Trump miscalculated Iran — and exposed all his cards
Source: Washington Examiner · Bias: Center Right
Summary
As President Donald Trump prepares to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again, both leaders confront a question that has shaped the Middle East for nearly half a century: how did the West so profoundly misread the Islamic Revolution in Iran — and can that mistake still be corrected? The roots of this miscalculation […]
Trump miscalculated Iran — and exposed all his cards
Center Right
As President Donald Trump prepares to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again, both leaders confront a question that has shaped the Middle East for nearly half a century: how did the West so profoundly misread the Islamic Revolution in Iran — and can that mistake still be corrected? The roots of this miscalculation […]
President Donald Trump is joining the growing chorus of Republicans calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to forgo an August recess to pass the SAVE America Act in a recent social media post. “John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, […]
A long-time political strategist is detailing two main issues that are connecting most with voters as candidates are now less than 100 days away from the 2026 midterm elections. Speaking to The New Republic's Greg Sargent for the Monday podcast, Democratic strategist Andrew Bates explained that one consistency is how different the economy is in 2026 compared with 2024. During the 2024 election, Trump was promising lower inflation, lower grocery prices and lower gas prices. He claimed that increasing tariffs would help pay down the national debt because other countries would be paying the tariffs. Americans now understand that none of that was true. "Trump was promising that immediately, quote-unquote, he would lower costs, and tariffs were a critical way he said he would do this. Then people lived through them," said Bates. "And now, like you were talking about, because prices went up across the board, they’re extremely unpopular, and more tariffs are the opposite of what voters want, including a lot of Republican voters.""So it’s something that Democrats, wherever they fall within the ideological spectrum of the party, have been unified in calling out as something that is going to hurt everyday people. It’s also powerful that the tariff revenue goes to fund the tax breaks for billionaires and monopolies, which are also very unpopular," he added. Trump also claimed to be "pro-worker" and "pro-Made in America," but under his leadership, manufacturing jobs have declined due to his tariffs."And in 2024, Republicans were saying, this is how we bring manufacturing back. But now people have lived through the opposite. It’s also been very painful for people in rural areas," Bates explained. Farms are taking a big hit as tariffs are hurting the costs of farming equipment, and Trump's trade war has alienated international buyers of American products and crops. "And that’s a huge hit to farming communities, because over a fifth of American crops are usually exported," said Bates. Sargent said that the president may not be aware of it, but top White House allies made it very clear that there's no winning message on tariffs. He cited two such allies who explained the disaster to Politico. “If it’s not focused on affordability, it’s not helpful.” Tariffs will be reflexively seen as a “bad thing” by voters. The other Republican commented, “Any conversation about tariffs, unless it’s reducing them, is a bad conversation for Republicans.”It all comes while a second problem from Republicans is in the background, and that's "people have had to live through seeing this crowd abuse their power in ways that make all the problems they voted to end worse," said Bates. "And you can’t get away from it. You’re reminded every single time you go to the grocery store, or every time you need to put gas in your car."It isn't merely the tariffs, but the war in Iran, which has raised gas prices, abuse by ICE agents and Trump's lavish spending on rebuilding parts of Washington, historic landmarks and hundreds of millions of dollars on a "maxed out" private presidential plane that only Trump will use and leave the White House with."And you’re offended when you see folks in Washington making billions of dollars personally off of you, talking about how one of their highest priorities is building a ballroom, and that they don’t think about everyday people’s finances—that’s a direct quote. And especially when your representative, who’s supposed to fight for your community’s interests and for your interests, is instead selling out to those people and becoming a more corrupt establishment than anything that has existed before in our lifetimes—that’s the sort of thing that can bring about a sea change in public opinion. And it’s why you are seeing the most anti-incumbent mood since at least 2006," Bates closed.
