After two weeks of war with Iran, gas prices in America have now reached a national average of $3.65 per gallon. That is 71 cents higher than they were before Donald Trump started this war, and 90 cents higher than the average was in mid-January. And prices continue to climb -- oil is now trading worldwide at over $100 per barrel.

Trump has no clue what to do about this. He even tried spinning it as a positive thing this week, posting on social media: "The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money." You'll note that the "we" in that sentence absolutely does not include the American public buying gasoline at the pump. "We" means giant oil companies, and they "make a lot of money" because American consumers have to pay a whole lot more to fill their tanks up.

It's hard to figure how Trump thought bragging about this would be seen as a good thing, but then his entire approach to this war has been chaotic and unserious from the start. It has also been full of "magical thinking," especially in terms of the expectations of how Iran would respond:

Even during the Israeli and U.S. strikes against Iran last June, [Energy Secretary Chris] Wright said, there had been little disruption in the markets. "Oil prices blipped up and then went back down," he said. Some of Mr. Trump's other advisers shared similar views in private, dismissing warnings that -- the second time around -- Iran might wage economic warfare by closing shipping lanes carrying roughly 20 percent of the world's oil supply.

The extent of that miscalculation was laid bare in recent days, as Iran threatened to fire at commercial oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic choke point through which all ships must pass on their way out of the Persian Gulf. In response to the Iranian threats, commercial shipping has come to a standstill in the Gulf, oil prices have spiked, and the Trump administration has scrambled to find ways to tamp down an economic crisis that has triggered higher gasoline prices for Americans.

The episode is emblematic of how much Mr. Trump and his advisers misjudged how Iran would respond to a conflict that the government in Tehran sees as an existential threat. Iran has responded far more aggressively than it did during last June's 12-day war, firing barrages of missiles and drones at U.S. military bases, cities in Arab nations across the Middle East, and on Israeli population centers.

U.S. officials have had to adjust plans on the fly, from hastily ordering the evacuation of embassies to developing policy proposals to reduce gas prices.

Senator Chris Murphy, after attending a briefing given by the White House, said he was shocked that they had no plan for reopening the Strait and did "not know how to get it safely back open."

Secretary Wright has admitted that the military is "simply not ready" to begin escorting tankers through the Strait, and vaguely talked about this happening maybe later this month. Trump also vaguely promises that this is going to happen... at some point. This all shows a severe lack of planning and seriousness about this war, to state the painfully obvious. And now there is news that Marines and amphibious assault ships are being sent to the region, which might portend American boots on the ground soon in Iran.

Trump is equally clueless about what to do about the high cost of oil. The White House is now going to allow sales of Russian oil to take place in a desperate effort to calm the markets, which means we will be helping them make money that they can spend on the battlefield in Ukraine (against our ally). Trump's answer to the sailors on the tankers was to just "show some guts" and attempt sailing through the Strait, even though Iran has been blowing ships up for even approaching it.

Pete Hegseth's macho bluster is wearing a bit thin already, two weeks into this ill-conceived war. He's now banned photographers from Pentagon briefings, because he was apparently not happy with some of the pictures of him. Meanwhile, Donald Trump attended a "solemn transfer ceremony" (where the bodies of dead American soldiers are brought back home) wearing a golf cap that is conveniently for sale (for $55) on his website. The White House is busily cranking out cringeworthy and juvenile war propaganda which mixes scenes of the actual war with video games, action movies, and football being played (which has unsurprisingly led to an outcry from the actors and football players portrayed in them). Even calling all of this "unserious" is an understatement. Imagine what Republicans would have said if a Democratic administration had done any of these things.

Trump has no clue when the war will end. His answer to this question ranges all over the map and often descends to the idiotic or ridiculous (case in point: today's answer from Trump was that the war would end "when I feel it in my bones"). In fact, pretty much all of his statements about the war have been pretty idiotic and contradictory:

In the span of just a few hours Monday, Trump claimed the war he started unilaterally was almost over, that Iran was within two weeks of producing a nuclear weapon last summer, that it possessed American Tomahawk missiles and used one against its own schoolchildren, that he had to attack Iran because it was about to attack the United States, that other Gulf states had joined the fight against Iran and that, oh, by the way, his war was not actually almost over.

