Donald Trump might never have been president but for an Iraq War backlash that shattered trust in establishment leaders. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, left, watches as President Bush talks about the devastation at the Pentagon in Washington, on September 12, 2001. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/APBefore invading Iraq, Bush spent months making the case for war — albeit one based on faulty intelligence and false premises. The Iraq War was expected to be a “shock and awe” breeze, and US troops expected to be greeted as liberators. He can hardly embrace a nuclear pact that looks anything like the Obama-era caps on Iran’s nuclear program, which he trashed.

Source: CNN February 26, 2026 08:19 UTC