This week, three American soldiers died at the hands of an Iranian proxy group that used a drone to strike an American base in Jordan. The Biden administration immediately leapt into action by issuing a strongly worded statement, while simultaneously proclaiming that it wanted to avoid escalation. Which, of course, is precisely the wrong thing to do when faced with aggression from a smaller, hostile adversary.

The right thing to do? Punch it in the mouth hard enough to deter further aggression.

That is something former President Donald Trump knew innately.

On Dec. 31, 2019, Iranian-backed proxy groups stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Iraq, killing a U.S. contractor. “Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq,” Trump tweeted. “They will be held fully responsible.”