Gate News message, April 19 — According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. President Trump has lost his “adventurous spirit,” with fear increasingly consuming him. Recently, after learning that an American fighter jet was shot down over Iran and two pilots went missing—later rescued—Trump spent hours raging at aides in an nearly empty White House West Wing, repeatedly saying “The Europeans haven’t helped at all.” People who have spoken with him say memories of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis continue to haunt him.
Trump subsequently posted: “Open the strait, you lunatics,” attempting to weaken Iran’s strongest leverage—control of the Strait of Hormuz. The president, known for creating dramatic scenes, has applied his unconventional and extreme approach to military conflict with oscillating tactics, shifting between hawkish postures and reconciliation strategies while privately grappling with how far the situation could escalate.
Behind closed doors, Trump fears ordering troops into dangerous zones, fearing casualties and soldiers unable to return home—a concern shared by other presidents who have experienced war, according to sources familiar with the matter.