Rather than talk seriously to the nation about the unconstitutional and disastrous war he started in the Middle East, President Donald Trump has offered nothing more than campaign-style rallies this week in Ohio and Kentucky.
Just as he did in front of MAGA crowds at rallies when he ran twice for the presidency, Trump promoted falsehoods and attacked lawmakers, even in his own Republican Party, that dare to deviate from his political positions.
On the situation with rising oil prices, which has the nation and the world scrambling for solutions, he started by saying “the Strait of Hormuz is in good shape” and that a “small increase in oil prices is a small price to pay for keeping our country secure.”
Only 20 hours after promising rally-goers that the price of gasoline at the pump in the U.S. was about to drop, the new Supreme Leader of Iran vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut down indefinitely. The closure of the strait, through which 80% of the world’s oil supply passes, has caused prices to skyrocket worldwide, and there is no indication Iran intends to give up that leverage even if Trump stops the bombing.
To make matters worse, the president seemed to indicate Thursday morning that he really has no interest in seeing oil prices drop. He posted on his Truth Social platform:
“The U.S. is the biggest oil producer in the world by far so when oil prices go up we make a lot of money but of far greater interest to me as president is stopping an evil empire, Iran, from becoming a nuclear power and destroying the Middle East and indeed the world. I won’t ever let that happen.”
So much for trying to lower oil prices. And when it comes to the nuclear war that allegedly would be caused by Iran, Trump said a few months ago that the U.S. had “completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear capability.”
The “we” whom he said would be “making a lot of money” because of rising oil prices is obviously not the American people as a whole but rather the fossil fuel billionaires who so generously funded his campaign. The more people pay at the pump, the fatter their wallets get.
At his Wednesday rally, he initially described what the U.S. is doing in Iran as a “war” but then backed off that admission, saying that “for Iran it is a war, but for us it is not.” He then declared that “we have already won.”
Trump does not want the fighting and bombing which has engulfed 14 or more countries officially designated as a “war” because the U.S. Constitution requires that wars be approved by Congress.
He attacked lawmakers who make that same point. He described one of them, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, as a “nut job who has to be gotten rid of.”
Also indicative of the fact that he doesn’t really expect oil prices to come down as a result of his war is that the U.S. has joined other Western nations in deciding to release 400 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves. The U.S. contribution will be 172 million barrels.
That move, the leaders of developed nations hope, will slow the rate of oil price hikes, but there is no guarantee that this emergency release will amount to enough oil to outlast the choking off of the Strait of Hormuz if it goes on indefinitely.
Trump also bragged this week about the “incredible stock market gains since my election,” even as the markets continue their shaky performance including some major drops in value recently.
It’s not just drops in the stock market Trump has to worry about but also drops in his poll numbers. Most polls have his support among independents, as just one example, in the mid-20s. With those kinds of ratings among independents, it is not just Trump in trouble. Republican members of the House and Senate will be worrying about their re-election prospects this midterm election year.
Another major issue Trump did not want to address at his rallies was public anger over his cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and his ending of healthcare subsidies, which is causing millions to lose healthcare altogether. He tried to focus on pharmaceuticals by claiming his “negotiating talent” has resulted in lower drug prices.
Most people who rely on prescription drugs in the country know that drug prices have not dropped significantly as a result of anything Trump has done. Any decreases are more than cancelled by sharp rises in the cost of most other necessities. Millions more are losing health care due to his policies and never get to the point of entering a pharmacy with a prescription for medication they may need.
We hope you appreciated this article. At People’s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, please support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today. Thank you!
CONTRIBUTOR