CNN's John Berman was left momentarily speechless by new polling data on President Donald Trump's war in Iran.New polling data presented by the network's Harry Enten suggests Democrats have failed to capitalize on public unease over the 80-year-old president's handling of the Iran conflict, and Berman expressed surprise by the findings."The president's approval rating is sagging, the war in Iran is widely unpopular, so you'd think that Democrats, you might think that Democrats in Congress could see some kind of boost in the polls on this subject," Berman said. "You might think that, but you'd be wrong ... Man, I'm tongue-tied because actually these numbers surprise me. I was looking at them, and I am surprised that they are like this."Two separate polls released this month found Republicans holding a narrow edge over Democrats on the question of who is more trusted to handle Iran policy, Enten said. A CNBC poll found Republicans ahead by two points, and a CBS News poll released just a day later showed the identical two-point advantage."Now, one poll is one thing, but you put the two of them together, and you can see that the American people, simply put, are not buying what Democrats are selling on Iran," Enten said. "They still trust Republicans more. Even if you look at President Trump's approval ratings on the subject, and they're negative, too, but yet Republicans and Trump still more trusted than Democrats are."More striking, Enten said, is the direction of movement over time. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll from April had shown Democrats slightly ahead on Iran trust, by two points. Since then, the numbers have flipped in Republicans' favor — suggesting that as the war has dragged on, public trust has shifted toward the GOP rather than eroded, defying expectations that prolonged conflict would benefit the opposition party."The Democratic Party in the minds of the American public are weak, weak, weak," Enten said.Net approval ratings for Democrats in Congress hovered around negative 40 points in late February, among the lowest levels ever recorded for the party. That unpopularity, Enten suggested, may be undercutting Democrats' ability to convert dissatisfaction with Trump into political trust for themselves, even among some Democratic-leaning voters who remain unhappy with their own party's direction heading into the fall elections. - YouTube youtu.be
The Trump Administration Has Faced Over 900 Lawsuits Challenging President Trump’s Executive Actions, with Most in Districts Full of Obama and Biden Judges.
The post EXCLUSIVE: The Trump Administration Has Faced Over 900 Lawsuits – Most in Districts Full of Obama or Biden Appointed Judges appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
President Donald Trump issued a panicked plea Monday to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) as the clock ticks on his controversial voter ID bill known as the SAVE Act, warning the South Dakota Republican that “stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH.”“John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “The Dumocrats will do it on day one, and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership. Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!”The SAVE Act has stalled in the Senate, with Thune repeatedly claiming he lacks the votes to advance the bill. As a means to force through the SAVE Act, Trump has pressed Thune to eliminate the filibuster, a Senate rule that effectively blocks legislation from advancing in Congress’ upper chamber without 60 votes. Thune has consistently resisted pressure to do so.Described by some critics as a form of “voter suppression,” The SAVE Act would require voters to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote, something experts say could pose hurdles for the 52% of voters who don’t possess a passport and the 11% who don’t have access to their birth certificate. The bill would also disproportionately affect voters with lower incomes, who make up a significant share of Democratic Party voters.
A recent national poll from RMS Research has some very good news for supporters of President Donald Trump.In a poll conducted between July 13 and Tuesday, the president's net approval rating increased to the highest level he's had since spring despite the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and some inflation woes. That lead might not be enough for Democrats to win control of both houses of Congress given the structural advantage Republicans have.Trump hit 46% approval with only 52% of respondents saying they disapprove of the president's job, for a net rating of -6.RMS Research data reveals this rating is the highest for Trump since late April and early May, when his net rating sunk to -17.The results mirrored those reported by a Morning Consult poll released July 6, which also concluded his net approval rating had climbed to its highest since April. Improvements among Republicans and independents led to the increase.Republicans in general also "gained trust across the board," Morning Consult said, while Democrats' "issue edge narrowed on everything."However, despite the increase, Republicans continue to lag behind Democrats on the generic ballot. Democrats have 45% support in the generic ballot while Republicans have only 42%, per Morning Consult.That lead might not be enough for Democrats to win control of both houses of Congress given the structural advantage Republicans have through redistricting in several states, according to recent analysis from CNN political analyst Harry Enten. RELATED: Democrats face CRUSHING math problem trying to take over the Senate, CNN's Harry Enten says Republicans made gains on many issues that the poll asked voters to consider. Democrats stalled, despite having a lead. The generic ballot is seen as a bellwether for the midterm elections.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Hurt feelings devolved to fearmongering as a reporter known for anti-Trump coverage invoked the First Amendment in a push to “rethink” the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. […]
