2026
War with Iran Should Scare the Shit out of All of Us
War with Iran is terrifyingly close. And just because most of it will likely happen with drones and sky-sailing war Waymos does not excuse us as, a nation, from the collective moral wrestling match that should precede such a consequential move—a war that could plunge the entire Middle East, if not the world, into utter chaos. (I proudly used em dashes before AI, so lest you think a human didn’t write this, see my pre-Chat work.)
But we are getting closer to the real story buried in the Epstein files. And so the leader of the free world has to make some very large moves to send the press — and the world — into the storm of a new story. He may have replaced the real White House press corps with hacks from the MyPillow “network,” but until the billionaire class buys up every news outlet, he has millions and millions of media minutes to manipulate. The man needs a hurricane, and bombing Iran will suit.
He needs to do it before the momentum from the UK floods this side of the pond. How dare those Brits still believe in consequences? He needs to do it on the heels of the State of the Union so his base is still googly-eyed at his “strength.” And he needs to do it quickly. The Clintons have testified, and their testimony is likely to be a non-event. Set aside how we all feel about Hillary (opinions range on the left): that woman is made of pure steel. Anyone who voted to subpoena her clearly did not watch her 11 hours of unshakable Benghazi testimony. This week’s Clinton side show will ultimately only serve as Fox fodder.
At this point, He can whine all he wants about TDS and whatever other bullshit he and his surrogates are spewing, but Congressional Democrats seem to be steadily getting closer to boxing him in — all despite the effete leadership of Schumer and Jeffries. There are incriminating files missing. Real journalists are digging into what is currently available, which appears to be the tip of a very sick and twisted iceberg. And the DOJ is lying through their teeth. A burn book in a three-ring binder is a tired act in the three-ring circus that is this administration. It can only delay the inevitable drumbeat that must now rise: the testimony of our president and his wife.
We’re in frightening territory. The man will put his name on every building and promote this utter fantasy of widespread success and lie straight to the face of the very people who have trusted him — all to cover up the petty and misguided gangster tactics he calls leadership. And Congress will let him do it all, because they are petrified he will destroy them. And now he will launch a war with Iran — on top of all of his homeland atrocities — to cover up the heinous life he has led and the crimes he is accused of committing.
And so we must be very vigilant to protect ourselves, our sanity, and our way of life. Because this broken man will bring this country to its knees to stay out of jail. He will destroy this nation so he can go to his grave a winner in his own head. That’s what happens when you give a man like this this much power. We have never seen a dog like this backed into a corner like this.
I fear the worst is yet to come. Of course, I am not alone in my worry. Let us turn to each other for the strength and joy we’re going to need. Because this all feels like it is just getting started. And what’s ahead should scare the living shit out of us, because none of the players in this game are aiming for anything less than scorched Earth.
Julio Vincent Gambuto is the author of Please Unsubscribe, Thanks! — from Avid Reader Press at Simon & Schuster—now available in the U.S., UK, France, Italy, Brazil, and Turkey, in hardcover, e-book and audiobook. His nonfiction debut was a Barnes and Noble Pick of the Month and was nominated up against Michelle Obama, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Mehdi Hasan for an Audie Award for Best Business/Personal Development Audiobook, from the Audio Publishers Association. New York Times bestselling author and modern sage Oliver Burkeman calls the book, “Simultaneously hilarious and deadly serious.” Here on Medium, JVG is the author of the essay, Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting, which started a worldwide conversation during the pandemic, circling the globe to 21 million readers in 98 countries. He lives in New York City. Learn more at www.juliovincent.com.
