Full article: WASHINGTON DC – In the 11^(th) century, King Canute infamously tried to prove he could turn back the ocean’s waves. Today, [Donald Trump](https://inews.co.uk/topic/donald-trump?ico=in-line_link) thinks he can defy political gravity. But with each passing hour, the US President’s comeuppance seems as inevitable as the tides that humiliated Canute more than 900 years ago.
The walls are closing in on Trump’s White House.
On Tuesday night, less than seven months before the US’s crucial midterm elections in November, the Associated Press reported the President’s approval rating [had dropped](https://apnews.com/article/trump-approval-iran-economy-cost-of-living-poll-fff492898cc8ff34e11df90ec4837a79) to a record low of just 33 per cent. On the central issue of the economy – the top concern for many voters – just 30 per cent of Americans give Trump the thumbs-up. That was a nine-point reduction on poll numbers since Trump took the decision to join Israel’s attack on [Iran](https://inews.co.uk/topic/iran?ico=in-line_link) on 28 February.
Underscoring the belief that fuel prices will not fall anytime soon, *The Washington Post* reported that Pentagon officials have warned Congress in a classified briefing that even if an elusive peace between Tehran and Washington is negotiated, it will take a further six months to fully clear the [Strait of Hormuz](https://inews.co.uk/topic/strait-of-hormuz?ico=in-line_link) of mines.
It reported that the timeline was “met with frustration by Democrats and Republicans alike” on the House Armed Services Committee, with the conflict’s economic impact likely to extend late into this year or even beyond.
Chris Wright, Trump’s energy secretary, meanwhile found himself on the White House naughty step after admitting in an [interview](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/19/chris-wright-fuel-prices-gasoline-00880043) on Sunday that the soaring price of petrol might not fall below $3 a gallon before the end of 2026. Currently, the national average price tracked by the American Automobile Association is around $4 a gallon and rising.
A fuming Trump pushed back on his own cabinet member, calling Wright’s comments “totally wrong” and said that petrol prices will fall “as soon as [the war] ends”.
But there is no end in sight to the conflict, much to Trump’s frustration. On Wednesday, Iran demonstrated that it can still strike at ships off the coast of Oman, and warned of “new cards” it still has to play.
While Trump likes to repeat like a mantra that Iran “has no navy, no air force, no anti-aircraft equipment, no radar”, an entirely different analysis of the regime’s military strength is being presented privately to Congress.
Fox News reported on Wednesday that Lieutenant General James Adams, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, warned the House Armed Services Subcommittee that Iran’s remaining missile and drone capabilities still pose a significant threat to US forces and to Iran’s neighbours.
“Tehran retains thousands of missiles and one-way Unmanned Aerial Vehicles capable of threatening US and partner forces throughout the region,” he told lawmakers.
Adams’ testimony directly contradicted the relentlessly upbeat and chest-thumping messaging that Secretary of War [Pete Hegseth](https://inews.co.uk/topic/pete-hegseth?ico=in-line_link) has projected from the Pentagon briefing room.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Hegseth orchestrated the latest firing of a top military official who dared to challenge him. John Phelan, hand-picked by Trump to serve as Navy Secretary last spring, was unexpectedly dismissed just three weeks after the Army’s Chief of Staff, [Randy George](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/trumps-firing-rampage-wont-save-him-from-himself-4334766?ico=in-line_link), was asked to step down from his post.
Phelan, who raised $12 million for Trump’s election campaign in 2024, and was the President’s neighbour in Palm Beach, appears to have blotted his copybook by challenging orders handed down to him by Hegseth.
“Phelan didn’t understand he wasn’t the boss,” a source familiar with events told the news website [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/04/22/navy-secretary-john-phelan-hung-cao). “His job is to follow orders given, not follow the orders he thinks should be given,” the person added, saying that Phelan and Hegseth just “didn’t get along”.
For the head of the US Navy to depart in the middle of an American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is unprecedented but speaks to the chaos that now lies at the heart of Trump’s administration.
Adding to the President’s woes: one of his most fervent early supporters, the right-wing commentator [Tucker Carlson](https://inews.co.uk/topic/tucker-carlson?ico=in-line_link), apologised to the American public this week for supporting Trump’s reelection. Carlson, who has been increasingly distancing himself from Trump, told viewers of his webcast that he would be “tormented for a long time” by his decision to tie himself to Trump’s apron strings. “I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people. It was not intentional.”
Fastluck83 on
There are two kinds of people: Those who know that he and his policies are a failure, and those who know, but a mixture of pride, sunk-cost fallacy, and grasping at straws prevents them from admitting it.
[deleted] on
[deleted]
TrackBackground8367 on
it’s almost like putting aggressive tariffs on literally everything wasn’t actually a magic fix for inflation tbh. who could have possibly predicted this outcome except literally every single economist on the planet?
