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nipulated naif, and on a consequential matter of war and peace. In reality, there was no broad-ranging media drumbeat for war and no wave of popular support. This, again, emphasizes how the decision was Trump’s, and his alone.

The Russian hoax was, in part, driven by the left’s shock at Trump’s victory in 2016. Likewise, the isolationists are having trouble processing the fact that the president whom they invested so much in launched a major Middle Eastern war. But Trump was not owned by this faction of the right, any more than he is owned by Israel.

Rich Lowry is editor of the National Review. (c) 2026 by King Features Synd., Inc.