U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a press briefing at the White House, on the one-year mark into his second term in office, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 20, 2026. REUTERS Nathan Howard
Zeteo editor Martin Pengelly says the world needs a new kind of word to describe the depth of crisis in which President Donald Trump is drowning. Thankfully a foul-mouthed Scottish actor belted out just such a word in an episode of “The Thick of It.”
“You’re a f—— omnishambles. That’s what you are,” barked Peter Capaldi’s “Malcolm Tucker” to an unfortunate co-worker. “You’re like that coffee machine: from bean to cup, you f—— up.”
And from bean to cup is where all Trump is going wrong, said Pengelly.
“Polling shows it. This week, before the bad news about the Strait and the mines, AP/NORC found Trump’s approval on the economy at just 30 percent, down eight points from March, while 72 percent of Americans said the country was heading in the wrong direction. Trump’s favorability rating was also down, by five points to 33 percent.
And the reason for both American voters and Trump’s own party to loathe him just keep on mounting.
The Pentagon on Tuesday told Congress that clearing the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian mines could take six months – and those efforts can’t even begin until the war is over. And it’s not. Worse, even once the ceasefire became official and effective, the U.S. can’t expect any help from Iran because Iranian officials barely know where they mined their own waters, meaning every removal will be painstaking, dangerous and slow.
But the Strait of Hormuz is still a key waterway for trade, said Pengelly, particularly in oil, fertilizer, and other commodities, and news coming out of the Pentagon just isn’t good for Republicans in November, who will be catching the worse of voter fury on the day of the vote — no matter how badly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants reporters to cover for him.
“But [i]mpervious to reality as ever, Trump insists Tehran will soon ‘cry uncle,’” said Pengelly, despite the fact that Iran recently attacked two cargo vessels in the Strait, and Columbia University Iran expert Richard Nephew admits few companies are willing to risk sinking a multi-million-dollar tanker.
“Behind every such headline lingers a dread fact for Trump: the midterm elections are just six months away. And every day, in every way, the administration is lurching further into the feared world of the 'omnishambles,'” said Pengelly.
The ripple effects of Trump's Iran miscalculation extend far beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
Global energy markets remain volatile, with crude prices fluctuating based on daily developments in the conflict. Insurance premiums for vessels transiting the waterway have skyrocketed, effectively pricing smaller shipping companies out of the market entirely. Meanwhile, U.S. allies in Europe and Asia are quietly diversifying their supply chains away from routes dependent on American military protection.
Domestic political costs continue mounting as well: gas prices hover near $4 per gallon, inflation remains sticky, and consumer confidence has eroded. Trump's insistence that the situation is under control rings increasingly hollow against mounting evidence to the contrary.
