Trump’s Iran Rhetoric Fuels the Regime
While the West Was Digesting Christmas Turkey, Iran Was Bleeding in the Streets
December 28. Westerners were still nursing hangovers from Christmas dinner or showing off their new iPhones. Meanwhile, Iran exploded. Protests broke out across the country—first about food prices, then about everything else. People weren’t just hungry for bread. They were starving for justice.
While Americans were rewatching Home Alone, Iranians were chanting in the streets. First, it was about inflation so bad that you needed a bag of cash to buy eggs. Then came the real slogans:
“Death to the dictator!”
“Clerics get lost!”
“We don’t want the Islamic Republic!”
The regime responded the only way it knows how—by cracking heads. Police shot protestors. Basij militias broke bones. Dozens died. Thousands got arrested. And still the crowds kept growing.
The Economy Is Rotting and Everyone Feels It
Iran’s currency, the rial, is collapsing faster than government credibility. Basic groceries—flour, meat, cooking oil—have doubled in price. Unemployment is sky-high. Families are selling furniture just to afford bread. (As of this writing,
1 rial is 1 Iranian Rial = 0.00000095 US Dollar
You know a country’s in crisis when people joke about selling kidneys. In Iran, it’s not a joke. There are entire black markets for organs. That’s how bad things are.
Inflation? Officially over 40%, but no one believes those numbers. The only people doing fine are the corrupt elite and clerics living off stolen oil money. Everyone else is drowning.
But here’s the truth: this isn’t about Islam. It’s about theft. The regime has looted the country for decades. Religion is just the costume they wear while they do it.
Source: Bing
The chart looks absurd, but not because the rial stayed stable. It’s because it dropped so fast over a few weeks that every other collapse since 2021 looks negligible in charts. That’s how brutal the latest crash was.
This Has Nothing to Do with Allah
These protestors? Many of them don’t even believe in God. About 1 in 5 Iranians are now atheist, agnostic, or done with organized religion altogether.
Westerners love to assume Iran is full of angry, bearded fundamentalists. No. The real anger is aimed at the bearded fundamentalists who ruined the country.
These people want jobs, dignity, freedom of speech, and for their sisters to walk outside without getting harassed by morality police.
The U.S. Helped Create This Mess
You want to know how Iran got stuck with this regime in the first place?
Because in 1953, Iran had a secular, elected prime minister—Mohammad Mossadegh. He had the wild idea that Iran’s oil should belong to Iranians. Britain and the U.S. didn’t like that. So the CIA staged a coup and installed the Shah, a royal puppet with a crown and zero shame.
That puppet turned into a dictator. So in 1979, Iranians overthrew him—and accidentally traded one authoritarian for another.
The clerics took over. They wrapped themselves in Islam and never let go.
This isn’t a conspiracy theory. The CIA admits it. Look it up.
It was not a typical coup. It was more like corporate sabotage dressed as democracy protection— Stephen Kinzer, All the Shah’s Men
Enter Trump: And for One Second, I Actually Agreed With Him
Jump ahead to early January. As the protests grew, Trump decided to speak up.
“They’ve got to show humanity. I hope they’re not going to be killing people.”
Then a few days later, he tweeted directly to protestors:
“Help is on the way. Hold tight.”
And you know what? For one brief second, I was actually glad about what he said he’d do—because that’s how much I hate the current Iranian regime. I hate what it’s done to the Persian people—one of the oldest and most accomplished civilizations on Earth.
This country gave humanity poetry, algebra, medicine, architecture, astronomy. And now it’s being run by backward theocrats who treat women like walking sins and crush anyone with an opinion.
So yes—for a heartbeat, I didn’t care who helped bring them down. Trump. Batman. An alien invasion. Just get rid of them. Legally or illegally
And in that moment, I finally understood something about Trump supporters. They hate liberals so much that they don’t care if their guy is corrupt, racist, or an authoritarian wannabe. The hate blinds them. They just enjoy that someone finally dared to punch back. He becomes a hero. The end justifies the means.
