When Politico broke the news Wednesday that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, “proposed sitting down with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to extend a fresh olive branch on the president’s behalf,” and that “Trump signed off on the idea,” we were reminded once again that this is a president who isn’t afraid to think outside the box.
For Americans wanting to avoid war this is crucial, because President Trump’s top foreign policy advisers, particularly Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, have been aching for a U.S. confrontation with Iran long before they joined the administration. It’s also safe to say most in Trump’s official foreign policy orbit reflexively lean toward a more aggressive approach, per the Washington norm.
But then, there are Trump’s unofficial advisers, with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson topping that very short list in recent weeks.
First, we learned Carlson’s advice to the president might have been instrumental in preventing an airstrike on Iran last month. Then, Carlson popped up in North Korea with Trump to reportedly encourage the president’s diplomatic outreach efforts with that country (with “warmonger” John Bolton banished to Mongolia).
Next on Trump’s unofficial adviser list: Rand Paul. Unfortunately, as far as we know, and even though less than a quarter of Americans actually want a war with Iran, Carlson and Paul comprise this entire noninterventionist list.
If Paul has the opportunity to meet Iranian officials, as the president reportedly endorses, it will be the latest in a long line of steps the Kentucky senator has made to encourage Trump to follow his “America First” foreign policy impulses and ignore the hawks in his midst.
Nearly a year ago, Politico reported in August 2018, “While Trump tolerates his hawkish advisers, the [Trump] aide added, he shares a real bond with Paul: ‘He actually at gut level has the same instincts as Rand Paul.’”
Politico continued, “Trump has stopped short of calling for regime change even though Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and Bolton support it, aligning with Paul instead, according to a GOP foreign policy expert in frequent contact with the White House.”
But this part of the story was perhaps most significant: “’Rand Paul has persuaded the president that we are not for regime change in Iran,’ this person said, because adopting that position would instigate another war in the Middle East.”
We do not know how much the president might have sought counsel from Paul regarding Iran since this August story was published; however, we do have reason to believe Paul’s influence regarding foreign policy hasn’t waned since.
As uber-hawkish Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, continues to step up his efforts to have Trump’s ear, on May 20, Politico reported, “The president has fashioned himself far more in the mold of Paul than the hawkish Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who was shocked by Trump’s plans to pull out of Syria and only was able to convince Trump to leave a small force in the country.”
“Trump’s hiring of John Bolton as national security adviser may have changed the approach inside the White House, but Trump’s dovish core hasn’t changed, senators said,” Politico continued. “Perhaps that can’t prevent conflict with Iran if it strikes first, but they said they were confident that Trump’s aggressive posture is far more about a Trumpian brand of diplomacy than it is about marching to war.”
That “Trumpian brand of diplomacy” might now include Paul sitting down with Iran to see if we can avoid another catastrophic Iraq-style war in the Middle East.
Many worried just a few short weeks ago that the U.S. might start World War III with Iran based primarily on the ideological agenda of John Bolton. Now, let Washington hawks worry they might not get their war, thanks to an unconventional president who doesn’t seem to want it and the enduring peace agenda of Rand Paul.
Jack Hunter (@jackhunter74) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is the former political editor of Rare.us and co-authored the 2011 book The Tea Party Goes to Washington with Sen. Rand Paul.
