War on Iran flips Trump’s economy from asset to political liability | This is America

In this episode of This Is America, hosted by Cyril Vanier, Al Jazeera asks whether Donald Trump’s biggest political asset – the economy – has flipped into a major liability as the war with Iran drives up prices and sends his approval ratings towards historic lows ahead of the midterms. From Pasco County, Florida – Trump’s home state and a Republican stronghold where 62% voted for him in 2024 – Phil Lavelle meets supporters who once backed him enthusiastically but are now angered by soaring fuel, grocery, housing and healthcare costs. Gas prices have jumped above $4 a gallon, flights are “through the roof” because the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, and more than three‑quarters of registered voters – including over half of Republicans and 82% of independents – now blame Trump for the cost‑of‑living squeeze. In Washington, Chief US Correspondent Alan Fisher track how Trump defends the Iran war as “short‑term pain for long‑term gain”, even as Democrats such as Salud Carbajal grill Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Capitol Hill over a $25bn war bill and a push for a 40% larger Pentagon budget. Manuel Rapalo pulls up the Gallup data to show how Trump’s second‑term approval has fallen far faster than Bill Clinton, George W Bush or Barack Obama, with sharp drops after a government shutdown, tariffs and the joint US‑Israel attack on Iran. Outside the Federal Reserve, Richard Gaisford explains why Fed Chair Jerome Powell warns that the Iran war is fuelling inflation and could “bake in” higher prices even as Trump’s allies push for rate cuts. In the studio, former White House economic adviser Harry Broadman and former Bush administration official Suhail Khan argue that uncertainty over the war is now more corrosive than prices alone, urge the president to find an off‑ramp, and warn that Republicans could pay heavily in Congress if the pain continues. At Union Station in Washington, Alex Baird rounds up a rare moment of online unity as Americans across the political spectrum vent about “pain at the pump”, rising rents, grocery bills and fertiliser costs that have some saying the American dream is turning into an American nightmare. This Is America asks: as the Iran war turns the economy from Trump’s core strength into a political liability, does he care what the polls say – and how long does he really have to turn things around before voters deliver their verdict? Subscribe to our channel: bit.ly
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