Not a single factual assertion was supported by evidence, and a couple were demonstrably false.

Doug Lute, a retired Army general and former U.S. ambassador to NATO, said Trump's open lying about the Iran war continues to degrade America's relationship with allies. "His lies and ignorance erode confidence in us all," he said.

"The president said that for the MAGA faithful who believe everything he says no matter how false or fraudulent," said Ty Cobb, a lawyer in the White House counsel's office in Trump's first term. "Iran has no Tomahawks. The world knows that. He did it to try to hide the shameful fact he murdered 170 or more Iranian schoolgirls in his whimsical, uncoordinated and badly conceived-of war."

That last part shouldn't come as any sort of surprise to anyone. In Trump's first term he reportedly mused about lobbing a few missiles into Mexico to blow up drug cartel sites, and when it was pointed out to him that this would be an act of war, he suggested that we just flat-out deny that we had launched the missiles and try to blame someone else. Now he is doing precisely that:

Iran "also has some Tomahawks," the president said during a news conference at Trump National Doral, a golf property he owns in Miami. "They wish they had more. But whether it's Iran or somebody else, the fact that a Tomahawk -- a Tomahawk is very generic. It's sold to other countries."

Mr. Trump first claimed that Iran struck the school on Saturday, telling reporters as he flew on Air Force One that "in my opinion and based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran." He added: "They're very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran."

Iran has no Tomahawks. They just don't. There is video of the bombing which clearly shows a Tomahawk hitting near the school. Iran displayed fragments of the missile which plainly show it was an American Tomahawk. And now even the Pentagon's own inquiry has come to the preliminary conclusion that yes, it was indeed us that blew up that school and all those children. Trump still has yet to even acknowledge the possibility that this might be true.

The only real open question at this point is how much artificial intelligence programs had to do with the targeting decision, versus actual human beings making such life-or-death calls. Which is a scary thought indeed.

Higher gas prices are not the only hit the economy is going to take from this adventurism. American farmers are already feeling the pinch when they try to buy fertilizer for their spring planting season. Much of the world's fertilizer is produced in the Gulf, which means supplies are just as bottled up as all those tankers full of oil. Diesel prices have skyrocketed even faster than gasoline prices, which also hits farmers (tractor fuel) and truckers hard.

Today, the news broke that the economic numbers put out last month had actually overstated the health of the American economy, and that growth in particular (for the last quarter of last year) was only half what they claimed it was (a reduction from 1.4 percent to only 0.7 percent). Inflation came in higher as well, with one benchmark up to 3.1 percent. And all of these numbers are for periods before the war started -- next month's numbers are going to be a lot worse. The spike in gas prices is going to cause a big spike in inflation -- the only real question is how high this spike will turn out to be.

Trump does not care about any of it. He has been notably lackadaisical when speaking of high gas prices, promising that they'll come down real soon after the war is over (without showing a shred of empathy for what people are currently paying at the pump), he does not care about inflation (which he continues to refuse even admitting exists anymore), he does not care about the problems farmers are facing, he does not care that he is helping Russia with their war plans, he won't even admit that the U.S. military launched a cruise missile to blow up Iranian schoolgirls, it will apparently take weeks and weeks for the military to even come up with a plan for escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, so in the meantime Trump thinks oil tanker crews should just "show some guts" and sail right into the missiles and mines waiting for them, and he and his military advisors apparently had no clue that Iran might fight back in any way at all. And he won't even take off his damn golf hat while saluting the bodies of dead American soldiers.

And just to drive the point home, this is all a war of Trump's choice. He was not forced into it in any way. It was entirely optional. He can't even explain why he went to war, much less when it might end. He is so delusional that he even demanded veto power over who will be Iran's next leader.

Plenty of people warned what would happen when Trump got rid of all the "adults in the room" for his second term. Now we are seeing what it truly means, in real time.

The midterms can't come soon enough, folks.

[Editorial note: While this section was being written, the average price of gas in the U.S. went up again, to $3.67 per gallon. At this rate, it'll be well over four bucks a gallon by next week.]

