The White House Chief of Staff admits officials report Middle East situation to Trump with good news only, omitting bad news

The rumor that White House officials report only good news to Trump appears to be confirmed.

On the 3rd, U.S. Time magazine published an article stating that with soaring oil prices, falling stock markets, and increasing domestic public dissatisfaction with the prolonged war, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wells had to urge advisors to "honestly convey information" to Trump, telling him that "the longer the war drags on, the more it will threaten the prospects for Republican midterm elections."

The report states that Susie Wells admitted that advisors and officials have been "painting a rosy picture" for Trump, only telling him what he wants to hear.

Previously, some U.S. media revealed that Trump rarely personally reads the daily briefings prepared by the White House; his understanding of the Middle East situation mainly comes from verbal reports by officials and short videos edited daily by the military showing "victories from air strikes."

For this reason, the current changes in the Middle East situation have completely caught Trump's makeshift team off guard—Time magazine even bluntly stated that Iran's retaliation has shattered Washington's assumption that "Tehran would only conduct symbolic reprisals."

Even more absurdly, this underestimation of Iran likely originated from U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth—reports indicate Hegseth believed last year’s low-key Iranian response to attacks on the U.S. and Israel demonstrated that the U.S. could "use force in a controlled manner," inflicting significant damage on Iran without triggering a larger-scale war.

But now, as the situation in the Middle East increasingly spirals out of control, a source familiar with Hegseth’s thinking candidly admitted: "Hegseth is completely unprepared"—this is undeniable.

Thus, the situation is clear: the outbreak of this war can be attributed both to Netanyahu’s manipulation of Trump and to the U.S. Defense Secretary’s lack of military expertise combined with his belligerent tendencies. Meanwhile, the White House staff and officials’ practice of reporting only good news while concealing bad news has further dragged the United States into its current predicament.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1861431089583111/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author