I support Trump, but his ego-stroking on Iran is annoying | Your Turn

As popular opinion on President Donald Trump's war in Iran dips to new lows, his threats and rhetoric only seem to escalate. And even among readers who support the president on the whole, that low approval for the war is showing – especially at the gas pump.

Between Trump's declaration on April 7 that "a whole civilization will die tonight” and the consequences you're feeling closer to home, we wanted to know: Have Trump's threats gone too far? And if you're among the 69% of Americans who say they are concerned about facing higher gas and fuel prices if hostilities between the United States and Iran resume after the temporary ceasefire, is the pain worth the reward?

While the majority of your responses reflected the overwhelming lack of enthusiasm among Americans for the war, many of you found room for hope – or at least some insights from behind the car dealership desk.

Here's a sampling of what you said below in our latest installment of Forum. Look for more opportunities to weigh in at usatoday.com/forum, leave us a voicemail at (202) 655-3923 or drop us a note at [email protected].

President Trump has no real concept of diplomacy

This was a war that was started in President Donald Trump's mind, and in his psychological ailments and inferiority complex. President Barack Obama had a treaty with Iran, which included an agreement not to develop nuclear weapons.

Of course, Iran was struck in 2025, and Trump asserted that their nuclear capability was eliminated. And his own intelligence personnel on the matter agreed. So why did the United States need to do anything now?

Although I have traveled in Europe and understood decades ago that fuel is much cheaper (already) than it is in many parts of the world, this is a point that Trump tried to make as a selling point: He would (or did) make gas prices cheaper. Well, we can't have that "greatness" for very long, now, can't we? One year of lower gas prices won't make up for months or years of higher gas prices. If the war ended today, it would likely be a push at best.

The president is a tantrum-throwing child, with no real concept of diplomacy, other than what he learned running his own business. World diplomacy doesn't work the same way, but he thinks it can, and it has made his threats seem toothless, clueless and rudderless.

To me, the Republican Party has not provided any realistic plans ‒ whether for jobs, the economy or world diplomacy ‒ that are logical, functional or sane for the last 40 years.

— Thomas Lange, Nebraska

Maybe this surge in gas prices will force a fossil fuel reckoning

Endless military conflicts in this region are not the solution. And the fact that we continue to engage in wars that kill harmless civilians and military personnel is unacceptable. We are a global community, and the sooner the world accepts that and starts to function as such, the sooner things will start to turn around. Until then, sporadic wars and conflicts will just continue

I personally would like to see gas prices go through the roof, and maybe just maybe that will finally convince the powers that be that fossil fuel needs to be phased out. Climate change is a reality, and as a global community, we need to address the problem.

This has not changed my view of Trump. It has simply supported the fact that he is not a mentally stable person and should never have been allowed to run for the office of president. Unfortunately, the court of public opinion has failed to see that he was not known for his business prowess. He was not known for his philanthropy, and he was not known for his intelligence. Why would he be a suitable candidate for president?

— Jeannette Swearingen, Alabama

I support the Iran war and Trump, but not all his rhetoric

While I approve of Trump as president and especially the war in Iran, it really annoys me to see him stroking his ego so often and insisting that the limelight always be on him and "his decisions." He could be considered a great president if it were not for his consistently poor behavior.

President Trump is what he is, and no one seems able to change him in any way. None of this has changed my mind on how I will vote. I will still vote Republican.

— Mike Rooney, Colorado

Trump is unfit. It's pure madness.

Trump is conspicuously unfit. We continue to discuss his "policies" as if he were otherwise. If our house is on fire and sinking into a cavern, why are we discussing drapes and carpet? It's as if we are as deranged as he is. It's pure madness.

— Sam Collins, Florida

I support the Iran war. Trump did what he had to do.

I approve of both President Trump and the war in Iran. Yes, airfare and other fees are shooting up, but I have no plans to fly anytime soon.

Trump is a dealmaker, and with his comment on the total erasure of Iran, it was a tactic to put extreme pressure on the Iranian regime. Whatever it looks like now, he needed to make significant concessions for the Iranians to come to their senses.

He's doing the things he promised he would if he were elected. Thank God we have him as our president.

Liberals have lost their way – traditional Democrats are going the way of the dinosaurs.

— Robert Savage, Missouri

I work at a car dealership. I see Trump's impact on gas prices.

I work at a car dealership as a cashier, so I get to see the consequences of this conflict play out in real time.

Considering that, allow me to do some car dealership cashier math: Most used cars get $25 of gas in the tank. Many new cars have a $150 gas ticket limit. That means, over one month, most used cars have had the amount of gas to refill them reduced from a maximum of around 8 gallons to around a maximum of 5 or 6 gallons, currently.

Apply this same math to $150 worth of gas per car for new vehicles in the United States being sold. Yes, this will increase the prices of a lot more than just gas by default, because importing requires gasoline, exporting requires fuel of various kinds.

I'm more than just concerned at this point. When you go from "We'll save the Iranian people" to "If we don't hear in X amount of time, we'll bomb them to the Stone Age," it's a pretty big escalation. Personally, I don't think the United States should be in this war in the first place.

— Shayde Fischer, Illinois