© 2026 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

For American presidents, winning wars abroad often spells failure at home

Despite the success of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, former President George H.W. Bush lost his bid for reelection that next year.

Princeton University historian Julian Zelizer argues that when voters sense the president is more focused abroad than at home, they punish him for it.

Here & Now’s Scott Tong speaks with Zelizer about President Trump’s war on Iran and why Republicans have a foreign policy problem.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.