Trump Between Scylla and Charybdis

The names that accompany the U.S. president in the title come from Homer's Iliad. Scylla and Charybdis were monsters located in a narrow strait along Odysseus's eternal journey across those seas in search of his eudaimonia, that is, fulfillment. Scylla is depicted as a cliff with multiple devouring heads, and on the other side is Charybdis, a sea whirlpool that swallows everything that passes over it.

In other words and returning to our days, Trump seems to be between Scylla and Charybdis, or as is commonly said, between a rock and a hard place. And all because of the mess he got into or was pushed into by invading Iran. Whatever he does, he stands to lose: either he is swallowed by the whirlwind — which in this case is Zionism and its powerful lobby in the U.S. — or he is devoured, following the analogy with Odysseus, by the consequences of his military and political defeat in Iran.

Although it has already been said, it is worth remembering that the main, if not only, reason Trump flagrantly violated his campaign pledge not to involve the U.S. in more wars — for the sake of making it great again — was the inescapable pressure from the Israeli assassin premier, who believed conditions existed to finally end the Persian "nightmare" and, in passing, expand calmly throughout Gaza and at least into southern Lebanon.

And as is well known, Netanyahu is not acting alone. No, he has the decisive support of a clique of hawks holding prominent positions in the U.S. command structure, from Mr. Rubio, one of the main instigators of this disastrous adventure, to Senator Roger Wicker, at the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee; and even Trump's friend, the elderly hyper-warrior Senator Lindsey Graham. All of them represent the aforementioned Zionist lobby, which, not surprisingly, coincides with the interests of the techno-military-industrial complex.

Opposed to that aggressive group are multiple reasons, numerous situations, which summarized in a single concept suggest that the U.S. must get out of this conflict with Iran as soon as possible. The impact on the domestic economy, on the brink of debacle, international repudiation, a situation of almost absolute international isolation — it will become clear why this is asserted — not to mention the lamentations, which have become so frequent and loud that they are now public, regarding an unforeseen, almost catastrophic depletion of the weaponry necessary to resume large-scale aggression against the Persians.

Of course, these opposing aspects also find expression in the U.S. political fabric, ranging from the sustained increase in popular rejection of a war in a remote country — and worse, one carried out on behalf of another government, namely Israel — to the opportunity Democrats see to further wear down Trumpism, which as recently as 2024 seemed to have arrived at the White House and control of Congress for all eternity.

There are also the president's own escapades, frankly unhinged as he and his family are in their pursuit of taking the medal for the greatest larceny in that country's history. For example, the "crown princes," such as D. Trump Jr. and his brother, who were seen giving civics lessons during the campaign, have now become shareholders in a major drone industry — the very same one that signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Pentagon. Pure coincidence.

Meanwhile, other scandals include the diversion of federal funds to "compensate" — for reasons unknown — those who stormed the Capitol on that fateful January 6, 2021, having been previously released without incident from their prison accommodations. This must be mentioned because no less than $1.8 billion is being discussed, amid the geometric increase in the external debt, some $39 trillion, greater than GDP, and in parallel, the shameless reduction of resources for public health and other social emergencies.

And returning to D. Trump Jr., it turns out the young man married Bettina Anderson — that is the fortunate woman's name — who is the daughter of Harry Loy Anderson, former president of Palm Beach National Bank and banker, no less, to Jeffrey Epstein. They organized their ceremony on a private island, which the father, President Trump, declined to attend; perhaps he heeded advice about the wear and tear this would cause, and justified himself by saying he was focused on a possible outcome to the quagmire in Iran — something that "inexplicably" impacted stock market fluctuations. As is well known, they are masters of insider trading.

Contributing to this parallel reality is the Financial Times, alluding to the famous Peace Board presented by Trump back in the "distant" month of January, in which interested countries would participate, willing to facilitate billions of dollars in a sort of parallel UN. It turns out the fund is unfunded — zero funds, redundant as it may sound. The outlet does not clarify whether what was there was stolen, or whether the invitees ultimately contributed nothing and went on with their lives after enjoying the inaugural gala at one of Trump's resorts — which, as is known, he always uses for federal events and then pays himself.

In this context, Trump decides to pretend he wants to sign a lasting peace with Iran, following up on the provisional ceasefire agreed upon since April 7 — perhaps one of the most violated, especially by Israel, but also by the U.S., which recently attacked an Iranian naval base, they say in self-defense, which is absurd because if they were not in that region, they would not have to defend themselves.

These days have been abundant with statements from Mr. Rubio, the main person responsible from the bureaucratic state front, given his role as head of international affairs, with Trump as the protagonist.

The White House occupant then assured that they were exchanging drafts, and well, overflowing with arrogance, he emphasized that the Persians were subdued, and that given their calamitous situation, they would surrender, handing over enriched uranium and even their virginity, if necessary.

