Burgers, then war: Trump’s bluffs before Iran strikes
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President Donald Trump speaking to supporters at a Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christie, Texas, on Feb 27. Nine hours later, he announced he had ordered the start of a major attack against Iran.
PHOTO: ERIC LEE/NYTIMES
- US President Donald Trump ordered a major attack against Iran from Mar-a-Lago on Feb 27, following a public Texas visit.
- Trump used conflicting signals, seemingly empty schedules, and diplomatic discussions as a smokescreen for the impending military action.
- The "difficult decision" to attack Iran was made from his holiday home, mirroring a previous operation, with top national security officials present.
AI generated
PALM BEACH, United States - On a visit to Texas on Feb 27, US President Donald Trump gave a raucous speech on the economy and then stopped off at a fast food joint.
“Hamburgers for everyone!” Mr Trump declared to cheering customers at the Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christi, before the 47th president left clutching a bag with the order number 47.
Nine hours later, in the dead of night, Mr Trump announced from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that he had ordered the start of a major attack against Iran.
It was the culmination of a series of feints and bluffs in the preceding hours and days as the former reality TV star kept the world guessing.
The smokescreen even featured daily schedules that appeared to leave time for weekend golf games, and announcements of meetings for his senior officials.
Perhaps the weekend at Mar-a-Lago should have been the giveaway.
It was, after all, from his weekend getaway that Mr Trump also launched the toppling of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro
But while the massive US military build-up in the Middle East had made military action look all but certain, the 79-year-old Republican repeatedly gave conflicting signals.
Business as usual?
Speculation had mounted that he might use the first State of the Union speech
His eventual remarks called for a diplomatic solution – but also set out the case for war, including the contention that Iran was developing missiles capable of hitting the US homeland.
The mixed messages kept coming after US and Iranian officials met in Geneva
Across the Trump administration, every effort was made to project a business-as-usual look.
The White House issued Mr Trump’s schedule for the weekend, containing his Texas trip followed by a weekend at Mar-a-Lago, featuring a “Make America Great Again” fund-raising dinner.
The largely empty schedule appeared to leave plenty of spare time – much of which would, on a normal weekend, be filled by Mr Trump playing golf at his nearby club.
The US State Department announced on Feb 27 that Marco Rubio would hold talks in March 2 in Israel, leading some observers to conclude this meant any potential strike would be held off at least until afterwards.
The only glitch in the matrix: Mr Rubio was not planning to bring any reporters on his plane, in a rare break with decades of precedent for US secretaries of state.
Vice-President J.D. Vance meanwhile met with the foreign minister of Oman, a key mediator between the US and Iran, in what was seen as another signal that Washington was ready to give the talks a chance.
‘Greatest scoop in history’
But in retrospect it was a matter of when, not if.
As he left the White House on Feb 27, Mr Trump said he had not yet made a decision
In Texas, in a speech ahead of November’s midterm elections for which he was accompanied by the actor Dennis Quaid, Mr Trump talked about how much oil he said the United States was getting from Venezuela – and then about the “very difficult decision” ahead on Iran.
Asked how close he was to making a decision on strikes, he told reporters: “I’d rather not tell you. You would have the greatest scoop in history, right?”
Just how close Mr Trump was to making a decision would finally become clear at 2.30am.
“A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran,” said Mr Trump, sporting the same white USA hat he was seen wearing when he arrived in Florida.
As with the Venezuela operation, Mr Trump monitored the US attacks overnight from Mar-a-Lago along with his top national security officials, the White House said.
Mr Rubio was there with him on Feb 28, the State Department confirmed, while Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and top military officer Dan Caine were reportedly also in attendence.
Once again, America had gone to war from Mr Trump’s holiday home. AFP
