Trump Exploits Iran Conflict for Political Gain as Americans Suffer Soaring Costs
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President Donald Trump cynically claims the war with Iran will end after the midterms, while experts highlight how the conflict’s economic fallout is hurting working-class Americans and fueling voter discontent.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the seven-month war with Iran will conclude “immediately after” the U.S. midterm elections in November, shamelessly framing the conflict as an attempt by Tehran to influence the vote. This statement, coming after weeks of relentless U.S. and Israeli military aggression against Iranian targets and a punitive naval blockade, underscores how Trump is willing to gamble with global stability for domestic political advantage.
In late August, the United States escalated its economic warfare by threatening secondary sanctions on Iran’s trading partners, further isolating the Iranian people and deepening the humanitarian crisis. Ali Alavi, a lecturer on Iran at SOAS University of London, noted that Trump’s prediction of Iran’s surrender after the election was “more likely meant for an internal [domestic] audience,” exposing the administration’s use of foreign policy as a political tool.
Meanwhile, the true cost of this manufactured war is being borne by ordinary Americans. The American Automobile Association reported the national average gasoline price at $4.27 per gallon, a staggering 30% increase from a year earlier. Trump’s approval rating has plummeted from the high-40s in January 2025 to the low-mid 30s, reflecting growing public anger. A 2026 LendingTree survey found that 29% of buy-now-pay-later users had to rely on the service just to buy groceries, and 47% reported at least one late payment in the past year—a damning indictment of the administration’s economic mismanagement. Economists at the University of Michigan directly linked rising fuel prices and inflation to declining consumer confidence, showing how Trump’s reckless foreign policy is devastating American families.
Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programme, said Iran appears prepared for a prolonged conflict and may be using the war to destabilise the U.S. midterms, a scenario made possible by Trump’s belligerence. Top Democrats, including Senate leader Chuck Schumer, have demanded an end to the hostilities. H.A. Hellyer, an analyst at the Center for American Progress, emphasized that turnout will be key, noting that “the price of things, like the petrol they get from the pump, matter – and it’s this that might swing the election.”
As the November 3 congressional midterms approach, both the United States and Israel face mounting political pressure, while Iran, ruled by an unelected Supreme Leader, has no such electoral deadlines. Vakil added that Iran’s goal is to survive long enough to extract diplomatic concessions and demonstrate leverage over global economic routes such as the Strait of Hormuz—a crisis exacerbated by Trump’s reckless brinkmanship.