Skip to main content

← The White Horse

Promises of No War: Wilson 1916, Roosevelt 1940, and "I'm Going to Stop Wars" in 2024

The white horse is loyal. Loyal people trust promises. The record shows why a parent should check the law and the votes, not the promise.

A family's memory​

Christopher Manion wrote on 21 September 2026 that his father "supported Wilson in November 1916 because Wilson promised to 'keep us out of war.' Six months later, Dad was in the Army. Dad was the lawyer for America First in 1940, when FDR promised 'again and again and again' that our boys wouldn't go to any foreign wars. Well, they went anyway" (X).

"We're not going to war with Iran": four presidents​

A post in September 2026 lined up the pattern: "Ronald Reagan, October 1987: 'No, we're not going to have a war with Iran.' George W. Bush, 2007: 'We're not going to war with them. Let me make that clear.' Obama 2016: 'We're not at war with Iran.' Trump 2025: 'We're not at war with Iran'" (ScrapBuster on X, 26 September 2026). The quotes are the poster's compilation.

2024: the promise parents voted on​

  • Election night, November 2024: "I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars" (as quoted in a Mises Caucus release, 31 March 2026).
  • During the campaign, warning about his opponent: "Kamala would get us into World War III… All of your sons and daughters will end up getting a draft notice" (as reposted on X, 9 March 2026; the post is cut off after "a thin").
  • In 2019 he had posted: "GOING INTO THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY!" (as quoted by Thomas Paine Band, 3 March 2026).

On 28 February 2026 the United States began what the President called "major combat operations in Iran." Voters noticed. "2024: 'No more wars' / 2026: 'Bombing children in Iran is America first actually,'" one post read, seen about 59,000 times (@hayasaka_aryan, 7 March 2026). "As a die-hard Trump supporter since 2016, I voted for him twice because he promised to... END the endless wars... This is the Iraq playbook all over again," wrote another (Thomas Paine Band).

The draft promise, twice​

In March 2003 Americans were told there would be no draft for Iraq; a forum reply explained, "The main reason that there is not a draft is that the military doesn't want one" (Straight Dope, 26 March 2003). In 2026 the White House said a draft was "not part of the current plan right now, but the president, again, wisely keeps his options on the table" (PolitiFact, 9 March 2026), while the law making registration automatic moved ahead. The difference from 2003 is on paper. See Draft Rumors vs. the Record.

The lesson​

A promise is a shadow; the statute is the object. Check the law, the votes, and the budget lines. See The "No New Wars" Promise.

Sources​

Status: Christopher Manion: Alive. Donald Trump: Alive. Woodrow Wilson: Deceased (1924). Franklin D. Roosevelt: Deceased (1945).

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

Last updated on