Two weeks into war with Iran, Trump has been knocked back on his political heels

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — In the two weeks since U.S. and Israeli strikes launched against Iran, President Donald Trump has been increasingly put on his political heels.

He is increasingly agitated by media coverage and has failed to find a way to explain why he started the war — or how he will end it — that resonates with a public concerned about American deaths in the conflict, soaring oil prices and plummeting financial markets. Even some of his supporters question his plan and his overall poll numbers are falling.

Meanwhile, Moscow has enjoyed a boost since the early days of the war, after Trump eased sanctions on some Russian oil shipments. This, combined with rising oil prices, has undermined President Vladimir Putin’s years-long effort to weaken his ability to wage war in Ukraine.

Then there are the Democrats, who have been reeling after Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. With control of Congress at stake in November’s midterms, the party has united in opposing Trump’s Iran policies and has pointed to the economic crisis as proof that Republicans have failed to deliver on promises to cut everyday costs.

“I think Democrats are well positioned for November and for the midterm elections,” said Kelly Dietrich, CEO of the National Democratic Training Committee, which trains party supporters to run for office and campaign.

Dietrich said the past two weeks show the Trump administration has failed at long-term planning. “They’re flying by the seat of their pants, and the rest of us are paying the price,” he said.

On Saturday, Trump spent hours at his West Palm Beach, Fla., golf club before attending a closed-door fundraiser for his MAGA Inc. super PAC at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Last weekend, he also played golf at another of his South Florida properties, a day after witnessing the dignified transfer of six American soldiers killed in the Iran war. This death toll increased last week.

Trump has increasingly complained about media coverage of the conflict, writing on Saturday: “The media actually wants us to lose the war. » Its broadcasting regulator then threatened to withdraw broadcasting licenses unless it “corrected course”.

The president — who has kept allies other than Israel in the dark about his war plans against Iran — also suggested for the first time that the United States should rely on the international community to help oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, where transportation has been severely disrupted, sending global energy markets into a tailspin.

Iran has said it plans to continue its attacks on energy infrastructure and use its effective closure of the strait as leverage against the United States and Israel. A fifth of the oil traded in the world passes through the waterway.

“Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Strait of Hormuz, will send warships, working with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and secure,” Trump wrote Saturday, later adding, “this should always have been a team effort.”

It was unclear, however, whether this multinational initiative was about to begin or whether Trump was just hoping it would. That’s because he also wrote, “Hopefully, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and other relevant countries” will “send ships to the region so that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer” threatened by Iran.

The White House did not provide further details or clarification on the meaning of Trump’s message. But Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday: “We are currently discussing a range of options with our allies and partners to ensure maritime transport security in the region,” without providing details.

Trump promised early in the war that U.S. warships would escort tankers through the waterway. But that hasn’t happened yet. “It will happen soon. Very soon,” he insisted as he boarded Air Force One to fly to Florida Friday evening.

Yet cross-Strait questions continue to undermine Trump’s recent declaration at a Kentucky rally that “We won.”

“You know, you never like to say too early that you won. We won,” he said. “We won, in the first hour, it was over.”

The U.S. Treasury Department also announced last week a 30-day waiver of Russian sanctions aimed at releasing Russian oil shipments stuck at sea to help ease supply shortages caused by the war in Iran.

This is even though analysts say the surge in oil prices due to production blockages in the Persian Gulf is benefiting the Russian economy. Moscow depends largely on oil revenues to finance its war against Ukraine, and sanctions are a growing liability.

Some of Washington’s key allies decried the move, calling it a power-enhancement for Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the easing of sanctions “is not the right decision” and “certainly does not help peace” as it leads to a “strengthening of Russia’s position.”

As the midterm elections begin to heat up, Trump was asked Friday night about his message to voters who believe gasoline is too expensive.

“You’re going to see a very sharp decline in the prices of gasoline, gas, everything energy related, as soon as this is over,” Trump said.

The longer the conflict lasts, the more questions surrounding the midterm elections will arise. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, suggested on Fox News Channel last week that if gas and oil prices continue to remain high, “you’re going to see a disastrous election” for the Republican Party.

Iran has even divided Trump’s “Make America Great Again” base between those who support action and others who say Trump expressly campaigned on ending the wars.

Prominent right-wing figures, including Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, have sharply criticized Trump. Trump, however, continued to insist that he created the MAGA movement and that it will follow him anywhere, on any issue.

Because of the political turmoil, some Democrats predict their party could see midterm gains rivaling those of the 2018 “blue wave” during Trump’s first term.

“Democrats just need to remind people that he made a promise to lower prices, and they continue to rise,” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said of Trump. “And now they’re going to go up even more because gas prices can raise the prices of everything else, including at the grocery store.”