Beyond the Iran war: Trump's no-good, very-bad day on jobs, gas, Epstein

Definition of a bad day at the Trump White House: when growing questions about an unpopular war aren't the worst news you're facing.

President Donald Trump on March 6 found himself dealing not only with an intensifying U.S. assault on Iran but also a decline in jobs, a rise in gas prices and unverified allegations of sexual misconduct from the release of more Jeffrey Epstein files.

It was a reminder that even presidents with the most expansive ambitions can't control their agenda, at least not all of it. Some saw signs of a "second-term" curse, when overreach has sometimes undermined presidents, including those with rosy first terms.

Trump chose the timing of the week-old war against Tehran, one that has expanded into NATO and the Persian Gulf states. But the calendar determined the Labor Department's release of the February employment report that showed the unexpected loss of 92,000 jobs. Gas prices, for many Americans a thermometer of economic well-being, jumped to a national average of $3.32, reflecting oil shocks from the war.

That price set a record high for Trump's two terms as president, and it came just the week after he had bragged in his State of the Union address that low gas prices were proof that "inflation is plummeting" under his leadership.

"I don't have any concern about it," Trump told Reuters. "They'll drop very rapidly when this is over."

Then there's the delayed release by the Department of Justice of more files from the investigation into disgraced financier and sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. They included accounts of FBI interviews with a woman who said that as a teenager she was abused by Epstein and Trump. The accusations are unverified, and Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Trump is famously comfortable with chaos. Still, what's a president to do?

He suggested putting another ball in the air.

"Cuba is going to fall pretty soon," he told CNN's Dana Bash in a morning phone interview. "I'm going to put Marco over there and we'll see how that works out."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio already has a lot on his plate, of course.

It's the economy, stupid. Always.

Presidents at their peril focus on foreign adventures, or anything else, at the expense of the kitchen-table economy.

Ask George H.W. Bush, who after a quick and triumphant victory in the first Gulf War was defeated for reelection by challenger Bill Clinton, who promised to focus "like a laser" on Americans' economic struggles.

The Trump administration blamed the disappointing jobs report on strikes, bad weather and former President Joe Biden.

"There are several positive signs for our economy that continue to show American workers are recovering from the mess left behind by Biden," Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. That said, the 46th president left office more than a year ago.

Democrats, who see voters' concerns about inflation and health care as their strongest issues in this year's midterm elections, blamed Trump.

"A blaring alarm that Donald Trump's economy is deteriorating rapidly," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement. The economy is "teetering" on the edge of recession, he warned, and might soon "go over the cliff."

The weakening employment statistics are sure to sharpen the debate at the next meeting of Federal Reserve governors March 17-18 over whether to lower interest rates again − a step to boost growth and jobs − or hold them steady because of concern about rising prices.

Next week, we'll learn more about where inflation stands with release of the Consumer Price Index.

Oh, and about that war

Trump's tone on Iran was triumphant.

"There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" he declared in a March 6 post on Truth Social. "After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction."

He closed: "MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!)."

But the post on the social media site reinforced questions about the war.

He demanded "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" after telling the Atlantic magazine that he was open to negotiations with Iran. His assertion that Washington would decide whether a new leader in Tehran was "ACCEPTABLE" signaled regime change was a goal of the strikes, something the administration has generally denied.

One more thing: It is a sign of, well, something when ousting the secretary of Homeland Security after a tumultuous tenure doesn't make the top of the news.

So long, Kristi Noem.