US affairs expert: Trump ‘sacrificing’ Vance, shifting to economic pressure on Iran after midterms
The midterm defeat was a loss 'of biblical proportions,' Dr. Kobi Barda explained, adding that Trump is now betting on a two-year economic siege of Tehran rather than renewed strikes.
US affairs expert Kobi Barda claims that Vice President JD Vance has fallen out of favor with President Donald Trump following the Republican defeat in the midterm elections. Barda pointed to two signs of Vance's declining status: Trump's statement in a post that he instructed Vance to stop dealing with Iran, and a leak to The Wall Street Journal alleging that Trump regrets the war agreement Vance negotiated with Iran.
Trump had previously asked Vance to focus on corruption in Democratic-led states and claimed that the US no longer needed the Iran deal. Barda said the rift between Trump and Vance could be traced back to a post Vance made the day after the midterms, where he listed reasons for the Republican collapse, including the campaign in Iran and the need to reconsider the relationship with Israel.
Trump's son, Don Jr., reposted the article and wrote "100%." Barda suggested that the dispute goes beyond political disagreements, hinting at a family feud. The Republican midterm loss was a "biblical" setback, forcing Trump to rethink his next steps. The shift on Iran was evident even among Trump's most enthusiastic backers, with Senator Ted Cruz stating that the Iran story was over.
Barda expects Trump to focus on economic pressure on Iran, rather than continuing the military campaign, with a two-year grace period before military action becomes impractical.
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