Trump’s Iran War Drive Exposes Limits of ‘Yes Sir’ Cabinet
President Donald Trump, from left, Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defense, John D. Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Walt Nauta, White House director of Oval Office operations, and Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary.
Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/BloombergDonald Trump’s decision to wage war on Iran was partly motivated by pressure from outside allies while his own White House team stayed more muted – underscoring how in his second term, guardrails have been traded for a green light.
Those privately pressing Trump to strike Iran included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and some conservative commentators, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The News Corp. founder communicated with Trump several times as he urged the president to take on Tehran, according to one person briefed on their interactions.