LinkedIn on Saturday, February 21, 2026

President Trump has been losing in court, most recently and dramatically as evidenced by yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling nullifying tariffs he has instituted during his second term.  His is in an increasingly difficult position for a leader whose personality can’t accept being wrong.

The more defeats he suffers and the lower his standing in the polls, with just over eight months to go before November’s mid-term elections, the more desperate and reckless President Trump becomes to prove his authority and avoid the political and personal legal consequences of his history with Jeffrey Epstein.

So desperate is he that he’s assembled a two aircraft carrier armada in position to strike Iran.  Regardless of what Secretary Rubio would have us believe, this build up isn’t about a nuclear agreement.  No.  Not really. Going to war, specifically in this case to force a change in the leadership of another country, in and of itself, with or without Congressional approval, is President Trump’s objective.

In the authoritarian mind of a leader suffering malignant narcissism, the primary objective of military action is the affirmation of personal power.  Moreover, “malignant” narcissism is a special version of Narcissistic Personality Disorder which includes Antisocial Personality Disorder, also known as sociopathy.  In the mind of someone this self-absorbed, lives lost – American or Iranian, maybe Israeli, whoever – are inconsequential.  Our laws, traditions and basic humanity do not constrain President Trump the way they do you and me.

The person who is our President and Commander-in-Chief of our military is not only a narcissist.  He’s also a sociopath.  The two disorders tend to overlap.  As such, he doesn’t care about the lives lost and otherwise mangled as long as the process accomplishes its objectives:  Affirm his power and omniscience and, in the specific case of Donald Trump, distract us from threats that might remove him from office and result in his incarceration.

President Trump couldn’t care less about the chaos his war against Iran (or Venezuela) might cause.  Couldn’t care less about the effects on our relationships with other countries, whether they be friends or foes. Couldn’t care less about the implications of Trump-induced chaos for our economy or democracy – or world peace.  There is no concern for the long-term.  The short run is barely relevant.  For Donald Trump, the only time that counts is “now.”  How does he feel, right now?

Our problem is that President Trump is running out of time and options to prevent what, for him, might be a cosmic shift in the control of the House and maybe the Senate too.  And running out of time before the courts appoint someone to manage the Epstein files from inside the Department of Justice.  Until then, between now and November’s election, let’s hope Congress intervenes and reins him in before he commits us all to a war with Iran that we should be doing everything possible to avoid.

If you agree, please say so as soon as possible by calling or writing your Representative and both Senators.

-Les Cohen