Ben Rhodes: Trump Is Getting a Terrible Deal

The potential ceasefire and emerging deal between the United States and Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz and nuclear enrichment serve as the primary focus of this discussion with former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes. The conversation contrasts the current negotiations—characterized as a "handshake agreement" lacking international legitimacy—with the structured, multi-nation JCPOA framework. Rhodes argues that the recent conflict has paradoxically strengthened the Iranian regime by demonstrating their ability to disrupt global energy markets via drone and missile capabilities, while simultaneously alienating international allies. Beyond the immediate geopolitical fallout, the dialogue examines the shifting landscape of American foreign policy, the erosion of the "madman theory" in global diplomacy, and the ideological battle over American identity, specifically critiquing recent nationalist rhetoric that rejects the nation's creedal foundations in favor of exclusionary, blood-and-soil definitions of citizenship.