Catégorie oBox : OBOXMA

In an interview with conservative host Mark Levin, Donald Trump heaped praise on Benjamin Netanyahu before calling himself a « war hero ».

“He’s a war hero, because we work together. He’s a war hero,” President Trump said of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for ordering his country’s forces to bombard Iran. “I guess I am too,” Trump added.

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-08-20T13:40:03.866934Z

These remarks caused consternation among many observers.

Trump spared no praise for Netanyahu, calling him a « good man » and praising his role in bombing Iran’s nuclear sites.

But his remarks about the Israeli president soon took a strange, even uncomfortable turn, according to an article in the New York Times.

Referring to the Israeli bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, Trump presented Netanyahu as « a war hero », stressing that these operations had been carried out jointly: « because we work together ».

In the process, he went so far as to call himself a « war hero »!

« He’s a war hero […] I guess I am too, » concluded the American president.

In the Oval Office, Donald Trump defended his use of the National Guard in Washington D.C. as well as his threat to send federal troops to Chicago.

BREAKING | Trump says he is not a dictator but insists many people think the US could use one

— The Independent (@the-independent.com) 2025-08-25T15:52:03.745Z

Asked about accusations of a possible authoritarian drift on his part, Trump asserted that he was « not a dictator ».

He added, however, that « a lot of people » might prefer to live under an authoritarian regime.

Trump noted that some people refer to him as a dictator, while others would, he said, show a certain fascination with this mode of governance: « A lot of people are saying: maybe we’d like a dictator.« 

In the end, the president stressed that, in his view, this simply doesn’t concern him:

« I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense, and I’m a smart person. »

According to the Washington Post and CNN, having already deployed troops to the streets of Washington D.C., Trump has been preparing for several weeks to carry out his threat to invade Chicago as early as September.

The Trump administration has been planning for weeks to send the National Guard to Chicago, two officials told CNN, as President Trump looks to expand his anti-crime agenda and crackdown on immigration in major cities across the United States. https://cnn.it/45yvNjJ

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-08-24T10:26:24.003935846Z

At Trump’s request, the Pentagon has prepared a military deployment plan for Chicago, calling for the mobilization of the National Guard as well as military troops in the city.

Trump justifies this military intervention with the need, he says, to combat the crime, homelessness and illegal immigration plaguing Chicago, problems he claims are found in most major cities… run by Democrats.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are denouncing what they see as an « authoritarian attempt » by Trump and his administration, claiming that neither the city nor the state has requested such federal intervention.

They point out that similar deployments have already taken place recently in Los Angeles and Washington D.C., and insist that the decision is illegal and unfounded.

They point out that crime in Chicago is down, with fewer homicides and shootings, invalidating the idea of a crisis requiring such intervention.

However, these figures do not seem to weaken the resolve of Trump, whose decision to send federal troops into Democratic cities is judged by many opponents not as a security measure, but as an authoritarian drift.

Especially as he is now threatening to apply the same strategy to Baltimore and New York…