CurrentElectrical736 on
Trump has basically destroyed the Republican party’s chances for years to come.
thieh on
Would “cratering” be the right word if it already went into the ground and shot out from the other side of the planet?
Rambaz_69 on
The stupidity of Trump’s 33% of supporters never ceases to amaze me. How many more promises does Trump have to break before they realize what kind of person he is? He wants only one thing, and that is to increase his wealth. He couldn’t care less about how this affects America and the American people. But it’s to be feared that his supporters will never understand this.
1984isAMidlifeCrisis on
The pain of how fucked up we’ve made the Strait of Hormuz and the damage to our economy hasn’t really set in yet. Fuel and Fertilizer make the machinery flow and there’s buffers and stockpiles to smooth out the supply. But those cushions are being exhausted and the grinding hasn’t really begun.
al_swedgen01 on
Complete garbage on both accounts.
People who voted for trump and those who couldn’t be bothered have NOT experienced anywhere near enough economic “pain”.
Its a safe bet that a significant percentage dont even know their country is at war.
OpenTheBobs on
But Trump said this is the golden age. You mean, we were lied to?
_ficklelilpickle on
Until 2027? LOL, if economic pain is only felt until 2027 it will be an absolute miracle. It’s going to take decades for a proper recovery with the amount of international trade Trump has overseen the destruction of.
Big_Lab_Jagr on
I woke up to an email from my company owner that due to the crappy economic circumstances we’re all getting a bonus to try to help.
There are good bosses out there. And guess what, Trumpers? He’s an immigrant.
BekindBebetter60 on
It will go much longer than that. We will never recover from the damage Trump has caused. On the bright side he may have averted a world war. He has damaged our economy and alliances with our allies so much that they are turning to China for leadership which we have stupidly ceded.
NotOK1955 on
No…the economic pain will last a LOT LONGER.
This orange jesus, starting a war with Iran and disrupting energy production, raising tariffs, ignoring domestic problems all equates to a disaster to the economy.
Mark my words, we’re in for a recession or possibly depression.
pwiegers on
Pain will remain until 2027? <ROFL>
You wish.
Nobody – NOBODY – in the world trusts the US anymore.
And rightly so.
MrPantsyFlants on
Trump is accelerating the economic divide. He is forcing the economy into a place where anyone making a living wage now will not be able to afford groceries or an apartment. Wait until Dollar General is the 20 dollar general. Trump want’s domestic chaos so he can slam down martial law. He always want’s another layer of control. He’s stupid but he is also the most evil human of my lifetime and I am pretty old.
Accomplished-Run221 on
That’s the most optimistic projection I’ve seen in a decade.
ChrissWayne on
*2127
Glittering-Door-9586 on
Damn after over half a decade of rampant inflation and affordability crisis, our economic pain will all be over in 2027. That’s fantastic news.
aerost0rm on
The damage will last way past 2027… it’ll be decade(s) of repair…
marlinspike on
Unfortunately the pain will last longer. We’ve permanently changed the global order and have done so very suddenly. There is unlikely to be a way back to the old order, and while we are still very strong, we’re not invulnerable to tectonic shifts. The last series of major trade agreements were between India and EU and Japan. A lot of conflicts and acrimony that was bottled up is rising, and the pressure valve that kept the world in check is no longer there.
I think we’ve emboldened a middle-powers group to coalesce around a more predictable world that we once provided but no longer do.
sideways_wrx_ on
Bold of you to think the economic pain will just end in 2027.
Trump has set us up for decades of failure.
falsekoala on
Oh it will be longer than that.
thebeatoflife on
Nah, you guys will be fucked well past 2027. This guys term’s will affect generations of Americans. While you’re all suffering the rest of the countries that you guys bullied will remember how you treated them and it is my sincere hope that you’ll all be left to rot in what you created.
Angreek on
These articles are nonsense. Written by republicans?
Traditional_Sign4941 on
Correct. ***US*** economic pain will last until 2027, because it’s unclear if it will still be called the United States in 2027 or just Trumpistan.
rlovelock on
“Cratering” to the same 33% it’s been cratering to since his first term…
ChubbyHastarii on
At least.
pr06lefs on
Trump is just a reflection of what the US has become: ignorant, stupid, deluded, racist, greedy, self defeating, a terrible ally. The fact that we would elect someone like him not once but twice shows that we can’t be trusted.
The fallout from this is going to be happening for decades even if we are able to U turn away from becoming a pathetic petrostate like russia.
ThirdSunRising on
A billion-dollar-a-day war, with no end in sight, will be felt long past 2027. Heck ill be thrilled if we manage to get out of that war by 2027
30 Comments
Full article: WASHINGTON DC – In the 11^(th) century, King Canute infamously tried to prove he could turn back the ocean’s waves. Today, [Donald Trump](https://inews.co.uk/topic/donald-trump?ico=in-line_link) thinks he can defy political gravity. But with each passing hour, the US President’s comeuppance seems as inevitable as the tides that humiliated Canute more than 900 years ago.
