As Israel launched attacks on Iran, likely scuttling the Trump administration’s feeble attempts to strike a nuclear deal with the authoritarian nation, something dawned on me: Donald Trump, who fancies himself as dealmaking President Deals McDealman, is not at all good at making deals.

In fact, he’s not good at much of anything, aside from thinking he’s the greatest.

The Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear capabilities will undoubtedly spiral the region into chaos, either pulling the United States into aiding our top ally in the Middle East or putting a target on U.S. troops and other assets. There’s a good chance for a full-blown war.

And that’s not great for Trump, given he promised ‒ over and over and over again ‒ that under his rule, there would be peace, that wars are the kind of thing that never happen on his watch.

Israel’s strikes on Iran pull the curtain back on Trump’s empty promise

Trump, you see, is an expert dealmaker, a negotiator without equal, and he would finesse peace where all others failed.

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Yet Russia’s war on Ukraine continues unabated, there’s no Gaza ceasefire and the bloodshed there continues, a nuclear deal with Iran is now crisp toast, and Iran has already retaliated against Israel’s June 12 attacks, calling them a declaration of war.

So let’s roll the tape back on Trump’s lofty promises of peace and assurances that only he could stop violence from breaking out.

Wars haven’t been stopped, and unity hasn’t been achieved

In the president’s second inaugural address, Trump boasted: “Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and totally unpredictable.”

Unity not achieved.

At a January rally before he became president again, Trump took credit for a Gaza ceasefire deal that happened while President Joe Biden was still in charge: “This week we achieved an epic ceasefire agreement as a first step toward lasting peace in the Middle East. And this agreement could only have happened as a result of our historic victory in November.”

That ceasefire swiftly collapsed, and there’s no end to the conflict in sight.

Trump promised peace to the world, but it’s just getting worse

In a July 19, 2024, social media post, Trump referred to the war in Ukraine: “I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families.”

That hasn’t happened.

At a 2023 campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump said: “Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we all together win the presidency, we will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. It will be settled. The war is going to be settled. I’ll get them both. I know Zelenskyy, I know Putin. It’ll be done within 24 hours, you watch.”

We watched. Didn’t happen.

Trump casts himself as a peacemaker, but he’s proven worthless

In November, Trump said the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel wouldn’t have happened if he were president: “That attack would have never happened, all those people would be alive.”

After the 2023 attack, Trump posted on social media: “THE ATTACK ON ISRAEL WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED, ZERO CHANCE.”

And in May 2023, Trump claimed Russia never would have invaded Ukraine if he had been president: “If I were President, the Russia/Ukraine catastrophe would NEVER HAVE HAPPENED. All of those tens of thousands of people who died would be alive and well today.”

Sure, Jan.

On all fronts, from peace to the economy, Trump is tanking

The problem with all these claims is that they come from the self-aggrandizing mind of a fabulist con artist who couldn’t make a deal to sell a starving man a steak.

For Democrats looking for simple messaging, here it is: Donald Trump promised peace. He has failed miserably.

Trump thinks he’s celebrating America’s strength. Quite the opposite.

Death continues unabated in Ukraine and Gaza, and a new Middle East war appears to be breaking out.

There are U.S. troops on the streets of Los Angeles for no reason. And Trump is about to pretend he can flex America’s muscles by holding a military parade in Washington, DC, with all kinds of tanks and big guns and whatnot, hoping nobody notices it’s all just to help him celebrate his birthday.

President Deals told American voters prices would go down, everyone would be getting rich, the economy would boom, unity would prevail, and peace would envelop the world. None of those things are happening. Not one.

So this weekend, if you choose to watch Trump’s ridiculous military parade, and I hope you don’t, make sure you take in the sight of MAGA’s failing president, the charlatan in chief, sitting there like a proud peacock, accomplishing absolutely nothing.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk