A Complete Analysis Of Trump’s 154th Unpresidented Week As POTUS

President Trump's impulsive decision to assassinate Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is one the most dangerously consequential moves of his presidency.
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by: Ahmed Baba on January 6, 2020

President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks during a press conference Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., following the U.S. airstrike in Iraq that resulted in the death of Iranian commander Qassim Soleimani. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks during a press conference Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., following the U.S. airstrike in Iraq that resulted in the death of Iranian commander Qassim Soleimani. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Trump’s first major typo after winning the election was spelling Unprecedented incorrectly. He infamously tweeted “Unpresidented.” This typo is emblematic of his administration: An impulsive, frantically thrown together group of characters with virtually no oversight. After Trump was sworn in, I started writing the weekly “Unpresidented” column, analyzing every day of his presidency. This is week 154.

2020 is off to a shaky start. The mental instability of the man currently occupying the Oval Office has further destabilized the Middle East and taken America to the brink of war.

This week, President Trump made the reckless decision to assassinate Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, the 2nd most powerful figure in Iran. This move came after a US contractor was killed in a rocket attack on Kirkuk Province base last week and the assault on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. While the Trump Administration is claiming there was the threat of an imminent attack, that intelligence is reportedly “razor-thin.” The US reportedly had communications between Iran’s supreme leader and Soleimani indicating that they had not yet approved any plans by Soleimani for an imminent attack. This hasn’t stopped President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from lying to the American people about it.

This assassination was widely panned as disproportionate and the most provocative move in the region in years. President Trump also did not notify Congress before taking this action. When framing this assassination, let’s be clear: this was all set in motion when Trump left the Iran Nuclear Deal, which Iran was complying with. President Trump then began applying crippling economic sanctions which triggered Iran’s escalations in the region that brought us to this point. Iran was not behaving in this manner when the Iran Nuclear Deal was active.

Now, we’re here and the damage Trump has done is immeasurable. Iran was recently struggling with divisive protests, but after this move, the entire county is now united. Iraq’s parliament has also voted to expel US troops from the country. While the resolution is non-binding, it sends a clear signal. President Trump is now threatening to commit war crimes by attacking 52 cultural sites in Iran if they retaliate and he’s also threatening to sanction Iraq. The Trump Administration has also deployed 3,500 additional troops to the region. The current situation is fraught.

Iran has yet to retaliate but we need to worry both about short-term attacks and about what this means over the course of the next decade. Moments like these highlight why it’s so important for the President of the United States to not be a pathological liar who has made over 15,000 false or misleading statements. During this important moment, we need to trust this administration is being honest and we simply can’t.

The fact the looming impeachment trial and his toxic fragile ego very likely contributed to Trump’s decision to assassinate Soleimani, without regard for the consequences, is why most Americans opposed Trump since the moment he entered politics.

Let’s dive into yet another Unpresidented week.

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President Trump (AP), Ambassador Gordon Sondland (Official Photo), President Trump and Mike Pence, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (AP).

President Trump (AP), Ambassador Gordon Sondland (Official Photo), President Trump and Mike Pence, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (AP).

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Day 1,078: Thursday, January 2

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Day 1,079: Friday, January 3

President Donald J. Trump, joined by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A. Milley, attends a briefing with senior military leaders Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, in the Cabinet Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

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Unpresidented // Donald Trump / Iran / War
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by: Ahmed Baba

Ahmed Baba is the Co-Founder and President of Rantt. Writer of Unpresidented, Ahmed documented and analyzed every day of the Trump presidency. He's also a columnist at The Independent and his work has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, The New York Post, The Huffington Post, Yahoo News, Blavity, Newsweek, The Telegraph, and more. He can be reached at [email protected] or found on Twitter @AhmedBaba_.

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