I voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, and I don't regret it.
In his first year, he delivered on many of his core promises: lower taxes, lower inflation and a secure border. Migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border are now at their lowest level in 50 years.
These are extraordinary feats.
But with the Iran war now passing five months, I'm growing disillusioned with Trump. He's chosen to focus on Iran as much as, if not more than, issues that actually affect everyday Americans. It's proving to be an extraordinary unforced error, and it's backfiring: The polls are starting to show it.
Trump's Iran war is an endless drain on US
Trump's Iran war, which was supposed to take weeks, has drained U.S. resources significantly, costing taxpayers $37.5 billion so far. According to Reuters, the
U.S. Army has used up most of its stockpile of long-range missiles, leaving the nation vulnerable for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, despite constant talk of diplomacy and ceasefires, there's no actual resolution in sight. Every day brings news of another negotiation that fails to materialize. Toward the end of July, Trump threatened to bomb power plants or bridges in Iran.
Then, on Aug. 3, Trump said, "I want to give them every last chance before decapitation. … We'll see what happens." He has said time and again that a "deal is imminent." Yet "The Art of the Deal" eludes the dealmaker in chief.
At first, I argued that pressuring Iran like this was strategic, not stupid – a pointed tactic. I supported the goal of Operation Epic Fury: ending Iran's totalitarian regime.
I believe that Iran's nuclear capabilities posed a threat to America, though how to handle that threat raised harder questions.
But the months since Feb. 28 have been an endless merry-go-round of threats, pressure and ceasefire attempts that go nowhere. The Babylon Bee, a satirical website, captured the charade well in an Aug. 4 post: "Trump Warns Iran This Is Their Fourth-To-Last Chance At Peace."
It'd be funnier if it weren't hurting Americans.
Americans are turning on Trump
The RealClearPolitics average shows that 61% of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling Iran and the economy.
An Economist/YouGov poll published July 28 found that 43% of "non-MAGA" Republicans disapprove of Trump. That's a lot of unhappy people.
The Iran war has directly affected gas prices, which have stayed high for months and won't be coming down anytime soon. It's also raising the threat of higher inflation. Though for now, incredibly, inflation has fallen to 3.5% in June from 4.2% in May. That's still a boon for Trump, and for Americans.
But this isn't what Americans voted for, largely because of Trump's own promises. He was wary of Iran and emphasized deterrence, but he also campaigned on an "America First" agenda and a "no new wars" policy.
After winning reelection in 2024, Trump declared, "I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars."
I still believe Iran's threat needed to be handled, forcefully and finally, at some point. But part of Trump's populist appeal was that he'd focus on the everyday issues plaguing Americans, like the economy and immigration.
One of my hopes for the Trump administration was that his populism would appeal to a broader range of voters and win some of them over to conservative ideas, like lower taxes and border security. But the Iran war has been a huge stumbling block to that. If this is conservatism, then no thanks, they'll say. Even if he deserves credit for last year's accomplishments, the Iran war has been such a blight that it's hard to ignore.
I'm not naive enough to believe there's a direct correlation between high grocery and housing prices and the Iran war. Foreign affairs don’t make my grocery bill top $1,000 a month. But rightly or wrongly, a nearly $40 billion war will eventually hit Americans' bottom line – and their view of the president who started it.
Watching Trump go round and round with Iran, as the military nearly depletes its own stockpile of munitions and Americans struggle to pay for gas and groceries, feels a bit like watching a CEO slash office supply budgets while quietly running the company into the ground.
Trump still has my support. But I'm more and more disappointed with his ongoing conflict with Iran. And so are millions of Americans.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: I don't regret voting for Trump, but I'm disappointed | Opinion