The walls are closing in on Trump’s White House.
On Tuesday night, less than seven months before the US’s crucial midterm elections in November, the Associated Press reported the President’s approval rating [had dropped](https://apnews.com/article/trump-approval-iran-economy-cost-of-living-poll-fff492898cc8ff34e11df90ec4837a79) to a record low of just 33 per cent. On the central issue of the economy – the top concern for many voters – just 30 per cent of Americans give Trump the thumbs-up. That was a nine-point reduction on poll numbers since Trump took the decision to join Israel’s attack on [Iran](https://inews.co.uk/topic/iran?ico=in-line_link) on 28 February.
On Wednesday, Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, [warned](https://nypost.com/2026/04/22/business/united-airlines-says-it-will-raise-summer-fares-as-much-as-20-as-fuel-prices-surge-amid-iran-war/) that with no end to the conflict in sight, he was ordering a 20 per cent increase in air fares for summer flights. Other airlines are expected to follow suit. The increases will notably impact holidaymakers and all those football fans who have not already booked their tickets to the US, Canada and Mexico for this summer’s geographically-dispersed [FIFA World Cup](https://inews.co.uk/topic/fifa-world-cup?ico=in-line_link).
Separately, the White House is now reportedly planning to offer budget carrier Spirit Airlines a $500-million loan in an effort to help it avert bankruptcy. The airline was already in trouble before the war with Iran, but the [rise in fuel prices](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/summer-holidays-spain-portugal-risk-uk-jet-fuel-crisis-4373508?ico=in-line_link) over the last seven weeks has added to its woes.
Underscoring the belief that fuel prices will not fall anytime soon, *The Washington Post* reported that Pentagon officials have warned Congress in a classified briefing that even if an elusive peace between Tehran and Washington is negotiated, it will take a further six months to fully clear the [Strait of Hormuz](https://inews.co.uk/topic/strait-of-hormuz?ico=in-line_link) of mines.
It reported that the timeline was “met with frustration by Democrats and Republicans alike” on the House Armed Services Committee, with the conflict’s economic impact likely to extend late into this year or even beyond.
Chris Wright, Trump’s energy secretary, meanwhile found himself on the White House naughty step after admitting in an [interview](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/19/chris-wright-fuel-prices-gasoline-00880043) on Sunday that the soaring price of petrol might not fall below $3 a gallon before the end of 2026. Currently, the national average price tracked by the American Automobile Association is around $4 a gallon and rising.
A fuming Trump pushed back on his own cabinet member, calling Wright’s comments “totally wrong” and said that petrol prices will fall “as soon as [the war] ends”.
But there is no end in sight to the conflict, much to Trump’s frustration. On Wednesday, Iran demonstrated that it can still strike at ships off the coast of Oman, and warned of “new cards” it still has to play.
While Trump likes to repeat like a mantra that Iran “has no navy, no air force, no anti-aircraft equipment, no radar”, an entirely different analysis of the regime’s military strength is being presented privately to Congress.
Fox News reported on Wednesday that Lieutenant General James Adams, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, warned the House Armed Services Subcommittee that Iran’s remaining missile and drone capabilities still pose a significant threat to US forces and to Iran’s neighbours.
“Tehran retains thousands of missiles and one-way Unmanned Aerial Vehicles capable of threatening US and partner forces throughout the region,” he told lawmakers.
Adams’ testimony directly contradicted the relentlessly upbeat and chest-thumping messaging that Secretary of War [Pete Hegseth](https://inews.co.uk/topic/pete-hegseth?ico=in-line_link) has projected from the Pentagon briefing room.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Hegseth orchestrated the latest firing of a top military official who dared to challenge him. John Phelan, hand-picked by Trump to serve as Navy Secretary last spring, was unexpectedly dismissed just three weeks after the Army’s Chief of Staff, [Randy George](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/trumps-firing-rampage-wont-save-him-from-himself-4334766?ico=in-line_link), was asked to step down from his post.
Phelan, who raised $12 million for Trump’s election campaign in 2024, and was the President’s neighbour in Palm Beach, appears to have blotted his copybook by challenging orders handed down to him by Hegseth.
“Phelan didn’t understand he wasn’t the boss,” a source familiar with events told the news website [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/04/22/navy-secretary-john-phelan-hung-cao). “His job is to follow orders given, not follow the orders he thinks should be given,” the person added, saying that Phelan and Hegseth just “didn’t get along”.
For the head of the US Navy to depart in the middle of an American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is unprecedented but speaks to the chaos that now lies at the heart of Trump’s administration.
