Editorial: Trump's war of choice with Iran makes a mockery of the Constitution

The Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Mar 4, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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Donald Trump, the president of war, keeps killing people at home and abroad.

Over the weekend, Trump presided over the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader. While many Iranians celebrated the end of Ali Khamenei’s 37-year reign of terror, the reckless gambit does not hide the fact that Trump violated the Constitution (again) by going to war without consent from Congress and unleashed more chaos.

This was a war of choice by Trump, who was egged on by the bloodthirsty leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia. The administration provided no evidence of an imminent threat from Iran.

More alarming, Trump acted with no mandate, no plan, and no idea of what comes next.

The bill is already coming due. At least six U.S. service members have been killed, and five others seriously injured. Trump blithely said more soldiers will likely die. Apparently, that’s the price of a senseless war started by an unstable leader.

Oil prices jumped, and the stock market slumped, underscoring how Trump’s latest folly will cost Americans blood and treasure.

The conflict has already spread to other countries across the Middle East, as Iran fired drones and missiles at Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Syria, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Dozens have been killed.

Israel, the U.S.’s eager bombing partner, responded with airstrikes in Lebanon that killed at least 31 people. The volatile situation risks spinning out of control.

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are on high alert for terror attacks.

Can either agency be trusted to keep Americans safe?

Under Trump, scores of FBI counterterrorism agents have been fired, while DHS has undergone a mass exodus. DHS has been focused on arresting immigrants, killing Americans, and trampling the Constitution, while FBI Director Kash Patel was last seen pounding beers at the Olympics.

Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth, the weekend TV commentator turned unfit and unqualified defense secretary, claimed that taking out Iran’s top leaders was not about regime change.

That’s good, because the U.S. has a failed history when it comes to forcing its will on other countries, something presidents never seem to learn.

So, what is the plan? No one knows — not even Trump, whose rationale keeps shifting.

Trump urged Iranians to take control of their country. But that is impossible to do without weapons or outside support. Indeed, more than 30,000 Iranians were killed in January after they took to the streets.

Hegseth would not rule out sending American troops into Iran. That undercuts the president’s campaign promise to end costly forever wars like the ones in Vietnam — which Trump dodged — Iraq, and Afghanistan. Wars that cost thousands of lives and trillions in taxpayer dollars.

Then again, the Trump doctrine is day-to-day and subject to hourly change, fits and starts, and overnight zigzagging.

In fact, Trump now says the Iran war will go on until the U.S. achieves its objectives — whatever they are. Just last week, the president said Iran could avoid military conflict if it would end its nuclear weapons program.

Iran agreed with negotiators last week to never stockpile enriched uranium. But even as the talks showed progress, Trump decided to start bombing while he hosted a $1 million-a-ticket fundraiser at his private club in Palm Beach, Fla.

Let’s not forget Trump withdrew from a deal in 2018 that limited Iran’s nuclear enrichment and stockpiles of enriched uranium. He also claimed last year that Iran’s nuclear program was “obliterated” after a bombing campaign by the U.S. and Israel.

Trump created all this chaos. An unserious president is leading the country into serious trouble. And the Republicans in Congress who have the power to stop him do nothing.

Killing Iran’s leader comes on the heels of Trump ordering the illegal invasion and arrest of Venezuela’s president.

That came after Trump’s illegal boat strikes in Central and South America that have killed more than 100 people without any evidence of wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to take over Greenland, make Canada the 51st state, and attack drug cartels in Mexico. He continues to diss European allies, while doing nothing to stop Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine.

Republicans who control Congress continue to defer to Trump, who is quickly turning the United States into a rogue state.

Now, with no clear exit strategy in Iran, Trump appears poised to continue to try to bomb his way to a Nobel Peace Prize, while making a mockery of America.