Last week, Trump told Americans at a rally in Garden City, NY, that he will “never apologize” for his costly war in Iran. He said they needed to remember that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon when they pay $4, “a tiny little bit more,” for gasoline. Trump said on the eve of election day in 2024 that he would “restore peace in the world” and “launch the most extraordinary economic boom the world has ever seen.” Obviously, his campaign promises have not come true. In his second term, Trump has sunk the United States deeper into existing conflicts and created his own endless war with Iran. His lies have cost the American people, and they know it.
Trump lied to Americans when he campaigned on peace in 2024 and now has trapped the United States in a costly war and other military entanglements.
Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly told his supporters he would stop wars and said he would not involve the United States in “stupid foreign wars that never end.” [Politico]
Just months ago, Trump denied having ever said this, saying “first of all, I didn’t guarantee no war…when you say I promised, I didn’t promise anything.” [Politico]
The 60-day deadline set by the June memorandum of understanding between Trump and Iran expired yesterday without an agreement. [Axios]
The MOU was already widely regarded as a failure with members of Trump’s own party like Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) calling it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades.” [The Hill]
In 10 days, the U.S. will reach the six-month anniversary of Trump’s war with Iran. Trump said today that “there are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” [Truth Social; AP News]
The war in Ukraine is currently in its fifth year. Trump repeatedly said in his 2024 campaign that he would end the conflict 24 hours into his second administration. [New York Times, CNN]
Trump visited Israel in late 2025 to celebrate the release of the living Israeli hostages, claiming he would disarm Hamas and stabilize Gaza. Almost two years later, Hamas has not been disarmed and Trump administration members are publicly threatening the group. [New York Times; NBC News; FOX]
Thanks to Trump’s foreign policy failures, Americans are paying high prices on gasoline and more.
Gas prices are the highest they’ve ever been at this point in the year. GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan said last week that “the national average has never been above $4/gal after Aug. 12 in any previous year- ever.” And it’s only getting worse: the national average cost per gallon rose from $4.01 a week ago to $4.07 today. [GasBuddy, AAA]
Since the start of the Iran war, Americans have paid $86.6 billion in higher gasoline and diesel costs. That’s over $662 per household. [Brown University Iran War Energy Cost Tracker]
The Iran war, Russia’s war with Ukraine, Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, and China’s restrictions on fuel exports (due to Trump’s Iran war) have all led to massive disruptions in the oil refining industry. This boosts margins for huge oil refiners, and raises prices at the pump for the rest of us. [Wall Street Journal]
The U.S. 3-2-1 crack spread, which measures how profitable it is to run a refinery (literally the value of turning three barrels of oil into two of gasoline and one of diesel), jumped above $70 last month, when normally it’s in the teens. [Wall Street Journal]
Rising gasoline prices make groceries more expensive, as diesel fuel powers the machines that ship 83% of U.S. agricultural products. [AP News]
Grocery costs are up 2.7% year-over-year and experts say the full impact of energy costs likely has not yet hit grocery prices. [WBUR, AP News]
Some shipping companies are providing danger pay to convince sailors to go through the Strait of Hormuz during the war, making shipping for all goods more expensive. [Moneywise]
Unlike the temporary fertilizer price shock in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine and trade routes had to change, this year’s fertilizer price spike seems likely to produce persistently higher prices. In the Middle East, 31 ammonia plants have been hit or shut down, and the region supplies 60 million tons of fertilizer annually. North Dakota State University projects that urea prices will remain high in 2027, and that phosphate prices will remain elevated into 2028. [Cobank]
America may be able to feed itself, but that relies on fertilizer supply. Food security is fertilizer security. [Coalition for a Prosperous America]
Americans are against Trump’s expensive, endless wars and do not have confidence in his ability to lead the U.S. in foreign policy.
Trump’s current approval rating sits at just 33%, with 64% of Americans disapproving of his presidency. [Reuters/Ipsos]
62% of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling foreign policy. [YouGov]
Confidence in Trump’s foreign policy ability, even among his supporters, is rapidly slipping. In July 2024, 81% of Republicans said they were “very/somewhat confident” in Trump’s decision making ability in Russia and Ukraine. In April 2026, just 60% said they felt “very/somewhat confident” in his ability. [Pew Research]
Americans’ net support of Trump’s war with Iran sits at -19.6, with 56.4% opposing the war and 36.8% supporting. [Silver Bulletin]
80% of Americans believe the U.S. involvement in Iran “will go on for an extended period of time.” [Reuters/Ipsos]
75% of Americans describe Trump’s war in Iran as “not worth the cost.” [Marquette]
Share this video of Trump telling Americans he will “never apologize” for the higher prices his war caused.
(Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
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