Trump’s Forever War: 6 Months of Higher Prices, Broken Promises
This Friday, August 28, will mark six months since the start of the war with Iran – a conflict Trump promised would last only a matter of weeks. Half a year later, the war is still raging with no end in sight.
Americans increasingly associate Trump’s war with the higher prices they are paying at the gas pump, the grocery store, and elsewhere. Foreign policy rarely feels personal to voters until decisions abroad affect their daily lives at home.
Every message about Trump’s war should therefore center on its economic consequences and make the connection explicit: Trump chose this war, and American families are paying the price.
Talking Points:
When Trump first launched the Iran war, he promised that it would be a limited affair meant to topple the regime and destroy Iran’s nuclear program. He also assured Americans that it would end “within two weeks.”
Six months later, neither of those goals has been accomplished, and the war is still raging. Eighteen service members have been killed, over 750 have been wounded, Iran still largely controls the Strait of Hormuz, and the global economy is hanging on by a thread.
Simply put, six months of war have been an expensive disaster. On top of Trump’s tariffs, which have already cost the average American household $1,100:
Trump’s war has cost the average household over $1,200, according to a comprehensive assessment.
Americans have spent an additional $90 billion on higher gas and diesel costs alone – almost $700 per household.
The war itself is estimated to have cost taxpayers over $100 billion – with the administration demanding an additional $73 billion to keep it going.
Every dollar Trump spends on this unnecessary war is a dollar that could be used to make Americans’ lives better here at home – money that could have been spent lowering health care costs, investing in affordable American energy, or helping families afford housing, groceries, and other everyday expenses.
Worse yet, there is no end in sight. Trump has spent months trying and failing to pressure Iran into a deal. Now, he is doubling down on the same failed strategy that helped create this economic crisis in the first place.
On the campaign trail, Trump promised to keep America out of costly, open-ended conflicts overseas. Instead, he started one himself – breaking his promise to the American people and leaving us to foot the bill.
Americans cannot afford six more months of Trump’s war. It’s time to end this costly conflict and focus on what our leaders should have been focused on all along: making life better and more affordable for Americans here at home.
Published: August 2026