A political analysis published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz shed light on what it described as the growing isolation of US President Donald Trump during his second term, suggesting that this isolation could directly affect decision making inside the White House, particularly regarding escalation with Iran.
The Israeli analyst Netanel Shlomovitz argues that shifts in the decision making environment in Washington reflect a noticeable change in the balance of influence surrounding the US president. He pointed in particular to the role of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in pressuring Trump and pushing toward a military confrontation with Tehran.
Trump Surrounded by a Narrow Circle of Loyalists
According to the analysis published on Friday, Trump, around fourteen months after returning to the White House, has increasingly relied on a narrow circle of advisers and loyalists who control the type of information reaching him. This situation has reinforced the political and media isolation surrounding the president.
Shlomovitz noted that Trump no longer needs to win the votes of independent voters, making him less concerned with opinion polls that show the majority of Americans oppose a potential war.
The writer also pointed to Trump’s almost exclusive reliance on the Truth Social platform, which has increased the influence of hardline views within the base of the MAGA movement that supports him.
In this context, Shlomovitz cited American writer George Packer, who stated that Trump “does not care about the Iranian people but sees Tehran as merely a scene within a narrative he wants to immortalise in history books.”
Netanyahu and the Pressure Toward Confrontation
The analysis also highlighted an interview Netanyahu conducted with broadcaster Sean Hannity on Fox News, which Shlomovitz described as an important moment in shaping American perceptions regarding the Iranian file.
According to the writer, the interview included what he described as an implicit admission by Netanyahu of his decades long attempts to convince US presidents to adopt the option of military confrontation with Iran.
The analysis also cited remarks by former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said Netanyahu had repeatedly used the tactic of threatening a unilateral military strike against Iran in order to pressure Washington.
Shlomovitz further referred to the book The Divider, published in 2022, which addressed Netanyahu’s attempts in the final months of Trump’s first presidency in 2020 to push the US administration toward carrying out a military attack on Iran. According to the book, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley intervened to prevent such a decision, warning of its consequences.
The analysis also noted growing internal divisions in the United States regarding a possible war with Iran. American media personality Joe Rogan expressed disappointment among some of Trump’s supporters, stating that the president “came to power promising to end wars, yet the United States now finds itself in a war without a clear objective.”
The analysis also cited journalists associated with the MAGA movement who described the war as a “strategic disaster,” accusing the administration of sacrificing American interests in favour of an Israeli agenda.
Shlomovitz concludes that the escalation with Iran may not be the result of a coherent American strategy, but rather a reflection of personal and political dynamics inside the White House, in addition to pressure from regional allies who understand the weaknesses of the decision making process in Washington.
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