Not A Lot of “Winning” Anywhere
His ballroom is a hole in the ground, the economy is stalled, and Iran is celebrating
Any reporter who has covered the Middle East will tell you ceasefires in that part of the world are often worth little, if anything. Such may be the fate of the current truce between Iran and Israel and the United States. For starters, the three sides have different understandings of what is in the agreement.
For instance, Iran says it remains in control of the vital Strait of Hormuz, it can continue to enrich uranium, and that the United States will need to pay war reparations to rebuild Iran. Did Donald Trump agree to any of that?
To do so would make any declaration that the United States “won” the conflict specious. In Tehran today, there were celebrations. The regime Trump called “evil” remains in charge. Withstanding a five-week bombardment by U.S. and Israeli air forces allows them to claim some measure of victory.
Add to the mix Israel, which doesn’t think Lebanon is part of the agreement. Today, the Israelis unleashed a massive bombardment in Beirut against Iran-backed Hezbollah. Early reports say more than 200 people were killed. Many women and children are said to be among the victims.
Further complicating the “ceasefire,” Iran has not stopped firing at its Persian Gulf neighbors. Saudi Arabia reports attacks on several energy facilities today.
It is no wonder this ceasefire is called shaky, at best.
And while Trump’s war has drawn our attention to another part of the world, much has been happening here at home, and not a lot of it could be called “winning.” This has been a week full of stunning financial requests and hard economic realities.
The cost of the war with Iran is alarming, and the accounting is not nearly complete. Besides the human toll on both sides, the financial cost of the war to the U.S. could reach $100 billion, according to the American Enterprise Institute. AEI estimates the U.S. military has spent between $22.3 and $31 billion in just five weeks. This estimate does not include all the costly equipment repairs. To name two, the USS Gerald Ford was damaged by a fire and a ballistic missile warning system in Qatar was destroyed by an Iranian drone.
Coupled with finding money to pay for what many believe to be his illegal and ill-conceived war, Trump submitted his annual budget request to Congress last week. It included $1.5 trillion for defense, which is among the biggest annual military budget increases ever.
To pay for this increase, the White House proposed $73 billion in cuts and the outright elimination of dozens of popular domestic programs that serve tens of millions of Americans. And remember, most of these cuts would come after budgets were slashed last year.
Proposed cuts:
$1.4 billion to a program that provides fruits and vegetables for women and children in need
$8.5 billion for public school funding
$1.6 billion for weather forecasting by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
$2.5 billion to safeguard clean drinking water
$5 billion for disease prevention
$1.3 billion for disaster preparedness grants
Proposed elimination:
Program to help people struggling to pay their home heating bills
Vocational and job training for at- risk youth, adults, and seniors
Air pollution monitoring
Affordable housing grants
Part of the calculation of next year’s budget has to be the state of the U.S. economy. Indicators about the economy are mixed, but many experts are predicting a downturn.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is used to measure growth because it is a snapshot of the country’s economic activity. In early January, the government stated that GDP growth for the last quarter of 2025 was 2.8%, a significant deceleration from the third quarter. Today, it revised that number down to 0.5%, perhaps hoping no one would notice the 78% drop in economic growth from 2024.
This was before the administration started dropping bombs on Iran. In financial terms, the decline in GDP is akin to falling off a financial cliff. The price of gas doubling is only going to make things worse.
The oil industry, a stalwart friend of the president, is not happy with him right now. Politico is reporting that oil executives are talking to anyone in the administration who will listen. Citing international treaties and sanction laws, they are concerned that Iran’s continued control of the Strait of Hormuz is adding millions to their cost, which will have to be passed on to the consumer. Iran is charging $2 million per tanker, and insurance companies are tacking on another half million. And, as of this writing, the Strait remains closed, unless shippers pay the ransom demanded by Iran.
As you were watching gas prices move steadily skyward and your 401(k) drop, the Trump administration was making a heap of what will likely be unpopular choices.
One domestic expenditure Trump wants to increase is the budget for White House renovations. He has requested an 866% increase over last year, according to Politico. He is asking for $377 million, up from $39 million, to update parts of the residence. If he renovated every inch, that would amount to $18,850 per square foot. At that rate, the toilet paper would have to be made of gold leaf.
Remember former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and the 737 jet she acquired for 70 million taxpayer dollars? As a refresher, it boasts a queen-sized bed, a bar, a kitchen, and a full bathroom. With Noem no more, Trump decided the first lady will have use of that luxury jet, according to the Wall Street Journal. Like her husband, Melania Trump has seen her approval ratings plummet as of late, with her lowest approval rating ever. Will her shiny new jet endear her to the American people, so many of whom are struggling financially?
Construction on Trump’s new White House ballroom has been halted by a federal judge. But that didn’t stop the president from announcing that it will be built — if it gets built — with foreign steel. Trump, a self-proclaimed champion of the American steel industry, said Thursday that European steel company, ArcelorMittal, is donating $37 million worth of steel for the building. In October, Trump hinted at the gift, but didn’t name the source. Several days later, Trump reduced tariffs that benefitted ArcelorMittal.
The triumphal arch Trump proposed, to be built between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, is not fully funded, as the president has claimed. Modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Trump now says he will funnel 15 million taxpayer dollars from the National Endowment for the Humanities to pay for it, according to NOTUS.
The cemetery was established as a resting place for Union soldiers killed in the Civil War. Now it is a resting place for veterans of many wars. The present unobstructed sightline from the cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial was intentionally designed to symbolize national unity. Apparently, Trump couldn’t care less. In October, when asked who or what the arch is for, Trump pointed to himself and replied, “Me.”
Trump treats the U.S. Treasury as a personal ATM, while claiming his cuts to popular and beneficial domestic programs are because of waste, fraud, and abuse. Who can blame people for thinking that if he truly wants to find waste, fraud, and abuse, he should look in the mirror.
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Stay Steady,
Dan
Failure, failure, failure everywhere. Typical Trump. And still support for him has not ended.... I will never understand nor condone.
This is the part both parties never want said plainly: there is always money for war, renovations, vanity projects, and donors’ interests—just never enough for the public. Different rhetoric, same ruling priorities.