Politics

Why Trump Lost

The president failed to deliver on his Iran bluster, and in the end fooled only himself.

First published in The Atlantic on May 24, 2026.

by David Frum, The Atlantic

May 28, 2026 | reading time: 5 Min.

The first surprising thing about President Trump’s impending defeat in the 2026 Iran war is that he already fought and won a successful war against Iran last year. In June 2025, U.S. and Israeli air strikes badly damaged the Iranian nuclear program in 12 days of bombardment. Exactly how badly remains controversial. But they didn’t do nothing. If Trump had quit while ahead, he could have banked his gains from last June as a solid if imperfect win.