To the relief of those all over the world, Donald Trump has chickened out again after vowing that a ‘whole civilisation will die’.
Hours after he issued the threat, america and Iran agreed to a fragile two-week ceasefire, allowing those all over the world to breathe a sigh of relief.
However the unparalleled hostility the President has shown in recent days has alarmed even his most loyal allies.
On Easter, he wrote on Truth Social: ‘There might be nothing prefer it!!! Open the F*****’ Strait, you crazy b******s, otherwise you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.’
A day later, he added: ‘An entire civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to occur, however it probably will.’
Trump’s second term has largely been defined by his eagerness to make intimidating threats after which to retreat if a backlash ensues — a phenomenon his critics have derided as Trump All the time Chickens Out, or TACO.
Enroll for all of the most recent stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
TACO was first coined by Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong to explain Trump’s pattern of imposing tariffs on countries before suddenly backing out, or reducing rates.
Allies turn against the President
But Trump’s tendency to ‘TACO’ – along along with his unfiltered posts as of late – has led even those closest to the President to sound the alarm.
Former press secretary and aide to Trump in his first term, Stephanie Grisham, said the President is ‘clearly not well’.
‘He’ll back down from this madness and try to make himself out to be a hero as a substitute. I’m going to ask again, where is the leadership in Congress?
‘He’s clearly not well, and nowhere to be found. This isn’t ‘just Trump being Trump’ & u ALL realize it,’ she wrote.
Trump is facing harsh criticism from his party for his threats to Iran, which is already a deeply unpopular conflict within the US.
Longtime ally Tucker Carlson said on his show: ‘The message of all faith at the most important picture level is the message in our Bible, which is you aren’t God. And only if you happen to think you might be, do you talk this fashion.’
Others said that calling for the destruction of a ‘whole civilisation’ will not be consistent with American values.
Dr Dafydd Townley, Senior Teaching Fellow in International Security on the University of Portsmouth, told Metro that the upset with Trump from his own party shows Trump isn’t aware of what his own country wants.
‘When figures resembling Marjorie Taylor Greene start calling for the enactment of the twenty fifth Amendment, it suggests a President that’s acting outside the international legal framework and the general public opinion of his own nation.’
He added: ‘Trump has been on the lookout for an off-ramp for some weeks, so this will likely be it. I’m reasonably sure that he’s more serious about regime change in Cuba than in Tehran.
‘Trump will come under pressure from the Israelis to resume the war post the two-week interregnum. From Israel’s perspective, the job is barely half done. Iran’s theocratic, belligerent regime stays in place. If truth be told, the present version, now dominated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is more authoritarian, bigoted and war-like than the last.
‘If anything, Israel is less secure in 2026 than it was in 2025. There’s nothing more dangerous than a wounded beast.’
What’s going to the ceasefire mean, and did Trump actually ‘prevail’?
Dr Bamo Nouri, senior lecturer in International Relations on the University of West London, told Metro that although the ceasefire appears to be a de-escalation or perhaps a victory for the US, it signals the alternative.
‘In effect, a war intended to weaken Iran may find yourself strengthening it,’ he said.
‘The US could have demonstrated military superiority, but that hasn’t translated right into a decisive political consequence – and that’s what ultimately defines success in modern conflict.
‘If anything, this exposes the boundaries of military power and the growing importance of economic and strategic resilience.’
Dr Townley told Metro that although Trump is celebrating the agreement as a ‘victory’, there’s little to be blissful about.
‘The White House probably thought the targeted killings of leading Iranian figures would bring a couple of collapse of the regime, however it was a very inaccurate assumption,’ he said.
‘All of the administration has done is replace one Ayatollah with a younger version who can now claim an ethical victory over the US.’
MORE: ‘Explosions heard’ at Iranian oil refinery hours after US-Iran ceasefire
MORE: Who’s Asim Munir, Trump’s favourite Pakistani official who helped the ceasefire?
MORE: What’s within the US-Iran 10-point ceasefire plan?