Gas prices climb higher, U.S. service members continue to be at risk, and Americans continue to be critical of the war as fighting in Iran continues. According to one report, some staffers of President Donald Trump are concerned that his close aides aren’t being transparent with the president about the public perception of the war.
This week, Audacy covered new polling from the University of Massachusetts Amherst that showed Trump’s approval rating was falling. More than 60% of respondents didn’t approve of the way he was handling Iran.
Trump announced that the U.S. attacked Iran – which has been led by an Islamic regime that toppled a pro-U.S. government since 1979 – alongside Israel. Though Trump apparently thought the war would only last a few weeks, it has now stretched on longer than a month, and there isn’t a clear exit for the U.S.
Officials told TIME that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had repeatedly pleaded the case for a campaign in Iran and that the initial attacks took weeks of coordination. When details about the attack appeared in the press ahead of the launch, Trump reportedly exploded at his aides, TIME said.
“He was intentionally engaged in public misdirection to protect the mission,” a White House official said, per the outlet.
NBC News raised an alarm in a March 25 article that claimed the daily video montage of the war provided to the president led to “concerns among some of the president’s allies that he may not be receiving the complete picture of the war.” There have also been reports this week that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is motivated to continue the fighting in order to keep his own job, even as the conflict becomes a weak spot for Trump and the GOP heading in to the November midterm elections.
According to a Thursday report from TIME, Hegseth was surprised by Tehran’s response to the attacks, having predicted something more muted. A person familiar with the matter quoted by the outlet said that Hegseth “was caught off guard,” but a Pentagon official also disputed that narrative.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has even become concerned that Trump is getting a “a rose-colored view of how the war was being perceived domestically.” She reportedly urged colleagues and officials to be “more forthright with the boss” about the potential political and economic downsides of the conflict. Previously, Wiles also reportedly butted heads with former close Trump ally Elon Musk when he was leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative over the rapid decision to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development.
It said that Wiles and a small group of aides told president that the war could threaten his public support, even among Republicans. Indeed, right-wing media personalities like Alex Jones, Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson have publicly criticized the war already.
Vice President J.D. Vance was one member of the president’s inner circle who was reportedly against the attack on Iran, called Operation Epic Fury. TIME said Trump himself noted Vance’s opposition when speaking to others.
TIME said the “stark warning” from Wiles “was unsettling” for the president. As far as his own goals for the conflict, the outlet said that Trump “told advisers that being the commander in chief to eliminate the nuclear threat posed by Iran could be one of his signature achievements.”
As of this week, that goal seems far off, with the risks of continuing erosion of public opinion, more lives lost and more stress on U.S. consumers becoming greater all the time. TIME said Trump is “frustrated by the predicament,” that he is at odds with some of his own officials and is “fuming” about the negative impressions of the war.
However, the president did campaign in 2024 on a promise to improve the economy and stay out of foreign wars. Now, he’s looking for an off-ramp out of Iran, according to two advisers and two members of Congress who have spoken to him during the last week that were cited by TIME.
At the same time, he wants to end the conflict on a successful note for his administration. For example, blocking Iran’s attempts at making a nuclear weapon. That is tricky, since prolonged fighting might accelerate Iran’s nuclear program rather than dismantle it, TIME noted.
Trump’s attempt to re-position the conflict and promise a swift end during a Wednesday night address did little to move the needle in public perception, with even some Republicans criticizing his speech.
According to TIME, the president said in a phone interview with the outlet the following morning that Iran was eager to make a deal to end the fighting, but Iran has denied the Trump administration’s comments about negotiations in the past.
Despite successes on the U.S. side, including taking out much of Iran’s military capacity and its former supreme leader, fighting continues. TIME said “the endgame remains murky: Trump simultaneously pledged to ramp up the fighting and wind it down,” though Steve Witkoff, Trump’s longtime friend and envoy, said the president “always has multiple exit strategies.”
“With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A ‘GUSHER’ FOR THE WORLD???” said Trump in a Thursday Truth Social post referring to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transportation route that remains blocked, thus spiking oil prices.
One expert warned that the president, and U.S. consumers, are in for a “nightmare” scenario if crude oil prices hit $150 per barrel. By Thursday, they had already creeped up higher than $111 per barrel.
Audacy also reported Friday that a U.S. fighter jet was shot down in Iran. Trump also “proposed boosting defense spending to $1.5 trillion in his 2027 budget released Friday, the largest such request in decades, reflecting his emphasis on U.S. military investments over domestic programs,” per an Audacy report.