But "minutes after" the "advances" in diplomacy with the Iranians were made public in Washington, the scramble began among the hawk sector already mentioned. Wicker, Graham, the ineffable John Bolton — who is no longer in office but always sticks his oar in when allowed — all chorused that this agreement was nearly a betrayal by the president, and in private, they labeled him with words befitting adult language. In short, nothing of that sort worked: either Iran is finished or Iran is finished! There are no second options, they stridently reiterated.

The worst part is that from their perspective, Wicker and even Bolton are right, because the only way to fulfill the Zionist mandate/demand/blackmail is for the war to continue — no peace agreement that pauses, for who knows how long, the dreamed "heavenly" purpose of expanding Israel throughout its current geographical surroundings. And what is worse, after these months of war — since February 28 — the truth is that the Hebrew "state" has never been so vulnerable, or rather, so obviously vulnerable. So in practice, Tel Aviv approaches the situation as a matter of life and death, aside from the heavenly dimension.

As can be clearly seen, Trump is caught between two mortal traps. If he continues the war, he runs the risk of deepening domestic economic and political problems, and with that, the MAGA agenda and all the rest could go down the drain. Or he assumes his "obligations" — as already noted, almost inescapable — with the other monster, Zionism.

Amid all the undeniable isolation that, perhaps for the first time in many years, the U.S. continues to experience in this conflict, NATO foreign ministers recently met in Europe. Mr. Rubio went there to spread fear, reflecting on what use NATO was if they could not now accompany his country in the anti-Iranian adventure, demanding that all together and in an uproar they should unite to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The European colleagues looked at the lying secretary and pretended not to understand — appropriately, given the event's location in the city of Helsingborg in southern Sweden. He achieved nothing.

On his side, and linking it to the never-ending negotiations with the Iranians, Trump returned to the poorly handled and unfulfillable mammoth of the so-called Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, which at that time imposed a brotherly relationship with Israel on several Arab countries. And however one looks at it, it was always absurd — something that, with the Iranian strategic victory, became evident, and even the most obedient of the micro-Arab Gulf states reject it or look at the floor when asked. This matter of the Accords is further proof that what interests Washington is the fate of Israel.

Meanwhile, according to Trump, negotiations with the Persians were advancing rapidly. Mr. Rubio landed in India, where he spared no epithets or accusations against the latter, which can be interpreted as meaning he ultimately took sides with one of the two monsters identified here: the hawks — a group to which he ultimately belongs and to which he owes his career, now and in the future. Quite a problem for Mr. Rubio, who has already been sat down to converse "amicably" with his eternal enemies, the Russians and the Chinese.

Will the U.S. and Iran finally sign some lasting peace agreement acceptable to both countries? It should be so, for the well-being of the peoples involved and the rest of the world. But frankly, it would be a surprise, insofar as the true loser in this story — the U.S. president — is unlikely to admit that truth, and why would the Iranians sign some sort of capitulation after perhaps achieving the most significant victory against the empire this century?

Moreover, in Trump's labyrinth, another monster could be included: his own ego, his prefabricated image built on a mountain of half-truths and manipulation that sold him to millions of U.S. voters as an infallible demigod — recall, for instance, his insane anger with the Pope and his even more ridiculous comparisons to Christ. Neither the golden statues erected in his honor in Florida, nor the pretense of placing his image on a possible $250 bill, nor his priceless ballroom could prevent the character's resounding collapse.

Truly, the matter lends itself to infinite considerations that certainly exceed the mess Trump has in West Asia. Because if the dialectic of events continues, the end could lead to the decline of Trumpism, which entails a serious crisis of the far right nationally and internationally. That is no small thing; recall that this political current is perhaps the last resource remaining, at least for now, to the U.S. mega-rich who seek to maintain control over an increasingly elusive, more multilateral world.

It means that what may appear as a enormous victory for the peoples — including the American people — also, in equal proportion, poses a very grave danger. It is not clear how the creators of Trumpism and their boss might react; they have enormous power, including nuclear weaponry, and also zero scruples or political ethics. They lead a world without rules, promote peace through force, and an endless list of absurd and arrogant categories.

Regarding Cuba, this situation constitutes an extraordinary challenge — beyond the fact that President Trump is virtually trapped between Scylla and Charybdis. In any case, Mr. Rubio is there to insist on his personal main task: to end the Cuban Revolution.

However, and without lowering our guard one iota, time is wearing down the enemy. In the meantime, the soccer World Cup, the November electoral process in the U.S., and the very drift of that country's economy all conspire against what the media pack calls the "easiest way out" of Trump's quagmire: starting another war. It is to be hoped that someone tells the troubled president that the small neighboring island would become a sort of Caribbean Iran, with added sugar. Things will be seen.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff