President Donald Trump lashed out at oil executives on Monday, accusing them of extracting excessive profits from his war against Iran. He specifically named Chevron, warning the corporation to lower gasoline prices, despite his self-proclaimed status as a "big free enterprise guy — nobody bigger."
Trump also criticized Jeanine Pirro, his handpicked U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., stating she "choked" after court documents revealed that a botched renovation by the Interior Department, not vandalism, caused delays in the Reflecting Pool's restoration. He claimed Monday that he had proposed using swimming pool material for the 100-plus-year-old landmark. "She folded like an umbrella," Trump said of Pirro, and CNN reported he is now considering her removal.
Profits of Conflict
Trump’s week began with a victory: securing enough support for Todd Blanche, his former personal attorney, to be confirmed as attorney general. However, Blanche, currently acting attorney general, was compelled to officially and permanently rescind a $1.8 billion fund. This fund was widely perceived as a mechanism to funnel payments to Trump’s political supporters. CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig noted Monday on CNN’s "The Situation Room" that "for all the drama around this written document from Todd Blanche, it really accomplishes essentially nothing as a legal matter." Honig added that Trump or his attorneys could, in theory, sue to have the agreement reinstated, as Trump and his lawyers have not signed the document clawing it back.
Two Republican senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, had demanded the settlement be rescinded in writing. They also argued that the Republican Party should, for now, abandon Trump’s SAVE America Act. This act would impose new proof-of-citizenship requirements in addition to state-conducted voter ID, a measure for which CNN stated there is no evidence of the mass voter fraud Trump cites. The bill has not gained sufficient momentum to pass, with no time for implementation before the midterm elections. Neither Tillis nor Cornyn will face reelection in November; Tillis is not running, and his North Carolina seat is considered a strong pickup opportunity for Democrats, while Cornyn lost a primary runoff to a more MAGA-aligned opponent who received Trump’s late endorsement, with Democrats reportedly eyeing Texas.
Managing Contradictions
Another Republican, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, inserted language into a spending bill to temporarily block a rule proposed by Trump’s Office of Management and Budget. This rule would grant political appointees, rather than subject experts, greater authority over federal grants. Collins is the sole Republican seeking reelection in a state Trump carried in 2024 and is engaged in a tight electoral contest.
Trump’s approval rating has fallen to record lows, with approximately one-third of Americans approving of his job as president in a CNN Poll conducted by SSRS and released one week ago. The last time a U.S. president registered such low approval was in the fifth year following the storming of the Capitol by Trump’s supporters in January 2021. Two significant factors contributing to his declining popularity are his handling of the economy and the war he launched on Iran in the same year. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, and the status of ongoing talks is unclear, indicating the material consequences of the conflict.