The Art of the Squeal Trump Chickens Out and Leaves America Holding the Bill

By Rob C.

Art by Dave Whamond

TL;DR: Trump threatened to “wipe out an entire civilization” if Iran didn’t open the Strait of Hormuz—an expletive-laden post that’s not only illegal but an actual war crime.

Behind the bluster? Donny Dum Dum pleading for a deal because he started a war without a clue or plan. The new two-week ceasefire is an orange-wrapped gift to Tehran, granting sanctions relief and control of the Strait of Hormuz while the U.S. gets stuck with the bill for a trillion-dollar military bender. His dementia-addled brain couldn’t comprehend the disastrous results of his bravado—after all, he’s escaped consequences for criminal behavior his whole life. Thousands of civilians are dead, universities are in ruins, and while Trump, Hegseth, and Vance play “Conqueror,” the only real winner is Vladimir Putin. Welcome to the “Art of the squeal”.

If you went to bed last night expecting the end of the world, you can’t be blamed. Trump was on Truth Social promising that a “whole civilization will die tonight,” sounding less like a President and more like a low-budget Bond villain who forgot his medication.

But by morning, the “Maximum Pressure” turned into a “Maximum Puddle.” Trump chickened out. Behind all the alpha-male bluster and the expletive-laden threats to commit textbook war crimes, we found a man pleading for a deal because he realized he’d started a war without the slightest clue—or plan—on how to finish it.

This war of aggression is a crime, and this attack shows exactly where Trump’s sympathies lie: with Putin, Orban, and other fascist fan boys who think they a divine right to take whatever they want.

False Promises, Real-World Damage:

Before the ceasefire ink was even dry, Trump and his “clown car” of useful idiots—Pete Hegseth and JD Vance—were already taking a victory lap, acting as if they were marching through Berlin in 1945. It would be comical if the ground weren’t littered with the debris of civilian infrastructure.

Targeting Sharif University of Technology, “Iran’s MIT” isn’t strategy; it’s a war crime. But in this administration, destroying universities, hospitals, and pharmaceutical plants is just “tuesday.” We’ve watched as non-military targets have been systematically leveled, a tactic made commonplace by Israel, and perfected by an administration that thinks “Rules of Engagement” is a suggestion for a reality TV show.

Money, Bravado, and Zero Consequences

Trump has never faced serious consequences for his criminal behavior. He’s committed fraud, tax evasion, sexual assault, obstruction of justice, incitement to insurrection, and now war crimes—and he’s never spent a day in prison. He’s learned that he can do anything—literally anything—and escape accountability through money, lawyers, political connections, and shameless lying.

The Orange-Wrapped Gift

So, what did we get for our trillion-dollar military excursion and the destruction of the post-WWII world order?

Absolutely nothing.

Actually, it’s worse than nothing. The ceasefire gave us higher gas prices and more expensive food, while Iran gets sanctions relief and oil profits—an orange-wrapped gift from Orange Julius Cesar. Trump, in his dementia-addled state, thinks he’s a master negotiator. In reality, he’s a man who set his own house on fire so he could brag about how quickly he called the fire department. Any war of aggression is a crime, and this one proves exactly where Trump’s sympathies lie: with Putin, Orban, and the rest of the Fascist Fan Club who believe they have a divine right to take whatever they want.

Trump Taps Out

Donald Trump just chickened out again—and as always, America is left holding the bill.

Trump threatened to “wipe out an entire civilization” if Iran didn’t open the Strait of Hormuz—in an expletive-laden post that’s not only illegal but an actual war crime. Threatening genocide is a war crime under international law.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines incitement to genocide as a prosecutable crime. Publicly threatening to destroy an entire people—which is exactly what Trump did—meets that definition.

Behind the bluster? Donny Dum Dum pleading for a deal because he started a war without a clue or plan. His dementia-addled brain couldn’t comprehend the disastrous results of his bravado—after all, he’s escaped consequences for criminal behavior his whole life. Trump, Hegseth, and Vance acted like they were marching through Germany after the fall of Berlin, but the real-world damage is horrific: thousands of dead Iranian civilians, destroyed universities/hospitals/pharmaceutical plants (war crimes normalized by Israel).

