TACOs and War Porn: Trump’s Iran Pivot Exposed
William Kristol, Andrew Egger, and Mark Hertling argue that Trump’s Iran posture blends hawkish rhetoric with retreat, a dynamic they call ‘TACO’—Trump Always Chickens Out—and suggest the markets reacted to his ambiguous signals. They critique the administration’s ‘war porn’—slick videos and slogans that glamorize conflict—warning that war is not entertainment and that transparency and disciplined military objectives are essential in a democracy.