‘No Rally-‘Round-the-Flag Effect’: Karl Rove Warns Trump He Must Sell His ‘Gutsy’ Iran Operation

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Legendary Republican strategist Karl Rove warned President Donald Trump that he must do a better job selling his military operation against the Iranian regime in a new column for The Wall Street Journal.

Rove hailed Trump’s decision to act as “historic,” praising the American and Israeli militaries for their tactical successes and “providing the beleaguered citizens of that once-prosperous country hope that better days might be ahead.”

“The effort has showcased military and intelligence brilliance and gutsy leadership. It began with the American president and the Israeli prime minister. It has continued with leaders of half a dozen Middle Eastern and eastern Mediterranean countries,” he wrote. “Despite all this, the White House must deal with two stark realities: No one knows how this will end, and the war against the mullahs in Tehran isn’t popular at home.”

After running through some discouraging polling, Rove lamented that that there has been no observable “rally-’round-the-flag effect” to date, and advised the president to frame his decision around the objective of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons while pointing to a sunnier CBS survey

The White House must spend more time explaining its actions in Iran and why they’re important to Americans’ interests. That could cause some who hold wish-washy opinions to move into the president’s corner. This can’t be just left to the eight-minute Truth Social video the president posted early Saturday morning or to a few brief calls by him to journalists,” submitted Rove before concluding:

Congressional Republicans did a credible job of supporting the president’s action on the Sunday morning talk shows. But the defense of the administration’s actions in Iran needs more comprehensive, persistent, credible explanations of the objectives from the president and his top people. These must be offered in all possible venues and channels if he’s to sway public opinion. That’s important. For what Abraham Lincoln said is still true: “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed.”

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