Philip Cross: Iran shows Trump what it’s like dealing with him

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Or sign-in if you have an account.U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House on July 29, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump likes to complain about how negotiating a peace deal with Iran is hard because its leaders keep changing their understanding, or even the terms, of any proposal. To which Canadians and everyone else can only say: “Welcome to our world, Donald.” Now Trump knows what it’s like to deal with an unstable, unpredictable regime that’s about as easy to pin down as nailing Jell-O to the wall.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountAfter literally decades of exploratory talks and negotiations culminated in Canada unilaterally spending $6.3 billion over eight years to build the Gordie Howe Bridge, Trump at the eleventh hour threatened to block its opening indefinitely unless Canada agreed to compensate the U.S.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThis is consistent with Trump’s changing or simply reneging on other agreements. Most notably, he changed his mind about the trade deal he signed with Canada and Mexico in 2020, deciding it was actually no good after having praised it during the signing ceremony at the White House as “the largest, fairest, most balanced, and modern trade agreement ever achieved.”Some of the most egregious examples of Trump changing or breaking deals are documented by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in their new best-selling book, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump. Trump concluded a deal with Ukraine to develop its mineral resources that has since been forgotten. With much fanfare, he convened a meeting of select global leaders on how Gaza would be administered by an international body but it went nowhere. After introducing his Liberation Day tariffs, he quickly reversed course and suspended them for most countries for 90 days when the stock and bond markets tanked in unison. He backtracked on threats to ban TikTok in the U.S. and now boasts about being No. 1 on TikTok.Trump’s claims about the Iran war change almost daily. After saying Operation Midnight Hammer had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, and that he would only accept Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” he settled for a much weaker deal with Iran, before that, too, blew up as bombing and missile attacks resumed over the past two weeks. An agreement to permit Saudi Arabia to build a nuclear enrichment capacity was thrown into question when Trump unilaterally declared the next day that the deal was contingent on the Saudis signing the Abraham Accords, which would normalize relations with Israel, something they had always made conditional on resolving the Palestinian question.In their chapter on Trump’s threats to U.S. Federal Reserve Board independence, Haberman and Swan describe how former Fed chairman Jerome Powell learned to deal with Trump. After recovering from the initial shock of Trump’s personal attacks on him, Powell realized the best strategy was to ignore the president, saying that “He wants you to engage. If you engage, you’re playing his game.”This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a close adviser to Trump during the 2016 election campaign, has reached a similar conclusion. On a recent panel for ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos, he said the worst thing for Trump’s ego is for him to be ignored as irrelevant — which he said is happening with increasing frequency. Trump’s prime-time speech last week about his unfounded claims of widespread election fraud failed to resonate with the public or Congress. Even Republican politicians are increasingly willing to ignore Trump’s demands, as their party faces possible defeat in the House and maybe even the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections. As Christie concluded: “the show is over … no one is paying attention anymore.”It’s impossible to completely ignore the president of the United States, but the best strategy may be to sideline him as much as possible, realizing that any deals made with him are hardly worth the effort since they can be broken any day, for whatever reason, without warning or explanation. Near the end of Regime Change, Haberman and Swan quote Trump bragging about being the most powerful leader in the history of the world, seemingly without realizing that without allies in Congress or in other countries his power is severely constrained.Philip Cross is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.