Posted by Alumni from The Atlantic
March 13, 2026
A year ago yesterday, President Trump turned the White House lawn into a Tesla showroom to try to boost the slumping sales of his then-pal Elon Musk's electric-car company. A few months ago, Trump declared from behind the Resolute Desk that he was Boeing's 'salesman of the year,' claiming to have helped facilitate the purchase of hundreds of aircraft. And long before he entered politics, Trump slapped his name on just about anything'apartment buildings, steaks, even a dubious for-profit university'to market it to the masses. Trump will sell anything. He has now made one of the most consequential decisions of his presidency: launching a war against Iran. The conflict, which is well into its second week, has widened throughout the Middle East, sent oil prices skyrocketing, and caused tumult in the financial markets. Yet Trump has not sold the war. In many ways, he hasn't even tried. The absence of a sales strategy is all the more confounding when you consider the political stakes. The... learn more