OPINION:
In May, when discussing the Iran war in a televised Cabinet meeting, President Trump told reporters that he simply “didn’t care about the midterms.”
“[Iran] thought they were going to outwait me, you know, ’We’ll outwait him; he’s got the midterms,’” Mr. Trump said.
“I don’t care about the midterms; look what happened last night, that was the prelude to the midterms,” Mr. Trump said, referring to the Texas Republican Senate primary runoff in which his favored candidate, Ken Paxton, handily defeated incumbent John Cornyn.
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To sitting Republican members of Congress, the comment reeked of arrogance and selfishness. Poll after poll showed that Americans were concerned about rising gas and diesel prices exacerbated by an Iranian conflict with no end in sight.
In the days after Operation Epic Fury began in late February, Mr. Trump said U.S. attacks would last “four to five weeks.” On April 1, he addressed the nation, saying the U.S. military was near completion of its operational objectives: Iran’s navy had been decimated, its air force shattered, key leadership within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps eliminated, and its missile and drone capabilities significantly reduced.
Still, Mr. Trump failed to articulate how the U.S. would maintain the long-term degradation of Iranian capabilities or reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In the weeks after his address, Mr. Trump posted expletive-laden warnings on social media demanding that Iran reopen the strait or face harder U.S. strikes — only to back down once the deadline hit, citing requests by mediators to continue negotiations.
The back-and-forth became irksome: Iran repeatedly violated the terms of the ceasefire, Mr. Trump’s threats never materialized, and Americans felt trapped in a “forever war” that Mr. Trump had assured them on the campaign trail he would never enter.
The president did not bother to address their concerns — neither to explain nor sell the war. He promised Americans only that oil prices would come “tumbling down” once the conflict ended.
In terms of identifying with their daily struggles, Mr. Trump insisted America was in a “Golden Age” and that the economy was “roaring” and “better than ever.”
When asked to what extent everyday American financial struggles or the economic costs of the Iranian conflict influenced his administration’s approach to Iran, Mr. Trump responded: “Not even a little bit. … I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation, I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
It all seemed terribly tone-deaf. Americans deserved a more comprehensive explanation from the Resolute Desk of the president’s goal and strategy with Iran. Did he even have a plan? Did he understand that his indecisiveness was causing strain within his own base, which surely would impact November’s elections?
In May, he told the world that he simply did not care.
In June, Vice President J.D. Vance — with his own future political ambitions in mind — reportedly persuaded Mr. Trump to enter a memorandum of understanding with Iran. That read to many as a complete surrender to the IRGC despite our early military successes. After Iran predictably violated it, Mr. Trump again began issuing threats and ordering military action but declined to follow through.
This week, Americans took their frustrations to the ballot box, delivering Republicans their biggest loss in half a century. Troops are still deployed in the Middle East, and gas prices are 40% higher than they were in February. Mr. Trump continues to threaten further military action in Iran, while Mr. Vance took to social media to blame the conflict for Republicans’ historic defeat.
The White House seems to be at odds concerning the next steps in the Iran war, while Democrats are promising the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth when they come to power in January.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, took time Wednesday to walk reporters through his new, grandiose ballroom in his first public appearance since the Republicans’ electoral shellacking.
“We ordered the marble for the floor. The marble is really significant marble. It’s a vein that people have been after for 50 years. And the owner of the quarry didn’t want to sell it,” he marveled at his own handiwork.
Mr. President, American voters simply do not care.
• Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.
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