Posted by Alumni from The Atlantic
March 20, 2026
In January, Donald Trump uttered the most idealistic words of his presidency. As protesters filled Iran's streets, he told them, 'Help is on the way.' How well they heard him through the regime's internet blackouts is unclear, but his message was that their sacrifice might be worth it'that the world's most powerful man was backing them. Those protesters now have good reason to feel betrayed. Before the Islamic Republic began murdering their fellow pro-democracy demonstrators by the thousands, Trump barely lifted a finger to support them. This month, soon after he launched strikes in the name of ousting the regime that committed these atrocities, he told the protesters, 'When we are finished, take over your government.' But he quickly retracted any such notion by suggesting that he would happily strike a deal with a faction of the existing regime. In other words, Iranian democracy was never really the point. Then, on Friday, he dismissed the protesters' chances of overthrowing the... learn more