Adding to the President’s woes: one of his most fervent early supporters, the right-wing commentator [Tucker Carlson](https://inews.co.uk/topic/tucker-carlson?ico=in-line_link), apologised to the American public this week for supporting Trump’s reelection. Carlson, who has been increasingly distancing himself from Trump, told viewers of his webcast that he would be “tormented for a long time” by his decision to tie himself to Trump’s apron strings. “I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people. It was not intentional.”
There are two kinds of people: Those who know that he and his policies are a failure, and those who know, but a mixture of pride, sunk-cost fallacy, and grasping at straws prevents them from admitting it.
[deleted]
it’s almost like putting aggressive tariffs on literally everything wasn’t actually a magic fix for inflation tbh. who could have possibly predicted this outcome except literally every single economist on the planet?
Trump has basically destroyed the Republican party’s chances for years to come.
Would “cratering” be the right word if it already went into the ground and shot out from the other side of the planet?
The stupidity of Trump’s 33% of supporters never ceases to amaze me. How many more promises does Trump have to break before they realize what kind of person he is? He wants only one thing, and that is to increase his wealth. He couldn’t care less about how this affects America and the American people. But it’s to be feared that his supporters will never understand this.
The pain of how fucked up we’ve made the Strait of Hormuz and the damage to our economy hasn’t really set in yet. Fuel and Fertilizer make the machinery flow and there’s buffers and stockpiles to smooth out the supply. But those cushions are being exhausted and the grinding hasn’t really begun.
Complete garbage on both accounts.
People who voted for trump and those who couldn’t be bothered have NOT experienced anywhere near enough economic “pain”.
Its a safe bet that a significant percentage dont even know their country is at war.
But Trump said this is the golden age. You mean, we were lied to?
Until 2027? LOL, if economic pain is only felt until 2027 it will be an absolute miracle. It’s going to take decades for a proper recovery with the amount of international trade Trump has overseen the destruction of.
I woke up to an email from my company owner that due to the crappy economic circumstances we’re all getting a bonus to try to help.
There are good bosses out there. And guess what, Trumpers? He’s an immigrant.
It will go much longer than that. We will never recover from the damage Trump has caused. On the bright side he may have averted a world war. He has damaged our economy and alliances with our allies so much that they are turning to China for leadership which we have stupidly ceded.
No…the economic pain will last a LOT LONGER.
This orange jesus, starting a war with Iran and disrupting energy production, raising tariffs, ignoring domestic problems all equates to a disaster to the economy.
Mark my words, we’re in for a recession or possibly depression.
Pain will remain until 2027? <ROFL>
You wish.
Nobody – NOBODY – in the world trusts the US anymore.
And rightly so.
Trump is accelerating the economic divide. He is forcing the economy into a place where anyone making a living wage now will not be able to afford groceries or an apartment. Wait until Dollar General is the 20 dollar general. Trump want’s domestic chaos so he can slam down martial law. He always want’s another layer of control. He’s stupid but he is also the most evil human of my lifetime and I am pretty old.
That’s the most optimistic projection I’ve seen in a decade.
*2127
Damn after over half a decade of rampant inflation and affordability crisis, our economic pain will all be over in 2027. That’s fantastic news.
The damage will last way past 2027… it’ll be decade(s) of repair…
Unfortunately the pain will last longer. We’ve permanently changed the global order and have done so very suddenly. There is unlikely to be a way back to the old order, and while we are still very strong, we’re not invulnerable to tectonic shifts. The last series of major trade agreements were between India and EU and Japan. A lot of conflicts and acrimony that was bottled up is rising, and the pressure valve that kept the world in check is no longer there.
I think we’ve emboldened a middle-powers group to coalesce around a more predictable world that we once provided but no longer do.
Bold of you to think the economic pain will just end in 2027.
Trump has set us up for decades of failure.
Oh it will be longer than that.
Nah, you guys will be fucked well past 2027. This guys term’s will affect generations of Americans. While you’re all suffering the rest of the countries that you guys bullied will remember how you treated them and it is my sincere hope that you’ll all be left to rot in what you created.
These articles are nonsense. Written by republicans?
Correct. ***US*** economic pain will last until 2027, because it’s unclear if it will still be called the United States in 2027 or just Trumpistan.
“Cratering” to the same 33% it’s been cratering to since his first term…
At least.
Trump is just a reflection of what the US has become: ignorant, stupid, deluded, racist, greedy, self defeating, a terrible ally. The fact that we would elect someone like him not once but twice shows that we can’t be trusted.
The fallout from this is going to be happening for decades even if we are able to U turn away from becoming a pathetic petrostate like russia.
A billion-dollar-a-day war, with no end in sight, will be felt long past 2027. Heck ill be thrilled if we manage to get out of that war by 2027