Iran backlash grows as they’re feeling around in the dark

Billionaire investor Leon Cooperman stated on Fox News that the economy is 'heading towards a recession.' This prediction, coming from a 'friendly guest' on a conservative network, poses a significant political problem for Donald Trump, whose entire brand is built on being an economic fixer. The host emphasizes that such warnings from within friendly territory directly challenge Trump's core pitch.

Leon Cooperman stated on Fox News, 'I believe we are heading towards a recession.' The host notes, 'when people in friendly territory start saying... we're heading towards a recession, you're cutting directly at the core pitch of Donald Trump.'

The host directly connects the ongoing war in Iran to rising gas prices, noting that average people perceive this daily. This economic impact, coupled with the war's unpopularity, is framed as a major voting issue that could lead to significant Republican losses in the House of Representatives.

The host states, 'as gas prices are 3.99, the average person... notices that daily. Most people understand why. And it is not because of something Joe Biden did... It's because of Donald Trump's choice to start an optional war in Iran.' He predicts, 'if things stay the way they are, the results for Republicans, especially in the House, are going to be far worse than they expect.'

White House press secretary Caroline Levit's public statements regarding the Iran war are repeatedly highlighted as incoherent and contradictory. Examples include her shifting justifications for the war, claiming 'regime change' despite a mere leadership succession, and stating no congressional authorization is needed because 'we're already in major combat operations.'

Levit claims 'the regime has changed' in Iran due to leadership being killed, which the host refutes by comparing it to North Korean successions. She also states, 'formal authorization from Congress is not necessary because we're currently in major combat operations in Iran.'

Senator Tammy Baldwin and the host raise serious concerns about potential war profiteering and insider trading surrounding the Iran conflict. This includes allegations of Trump associates controlling Venezuelan oil assets that increased in value due to the war, suspicious trading patterns before Trump's public statements, and the involvement of individuals like Witko and Kushner with real estate interests in the region in negotiations, rather than experienced diplomats.

Baldwin and the host discuss 'people associated with the president are now in control of those oil assets which are worth way more' and 'extraordinarily suspicious trading patterns both in stock and oil futures... in advance of decisions that Donald Trump has made.'

Key Republican figures, including Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Green, are publicly expressing skepticism and opposition to the Iran war. Mace stated that public justifications differ from classified briefings and she will not support ground troops, while Green criticized the war as strategically nonsensical, driving up gas prices, and being 'for Israel, not for America.' This internal dissent signals a significant political challenge for Trump.

Nancy Mace tweeted, 'The justifications presented to the American public for the war in Iran were not the same military objectives we were briefed on today... This gap is deeply troubling.' Marjorie Taylor Green stated, 'Why would an American president lead his political party into the midterms waging a full-scale major war... on behalf of Israel?'