Morning Note

Donald Trump put the world on high alert on Monday night, calling for the immediate evacuation of Iran’s capital city in a Truth Social post that made a major attack seem imminent. 

"Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign,” the president wrote. “What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!"

While it’s not immediately clear what triggered the dramatic warning, the White House announcing Trump’s early departure from the G7 summit stoked fears that the American military was on the cusp of launching an assault. That has not happened as of this newsletter’s publication, and administration spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer denied reports that it was about to last night.

If the U.S. does attack, the White House will doubtlessly paint the move as a defense of American interests. Last night, Trump also wrote that “AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.” 

That is the same kind of messaging we heard from the Bush administration during the Iraq War. We fervently hope it ends better this time.

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