Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked the situation during his Tuesday show, first condemning Trump’s warning before then joking about the outcome.
Prominent left-wing voices criticized President Donald Trump and have called for him to be removed from office this week following his threats toward Iran, with some accusing him of proposing war crimes before later mocking him for backing down.
The criticism centered around the acronym “TACO,” which stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out” and has circulated among left-leaning commentators online. According to Fox News, the phrase was originally coined by Wall Street analysts in reference to Trump’s tariff policies, suggesting he would walk back his tariff threats.
Defenders of the Trump administration have noted that many of the president’s threats may be part of a broader negotiating strategy to achieve certain outcomes. However, this possibility did not stop left-wing pundits from blasting Trump with the TACO label after he announced a ceasefire with Iran.
On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran did not agree to a deal that saw the Strait of Hormuz being reopened. The president gave an 8 pm deadline for Iran to agree to a deal or the US would carry out imminent military action. Later that same night, however, Trump announced that Iran had agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
The initial warning drew sharp condemnation, with critics accusing the president of reckless rhetoric and some even suggesting the 25th Amendment should be considered. After the ceasefire announcement, many of those same voices pivoted to ridicule, suggesting Trump had backed off his threat.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) had called for Trump’s removal, saying that the 25th Amendment should be invoked.
https://twitter.com/RoKhanna/status/2041540173167489321?s=20
But when the ceasefire came, Khanna swiveled on the narrative, saying that Trump “backed down” because he got blowback from the American people.
https://twitter.com/RoKhanna/status/2041667825073307883?s=20
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked the situation during his Tuesday show, first condemning Trump’s warning before joking about the outcome.
"So, all day today, everyone, most notably the people of Iran, were wondering if their civilization was going to die tonight. Well, good news, it didn’t. It was the Taco Tuesday of all Taco Tuesdays," Kimmel said.
"He decided not to drop the chalupa for at least another two weeks," Kimmel added. "This is how it goes, every single time. Trump says something insane… we all freak out, and then he backs [off]."
https://twitter.com/tpostmillennial/status/2042217437098062102?s=46
Not all anti-Trump commentators embraced the framing, however. Sam Stein of The Bulwark pushed back on the “TACO” narrative during a Wednesday appearance with Morning Joe.
"I know people like to pile on Trump in these moments and say, ‘Well, he TACO’d’ and, you know, he was always going to TACO,’ and I just think that’s just the wrong framework because it’s not about chickening out… this brinksmanship has real, tangible costs, real costs, a substantial cost, not just over the past four weeks, but going forward,” he said.
https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2041950757411315964?s=20
Meanwhile, the official White House account on X responded to the online reaction by posting an image of Trump making a shushing gesture with the caption “When you hear a panican…”
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