President Trump’s all-caps tweet last weekend in which he threatened the Iranian president with “consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before” is strikingly similar to his warnings last year to the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
He may well soften his tone this time, as he did with the North Koreans, but the apparent ease with which Trump spews harsh rhetoric is risky.
It would be very disturbing if the president timed his sudden tweet confrontation with Iran based on a need to deflect attention from his shabby performance in Helsinki and weekend revelations surrounding the Mueller probe.
Sadly, though, this behavior has become predictable, and it underscores the continuing concern that most Americans have about Trump’s fitness for his office.
Roger Hirschberg
