WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — In the two weeks since the U.S. and Israel launchedstrikes on Iran, PresidentDonald Trumpincreasingly has been knocked on his political heels.
Trump
He's grown more agitated with news coverage and hasfailed to find a wayto explain why he started the war — or how he will end it — that resonates with apublic concernedby American deaths in the conflict,surging oil pricesand droppingfinancial markets. Evensome of his supportersare questioning his plan and his overallpoll numbersare declining.
Meanwhile, Moscow is getting a boost from the war's early days after Trump eased sanctions on some Russian oil shipments. That, combined with rising oil prices, undercut the yearslong push to crimp President Vladimir Putin's ability towage war in Ukraine.
Then there areDemocrats, who were left reelingafter Trump won the 2024 election. With control of Congress at stake inNovember's midterms, the party has come together to oppose Trump's Iran policy and point to the economic turmoil as proof that Republicans haven't kept their promisesto bring down everyday costs.
"I think Democrats are well-positioned for this November and the midterms," said Kelly Dietrich, CEO of the National Democratic Training Committee, which trains party backers to run for office and staff campaigns.
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 rest of us are paying the price," he said.
Trump seeks help securing the Strait of Hormuz
On Saturday, Trump spent hours at hisgolf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, before attending a closed-door fundraiser for hisMAGA Inc.super PAC at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Last weekend, he also golfed at another of his South Florida properties a day after witnessing the dignified transfer for sixU.S. soldierskilled in the Iran war. Thatdeath toll rosethis past week.
Trump is increasinglycomplaining about mediacoverage of the conflict, on Saturday writing: "Media actually want us to lose the War." Hisbroadcast regulator subsequently threatenedto pull broadcast licenses unless they "correct course."
The president — who keptallies other than Israel in the darkabout his war plans for Iran — also for the first time suggested the U.S. would need to lean on the international community to help oil tankers move through theStrait of Hormuz, where transportation has been severely disrupted, throwing global energy markets into a tailspin.
Iran has said it plans tokeep up attackson energy infrastructure and use its effective closure of the strait as leverage against the United States and Israel. A fifth of the world's traded oil flows through the waterway.
"Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran's attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe," Trump wrote on Saturday, later adding, "this should have always been a team effort."
It was not clear if that multi-nation push was set to begin or if Trump only hoped it might, however. That's because he also wrote: "Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected" will "send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer" be threatened by Iran.
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The White House did not provide further details or clarity on what Trump's post meant. But Britain's defense ministry said Saturday: "We are currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region" without providing details.
Trump had pledged at the beginning of the war that U.S. naval ships would escort tankers through the waterway. But that hasn't happened yet. "It'll happen soon. Very soon," he insisted while boarding Air Force One to fly to Florida on Friday night.
Still, questions about the strait continue to undermine Trump's recent pronouncement during a Kentucky rally that, "We've won."
"You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won," he said. "We won the, in the first hour, it was over."
The war has far-reaching political implications
The U.S. Treasury Department also announced this past week a30-day waiver on Russian sanctionsaiming to free up Russian oil cargoes stranded at sea to help easesupply shortagescaused by the Iran war.
That's despite analysts saying that spiraling oil prices due to Persian Gulf production blockages arebenefiting the Russian economy. Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to finance its war on Ukraine, and sanctions werea growing handicap.
Some of Washington's key allies have decried the move as empowering Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called easing sanctions "not the right decision" and "certainly does not help peace" because it leads to a "strengthening of Russia's position."
With midterm races now starting to heat up, Trump was asked Friday night abouthis message to voterswho believe gas is too expensive.
"You're going to see a very big decrease in the prices of gasoline, gas, anything having to do with energy, as soon as this is ended," Trump said.
The longer the conflict goes, the more pronounced questions about the midterms will become. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, suggested on Fox News Channel this past week that if gas and oil prices continue to stay high "you're going to see a disastrous election" for the GOP.
Iran also has evendivided Trump's "Make America Great Again" base, between those who support the action and others who say that Trump expressly campaigned on ending wars.
Leading figures on the right, including Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, have sharply criticized Trump. Trump, though, has continued to insist that he created the MAGA movement and that it will follow him anywhere, on any issue.
The political turbulence has some Democrats predicting their party could see midterm gains rivaling 2018's "blue wave" election during Trump's first term.
"Democrats just have to keep reminding people that he made a promise to bring prices down, and they're still going up," Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said of Trump. "And now they're going to go up even more because prices in gasoline can increase prices of everything else, including at the grocery store."