Donald Trump’s unhinged 24 hours as he spirals uncontrolled in TV meltdown
Donald Trump’s day was supposed to be pretty lighthearted. He was hosting an event where Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin presented Trump with a bowl of shamrocks to mark St Patrick’s Day. That didn’t last long
Trump is spiralling(Image: YURI GRIPAS/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)
Donald Trump’s day was supposed to be pretty lighthearted. He was hosting an event where Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin presented Trump with – I swear to god – a bowl of shamrocks to mark St Patrick’s Day.
But, obviously, when he opened the event up to questions, thoughts turned to Iran. And specifically Trump asking the rest of the world to help clean up the mess he made in the Strait of Hormuz, and the rest of the world saying “nah, yer alright.”
He lashed out at Nato, Keir Starmer, European allies, uncle Tom Cobbley and all for failing to bail him out.
And his mood was probably not helped by his counterterrorism chief having flounced out of his Senate confirmed role just an hour or so earlier, helpfully pointing out that Iran posed no threat to the US before Trump started dropping bombs on them.
His day is unlikely to get any less fraught… he’s on the Hill this afternoon as Republicans try to ram through a law so blatantly aimed at rigging elections that it’s becoming less and less clear that it’s not a piece of performance art.
Meanwhile, in Trumpworld
- Top terror chief quits over Iran
- Trump lashes out at Nato allies
- And Keir Starmer
- And the BBC
- He leaked a politician’s medical records
- He (probably) made up a story about speaking to a former President
Here’s everything you need to know
1. Top Trump terror chief quits over Iran
Donald Trump’s top counterterrorism official dramatically quit today – taking a devastating swipe at the US President’s war in Iran.
Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, said he was resigning because he “cannot in good conscience” back the administration’s war in the Middle East – saying Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation.”
In a post on social media, he said: “It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
His resignation will be seen as a sign of cracks appearing in Trump’s MAGA base, with many prominent right-wing figures heavily criticising Trump’s bombing of Iran.
2. Trump petulantly lashes out at Nato allies
Trump unleashed a furious rant at America’s allies for refusing to help bail him out of his war in Iran.
On Saturday he posted on his Truth Social website, begging countries – including the UK – to send ships to the Middle East to help protect oil tankers under threat from Iranian bombing and mines while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Since then, no country has responded to his plea.
And in a further post today, Trump admitted not one of America’s Nato allies has agreed to take part in the conflict.
With a petulant flourish, Trump wrote: “In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the most powerful country anywhere in the world, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE.”
3. Trump lashes out at Starmer again as he moans about Iran support
Trump lashed out personally at Keir Starmer – saying he has made a “big mistake” in not helping clean up his mess in Iran, and refusing to say he had confidence in him.
Trump said Starmer was a “nice man”, but refused to say whether he wanted to see him replaced as Prime Minister.
“We have a tremendous, long-term relationship with the UK,” Trump said. “It’s the oldest, the longest. Should be the best. Always was the best until Keir came along.”
And asked if he wanted to see Starmer replaced, he would only say it was a matter for the British people, not for him.
“He hasn’t been supportive and I think it’s a big mistake,” Trump said, repeating his insult that Starmer is “not Winston Churchill.”
Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Trump indicated the UK had been insufficiently grateful over the trade deal he’d agreed with Starmer.
“They couldn’t make a deal with Biden because [The Biden White House] had no real administration to make a deal,” he said. “But we made a deal, we made a good deal for them, and frankly, probably wasn’t appreciated.”
He added: “I do look forward to seeing the King, he’s going to be coming very shortly.”
Turning to his relationship with Starmer personally, Trump said: “I was disappointed because Keir was willing to send two aircraft carriers after we won…because essentially there’s no threat for the aircraft carriers right now. And I said no, no, we want things sent before the war, not after the war is won.
“I’m disappointed with Keir. I like him, I think he’s a nice man, but I’m disappointed.”
4. Trump leaks top Republican’s medical records
At one of his White House events last night Trump, sitting next to House Speaker Mike Johnson, started musing about Florida Republican House member Neal Dunn’s health.
His condition had been the subject of much private discussion on Capitol Hill in recent weeks – with rumours circulating that he had had a grave diagnosis which might prevent him seeing out his term.
Trump, last night, was praising Johnson for managing a razor-thin majority in the House when he said: “”We had one man who was very ill. It looked like he wasn’t going to make it. I don’t know. I won’t mention his name.”
And then, as he always does when he says he’s not going to say something, he said his name. “Should I?” He asked Johnson. “Do other people know his name? Huh? Do you want to mention it? He’ll be proud. Go ahead, tell them – tell them the story.”
Johnson, looking more uncomfortable by the second, said: “OK. Well…Thank you, Mr. President. Congressman Neal Dunn of Florida had had some real health challenges, and it was very serious, and had had a pretty grim diagnosis. And I mentioned it to the president. I said, ‘Congressman Dunn is a real champion and a patriot, because he’s still coming to work, and if others got this diagnosis, they would be apt to go home and retire…'”
At this point, Trump interrupted to ask: “What was the diagnosis?” To which Johnson said: “It was …er…I mean, I think it was a termina diagnosis.”
“He would be dead by June,” Trump interjected again.
Johnson, showing a brief crack in his usual veneer of toadiness towards the President, said: “OK. That wasn’t public…But, yeah, OK. That’s… it was grim. That’s what I was going to say.”
Johnson went on to say Trump had connected Dunn with Walter Reed Army Medical Centre, and since being treated there he “acts like he’s 30 years younger”.
Trump went on to gleefully take credit for saving Dunn’s life, and added later that he had been upset by his original diagnosis, saying: “Number one, it was bad because I liked him. Number two, it was bad because I needed his vote.”
5. Trump says he spoke to a president, all of the living presidents say he didn’t
Trump claimed twice yesterday that he had spoken to a former president, who had told him he wished he had taken the action he had in Iran.
Of course, representatives of every living former president has since come forward to say that no, he did not, and that their guy had not recently spoken to Trump.
This leaves us with a number of possibilities. First, he didn’t actually say he’d spoken to a former President of the United States. So it’s possible he spoke to Reuven Rivlin, the former President of Israel. Or maybe Jeff Hanley, the President of the NYU Table Tennis and Iran Hatred Society. I hear TTIHSOC socials are lit.
Second, he could have talking to the 45th President of the United States, one Donald J Trump.
Last, and most likely, is that Trump simply made it up. He was flat out lying.
6. Trump suggested dyslexia is should disqualify someone from being President
Trump spoke witheringly, as usual, about foe Gavin “Newscum” Newsome, taking particular aim at the California Governor’s frank remarks addressing his dyslexia.a
“The President of the United States, Gavin Newscum,” he said, “Admitted that he has learning disabilities, dyslexia.”
Which I’m certain will have been fun to hear for the roughly 15-20% of Americans who have the condition – and who, while they can’t all be President, can all vote.
Famous Americans with Dyslexia have included Stephen Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Aniston, Aerosmith’s Stephen Tyler and Steve Jobs – as well as, studies suggest, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy.
