WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump has become increasingly politically battered in the two weeks since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
He became more anxious about news coverage, unable to find a way to explain why he started the war — or how he would end it — to stoke public concerns about Americans dying in the conflict, oil prices soaring and financial markets falling. Even some of his supporters are questioning his plans, and his overall poll numbers are falling.
Meanwhile, Moscow is getting a boost from the early stages of the war after Trump eased sanctions on some Russian oil shipments. That, coupled with rising oil prices, has undermined years of efforts to limit President Vladimir Putin’s ability to wage war in Ukraine.
Then there are the Democrats, who are in trouble after Trump wins the 2024 election. With control of Congress at stake in November’s midterm elections, the party has rallied against Trump’s Iran policy, pointing to the economic turmoil as evidence that Republicans are not keeping their promises to lower everyday costs.
“I think Democrats are in a good position going into this November and the midterm elections,” said Kelly Dietrich, CEO of the National Democratic Training Council, which trains party supporters to run for office and staff to run.
Dietrich said the past two weeks have shown the Trump administration has failed at long-term planning. “They’re just acting on their feelings, and the rest of us are paying the price,” he said.
Trump seeks help to secure Strait of Hormuz
Trump spent several hours at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday before attending a closed fundraiser for the MAGA Inc. super PAC at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
He also played golf at another property in South Florida last weekend, a day after witnessing the dignified removal of six U.S. soldiers killed in the war with Iran. The death toll rose last week.
Trump has increasingly complained about media coverage of the conflict, writing on Saturday that “the media actually wants us to lose the war.” His broadcast regulators subsequently threatened to revoke broadcast licenses unless they “correct course.”
The president, who has concealed his war plans against Iran from allies outside Israel, also said for the first time that the United States needs to rely on the international community to help oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has been severely disrupted and global energy markets have been thrown into chaos.
Iran has said it plans to continue attacking energy infrastructure and use its effective closure of the strait as leverage against the United States and Israel. One-fifth of the world’s oil trade flows through the waterway.
“Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s attempts to close the Strait of Hormuz, will join the United States of America in sending warships to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump wrote on Saturday. He later added, “This should always be a team effort.”
However, it’s unclear whether a multinational push is about to begin, or whether Trump simply wants it that way. Because he also wrote: “I hope that affected China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, etc.” can “send ships to the region so that the Strait of Hormuz will no longer be” threatened by Iran.
The White House did not provide further details or clarify the meaning of Trump’s post. But the British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday: “We are currently discussing a range of options with our allies and partners to ensure the safety of shipping in the region,” without providing details.
Trump promised at the start of the war that U.S. Navy ships would escort oil tankers through the waterway. But that hasn’t happened yet. “It’s going to happen soon. Soon,” he insisted Friday night as he boarded Air Force One for the flight to Florida.
Still, questions about the strait continue to undercut Trump’s recent “we won” statement at a rally in Kentucky.
“You know, you never like to say you won prematurely. We won,” he said. “We won, and in the first hour, it was over.”
This war had far-reaching political consequences
The U.S. Treasury Department also announced a 30-day exemption from sanctions on Russia last week, aiming to free Russian oil cargoes stranded at sea to help ease supply shortages caused by the Iran war.
Although analysts say higher oil prices due to production disruptions in the Persian Gulf are good for the Russian economy. Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to fund its war in Ukraine, and sanctions are a growing obstacle.
Some of Washington’s key allies denounced the move as empowering Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said easing sanctions “is not the right decision” and “certainly does not help peace” because it would lead to “the strengthening of Russia’s position.”
With the midterm elections now starting to heat up, Trump was asked Friday night about his message to voters who think gas is too expensive.
“Once this pandemic is over, the price of gasoline, natural gas, and anything energy-related will drop dramatically,” Trump said.
The longer the conflict drags on, the more obvious questions about the midterm elections will become. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said last week on Fox News Channel that if natural gas and oil prices remain high, “you’re going to see a disastrous election for the Republican Party.”
Iran has even divided supporters of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign between those who support the move and those who believe Trump clearly advocates an end to the war.
Right-wing leaders including Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly have harshly criticized Trump. Still, Trump continues to insist that he founded the MAGA movement and that it will follow him everywhere and on any issue.
The political turmoil has some Democrats predicting their party’s gains in the midterm elections could rival the 2018 “blue wave” elections during Trump’s first term.
“Democrats have to keep reminding people that he promised to lower prices and they’re still going up,” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said of Trump. “Now prices are going to go up even more because the price of gas raises the price of everything else, including at the grocery store.”
