Why Trump might be tempted into war

It wouldn't be out of character for the president to use war as a distraction from the Ukraine scandal

President Trump.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Alex Wong/Getty Images, Tatomm/iStock, zenink/iStock, Screenshot/The Washington Post)

Does anybody trust a scandal-tarred President Trump to lead the country into war?

Trump is almost always mired in scandal, of course, and America is almost perpetually at war — the battle in Afghanistan, for example, has now lasted for a generation. But that doesn't make the question moot. Indeed, two factors have given this issue new urgency: the burgeoning controversy over Trump's interactions with Ukraine, and the continually rising tensions with Iran.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who has spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic, The Kansas City Star and Heatmap News. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.