Collapse of Gaza ceasefire and threats against Iran unmask Trump’s ‘anti-war’ image

The image of Donald Trump as an anti-war president is crumbling in real time.

Whether winning votes or merely demotivating support for his opponent, Kamala Harris, Trump fed on American frustrations in both parties to — once again — win election victory with a promise of ending or withdrawing American support for bloody and costly conflicts around the world.

Calls for a ceasefire in Gaza (on Israel’s terms) and the end of billions of dollars in military aid shipments to Ukraine were his latest efforts in a campaign that began in his first run for president in 2016, with his hammering of opponents Jeb Bush and others for support of the Iraq War.

But overnight Tuesday saw the resumption of an intense U.S.-supported bombing campaign in Gaza and the end of a months-long ceasefire that, until recently, had seen the return of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians imprisoned by Israeli security forces.

The conflict’s reignition comes just three days after U.S forces began airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, in a significant escalation of armed clashes with Houthi militants that have held the city since 2014. More alarming for those concerned with the region’s stability: Trump’s direct threat to treat any further aggression against U.S. forces by Houthi attackers as an act of war from Iran, where the militants have long received support from the Revolutionary Guards corps (IRGC).

With a one-two stroke, the likelihood of the Middle East dissolving into chaos just ratcheted up — after the eruption of earlier similar conflicts fueled Trump’s insinuation that the Biden-Harris White House was weak and could not competently manage global affairs.

That message was core to Trump’s successful 2024 campaign. It remained constant through Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the ticket in July. Both Biden and Harris, Trump argued, were too weak and stupid to prevent Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Hamas’ attack on October 7, or the launch of missiles and rockets against targets in Israel by both Hezbollah and later Iran itself.

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Now, one year later, Israel claims Hamas did not hold up its end of the ceasefire agreement — which, if true, means the group did not fear U.S. retribution. Houthi forces have resumed attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, a feat which the president claimed such groups would not have the courage to try under his watchful eye.

Ukraine now stands as a major remaining test for the 47th president. Having bragged throughout 2024 that he could end the conflict within 24 hours, Trump now stands in an uncomfortable spot — with Ukraine, blamed by him as an obstacle to peace, on board for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, while Russia has yet to fully sign on.

On that front, Trump conducted a lengthy phone call with his Russian counterpart on Tuesday. A readout released by the White House stated that Russia would agree to a 30-day cessation of attacks against energy and infrastructure targets, and begin negotiations aimed at reaching “implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace.”

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not brief reporters on Tuesday, and the press corps will likely have to wait another day for more information about the exact terms of the agreement.

A readout from the Kremlin was more revelatory, and indicated that Moscow was seeking to dictate the terms of any lasting peace deal. "It was emphasized that the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working toward its resolution by political and diplomatic means should be a complete cessation of foreign military assistance and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv."

If the negotiations progress further and the end to a conflict which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives indeed becomes near, Trump could end up salvaging his sought-after image as a peacemaker. But there’s a long way to go — and the president has already proven that preventing violence from erupting around the world isn’t as easy as he made it sound.