After weeks of threatening to obliterate Iran, bombing civilians, destroying infrastructure, and pushing the world toward potential nuclear war, Trump suddenly decided he wants a deal. Not because he achieved anything. Not because he won. Because he realized he started a war he has no idea how to finish and desperately needs an off-ramp before the catastrophe he created destroys his presidency completely.

So he’s declaring victory, accepting a ceasefire that gives America nothing, and walking away from the wreckage like he always does—leaving everyone else to clean up the mess and pay the price.

The Ceasefire: America Gets Nothing

Trump, Hegseth, and Vance are out there declaring victory. They’re bragging about American strength. They’re claiming they achieved their objectives.

It would be almost comical if the real-world damage weren’t so horrible.

Let’s talk about what Trump’s “victory” actually accomplished:

Trump started this war without a clue or a plan. He thought it would be quick. He thought Iran would collapse. He thought he could bomb them into submission, declare victory, and move on.

He was catastrophically wrong.

Iran didn’t collapse. They closed the Strait of Hormuz. They fought back effectively. They exposed American military vulnerabilities. They turned global opinion against the U.S. They demonstrated that Trump’s war was an unwinnable disaster.

Thousands of Iranian civilians are dead. Not soldiers. Not combatants. Civilians. Men, women, children. Killed by American bombs dropped in an illegal war based on lies. Israel and the U.S. destroyed non-military targets: Universities. Hospitals. Pharmaceutical manufacturers. Residential neighborhoods. Infrastructure essential for civilian survival. These are war crimes. Prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. Prosecutable under international law. But they’ve been normalized by Israel—and now America is following the same playbook. Bomb civilians. Destroy hospitals. Call it “collateral damage.” Move on.

So, what did Trump’s “victorious” ceasefire actually accomplish?

America got Bupkis: Higher gas prices. More expensive food. A destroyed international reputation. Thousands of dead civilians on our conscience. 10s of Billions wasted. Soldiers killed. Allies alienated. Enemies emboldened.

Iran got: Sanctions relief. Higher oil revenues. Proof that America can be bled and humiliated. Regional prestige for standing up to American aggression. Strengthened the Hard-line regime, and improved ties with Russia and China.

Winning!

Iran won this war. Not militarily—nobody wins wars—but strategically. They proved they can close the Strait, withstand American bombing, and force Trump to negotiate from weakness.

Meanwhile, America lost credibility, money, lives, and global standing—all so Trump could distract from the Epstein files and look tough for his base.

Who Else?

If we want to know the winners, we need to follow the money, and when we do, we find it leads straight back to Moscow. By driving oil prices through the roof and combined with sanctions relief, Russia cashes in. Trump has effectively funded Putin’s next decade of imperialism. While our defensive weapons are diverted from Ukraine to the Middle East, Putin is free to rain cruise missiles on Kyiv.

Conclusion: The Fallout

The Iranians won’t be the only ones living in hell. We are going to have to live with the fallout of Trump’s public mental breakdown and his clown car of useful idiots for many years to come—if we ever recover.

He has alienated our allies, cozied up to dictators, and turned the United States into a global pariah. He inflicted massive worldwide economic damage. Killed civilians. Destroyed infrastructure. Alienated allies. Emboldened enemies. Violated laws, and normalized war crimes.

The “Peace President” has successfully destroyed the foundation of the most prosperous time in human history, all for a headline and a an Epstein file distraction.

So, in Trump’s own words: bomb, bomb, bomb... bye-bye.

F*CK ICE, RELEASE ALL THE FILES!

Please like, share, and subscribe— because Donny Dum Dum, chickened out of his illegal war, but we’re stuck with the consequences forever.

— Robert Cain, author of Democracy for Sale: How Corporate Greed Is Corrupting Democracy and Endangering the Planet. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Booksellers everywhere.