PNN – The Trump administration has been under pressure at home due to the start of a chaotic war, but now it has bared its sword to the media.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the head of the terrorist US government, amidst the lack of planning in the war and the growing opposition of public opinion, has accused the media of “betrayal” and “spreading lies” and is trying to control news stories about this conflict by threatening to revoke its operating license.
According to Reuters, Donald Trump, the head of the terrorist government of the United States, along with his allies, have launched new attacks on news organizations over their coverage of the war with Iran. While the US government describes the conflict as a success, numerous documents and reports indicate that the White House has no plan for this war and that Trump is under pressure at home. The increased pressure on the media seems to be a direct response to the growing wave of domestic criticism against the administration’s war policies.
The advisors’ lack of planning and regret over the decision to go to war
A new report from the website Axios, published on Monday, reveals that some members of Trump’s inner circle have suffered from “buyer’s remorse” over the decision to go to war with Iran. According to the report, key officials were reluctant to go to war or wanted more time, but Trump ultimately brushed aside his doubts and said, “I just want to do it.”
A source familiar with the matter told Axios that Trump had overestimated his ability to overthrow the Iranian government without using ground forces, drawing on past military successes. “He was drunk on his own success,” the source added. The administration had initially envisioned a four- to six-week operation, but officials are now preparing for a longer crisis through September.
The San Juan Daily Star’s analytical report also points out Trump’s lack of planning, writing: The US president has started the war without any plan to end it. The report emphasizes that Trump ignored the warning of his top military adviser, General Dan Keane, before the war. Keane had warned that Iran would respond by closing the Strait of Hormuz, but Trump thought that Iran would surrender before closing the Strait; a prediction that clearly turned out to be wrong.
Domestic pressure and opposition even among Trump supporters
Reliable polls reveal widespread public opposition to the war. According to a joint Reuters/Ipsos poll on March 1, only a quarter of Americans support the February strikes on Iran.
The poll also found that about half of respondents — including a quarter of Republicans — believe Trump is more than willing to use military force. At least 13 American soldiers have been killed in the conflict, and the Trump administration has been known to censor and downplay news of military casualties.
Linden Mitchell, a political scientist at Columbia University, emphasized to Ukraineform that even Trump supporters are not welcoming the war. “I don’t see any enthusiasm for this war. Even people who are ideologically on the right wing and generally support Trump — I don’t see them enthusiastic about this war,” he said.
Splits in the MAGA coalition and concerns of a repeat of Vietnam
In a detailed report, Xinhua News Agency pointed to five real pressures on the Trump administration: public opposition, close voting in Congress (a fragile majority with a difference of only six or seven votes), the chaotic logic of the war (the inability to explain the “end of the war” and the “day after”), damage to the economy and people’s livelihoods (a 48-cent increase in gasoline prices in a week), and military casualties.
The Xinhua report also points to the split in the MAGA coalition, writing that former Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has publicly stated his opposition to the war, calling it “infanticide.”
Meanwhile, John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, has warned that “inadequate preparation” will prevent the United States from achieving regime change in Iran. He stressed that Trump went to war without preparing public opinion and without gaining the support of Congress. Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also said, citing confusion about the goals of the war: Regime change through airstrikes is very difficult.
Trump’s sharp response to criticism: Directly targeting the media
Amid this mounting domestic pressure, Trump and his allies have launched a new campaign against the media. The attacks, which have intensified in recent days, include unprecedented threats against journalists and news organizations, according to Reuters.
On Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett took a specific aim at CNN at a news conference, calling a documentary that the administration had downplayed the risks to oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz “absolutely ridiculous.” Referring to the network’s new owner, David Ellison (son of Trump ally Larry Ellison), Hegsett said the sooner he takes control of the network, the better.
The White House also sent an email accusing CNN of “spreading lies” to undermine the “decisive success” of the military operation. CNN President Mark Thompson responded by stressing, “We stand by our reporting.”
In his latest and most scathing statement, Trump took to his social media account, Truth Social, on Sunday evening to accuse “fake news” outlets of working with Iran. He claimed that they were publishing artificially created images of a burning US aircraft carrier and accused them of “treason.” Treason is a charge that can carry the death penalty under US law.
Officials intensify their tone against news coverage of the war
Treasury Secretary Scott Besant told CNBC that the mainstream media’s coverage of the war was due to a “lack of interest in Trump.” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wells also supported Trump in a statement, saying, President Trump is right. Many in the media are working overtime to discredit President Trump, his administration, and the United States military while giving thumbs up to a regime that has been killing Americans for nearly 50 years. This is a complete disgrace.
Jamil Jafar, director of the Knight Institute at Columbia University, responded to the attacks by saying: President Trump is free to criticize news coverage that he finds inaccurate or unfair, but the First Amendment gives news organizations the right to decide for themselves what to report and how to report it. That is a cornerstone of the Constitution, if anything.
Analysts: Economic pressure and casualties behind harsh media attacks
The escalation of attacks on the media seems to coincide with the rising costs of war and human casualties. Rising fuel and fertilizer prices have hit the middle class and American farmers hard. Gasoline prices have reportedly risen by 48 cents in a week, costing the war a billion dollars a day. American farmers, especially in the Midwestern states that rely on chemical fertilizers, have been hit hard by rising prices.