Trump posts late-night social media spree as Iran war drags on

Donald Trump unleashed a late-night social media tirade against his political enemies, attacking predecessors including Barack Obama with false accusations and amplifying calls for his Democratic rivals to be prosecuted.

Just hours before a high-stakes trip to China for talks with Xi Jinping, the US president posted more than 50 times in a three-hour spree from Monday evening into the early hours of Tuesday. Posts included doctored images of himself on the $100 bill and demands that political opponents be arrested.

It comes as millions of Americans face mounting economic pressure tied to the US and Israel’s war with Iran, with living costs rising across much of the country. Trump appeared to acknowledge this pressure earlier on Monday, when he signaled his support for a plan to curb a sharp rise in fuel costs.

After campaigning for years against the US engaging in “endless wars”, Trump has repeatedly drawn out the timeline of the war on Iran, which began with US and Israeli attacks in late February. Earlier this week he described a ceasefire deal with Tehran as “on life support”.

Starting late on Monday evening Trump promoted posts on his Truth Social platform that falsely accused Obama of plotting a coup against Trump, as well as claims calling Obama a “traitor” and “the most demonic force in American politics”. Trump also shared images of Obama, former president Joe Biden and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi in the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool. In the altered images, the pool – which Trump has proposed renovating to an color – appeared filled with sewage the caption: “Dumacrats love sewage”.