Speaking to us before reports of Trump calling off the strike, Steve Bannon, a former White House strategist and a top Trump-campaign adviser in 2016, said: “There are certain elements of the Trump administration that are pushing toward a bigger showdown with Iran.” He added that Trump is not “trigger-happy. He understands the elites and permanent political class are very good at getting you into situations and terrible about getting you out.” A senior Republican Senate aide said in an interview, “The last thing he wants is to start another Middle Eastern war. And, unfortunately, a lot of people around him are pushing him that way. You can hear the drums of war all over Washington.”
If Trump’s Iran policy seems to lack coherence, oscillating between warlike gestures and diplomatic overtures, it’s because the president has allowed staff divisions to flourish. Last year, he ousted a more moderate and internationalist-minded national security adviser in H. R. McMaster. He installed Bolton knowing full well what he was getting. “He has strong views on things, but that’s okay. I actually temper John, which is pretty amazing,” Trump said at a news conference last month.
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