When Playing Dumb Is Considered a Sign of Strength

In this past week's ironic news

President Donald Trump slammed NATO allies ⁠over their lack of support for the US-Israel war on Iran as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, with no end to the conflict in sight.

NATO countries are “COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!” he posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday.

The US president complained NATO countries did not want to join the fight against Iran, yet still complain about high oil prices.

NATO countries are "cowards"? That's interesting because on Wednesday Donald had posted on his Untruth Social site

Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran. A relatively small section of the whole has been hit. The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen. Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility. NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar....

 The following day, Trump in the Oval Office made the same claim when, as The Guardian reported

“I told him, ‘Don’t do that,’ and he won’t do that,” Trump said. “We didn’t discuss [the strikes]. We do independent, but get along great. It’s coordinated. But on occasion he’ll do something, and if I don’t like it … and so we’re not doing that any more."

Israeli attacks on the South Pars gasfields have opened a Pandora’s box of retaliatory strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure, including pipelines and natural gas processing facilities that serve LNG (liquefied natural gas) to economies around the world, particularly in Asia….

Significantly, it appears President Trump did have prior knowledge of the Israeli strike because, as the Guardian added, "Israeli officials disputed that claim, telling US and Israeli media that Washington had in fact been informed of the South Pars gasfield attack before it took place."

We've seen this play before, when on September 9 of last year

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed US President Donald Trump of plans to strike Hamas leaders in Qatar before the attack took place, contradicting White House claims that it was notified only after missiles were launched, Axios reported Monday.

Netanyahu called Trump around 8 am Washington time (1200GMT) Tuesday to brief him on the impending strike, Israeli officials with direct knowledge told the online outlet. Initial reports of explosions in Doha emerged 51 minutes later.

The White House maintained it was informed after missiles were airborne, claiming Trump had no opportunity to object. "The US Military informed him (Trump) of Israel's attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, and he immediately directed his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatar," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Axios.

However, acknowledging he had limited time to halt the operation, Israeli officials suggested the White House was aware earlier. "Trump knew about the strike before the missiles were launched ... (and) didn't say no," a senior Israeli official claimed.

Another said the US was informed at the political level "well in advance" and "if Trump had wanted to stop it, he could have."

The officials insisted missiles had not yet been fired during the Trump-Netanyahu conversation and claimed Israel would have canceled the strike if Trump had objected.

American or Israeli officials have neither confirmed nor denied the report.

Israel's attack, which killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, prompted "an intense new wave of global outrage" and "was roundly condemned as an escalation that threatened to derail efforts to end the war."

Actually, the strike had the opposite effect. Talks in Doha were briefly suspended but when renewed, swiftly led to a ceasefire. Nonetheless, presumably unaware of the impact it would have on negotiations, Trump told reporters that he was "very unhappy" with the attack, evidently because he couldn't own up to knowing about a mission he couldn't stop.

And yet, we keep seeing piles of manure like this stuff:

Left claims Trump’s ‘goaded’ on Iran. Bongino drops truth bomb: He’s in charge. America First strength, not weakness.

— Jason Hughes (@JasonHughes716) March 19, 2026

Sure, Trump is in charge, sometimes. At other times, he is not. Israel tells him that it's time for it to launch a war aginst Iran, and he follows suit; Israel tells Trump of an impending strike (with sever repercussions) on an Iranian gas field and Trump later denies foreknowledge; Israel sends a missile into the heart of one of Donald's besties, Qatar, and he plays dumb so Doha doesn't blame the President.

It's Trump's secret sauce. Start with the bluster, perhpas by portraying a riuthless boss on reality television. Be impulsive and loud. Shamelessly display a cockure attitude, and hone your skill by kidnapping a foreign leader, threatening conquest of a country or two, and starting a regional war. Trump deserves credit for one thing, though. He calls NATO "cowards" and he knows cowardice, intimately.

 

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