The Art of the Deal

Bloviate, blunder, betray.

By Kathy Manning, DMFI Board Chair

President Trump signs a Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States, June 17, 2026

While failing to state the specific reasons and objectives for his war with Iran to the American people or Congress, Donald Trump did float a wide variety of goals in social media posts and statements to the press over the past four months. In his “keep ‘em guessing” style, he boasted that he would achieve regime change, help the Iranian people suffering under the fanatical mullahs, end Iran’s nuclear capabilities (which he claimed the U.S. had already decimated), destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capacity, and end its support of terrorist proxies including Hamas and Hezbollah. Like the arsonist who wants credit for putting out the fire he started, Mr. Trump now claims victory with a deal that pauses Iran’s use of a previously unused weapon — a weapon that may be as powerful as its nuclear threat — the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Add to that the release of hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran and you have the real Art of the Deal: surrender and betrayal of the American people, the Gulf States, Israel, and our NATO allies.

The closing of the Strait would not have been a surprise had the commander in chief been a better listener, or had he surrounded himself with advisors willing to tell him the truth instead of constantly stroking his ego in humiliating ways. Careful planning, which is not Trump’s strong suit, might have allowed our very able military forces to prepare in advance to keep the Strait open. Instead, our bloviating President enabled the Iranian monster to finally use its most potent weapon against the world: its control of the flow of oil.

Apparently assuming the American people are suffering from collective amnesia, the President claims (1) the Iranian leaders have transformed themselves and are willing to play nice, (2) Syria will do a better job of preventing Hezbollah from wreaking havoc on Israel and the Lebanese people than Netanyahu can (I would be experiencing extreme schadenfreude for Netanyahu except that his missteps are impacting the Israelis, who deserve better, and Jews around the world, who are experiencing an explosion of antisemitism), (3) he has saved Israel from total destruction, and (4) with this deal, he has saved our economy from going into a massive depression. Pay no attention to the economic impact of the roller-coaster of tariffs he has imposed and lifted willy-nilly over the past eighteen months, or his efforts to dismantle and destroy efforts by prior administrations and business leaders to move forward with clean energy developments and innovations that would decrease global dependence on Iranian oil, or his debasing and alienation of allies who might have helped our fight against Iran had they been consulted in advance.

So why aren’t we celebrating the Deal-Maker-in-Chief’s Big Beautiful Deal? Let’s go back to the objectives he floated when he started this war.

First, regime change. There is, in fact, a new regime in Iran, but it appears to be more hard-core fundamentalist than the prior regime and has good reason to fear assassination, making it less willing, not more willing to trust the Western enemies Iran has long raged against.

Second, the promise of help to the Iranian people suffering under a tyrannical regime. Trump’s promise of help is as ephemeral as his name on the front of the Kennedy Center.

Third, the ending of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Certainly this war has given Iran more reason to desire the protection of nuclear weapons, and there is nothing in a “concept of a deal,” which is still to be negotiated over the next 60 days while oil money starts flowing back into Iran, to assure us that Iran’s nuclear ambitions or achievements will be eradicated. Rather than use the economic leverage that has been created through years of sanctions, this MOU rewards Iran in anticipation of good behavior. That is a stunning and inexplicable change in U.S. tactics.

Fourth, the destruction of Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities. Just ask the six Gulf States that have been hit by Iranian missiles during this war – Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait — as well as Israel, whether they have confidence that Iran will not use its ballistic missiles in the future. Any claim that Iran will decrease its ballistic missile stockpiles — after the President has now declared that it’s “Okay” for Tehran to keep them — simply would not pass the red face test.

Finally, the end of Iran’s support of its terrorist proxies. Iran’s demand that this deal include the cessation of Israel’s fight against Hezbollah shows that in fact, Iran is now more openly and more effectively using its newly-enhanced power to support its terror partners. Trump’s obscenity-laced tirade against Netanyahu’s objections to this part of the deal cannot change the reality on the ground. Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel have never been for the benefit of the Lebanese people. They have always been to further Iran’s goal of eliminating Jews from Israel. Trump’s willingness to restrict Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorists dedicated to its destruction is the ultimate betrayal of Israel. This is a particularly painful rebuke after Israel has proven to be the only ally willing and able to work side by side with the United States to fight a common enemy that has American blood on its hands.

Back to the Art of the Deal. Apparently, part of Donald Trump’s technique is to avoid stating clear objectives so he can walk away from those objectives when he fails. This is not a masterpiece of negotiation. This is a President — facing widespread criticism from within his own party — cutting his losses and finding a quick exit. It allows him to claim victory and hope the self-inflicted economic damage will heal by the midterms. Or he may just as quickly place the blame on his Vice President when it inevitably fails. Maybe, perhaps, if he is lucky, the deal will clean up the mess he created with his blundering attempts to exercise strength without forethought. Bloviate, blunder, betray. That appears to be his real Art of the Deal.