Trump’s “Ultimate Art”: saying “I’ll bomb you,” while asking why you won’t come to the meeting

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With only a few dozen hours left before the ceasefire, Trump is speaking again.

“Bombs are exploding.” “No problem.” “Highly unlikely to be extended.” “Conflict is definitely expected.” Four short sentences, one meaning: I’ll bomb you, but you come to hold a meeting first.
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Vance’s schedule has become a contemporary unsolved mystery. CNN says he departs on Tuesday, while Trump says he will “arrive within a few hours”; Iran says “Who?” The flights are going in different directions depending on whose mouth you’re listening to—just like group-chat dinner plans: A says he showed up, B says he didn’t even leave the house, and C says he never even agreed. Trump can’t even get his own vice president’s location straight, yet he urges Iran to send someone to come sign.
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Iran’s response is consistent: not true, not going. The reason is simple—you’re imposing a naval blockade at sea, firing on cargo ships, and then saying “Come to talk.” Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, translated into English, amounts to: You can’t even round up your own people—so why should I sit across from you?

Trump’s logic is at least self-consistent. The last time the negotiations fell apart, that night he was watching UFC in Miami, telling the camera, “It doesn’t matter whether we reach an agreement—we’ve already won.” Won where? He won by successfully turning a war into an individual reality show. Every “Bombs are exploding” is a line he’s calling out for the domestic audience: Look, I’m not the one who’s backing down.

“Easy-to-talk-to days are over.” He said it to North Korea, and he said it to Iran—twice. The easy-to-talk-to days can never end, because once they end, there’s no script for the next episode. The seats are set out, the bombs are ready—you can come or you can not come—either way, in front of the camera it’s always the same line: I gave them a chance.