2020 antiwar protest, Milwaukee, WI

Donald Trump‘s bombing of Iran has knocked many other stories off the news headlines. That seems convenient at a time when those other headlines weren’t good for Trump and the Republicans. Recall what was happening, and being talked about, just a few days earlier:

—Trump’s birthday parade using the U.S. military as props was a big dud. Attendance was dismal. Trump fell asleep. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was looking bored and was yawning. Moreover, the parade was greatly overshadowed by …

–The “No Kings” protests, which attracted millions of peaceful, committed demonstrators around the country, and galvanized Democrats and others to continue their resistance against the Trump administration’s worst abuses.

–Trump’s TACO nickname (which stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out”) on tariffs.

–Trump’s negative poll ratings.

—Record-high food prices, including soaring beef prices, reminding us that a centerpiece of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign was the promise to bring such prices down right away.

–The Republicans’ so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” a giant debt disaster of tax cuts for the wealthy offset by cuts to environmental protection, Medicaid and elsewhere, that is highly unpopular.

In the face of all this bad news, it’s no wonder that Trump started an impulsive and illegal war. But Middle East wars have a habit of driving U.S. presidents’ popularity down over time. Speaking of which, Democrats should now ask Trump, “why did you bomb Iran when there was no intel to support it?” and “where is Iran’s uranium now?”

Photo by Susan Ruggles, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/uNkjn3