough of the misadventures in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The president’s image—cultivated over more than a decade—stands in direct opposition to such endeavors. Had he stopped at the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, his voters would have forgiven him. Instead, the war bears all the hallmarks of an attempt at regime change; this has driven large ...