Donald Trump has … a thing … about nuclear war; it’s clear that the Cold War left a lasting impression on his psyche.
And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
– Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
It seems to actually scare him in a way that little else does.
And thus, his “Golden Dome”.
The abject and utter tastelessness of the name and its branding aside, missile defense is at least a real thing.
You can actually shoot down an incoming missile, especially if you know where it’s coming from and where it’s going.
And the actual system that obviously inspired him is real and does work, for its own definition of “work”.
But Israel’s “Iron Dome” is only a defense system against homemade rockets and consumer-class drones, covering only the area of a relatively small country.
So, the idea can seem plausible but only until you actually think about it.
Which, clearly, no one in the regime has actually done or is likely even capable of doing.
Fortunately, 404 Media has saved me the trouble of having to explain some of the more significant problems with this fantasy: Scientists Explain Why Trump’s $175 Billion Golden Dome Is a Fantasy.
TLDR: while we do theoretically have the technology for something like this, the actual cost in both dollars and diplomacy are far, far, beyond what the regime is claiming or even capable of arranging.
The U.S.’ best defense remains what it has always been.
Having a continent largely to ourselves and being quite a long way away from everyone else.