 

They're at it again. Political artists "The Secret Handshake" have placed another golden statue on the National Mall, this time depicting Donald Trump embracing Jeffrey Epstein from behind in the classic Titanic "I'm flying, Jack!" pose.

The piece has a placard on it which states:

THE KING OF THE WORLD

The tragic love story between Jack and Rose was built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches.

This monument honors the bond between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, a friendship seemingly built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches.

The statue is surrounded by 10 banners that have a photo of Trump and Epstein and the words "Make America Safe Again," complete with a logo of the Justice Department with the word "Justice" redacted by a black bar.

The statue is "located on Third Street NW between Jefferson and Madison Drives," and will only remain for a short period. Nobody knows how long, because on the permit for the installation the end date is also redacted (nice touch).

This is definitely worthy of an Honorable Mention award.

But this week there was a truly impressive Democrat, even if the mainstream news media downplayed the achievement. Because Marjorie Taylor Greene quit her House seat, there was a special election this week in Georgia to replace her. And even though it is a very conservative district, Democrat Shawn Harris won the most votes.

This doesn't mean Harris won the seat, however. Because no candidate got more than 50 percent of the vote, he will move on to a runoff election with the second-place candidate, Republican Clayton Fuller.

There were a lot of candidates on the ballot -- nine Republicans, three Democrats, one Libertarian, and one Independent. The GOP vote was split so widely that Harris came out on top, with 37.3 percent of the vote. Fuller only managed to get 34.9 percent.

Since the Republican vote will assumably consolidate for the runoff election, Harris probably doesn't have much chance of actually winning Greene's seat. Even having said that, though, it is still incredibly impressive that he won the first round in such a red district. Which is why we decided that Shawn Harris was indeed the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week.

[Shawn Harris is still a candidate, and it is our blanket policy not to link to campaign websites, so you'll have to search out his contact information for yourself, if you'd like to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]

 

While some of the "old guard" of the Democratic Party -- politicians who have long passed a decent retirement age -- have graciously announced they will be stepping down this year, some are still hanging on.

Which is why we have two Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week awards this week, both for members of the House. In Mississippi, Representative Bennie Thompson just won his primary this week, at age 78. Over in South Carolina, Representative James Clyburn has filed paperwork to run for re-election as well. He's 85 years old and will be 88 before the end of the next term in Congress.

Both men are well-respected and have a long history in the House. But their decision to run for yet another term means that younger Democratic candidates can't emerge and take their places. In a year where several prominent Democrats are gracefully exiting the Washington stage (most notably, Nancy Pelosi), we find it disappointing indeed to see that not everyone has made this decision. Which is why Bennie Thompson and James Clyburn are this week's winners of the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award.

[Contact Representative James Clyburn on his House contact page, and Representative Bennie Thompson on his House contact page, to let them know what you think of their actions.]

 

Volume 832 (3/13/26)

One big goal for Democrats this week is to firmly tie Donald Trump to his misbegotten war, and tie the war itself to the economy at large. Which is pretty easy to do, since everyone can see for themselves what a disaster it has all been so far. So hammer it home: this is Trump's war and it is hurting American families.

 

   I'm not "making a lot of money"!

This quote should be Exhibit A from Democrats, not only for this week but for a long time in the future as well.

"Donald Trump does not care about his war adventure making the price of gas go through the roof. He does not care about you. He just doesn't. In fact, he thinks skyrocketing prices at the pump are a good thing. He posted just this week, and I quote: 'When oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.' Well, I don't know about you, but I don't own an oil company. I'm not 'making a lot of money,' what I am doing is paying a lot of money when I fill up my car. And every time I do, I am reminded that Trump does not care one bit."

 

   90 cents a gallon

We wrote about this earlier this week -- Democrats have simply got to force the mainstream media into framing the price hike correctly.

"In the middle of January, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in America was $2.75. That price has now gone up over 90 cents, and we haven't even hit the ides of March yet. At this rate, four bucks a gallon seems right around the corner, folks. This is hurting American families, but Trump doesn't care. The price of diesel has gone up even faster, meaning farmers and long-haul truckers are being squeezed in a big way, but Trump doesn't care. The message to farmers who can't even buy fertilizer because of Trump's war is: 'you're on your own.' Trump certainly doesn't care. He just shrugs and says the price will come back down at some unspecified point in the future. For now, his message to all Americans is just: 'Suck it up, Buttercup.' We're all paying for this war already in a big way and it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better. But Trump doesn't care."

