In an NBC interview recorded on Friday, US President Donald Trump repeatedly defended his war of choice on Iran. He said Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was a “good comrade” but disagreed with him, stating that strikes on Lebanon should be more surgical than they are.

However, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Trump later insisted he “calls the shots” and that Netanyahu has “no choice” but to accept any deal with Iran. The FT said they had verified a leaked call in which Trump called Netanyahu “fucking crazy” and told him he would be in prison without him.

“I call all the shots. Netanyahu doesn’t call the shots.” My telephone interview with Trump this afternoon. https://t.co/l4OSrFYw6z

— Edward Luce (@EdwardGLuce) June 7, 2026

Then, Trump began to call on Israel and Iran to “immediately stop shooting,” and said the peace deal was “proceeding,” cautioning against “ignorance or stupidity.” Probably yours, Trump.

It is foolish to believe that Trump is indeed not calling the shots.

The escalated attacks on Lebanon by Israel in the past week probably have his blessing, but he needs to disguise his hand in them using ramblings and prevarications, as his poll numbers are tanking.

Just like in real life, Trump’s behaviour in the NBC interview is CHAOTIC.

The interview with NBC finally ended with Trump walking off when pressed about his claims that the US elections in 2020 were rigged, and they are currently being rigged in California, calling the interviewer “crooked.”

Trump and his war on Iran

Sunday 7 June 2026 marked the 100 days since the US began its war of choice on Iran.

Trump boasted about his decapitation strategy, saying in the NBC interview he had achieved “regime change, actually.” He boasted that he had “wiped out” Iran’s military capabilities.

He acknowledged Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the former supreme leader, as part of Iran’s leadership structure, but had not met him. Trump said Iranian officials seek his “concurrence” and that “they do pay homage to him.”

Mojtaba won’t meet poor Donald. You did kill his father, the rambling president needed reminding, perhaps.

Trump went back and forth on the status of the deal throughout the interview. At times, he claimed negotiations were progressing and that Iran was “begging to make a deal,” calling them “desperate” and “proud” with “no choice.”

Other times, he suggested the deal could fall apart, saying his red line for restarting military action would be :

If we don’t make a deal, I’m going to blow the hell out of them, to be honest with you. That’s actually the easier path.

He said he will keep all 50,000 U.S. troops in the region for now, saying it would be “foolhardy” to send them home before a deal is reached.

How does one keep up with him?

Campaign promise on ending wars

When pressed on his long-standing campaign promise of “no new wars,” Trump flatly denied ever making such a pledge.

I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?

Obviously, in the real world, Trump campaigned heavily on the promise that he would not start a new war during this campaign in 2024.

He argued that his “military exercise” against Iran was not an endless war at all, saying:

I don’t like these endless wars. This is not an endless war. We’ve been doing this for three months

Get it? If you call a war just a “military exercise,” as Trump insists it is, it stops being a war.

Trump, in fact, thinks previous wars are due to “stupid people” and his three-month war is okay, saying:

You were in Vietnam for 19 years because stupid people… Every war you were in for years. Look at Iraq. Look what you were. You were there for years.

Anti-Weaponization Fund

Trump defended plans for a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” even though his own Department of Justice has shelved the idea.

He still thinks it was “a great idea” and said he would be “disappointed” if it were not approved:

People have been destroyed by crooked politicians and they should be reimbursed for that.

The proposed $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” was intended to reimburse those who claimed the Biden government weaponized the legal system against them.

Those who lined up to apply included Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys, George Santos, Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, Mike Lindell, more than 1,500 January 6 defendants, anti-abortion activists, and Moms for Liberty.

Claims of election fraud

The interview ended with Trump walking off after claiming that the 2020 election was rigged and that the same thing is currently happening in California.

He alleged that California election officials were taking too long to count votes, which he insisted was proof of cheating.

When asked for evidence, he did not provide any, saying that looking at the situation was enough. He then called the interviewer crooked and abruptly ended the interview, saying he had had enough.

He lasted in an interview for almost forty minutes, albeit prevaricating, rambling, and dodging questions along the way. Keeping his cool that long must mean that Trump is sensing he has got to play along with some rules, with his support fraying.

By Monday, just three days after the NBC interview, Trump was calling on Israel and Iran to stop fighting immediately.

He claimed both sides were looking for a ceasefire, and that final peace negotiations were moving forward, though he warned that ignorance or stupidity could still get in the way. Trump’s own stupidity probably prevents him from seeing it.

Featured image via Getty/Kevin Dietsch

By The Canary

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