White House report card: Rising oil prices, mixed messaging, and that cap make it a week to forget for Trump
Is this competence or optics?
Welcome to Friday’s edition of Washington Secrets, when we hand over proceedings to two strategists for their take on the president’s week and what it all means.
Donald Trump’s week has been dominated by the war in Iran (or “excursion” if you like), questions about who knew what about the strike that destroyed a school where children were sheltering, and what to do about the Strait of Hormuz.
And on Saturday, he saw for himself the human cost when he attended what the armed forces call a “dignified transfer” and the return of the bodies of six service personnel who died in the war.
On Monday, the president held his first press conference since the conflict began, even as he continued answering the telephone for reporters. In a phone call with CBS News, he said, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” while at a separate event with GOP lawmakers, he struck a more open-ended tone. “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” he said.
A day later, worries about supplies of oil surfaced. The United States began bombing Iranian minelayers, and Trump demanded that it remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, Trump turned his attention to domestic matters with a visit to Ohio and Kentucky, where his domestic message gave way to an attack on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), but he still had time to hint that the “excursion” in Iran could come to an end soon.
Oil went on a wild ride on Thursday. The price of Brent Crude, the global standard, went past $100 as the new supreme leader of Iran promised that the Strait of Hormuz would remain shut as a “tool of pressure.” Trump responded by offering U.S. escorts to help tankers keep oil flowing.
So what did our tame Republican and Democratic strategists make of it all?
Jed Babbin: Grade B minus
The war in Iran is now in its second week. Earlier this week, Trump said of the Iran war, “We took a little excursion” to the Middle East “to get rid of some evil. And, I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion.” Later this week, he said, “We’ve won, let me tell you, we’ve won.” Nothing in those statements is true or correct.
The war in Iran is going relatively well, but our aims are still unclear. Is our goal to overthrow the ayatollahs’ regime? Are we just trying to knock out their nuclear program or their missile program or both? The president isn’t saying. As casualties mount — a KC-135 crew of four was lost over Iraq a day ago — questions also continue to grow.
At …
Is this competence or optics?
Welcome to Friday’s edition of Washington Secrets, when we hand over proceedings to two strategists for their take on the president’s week and what it all means.
Donald Trump’s week has been dominated by the war in Iran (or “excursion” if you like), questions about who knew what about the strike that destroyed a school where children were sheltering, and what to do about the Strait of Hormuz.
And on Saturday, he saw for himself the human cost when he attended what the armed forces call a “dignified transfer” and the return of the bodies of six service personnel who died in the war.
On Monday, the president held his first press conference since the conflict began, even as he continued answering the telephone for reporters. In a phone call with CBS News, he said, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” while at a separate event with GOP lawmakers, he struck a more open-ended tone. “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” he said.
A day later, worries about supplies of oil surfaced. The United States began bombing Iranian minelayers, and Trump demanded that it remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, Trump turned his attention to domestic matters with a visit to Ohio and Kentucky, where his domestic message gave way to an attack on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), but he still had time to hint that the “excursion” in Iran could come to an end soon.
Oil went on a wild ride on Thursday. The price of Brent Crude, the global standard, went past $100 as the new supreme leader of Iran promised that the Strait of Hormuz would remain shut as a “tool of pressure.” Trump responded by offering U.S. escorts to help tankers keep oil flowing.
So what did our tame Republican and Democratic strategists make of it all?
Jed Babbin: Grade B minus
The war in Iran is now in its second week. Earlier this week, Trump said of the Iran war, “We took a little excursion” to the Middle East “to get rid of some evil. And, I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion.” Later this week, he said, “We’ve won, let me tell you, we’ve won.” Nothing in those statements is true or correct.
The war in Iran is going relatively well, but our aims are still unclear. Is our goal to overthrow the ayatollahs’ regime? Are we just trying to knock out their nuclear program or their missile program or both? The president isn’t saying. As casualties mount — a KC-135 crew of four was lost over Iraq a day ago — questions also continue to grow.
At …
White House report card: Rising oil prices, mixed messaging, and that cap make it a week to forget for Trump
Is this competence or optics?
Welcome to Friday’s edition of Washington Secrets, when we hand over proceedings to two strategists for their take on the president’s week and what it all means.
Donald Trump’s week has been dominated by the war in Iran (or “excursion” if you like), questions about who knew what about the strike that destroyed a school where children were sheltering, and what to do about the Strait of Hormuz.
And on Saturday, he saw for himself the human cost when he attended what the armed forces call a “dignified transfer” and the return of the bodies of six service personnel who died in the war.
On Monday, the president held his first press conference since the conflict began, even as he continued answering the telephone for reporters. In a phone call with CBS News, he said, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” while at a separate event with GOP lawmakers, he struck a more open-ended tone. “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” he said.
A day later, worries about supplies of oil surfaced. The United States began bombing Iranian minelayers, and Trump demanded that it remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, Trump turned his attention to domestic matters with a visit to Ohio and Kentucky, where his domestic message gave way to an attack on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), but he still had time to hint that the “excursion” in Iran could come to an end soon.
Oil went on a wild ride on Thursday. The price of Brent Crude, the global standard, went past $100 as the new supreme leader of Iran promised that the Strait of Hormuz would remain shut as a “tool of pressure.” Trump responded by offering U.S. escorts to help tankers keep oil flowing.
So what did our tame Republican and Democratic strategists make of it all?
Jed Babbin: Grade B minus
The war in Iran is now in its second week. Earlier this week, Trump said of the Iran war, “We took a little excursion” to the Middle East “to get rid of some evil. And, I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion.” Later this week, he said, “We’ve won, let me tell you, we’ve won.” Nothing in those statements is true or correct.
The war in Iran is going relatively well, but our aims are still unclear. Is our goal to overthrow the ayatollahs’ regime? Are we just trying to knock out their nuclear program or their missile program or both? The president isn’t saying. As casualties mount — a KC-135 crew of four was lost over Iraq a day ago — questions also continue to grow.
At …
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