One of my closest friends emigrated from Iran to the U.S. in the 1980s. She is a respected physician in her field, and she texted me when she saw Donald Trump’s expletive-filled Truth Social post at Iran on, of all days, Easter Sunday.
“Do you know how unacceptable it is to swear in Iran? And what happens if you do? And he attacked Allah. That language might be worse than bombs,” she said.
There’s a reason real diplomats don’t spend their Easter mornings dropping F-bombs on social media. But then again, we don’t have a real diplomat in the White House, or in the Trump administration.
On Sunday morning, while most of the world was seeking a moment of peace and renewal, Trump was busy torching what’s left of American decency and credibility in the Middle East. In an expletive-laden Truth Social post, he threatened to attack Iranian bridges and power plants, writing: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.”
Then he told Iran to “Open the fucking strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in hell – just watch,” and signed off with a very crude mocking of the Muslim religion, “Praise be to Allah.”
The ramifications of Trump’s language are chilling just at the surface. In the Middle East, where words carry the weight of centuries, these specific words are going to haunt us for decades.
In Iran, social etiquette – Taarof – is the backbone of society, built on mutual respect and the absolute avoidance of public shame. When Trump stooped to gutter-level profanity, he wasn’t talking tough. He’s proving to the Iranian leadership, and the Iranian people, that he is a man of no character.
And that he is an imbecilic, insensitive idiot.
What makes this especially obscene is what profanity actually means under Iranian law. Under Article 608 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, swearing or using profane language is punishable by flogging of up to 74 lashes or a substantial fine.
Further, mocking religious figures can be prosecuted under provisions about “spreading corruption on earth” – a crime with punishments ranging from months in prison to execution.
An ordinary Iranian citizen who sent the exact same message Trump posted on Truth Social would face flogging or worse. A sitting American president has now communicated at a lower moral and legal standard than his own enemy’s citizens are permitted to speak.
And the UAE – a supposed regional partner – treats abusive language sent even in a private WhatsApp message as a criminal offense, punishable by hefty fines, imprisonment, and deportation.
Trump’s post would be prosecutable in the very region he’s trying to influence. Though Trump’s posts are often incendiary, laden with profanity and insults, mocking the invocation of Allah is likely to cause additional anger across the Muslim world.
Think about it this way. How would Christians react if Iran’s Supreme Leader put forth a statement that said something to the effect that Jesus was a phony? Nationalistic conservative Christians in the U.S. would go berserk.
Iran’s Embassy in Thailand reacted to Trump’s insult, calling him a “teenager”, and then writing, “You don’t have to show your inferiority by this language. Allah is far greater and all-encompassing to be used by your Najis mouth.”
By using profanity-laced ultimatums, Trump has done something no skilled negotiator would ever do – he has made it impossible for Iran to back down without losing face in front of its own people. Again, imagine conservative Christians rebelling against Trump if he did nothing for a Supreme Leader who smacked at christianity.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations called Trump’s threats “a direct and public incitement to terrorize civilians and clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes.”
Iran’s parliament speaker fired back that Trump’s “reckless moves are dragging the United States into a living hell for every single family.”
Our allies have got to be utterly embarrassed to be seen near him. First, Trump launched this war without consulting European or NATO allies, and is now demanding they take responsibility for the damage.
A former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder said Europe did not want a war, “He decided to start a war without talking to Congress, without talking to the American people, without talking to our allies.”
Now, this week, every ally leader and their foreign ministers will likely be forced to answer questions about the “Open the F***in’ Strait” post. They will condemn it and put themselves further away from the U.S. say they are not contaminated by proximity to Trump’s vulgarity.
No democratically elected leader wants their citizens to see them associated with that language.
All this is inevitably leading to questions about Trump’s mental capacity. Only a delusional, demented madman would talk this way in the middle of a war. Senator Chris Murphy called the post“the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual” and urged Cabinet members to spend Easter “calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment.”
Murphy was being too kind. Trump clearly is completely off his rocker. This is the language of someone who can’t control their thoughts or anger. This is a clear sign of dementia, perhaps the most vivid display of Trump’s declining mental health. Because what else can possibly explain this horrific verbal aggression toward a dangerous adversary?
An article last month on The Atlantic was revealing about why we’ve never gone to war with Iran. The article’s main point is that nothing happening in the current Iran war is surprising, because U.S. leaders have long been warned that attacking Iran could trigger a wider regional war, disrupt global oil supplies and spike the economy, cause significant civilian casualties, provoke unpredictable retaliation through proxies and missiles, drag the U.S. into a prolonged conflict, and leave no clear or stable endgame.
Now, imagine how all of these dangers Iran poses have been compounded and multiplied because Trump brutally offended their culture and their religion.
We are now left to wonder – and worry – if we are about to pay a catastrophic price for a president who is losing his mind, and cannot control his impulses and his mouth. God help us.
The post Trump may have signed his own death sentence with this imbecilic outburst appeared first on Raw Story.
