The president has offered shifting rationales for the war and promised as recently as this week that the conflict was close to ending: “I think it can be over very soon. If they’re smart, it will end soon,” he said on Fox Business’ “Mornings With Maria Bartiromo,” referring to Iranian negotiators.
He also said, when asked whether he thought oil and gas prices would come down before the midterms, that prices may be “a little bit higher, but it should be around the same,” doing little to assuage Republicans’ concerns that high costs will ease before November. Later, in a separate interview, Trump said he believes gas prices will be “much lower” before the midterms. “They said I expect oil to be high at the midterms, I don’t expect that, I think that we will be somewhere around where we were, maybe even lower.”
The future of negotiations remains uncertain as the conflict stretches to its seventh week. After peace talks ended without a deal, Trump has escalated pressure on Tehran in recent days, ordering a blockade of Iranian ports, a move that risks putting further pressure on gas prices. Republicans in Washington have largely remained aligned with Trump publicly, but there are growing concerns that a prolonged conflict could alienate war-weary voters within the party.
The Strait of Hormuz reopened for commercial traffic on Friday, Trump and a top Iranian official announced, a move that sent oil prices plunging.
The war has proven to be as much of a messaging challenge as it is a policy problem for the GOP, with voters in both parties consistently — including in the April POLITICO Poll — listing cost of living concerns as their top issue heading into the midterms.
“I think the number one messaging problem has been that every day we’re told it’s going to end tomorrow, and we’re now nearly two months into that promise,” said Roe, the Michigan-based strategist.
“I think most elected Republicans are still optimistic that this thing is going to be resolved quickly, but I think the biggest failure is telling us it’s going to be over tomorrow every day.”