Donald Trump has a simple response to mounting concerns about an unpopular and expensive war: he does not care. When asked Tuesday about Iran's potential interference in the midterm elections through threats to the Strait of Hormuz, the president offered reassurance of the most self-centered variety. "It won't have any impact on me," Trump said, adding that he cannot let election timing factor into his decision-making. "I think people are very impressed."
The evidence suggests otherwise. Just 28% of Americans believe the Iran war is worth fighting, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll released last week. Sixty-eight percent say it is not. The same survey found that only 17% of Americans feel better off financially than when Trump took office, as prices surge across the economy in connection with the conflict.
For Republicans facing voters in November, the numbers are catastrophic. Trump's most devoted supporters are fracturing on the issue. A Politico poll released Wednesday showed that 37% of self-identified MAGA voters say the United States should continue the war only if costs do not rise. Even more striking, 57% of those same voters blame the Iran war for gas price increases.
The financial toll is staggering. During a Senate hearing Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed that the conflict has already cost $37.5 billion and requested an additional $88 billion in supplemental funding. Gas prices now hover above $4 a gallon, up sharply from roughly $3 when Trump took office.
The unpopularity has rattled even Trump's media allies. Laura Ingraham, typically a staunch supporter, issued a warning on her show Monday. "With the midterm elections a little more than 100 days away, the clock is ticking for President Trump to get out of this war before voters head to the polls," she said. "Republicans cannot let this become an endless distraction, especially if they want to win in November."
Congressional Republicans are growing nervous. The war has claimed lives, produced mounting injuries among service members, and shows no clear exit strategy. Yet the president appears unmoved by their anxiety. Trump, serving his second term and constitutionally barred from running again, has less personal political capital at stake than his party members in competitive districts.
The calculation is brutally simple. If the midterms prove disastrous for Republicans, Trump's position remains largely secure. A Democratic-controlled House might impeach him a third time, but conviction in the Senate would be highly unlikely. And whenever Trump departs the White House, his soft landing is assured. His personal income last year exceeded $2.2 billion.
Author James Rodriguez: "A president willing to ignore his own party's electoral survival for the sake of his foreign policy ambitions is either supremely confident or dangerously reckless."
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