If you were wondering what timeline we’re in, so is Adam Kinzinger. The former GOP Congressman took to X to react with sheer disbelief at Donald Trump’s latest geopolitical flex: helping Iran sell oil to China. Yes, that Iran.
“WTF??????” Kinzinger wrote, sharing a Trump’s Truth Social statement in which the president declared, “China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran… It was my Great Honor to make this happen!”
Kinzinger followed up with a jab at the right-wing outrage machine that once combusted over the Obama-Biden administration’s 2016 nuclear deal with Tehran: “Remember the @FoxNews coronary over the Biden ‘pallets of cash to Iran’? Maybe dig up some of those tweets and compare.”
Wait … what “pallets of cash”?!
For those who actually remember the “pallets of cash” saga, the reality was far less scandalous than the Fox News highlight reel. The U.S. returned $1.7 billion to Iran—money frozen since the 1979 revolution—per an international court ruling. It wasn’t hush money, ransom, or the Obama-Biden administration secretly funding jihad.
But now we have Trump rolling out the red carpet for Iranian crude, cheerleading China’s purchases like a real estate deal in Dubai. It’s not just hypocrisy; it’s a full-blown policy shift.
This new oil diplomacy marks a sharp turn from Trump’s first term, when he exited the Iran nuclear agreement and reimposed brutal sanctions meant to starve Tehran of oil revenue. Fast-forward to 2025, and he’s proudly announcing a workaround for those very sanctions—because apparently, global markets matter more than his old chest-thumping about “America First.”
China first, America second
Kinzinger, who broke with the GOP after January 6 and voted to impeach Trump, clearly sees through the charade. His sarcastic tone cuts to the heart of the contradiction: Where’s the outrage from the usual suspects now? Tucker Carlson? Fox News? The Freedom Caucus? Or have they suddenly found their inner globalists?
While Trump tries to frame this as an economic win—“Hopefully [China] will be purchasing plenty from the U.S., also”—the geopolitical fallout is hard to ignore. China and Iran strengthening their energy ties with U.S. approval? That’s the kind of thing that used to trigger hours of conservative meltdown footage. Now, it’s just Tuesday.
And let’s not forget the real risk: helping Iran boost oil revenues doesn’t just pad their treasury—it potentially empowers their regional proxies like Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations. Funny how that works.
Whether this deal was meant to lower oil prices or stroke Trump’s ego (spoiler: probably both), one thing’s clear: the MAGA playbook no longer has rules. Just vibes. And Adam Kinzinger is right to wonder—what timeline are we in?
Published: Jun 24, 2025 12:51 pm