 

   Let's review

Cluelessness abounds.

"Let's get one thing straight -- this is Trump's war. It was not necessary, there was no imminent threat, there was no attack on America. Trump just decided he wanted to go to war one day -- that's it. He saw some protests in Iran and impulsively promised them that the U.S. would have their back. But it took a month before Trump could get Navy ships in the region. By then, the protests had ended. But Trump decided what the heck and started his war of choice anyway. He went to war without a plan. His intelligence services told him that just raining bombs down on Iran was unlikely to oust the regime, but Trump just went ahead and did it anyway. Trump had no plan for the Strait of Hormuz being shut down by Iran, even though anyone with half a brain could see that was Iran's best way to retaliate. There still isn't a plan for military ships escorting tankers through the Strait. It'll take another month to get enough ships there to do so. Trump had no plan at all for skyrocketing gas prices, and we're all paying that price now and will continue to do so for months to come. He has no plan for ending the war. The first six days of Trump's war cost a whopping $11 billion, with no end in sight. A total of 13 American military servicemembers have lost their lives so far, but to Trump this is all nothing but a fun video game he gets to play. So once again, this is Trump's war. It was not necessary. It was a war of choice, period. And he owns it all now."

 

   Show some respect

Even some Republicans were aghast at this (and rightfully so).

"Donald Trump couldn't even bother to take off his golf cap when saluting the returning bodies of six fallen American soldiers. And of course you can buy one of these caps for yourself for the low, low price of only 55 bucks. Can you even imagine what Republicans would have said if Barack Obama had been this callous at a dignified transfer ceremony? They would have been screaming 'Show some respect!' for months afterwards, that's my guess. Which was my exact reaction to seeing Trump in his little golf cap: 'Take off your damn hat -- show some respect!'"

 

   Speaking of respect...

This is disgraceful.

"Remember when Republicans made a big deal out of how much they respected police officers? Yeah, those were the days.... After the insurrection attempt on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, in March of 2022 Congress passed a law which mandated the installation of a memorial plaque to all the officers who had bravely fought the violent mob that day. This law stated that the plaque should be hung in the Capitol within one year. But when it came time to do so, House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to, so it sat in the Capitol's basement for years. Finally the Senate tried to do the right thing and install the plaque, which they finally did this week -- in the dead of night with 'no announcement, no ceremony, no news cameras.' Two of the brave officers from that day had to actually sue Congress to make this happen, which is an absolute disgrace (that a lawsuit was even necessary). But it was hung in a hallway, which is not what the law mandated, so the lawsuit continues. The hallway it was hung in is not even accessible to the public -- it is behind a sign stating: 'Closed to all tours.' This is absolutely disgusting. It is disrespectful in the extreme. All because Donald Trump doesn't want anyone to remember that day of infamy in the U.S. Capitol. I call on Republicans to do the right thing, honor the people who protected you with their lives, and put the plaque up where the public can actually see it. This has gone on far too long, and it is an absolute disgrace. Show some respect!"

 

   Republicans have no plan

This is worth pointing out, as many times as you can.

"Republicans in Congress have no plan whatsoever to solve even a tiny part of the affordability crisis Americans are feeling. They have no plan at all to lower prices on anything. They just met to plan out what their legislative agenda for the rest of the year, and not a single agenda item would lower prices for anyone any time soon. No wonder they are in such trouble, heading into the midterms! Because just like their leader Donald Trump, their plan for making the economy better for average Americans can be summed up as: 'Suck it up, Buttercup.'"

 

   Crisis? What crisis?

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, right? This one comes from Representative Suzan DelBene, who put it exactly right:

The president seems indifferent to the struggles of the American people. They don't even acknowledge that families are struggling. So I think people understand that if they don't even acknowledge it, they're not going to do anything about it.

-- Chris Weigant

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant

Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground