President Donald Trump joked about Iran attacking a pair of liberal California cities during a campaign rally in which he defended his decision to wage an unprovoked war against the Middle Eastern country.
“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,” Trump said at a Nebraska rally on Monday, according to MS NOW producer Kyle Griffin on X. “They can take out a city. Let them take— let it, let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay, and it’s going to be over very soon. It’s essentially almost over with, and they might keep going a little long. You know, they always say they have a big threshold for pain. They need it.”
Trump also reassured the audience that gas prices would eventually go down, reiterating a pledge that he has made repeatedly without it materializing. He similarly has frequently claimed the war would soon end, even though it has dragged on for more than half a year. In September, Trump promised that the war would end shortly after the midterm elections.
“I think the war is gonna end immediately after the election,” Trump said, before repeating that “I think the war will end immediately after the election.”
In order to retaliate against America for declaring war, Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused gas prices to skyrocket. In August University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer told Australian journalist Tom Switzer that he believed Trump was willing to accept Iran imposing tolls on the Strait of Hormuz because he has effectively lost the war.
“It’s very simple… he has no choice,” Mearsheimer said. “He lost the war. This is a devastating defeat for the United States. Can you tell me what the United States should do to regain leverage over Iran? I actually think you can’t tell me because we have no solution.”
Speaking to AlterNet in April, an expert economist explained why gas prices are likely to remain high even after the war has wrapped up.
“I would guess that yes, destruction of Iranian (and some other) energy facilities in the Persian Gulf area will have at least a medium-term effect keeping prices for crude oil and chemical fertilizer high, and that in turn means gasoline prices may come down only slowly,” Dr. Ed Gresser, Vice President and Director for Trade and Global Markets at the Progressive Policy Institute told AlterNet. “Same for other petroleum-based products such as plastics, skin creams, and so on. The high potential of conflict also adds risk premiums to shipping and other costs.”
