From a purely Machiavellian, bean-counting perspective, there are some intriguing PR calculations going on within Iran right now. On the one hand, the mullahs have to kill some people, because they need to deter future uprisings. If they don’t establish a significant penalty, the rebels will be emboldened.
And that’ll be the beginning of the mullahs’ end.
But on the other hand, if they kill too many people, they risk an overthrow. Everyone has his limit — and it’s a story as old as time: The dictator rises; the dictator pushes the people too far; the dictator is murdered by his subjects.
That’s exactly where the mullahs don’t want to be.
At a certain point, it’s better for a regime to simply kill everyone who’s a threat. That way, it’s no longer a PR problem — it’s a math problem — and if those noisy, ungrateful protesters are all dead, your problem is solved.
That’s probably what’s going on in Iran: The mullahs decided a few days ago that half-measures won’t get the job done, so they’re going to slaughter their own people until there’s nobody left protesting.
It’s now a game of attrition.
Already, somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000 Iranians have died.
If you define “America First” as acting in America’s best interests, then the most America First policy would be incentivizing the Iranian protesters to continue. Iran is committed to “Death to America”; it's allied with China, Russia, and America’s enemies. Flipping Iran from anti-American to pro-American would weaken our enemies, strengthen our national standing, and make future wars less likely.
And right now, the Iranian regime has never been weaker.
Therefore, President Trump should do everything possible — short of putting boots on the ground — that inspires the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow the mullahs. The president of the United States has a helluva bully pulpit; when he speaks, the world listens.
So far, President Trump’s Iranian policy has been exactly right.
Should the Iranian people prevail, President Trump’s words and actions will be a big part of the story. He’s become a beacon of hope for the protesters — and the promise of a better tomorrow.
After all, no one else has their backs. Where are all the good, moral Western liberals who marched so gallantly for Palestine?
Their silence has been deafening.
And the contrast is awfully revealing: Because, when Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, pro-Palestinian protesters wasted no time taking to the streets.
On Oct. 8, just one day after a thousand Jews died, thousands of marchers celebrated in Times Square. On Oct. 9, thousands more demonstrated in London. By October 14, the first global “Day of Action” brought huge numbers of pro-Palestinian protesters across dozens of Western capitals, including 100,000 marchers in London.
Yet the Gaza death toll didn’t reach 20,000 until Dec. 21, 2023. Iran is already there!
Don’t Iranian lives matter, too?
Not to Western liberals. Not to the pro-Palestinian protesters. And certainly not to “useful idiots” like Greta Thunberg, who was arrested (again) three weeks ago demonstrating for the Palestinians, but still hasn’t said a word about the Iranians.
Because, for all their talk about “genocide,” it never was about the death toll; it was exclusively about the participants — especially the Jewish ones.
So we can’t look to the left for help. When it comes to Iran, Western liberals are conscientious objectors. If we’re going to inspire the Iranian people to continue, we’re going to need…
…the neocons. (Gasp!)
It’s time for Mark Levin and Lindsey Graham to shine! Start singing, boys: “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.”
To be clear, I don’t want the neocons writing policy. I’m not giving them control of the button or anything like that. But in times like this, we want our hawks to act like hawks. We want them to pound the war drums so loudly that even the Iranian protesters can hear it.
It’s their rhetoric we’re after.
Iran is still teetering; its fate is unclear. As long as the Iranian people still have a fighting chance, the most “America First” policy is to hand the megaphone to the neocons — and do all we can to grease the wheels for regime change.
With no Americans dying.
A neocon outcome with “America First” tactics. Who would’ve thunk it?
One Last Thing: 2026 is a critical year for America First: It began with Mayor Mamdani declaring war on “rugged individualism” and will reach a crescendo with the midterm elections. Nothing less than the fate of the America First movement teeters in the balance.
Never before have the political battlelines been so clearly defined. Win or lose, 2026 will transform our country.
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