The end of the Madman doctrine

Trump loves to be called “the Madman.” He inherited this term from Nixon and believes that the more unpredictable and insane a politician seems, the more others fear him. During the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign, he praised the isolationist Monroe Doctrine, but now he’s implementing George W. Bush’s interventionism and the Nixon-Kissinger twin-pillar strategy.

In truth, Trump lacks a coherent strategic mindset toward past, present, or future developments in the international system — and he takes pride in this mental anarchism. But the “madman” president of the United States has forgotten one critical rule: unpredictability has a flip side — becoming trapped in self-created crises.

The recent U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow and Natanz is a clear sign of Washington’s desperation in a fabricated crisis. The result of this action was a failure to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure (despite damaging parts of it) and a forceful regional response that included American positions being bombed — culminating in Iran’s strategic and tactical humiliation of Washington. This humiliation was so severe that even some of Trump’s closest associates have admitted to it.

A look at the madman president’s behavior

Just days before the brazen attack by the illegitimate and savage Zionist regime on the sanctity of our country, Trump, without addressing his country’s sudden shift toward recognizing Iran’s inherent right to uranium enrichment, claimed:

“Iran is running out of time to decide on nuclear weapons. They must make a decision quickly. I believe they are deliberately stalling, and we need a definitive answer very soon.”

Trump has a childishly foolish obsession with creating false dichotomies:

“0% enrichment vs. industrial enrichment,” “diplomacy vs. war,” “bombing vs. negotiation,” “deterrence vs. conflict,” “savagery vs. tolerance,” and so on.

But this self-imposed game has now been directly challenged by the Islamic Republic of Iran. In recent days, after Tel Aviv and Haifa turned into seas of fire, Trump has realized that the cost of his dangerous games has exceeded the benefits for the White House.

His unpredictability regarding Iran’s nuclear file — and now the war between the Zionist regime and our country — has become the Achilles’ heel of his strategic and political calculations during this critical and defining moment. The “madman theory” only works against countries whose survival is dependent on America’s toxic and repugnant dominance — not against a nation whose hybrid resistance has astonished even its sworn enemies.

The collapse of the “Madman Theory”

Trump applied this theory in launching a tariff war against China — only to be forced into compromise by Beijing’s countermeasures. The same pattern emerged in the Ukraine war. The “madman” hoped to use unpredictability to force Russia into accepting a ceasefire based on U.S. terms. Instead, he now faces a war that has escalated from eastern Ukraine to Kyiv and Kharkiv.

But with Iran, the situation is far more complex — and the consequences far more devastating for Trump. He has already witnessed part of this outcome in the failed strike on Natanz and Fordow. The successful and pride-inspiring “Basharat al-Fath” (Herald of Victory) operation showed that the Islamic Republic of Iran, whenever it chooses, has the potential to turn the “American Madman” into a “dead man.”

In his latest gamble, Trump threw all his pieces onto the board — but midway through, he faced staggering costs and a rising risk of his own and America’s downfall. This explains the recent U.S. retreat. Trump failed to understand that the more insane his actions, the exponentially greater the cost of defeat and destruction would be when confronting a powerful Iran.

The outcome of this “deliberate madness” is not a “simple loss” — it's a collapse. The gambler-president saw the bloody consequences of his game much faster than he had imagined. A large part of Trump’s fear about the ongoing war between Iran and the Zionist regime stems from this undeniable reality: he has now encountered Iran’s power firsthand, not abstractly or theoretically.

Trump is still one step from destruction

During the recent U.S. atrocity — the attack on Fordow — Trump believed he could again lean on the “madman theory” to deter any Iranian response. Many American media outlets, citing Trump and his allies (such as J.D. Vance), suggested that Iran would not retaliate because it lacked the capability to fight both Washington and Tel Aviv simultaneously.

But the glorious and successful “Basharat al-Fath” operation shattered all of the American officials’ assumptions and delusions. The events at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar were a clear demonstration of Iran’s inherent and acquired power — a might that suffocated the strategic breathing room of both the Zionist regime and the United States.

This rule will remain valid in the coming days and weeks: any further madness or savagery from Trump or Netanyahu will only generate deeper crises for Washington. The fallout from such crises could reach a point where Trump, after the dust settles, may not even exist politically to interpret or analyze them!

At this moment, Trump should realize — more than ever before — that the ultimate outcome of his madness and barbarism may be not only his political death, but perhaps his literal demise.