US President Donald Trump has backed off from targeting Iran’s civilian infrastructure and wiping out its civilisation of 90 million Iranians, at least for now. Giving way to a major ceasefire deal, the Republican leader also agreed to drop plans to bomb the country for two weeks if Iran reopens the important Strait of Hormuz.

Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump announced that the US and Iran were “very far along” with a “definitive” peace agreement, paving the way for the resumption of negotiations. However, instead of relief, his decision not to annihilate Iran became an object of ridicule and trolling.

Even Iran joined the conversation to mock Trump’s pattern of issuing vicious threats only to backtrack from them, prompting the popular ‘TACO’ or ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’ trend to resurface on social media.

Why is ‘TACO’ or ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’ trending today?

The MAGA leader has infamously been associated with the “TACO” nickname since his second administration started in January 2025. Although the term first gained traction on Wall Street, given the pattern that whenever Trump faces backlash in the market, he backs down.

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However, TACO’s re-emergence this week is tied to the escalating conflict in Iran. The viral trend once again gained focus on social media as Trump supposedly “chickened out” after “threatening a whole civilisation with death,” as also highlighted by the firmly anti-Trump comedian and late-night TV show host Jimmy Kimmel.

“Today was Trump’s deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or get bombed, he posted this morning that if they didn’t agree that ‘a whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again,'” read the caption of one of Kimmel’s latest videos published today. “Luckily it was Taco Tuesday and he decided not to drop the chalupa for at least another two weeks, no one seems to have any idea what his plan is.”

Several headlines published by international news websites also doubled down on playing into the rising trend. An analysis piece by the Independent also began, “Trump just TACO’d away American credibility as he backs down on Iran threat.”

Writer Eric Garcia wrote therein, “Trump’s decision to back out – commonly referred to as ‘TACO’ or ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’ – this time demonstrates a measure of strategic weakness that far outmeasures any previous humiliation that Trump used to criticize from past presidents. And it means that no world leader ever needs to take Trump’s threats seriously.”

It’s also been highlighted that Trump is publicly known to have blasted other leaders, including Former President Barack Obama, for making empty threats. Over a decade ago, he railed at the Democratic leader for walking back his self-imposed “red line” that if then-Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad used chemical weapons, the US would respond accordingly.

But as Trump followed suit by backing down on his inflated plans to annihilate an entire civilisation, his announcement of a “double sided CEASEFIRE” hours before a pre-set deadline was met with backlash on social media.

The official White House tweet itself was bombarded with comments like “Thank goodness it’s taco Tuesday! For all of our sakes, will Congress please come back to Washington and shut this fool down before WW3!!” Another wrote, “Trump chickened out again. TACO!!”

Iran trolls Trump for backing down

Iran was quick to ridicule the POTUS after his social media declaration of a two-week ceasefire. Shortly after the announcement, an Iranian animation team released an AI-generated LEGO-style video to troll the MAGA leader’s “TACO” strategy.

“The way to crush imperialism has been shown to the world. Trump Surrendered. IRAN WON. TACO will always remain TACO,” Explosive Media wrote on X alongside the clip.

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Viral ‘TACO’ trend origins explained

The Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong coined the “TACO” acronym on May 2, 2025, over an observation of market reaction to Trump’s policymaking following his announcement of “liberation day” tariffs in April. The author’s choice of words was fuelled by the Republican politician’s tendency to issue major threats pertaining to tariffs over global trade or other interventions, only to back down later.

US-Iran ceasefire: What’s new?

Both the US and Iran claimed “victory” after reaching the two-week ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited delegations from both countries to Islamabad for talks on Friday after proposing the ceasefire and emphasising diplomacy’s prioritisation. According to the White House, Israel has also agreed to the development. Meanwhile, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office added that the ceasefire would not include Lebanon.

As highlighted by state media, Iran will only agree to ending the war once details pertaining to a 10-point peace plan reportedly submitted to the White House via Pakistani channels are finalised. The list, according to Iranian state media, includes lifting all sanctions on Iran, continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, withdrawal of US military from the Middle East, an end to attacks on Iran and its allies, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and a UN Security Council resolution to make a binding deal.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, also said safe passage through the strait would be granted under Iranian military management.

Disclaimer: The Financial Express Online cannot independently verify the credibility of the contents highlighted in the alleged email interactions. This article is based on viral social media discussion and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only.