BETHLEHEM, Pa. — President Donald Trump’s decision to launch airstrikes on Iran marks a dramatic escalation in a conflict that has spanned nearly five decades.
On this week’s episode of Political Pulse, Tom Shortell talks with political scientist Chris Borick about the political risks, messaging challenges and historical context surrounding the move.
Borick said one of the administration’s biggest hurdles is explaining the timing.
“This is one of the challenges, I think, for the president and the administration in terms of communicating to the American public exactly what the reason was for this attack at this time,” Borick said.
He pointed to what he described as “mixed messaging” in the early days of the conflict, with shifting explanations that have included regime change, missile threats and aligning with Israel’s actions.
“I think the problem is that those things, you know, you might find some kind of alignment with them, but they're not necessarily directly tied together in a way that might compel the answer to the American public, why now, in one way,” he said.
'Blood and treasure'
Historically, Borick noted, presidents who commit American “blood and treasure” to a conflict must clearly articulate both the rationale and the end strategy.
“Right now, at least from my perspective, looking at the communication, the administration hasn't met that bar in communicating to the public,” he said.
The episode also explores whether Trump could benefit from a traditional “rally around the flag” effect, or whether today’s polarized political climate makes that unlikely.
“This is an enormous role of the dice politically,” Borick said, arguing the president was already in “a precarious position politically at this point before this happened.”
Shortell and Borick further discuss the risks of prolonged conflict, strain on U.S. alliances and America’s history with regime change efforts abroad.
“You have to make the compelling case that the end game is worth it,” Borick said. “At this point, a few days into the think that the administration has lots of work to do to make that case to the Americans, that that's exactly why we have to make these sacrifices.”
Watch the full conversation in the video player above for a deeper look at how the war with Iran could reshape U.S. foreign policy and Trump’s presidency.