What they don’t get is that Trump is setting a precedent. What happens when a liberal president pulls the same moves? Every barrier meant to stop a president from becoming a dictator is being bulldozed—and they’re cheering while it happens. Why? Because in their minds, liberals are always the enemy and the tables never turn. They’re prisoners of the here and now.
But Then I Realized Something Horrifying
Saying “Help is on the way” wasn’t brave. It was stupid.
Trump’s tweet was exactly what the regime wanted. Because the second Iranian protestors look like they’re backed by the U.S., the government gets to call them traitors. Foreign agents. CIA puppets.
Trump handed them that excuse on a silver platter. The regime used it immediately. They went on state TV saying, “See? This is an American plot. These protestors are working with the West!”
And then they cracked down even harder.
So if you think Trump helped, think again. He made it worse.
“American endorsements, especially from controversial figures like Trump, can delegitimize indigenous protest movements in the eyes of the local population.”
— Trita Parsi, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Iranians Don’t Want to Be Saved—They Want to Be Heard
This is what the West always gets wrong. Iranians don’t need a savior. They need the world to shut up and let them speak.
They want change—but they want it their way. They don’t want bombs. They don’t want CIA deals. They want space to breathe, and the freedom to scream.
Trump’s words didn’t show support. They showed ignorance.
“U.S. intervention—whether military or rhetorical—tends to discredit opposition movements in Iran by allowing the government to paint them as foreign puppets.”
— Hadi Ghaemi, Center for Human Rights in Iran
Iran Isn’t a Battlefield for Western Ego
The American left wants to pretend Iran is fine because it’s not “our place” to intervene. The right wants to bomb it for being evil. Both are missing the point.
This isn’t your Cold War fantasy. It’s not your terrorism punching bag. It’s not your Instagram revolution.
It’s real people, being gunned down in the streets, trying to fix their country while the world either ignores them or hijacks their pain for political points.
What Real Support Looks Like
Want to help?
Stop handing the regime propaganda fuel.
Sanction the regime’s elites and expose their luxury assets abroad.
Let Iranian voices lead, not Western think tank pundits.
Offer asylum to Iranian activists who have to flee.
Don’t pretend to help while banning their families from entering your country.
And for God’s sake, stop tweeting about it like it’s a reality show.
The most meaningful support is to stand back, amplify Iranian voices, and avoid tainting their struggle with geopolitical baggage— Negar Mortazavi, Iranian-American journalist
When You Hate So Hard
That moment when I cheered for Trump? That’s when I realized how dangerous hate can be.
I hated the regime so much, I was willing to cheer for someone I normally can’t stand. And that’s exactly how people fall for authoritarians. That’s how you end up supporting a man who cages children and bans Muslims—just because he hates your enemy too.
This isn’t just about right and wrong. It’s about not letting rage hijack your brain.
So, should you ever hate? Sure. It’s a human emotion. But like anger, it needs control—or it’ll end up controlling you.
Change Will Come. But Not From the West.
Regimes like Iran’s don’t last forever. They rot from within. You can already smell it.
The people are braver than ever. Women are burning hijabs. Workers are striking. Youth are risking their lives for a country that doesn’t deserve them—but one day might.
The last thing they need is a Western politician stealing the spotlight.
Last Toughts
Finally, I’ll leave you with this.
Trump is playing right into the hands of the Iranian regime. Either he’s incredibly smart and sees Iran as a useful enemy to keep tensions high and justify U.S. actions in the Middle East for domestic gain—
Or he’s a clueless narcissist trying to look like a hero, with zero understanding of the consequences.
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Your turn:
Now drop a comment, share it, and remember—solidarity means shutting up when it’s not your fight to lead.
As for Trump's motives, the ongoing Epstein files saga is a powerful candidate. To remind, redaction and censoring of the files is ongoing and there is delay in complying with the legislative mandate for disclosure. The barrage Trump has unleashed in the last couple of weeks, with little regard for human or other consequences, has been quite effective in deflecting focus away from the Epstein imbroglio. It is sad to see American democracy come to this sordid phase.