President Donald Trump has always sold himself as the smooth-talking dealmaker — the confident negotiator who could outmaneuver rivals, dominate opponents, and bend world leaders to his will with sheer force of personality. On the campaign trail, that image was central to his appeal. Tough talk, and the familiar swagger of a man who insisted he alone could “fix” what everyone else broke.
And while the contradictions aren’t new — a fresh CNN montage once again strips away the charm, exposing the less calculated reality beneath the bravado.
Trump is now facing renewed scrutiny after attacking Venezuela, capturing its president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, then claiming the United States is “running” the country.
The sudden escalation stands in stark contrast to his repeated campaign vows to avoid foreign entanglements, end “endless wars,” and steer the U.S. away from regime-change conflicts.
On Monday night’s episode of “The Source,” CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins confronted Trump’s shifting rhetoric by airing a side-by-side video montage of his recent threats alongside his past statements rejecting U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.
The contrast was simple but devastating.
As one viewer put it, “Never trusted the con man. It’s all he ever was and he hasn’t changed one bit.”
Collins pointed out that not only is it unclear what the Trump administration is actually doing in Venezuela, but the president is now threatening other nations as well — including longtime U.S. allies such as Denmark and Colombia.
Trump has also warned Mexico, predicted Cuba is about “to fall,” and hinted at further military action abroad.
In one clip from Sunday, Jan. 4 — just a day after the capture of Maduro and Flores — Trump declared, “Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you.”
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That statement was immediately contrasted with footage from the campaign trail, where Trump insisted, “We believe that the job of the United States military is not to wage endless regime change wars.”
Collins then aired another clip from the same Sunday, showing Trump warning, “You have to do something with Mexico. Mexico has to get their act together…”
In 2016 when first running for office, Trump insisted, “We will stop racing to topple foreign — and you understand this — foreign regimes that we know nothing about, that we shouldn’t be involved with.”
For years, Trump leaned into the idea that his instincts, confidence, and so-called “art of the deal” could succeed where traditional diplomacy failed. But the montage reframed that persona, recasting it not as strategic negotiation, but as a pattern of convenient reversals that collapse when placed side by side.
Many viewers weren’t surprised.
“To what end would anyone even bother to compare with what he said an hour ago? If his lips are moving, it’s a lie,” this MSN reader proclaimed.
“Trump is a traitor and enemy of the state,” wrote a viewer on Threads while another added, “Unbelievable isn’t it!!!!”
Despite the visual evidence, few believe the montage will sway Trump’s most loyal supporters.
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“Queue in MAGA’s mental gymnastics,” one viewer mocked. “MAGA will call this AI and fake news, get proven wrong, and continue to run on it being AI and fake news.
Because they’re simply ret****d,” another predicted.
Many Americans also believe Trump’s sudden focus on Venezuela is a strategic distraction from mounting domestic problems, including slipping poll numbers, economic concerns, and growing pressure ahead of the midterms.
“Anyone that’s not part of the trump cult knows that Venezuela is distraction from Epstein, bad pole numbers, the economy, incompetent leadership at every level,” MSN reader added.
A Yahoo reader put it bluntly, “The Supreme Court told Trump he can commit crimes while in office. So he is committing as many crimes as he and his cronies can dream up.”
The difference in Trump’s constantly changing rhetoric on involvement in foreign conflicts is stark.
He’s even threatening to attack Iran again.
A reporter aboard Air Force One Sunday Jan. 4 asked him about Tehran killing protesters during demonstrations over the horrible economic conditions in the country.
“If they start killing people, like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States,” Trump threatened.
He’s previously called involving the U.S. military in regime changes in Iran, Libya, and Syria a “globalist disaster.”
During the same plane trip back to Washington from his Florida estate where he spent the holidays, he again threatened to annex Greenland, a territory of the United States’ NATO ally Denmark.
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“We need Greenland, from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he crowed.
Collins then aired a clip of Trump saying previously, “We’re getting out of the nation-building business and instead focusing on creating stability in the world.”
But again, Trump now in office for a second term just said, “The American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.”
Contrast that with what he said shortly before the 2024 presidential election, “Stupid foreign wars in countries that you’ve never heard of. This Tuesday is your chance to stand up and declare that you’re not going to take it anymore.”
