Donald Trump was for the Iran war before he was against it. His latest post on social media about the conflict indicated that he is once more calling off a sweeping military action, this time at the behest of his Gulf allies who are apparently quaking at the thought of a renewed conflict. Trump’s initial sentence was quite a mouthful:

I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.

Its import seems clear enough: Trump is going wobbly.

Small wonder. Trump thought he was getting a Venezuela 2.0. Instead, Iran has played Ronda Rousey to his Gina Carano. Iranian General Abdolrahim Mousavi Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, told Trump that Iran is “more prepared and powerful than ever.” He added that it would respond to a fresh attack “swiftly, decisively, and with overwhelming force.” If leaked American intelligence reports are anything to go by, the general isn’t whistling Dixie. Those reports indicate that Tehran has reconstituted much of its missile force. So much for Trump’s repeated claims that Iran’s military has been laid waste.

Here’s hoping that Trump’s palpable hesitation about a renewed bombing of Iran prompts him to seek a genuine modus vivendi with the country, one that will require him to abandon the demand that it surrender its entire stash of enriched uranium. Containment of Iran should be his goal. It has always seemed strange that a president who could play kissy-face with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un would deny himself the opportunity to reach a peace deal with Iran. Yes, the regime is an odious one, but there’s no indication that it’s going anywhere. If anything, Trump’s ill-conceived military campaign appears to have bolstered the mullahs as they exercise the right of usufruct over the Straits of Hormuz. Should the war continue much longer, it will torpedo, not Iran’s military, but the world economy.

Trump, in other words, has good reason to seek an exit posthaste. For one thing, his poll numbers could hardly be more dismal. He can enforce discipline against the likes of Senator Bill Cassidy, who lost his primary, and Congressman Tom Massie, who appears about to lose his, but Trump’s wider unpopularity threatens the fortunes of the Republican party itself (though whether this is of acute concern to him is another matter). According to a New York Times/Siena poll a mere 30 percent of Americans approve of the decision to go to war with Iran while 64 percent disapprove. Overall, his approval rating stands at 37 percent.

Then there is the economy. Here, too, Trump is cratering. Inflation is headed towards 5 percent. Trump plans to swear in Kevin Warsh as the new head of the Federal Reserve at the White House, a break from tradition. Trump wants Warsh to serve as his faithful retainer at the Fed rather than an independent steward of America’s finances. But how Warsh, a lifelong inflation hawk, can accede to Trump’s incessant demands for swift and sweeping interest rate reductions at a moment of soaring prices is as murky as the UFO files that the government has been releasing.

The truth is that for all his bluster about ushering in a new golden age, it has been back to the future under Trump. Back to the high gas prices of the Biden administration. Back to soaring inflation. And back to a president who, more often than not, has trouble remaining awake to perform the most elementary of his duties.