A woman at the "Million MAGA March" in Washington D.C. on December 8, 2020 (Image: Shutterstock)
President Donald Trump is being asked frequently when the war against Iran will be over, because gas prices are adding further financial burden to Americans who were already strapped in the difficult economy.
"Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for USA , and the World, Safety and Peace," he wrote on Truth Social last weekend. He then added in all capital letters "Only fools would think differently!"
That didn't sit well with one former Trump voter in Michigan, who joined a focus group hosted by the Engagious Marketing Agency.
"I'm a fool, I guess," said a woman only known as Lindsay. "Well, the prices were down slightly for a short period of time but currently, where I'm at, prices have jumped a dollar. So, for someone like me who is a working person, I mean, yeah, it's good for him to say who makes, you know $1 million a day or whatever, an hour. But on the other hand, it makes a very big difference to someone like me who has to fill in the gas tank every single week and go to work."
CNN journalist and political analyst, David Chalian noted it's the same concern a lot of people have including "everypolitician who's on the ballotthis year is expressing rightnow. Chalen said those politicians are facing "the wrath ofvoters, especially in the Republican Party, given this wasyou know, President Trump'sdecision to launch [the war]."
There is a desire, he added, among Republicans, "to find a way to getout of this quickly. I don'tthink cleanly is an optionanymore, obviously. But tofind a way to get out of thisquickly, declare some victory onobjectives and start focusingthe attention back on economicconcerns."
CNN columnist Aaron Blake noted on the website Friday that this is the second year in a row that Trump has asked Americans to sacrifice "short-term pain for long-term gain." In 2025, it was about his tariffs, and now it's about his war.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Washington Bureau Chief Tia Mitchell remarked that Blake's comments come as many Americans don't even understand the reasons behind both the war and the tariffs.
"And the Trump administration has provided several answers to that. And the answers seem to change day by day. Same with the tariffs," Mitchell added, recalling a 2025 promise Trump made that his tariffs would bring manufacturing back into the U.S.
"And so, I think, there are even voters who would like to give President Trump the benefit of the doubt, but it's hard to do that when they don't have a consistent message to kind of hang their hat on [as to] why they're there enduring the short-term pain," she said.
That sentiment was on display in the second clip of the focus group CNN showed.
Almost every answer as to why America went to war was different. Some said it was about regime change, others attributed it to Israel, while others said, "they attacked us first."
Associated Press reporter Seung Min Kim said that it perfectly captures the problem with Trump's failure to make the case to the American public why the war is necessary. The pressident announced the war after 3 a.m. EST on a Saturday morning, by posting a video to Truth Social from his country club in Florida.