WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In the two weeks since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, President Donald Trump increasingly has been knocked on his political heels.
He's grown more agitated with news 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 by American deaths in the conflict, surging oil prices and dropping financial markets. Even some of his supporters are questioning his plan and his overall poll numbers 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 wage war in Ukraine.
Then there are Democrats, who were left reeling after Trump won the 2024 election. With control of Congress at stake in November'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 promises to 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 the rest of us are paying the price,” he said.
Trump seeks help securing the Strait of Hormuz
The president used both days of the weekend to spend hours at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He also attended a closed-door fundraiser for his MAGA Inc. super PAC at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday night.
Last weekend, Trump played golf at another of his South Florida properties a day after witnessing the dignified transfer for six U.S. soldiers killed in the Iran war. That death toll rose this past week.
Trump is increasingly complaining about media coverage of the conflict, on Saturday writing: "Media actually want us to lose the War." His broadcast regulator subsequently threatened to pull broadcast licenses unless they "correct course."
The president — who kept allies other than Israel in the dark about 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 the Strait of Hormuz, where transportation has been severely disrupted, throwing global energy markets into a tailspin.
Iran has said it plans to keep up attacks on 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 multination 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.
The White House has not provided further details on what Trump's post meant, but other countries have reacted to it only cautiously so far.
South Korea plans to “closely coordinate and carefully review” Trump's comments, while Japan is closely watching developments. Britain’s defense ministry said it was "discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.”
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said keeping the strait “safe and stable serves the common interests of the international community” and that "as a sincere friend and strategic partner of Middle Eastern countries, China will continue to strengthen communication with relevant parties.”
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 said before boarding Air Force One to fly to Florida.
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 announced this past week a 30-day waiver on Russian sanctions, aiming to free up Russian oil cargoes stranded at sea to help ease supply shortages caused by the Iran war.
That's despite analysts saying that spiraling oil prices due to Persian Gulf production blockages are benefiting the Russian economy. Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to finance its war on Ukraine, and sanctions were a 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 said it “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 about his message to voters who 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.
Still, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday of higher energy prices: “Americans are feeling it right now" and would "for a few more weeks.”
The longer the conflict goes, the more pronounced questions about the midterms will become. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, recently suggested on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” that if gas and oil prices continue to stay high “you’re going to see a disastrous election” for the GOP.
Iran also has even divided 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.”