Trump Admits He Knows His War Is Unpopular—and Wrecking the Economy

The president’s justification for the Iran war has somehow gotten even more unbelievable.

President Trump’s grasp of the Iran war is becoming more unhinged.

Speaking to the press outside of the White House Tuesday with his prized ballroom under construction behind him, Trump bragged about the economy in his first presidential term, claiming that it was “the best economy we’ve ever had” and that “this term is going to blow it away, I think,” even with the Iran war.

“I thought the market would go down 25 percent, and I was OK with that to get rid of a nuclear potential holocaust. Would have been a nuclear holocaust. So, going down 25 percent’s OK when you get rid of a nuclear holocaust, so, uh, most people agree with me,” Trump said.

Trump: "I thought the market would go down 25%, and I was okay with that to get rid of a nuclear potential holocaust. Going down 25% is okay if you get rid of a nuclear holocaust. Most people agree with me." pic.twitter.com/A4AYX9b6Kf— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2026

Trump: "I thought the market would go down 25%, and I was okay with that to get rid of a nuclear potential holocaust. Going down 25% is okay if you get rid of a nuclear holocaust. Most people agree with me." pic.twitter.com/A4AYX9b6Kf

Trump went on to brag about how the war is being received by the American people, telling reporters, “Politically, I’m doing good.

“Everyone tells me [the war] is unpopular, but I think it’s very popular. When they hear that it’s having to do with nuclear weapons, weapons that could take out Los Angeles, could take out major cities, very quick, when they hear that—I tell you what, when we explain it to people, I don’t really have enough time to explain to people. I’m too busy getting it done,” Trump said. “I think it’s frankly very popular, but whether it’s popular or not popular, I have to do it, because I’m not going to let the world be blown up on my watch. Not gonna happen.”

Trump on his war against Iran: "Everyone tells me it's unpopular, but I think it's very popular. When they hear that it has to do with nuclear weapons that could take out Los Angeles, when we explain it to people-- I don't really have enough time to explain to people." pic.twitter.com/F2rtnBFazQ— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2026

Trump on his war against Iran: "Everyone tells me it's unpopular, but I think it's very popular. When they hear that it has to do with nuclear weapons that could take out Los Angeles, when we explain it to people-- I don't really have enough time to explain to people." pic.twitter.com/F2rtnBFazQ

In reality, the war is so unpopular that it has brought down Trump’s approval rating to its lowest level ever, according to a recent New York Times poll. The same poll found that most Americans think the war isn’t worth the cost or that the economy is going to improve. Meanwhile, Trump goes back and forth between threatening to break the ceasefire with Iran and claiming a deal is close. It’s little wonder that most Americans lack confidence in the president.

Democrats Investigate Todd Blanche as DOJ Launches Slush Fund

Democrats in the Senate want answers on how acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is running things.

As the Department of Justice launches a $1.776 billion fund to pay damages to the president and his allies, Democrats in Congress are launching an investigation into the man overseeing the whole thing: acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Senators Adam Schiff, Dick Durbin, and Richard Blumenthal want to know whether Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorney, has recused himself from President Trump’s personal civil lawsuits against the government.

“Since last year, the Department has systematically dismantled the agency’s internal guardrails, gutting both the career ethics staff and the Office of Professional Responsibility, and has refused to provide any answers to Congress about these egregious actions,” the senators wrote in a letter to Assistant Attorney General for Administration Jolene Lauria.

The letter contains 10 questions about whether Blanche has recused himself from Trump’s cases, as well as whether he has received ethics advice about his past representation of Trump in personal matters. The senators are also asking, “What is the last date that Mr. Blanche provided personal legal advice to Donald Trump or served as his personal attorney?”

The letter cites CNN’s report last week that Blanche was told in March 2025, after he joined the DOJ, that he had to recuse himself from Trump’s personal cases against the government by Joseph Tirrell, the top ethics lawyer in the department.

“Recent public reporting revealed that in March 2025, less than two weeks after assuming the role of Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Blanche was explicitly and formally advised by the Department’s top career ethics lawyer that his recusal from legal cases involving President Trump in his personal capacity was necessary,” the letter said.

A DOJ spokesperson told CNN that Blanche “is recused from many cases before DOJ. In any cases that are still ongoing where he previously represented someone, he is recused.”

“To the extent DOJ is investigating something related to the President for which Todd was previously representing him, then hypothetically yes, he would recuse,” the spokesperson said, but added that this remains a “hypothetical.”

That’s not particularly........

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