WASHINGTON, July 14 — The figure that matters: 45. Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, remains the dominant force in Republican politics five years after leaving office. His confrontational approach to Iran, now the subject of a new congressional notification over military action, follows a track record the former president himself set in office.
The bottom line: Trump’s Iran policy was defined by withdrawal, sanctions, and a near-strike. On May 8, 2018, he pulled the United States out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal negotiated under his predecessor.
He called it “the worst deal ever.” That single decision set in motion the reimposition of sanctions on Tehran, part of what his administration branded a “maximum pressure” campaign.
By the numbers: a timeline of escalation
Investors will note that the economic pressure was the first lever Trump pulled. Sanctions returned in waves after the JCPOA exit, targeting Iranian oil exports, banking, and metals. The strategy aimed to choke off revenue to the regime.
But the military dimension soon followed. In June 2019, Trump authorized a strike on Iran.
He called it off minutes before impact. The president offered no public explanation at the time beyond a general reluctance to inflict disproportionate casualties. The aborted strike became a defining moment of his first-term Iran policy — a display of both willingness to use force and last-minute restraint.
Then came January 3, 2020. Trump ordered the drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
The assassination of a senior foreign military commander on Iraqi soil was a dramatic escalation. Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, had been responsible for Iranian operations across the Middle East. The strike drew condemnation from allies and adversaries alike, and Iran responded days later with ballistic missile attacks on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops.
Two impeachments, one through line
Trump’s presidency was marked by two impeachments. The first, on December 18, 2019, centered on his dealings with Ukraine — specifically a phone call in which he pressed President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden while withholding military aid. The House voted along party lines.
The Senate acquitted him in February 2020. The second impeachment came on January 13, 2021, one week after the Capitol attack on January 6.
The House charged Trump with incitement of insurrection. He became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. Again, the Senate acquitted him.
Both impeachments stemmed from the same pattern: Trump’s willingness to use the powers of his office for personal and political gain, and his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden.
From businessman to reality TV to the White House
Trump was born on June 14, 1946. Before politics, he built a career as a businessman and reality TV star. He won the 2016 election as a Republican, defeating Hillary Clinton in an upset that stunned the political establishment.
His presidency ran from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021 — a single term. The current notification to Congress of a new military action against Iran is the latest chapter in a story that began with Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy.
The former president set the framework. His successors have operated within it. The question now is whether the current administration will follow the same playbook — or write a new one.
