ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) 鈥� In the two weeks since the U.S. and Israel launched , President increasingly has been knocked on his political heels.
He’s grown more agitated with news coverage and has to explain why he started the war 鈥� or how he will end it 鈥� that resonates with a by American deaths in the conflict, and dropping . Even are questioning his plan and his overall are 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 to .
Then there are after Trump won the 2024 election. With control of Congress at stake in , 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 promises .
鈥淚 think Democrats are well-positioned for this November and the midterms,鈥� 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. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e flying by the seat of their pants, and the rest of us are paying the price,鈥� he said.
Trump let some of his frustrations show on Air Force One as he flew back from a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, lashing out at allies and other countries dependent on Middle Eastern oil for not doing more to counter Iran and specifically name-checking British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who he said initially declined to put British aircraft carriers 鈥渋nto harm鈥檚 way.鈥�
鈥淲hether we get support or not,” Trump said, 鈥淚 can say this, and I said to them: We will remember.鈥�
Trump seeks help securing the Strait of Hormuz
The president spent much of his weekend at his , Florida. He also attended a closed-door fundraiser for his super PAC at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night.
Last weekend, Trump played golf at another of his South Florida properties a day after witnessing the dignified transfer for six killed in the Iran war. A political action committee used a photo of the solemn event in a fundraising email, but about whether it was appropriate, saying 鈥渢here’s nobody that’s better to the military than me.鈥�
Trump and his White House have increasingly coverage of the conflict. On Saturday, he cheered on his to pull broadcast licenses unless they 鈥渃orrect course.鈥�
He angrily told reporters flying with him on Air Force One that coverage of the war had been influenced by Iranian propaganda, which exaggerated the military and political strength of Iran’s leaders and their support among the country’s people.
The president 鈥� who kept about his war plans for Iran 鈥� this weekend began suggesting the U.S. would need to lean on the international community to help oil tankers move through the , where transportation has been severely disrupted, throwing global energy markets into a tailspin.
Iran has said it plans to on energy infrastructure and use its effective closure of the strait as leverage against the United States and Israel. A fifth of the world鈥檚 traded oil flows through the waterway.
Trump said the U.S. was talking to 鈥渁bout seven鈥� countries about providing military support to help reopen the strait. But he wouldn’t say which ones and gave no indication of when such a coalition might be formed.
鈥淚t’s something that we don’t need and these countries do need,鈥� the president said, adding 鈥淚 think it’s a good thing for other countries to come in.鈥�
Singling out allies in Europe, Trump also said, 鈥淲e鈥檙e always there for NATO鈥� and 鈥淚t鈥檇 be interesting to see what country wouldn鈥檛 help us with a very small endeavor.鈥�
鈥淩eally I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory,鈥� Trump said.
But other countries have reacted to that call only cautiously so far.
South Korea plans to 鈥渃losely coordinate and carefully review鈥� Trump’s comments, while Japan is closely watching developments. Britain鈥檚 defense ministry said it was “discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.鈥�
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said keeping the strait 鈥渟afe and stable serves the common interests of the international community鈥� and that “as a sincere friend and strategic partner of Middle Eastern countries, China will continue to strengthen communication with relevant parties.鈥� Trump 鈥� who is slated to visit Beijing later this month 鈥� declined to say whether China would join the effort.
Trump had pledged at the beginning of the war that U.S. naval ships would escort tankers through the waterway. But that hasn鈥檛 happened yet.
In the meantime, questions about the strait continue to undermine Trump’s recent pronouncement during a Kentucky rally that, 鈥淲e鈥檝e won.鈥�
鈥淵ou know, you never like to say too early you won. We won,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e won the, in the first hour, it was over.鈥�
The war has far-reaching political implications
The U.S. Treasury Department announced this past week a , aiming to free up Russian oil cargoes stranded at sea to help ease caused by the Iran war.
That’s despite analysts saying that spiraling oil prices due to Persian Gulf production blockages are . Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to finance its war on Ukraine, and sanctions were .
Some of Washington’s key allies have decried the move as empowering Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called easing sanctions 鈥渘ot the right decision鈥� and said it 鈥渃ertainly does not help peace鈥� because it leads to a 鈥渟trengthening of Russia鈥檚 position.鈥�
With midterm races now starting to heat up, Trump was asked about the potential of voters seeing gas prices jump.
鈥淧olitically, sure, everybody has concern 鈥� I have to do what’s right,” Trump said Sunday night. “I can’t say that 鈥楪ee, I don鈥檛 want to have any impact on oil prices for three or four weeks, or two months, and we’re going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon.'”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said of higher energy prices on NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press” that 鈥淎mericans are feeling it right now” and would “for a few more weeks.鈥�
Iran also has even , between those who support the action and others who say that Trump expressly campaigned on ending wars.
The political turbulence has some Democrats predicting their party could see midterm gains rivaling 2018鈥檚 鈥渂lue wave鈥� election during Trump鈥檚 first term.
鈥淒emocrats just have to keep reminding people that he made a promise to bring prices down, and they鈥檙e still going up,鈥� Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said of Trump. 鈥淎nd now they鈥檙e going to go up even more because prices in gasoline can increase prices of everything else, including at the grocery store.鈥�
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