"A tide of political danger is rising around President Trump as criticism grows that he may be losing control of the war in Iran," writes The Hill's Niall Stanage in his column today.
The gist: Oil prices are surging, the stock market is volatile and the conflict appears to be escalating. There are also worries of a spike in inflation driven by fuel costs. Trump downplayed the price increases on Thursday, but some see political peril looming.
Keep in mind: An overwhelming majority of Americans expect oil and gas prices to keep rising, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Read Stanage's column — it's The Hill's most-read story today: 'Frustrated Trump struggles against perception that he's losing control of Iran war'
NEW POLL ON THE IRAN WAR:
Nearly two-thirds of Americans think Trump will send U.S. ground troops to Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
For what it's worth, Trump denied on Thursday that he would send additional troops. "No, I'm not putting troops anywhere," he said.
OMG, THE PEARL HARBOR JOKE:
President Trump made a joke about Pearl Harbor while sitting next to the prime minister of Japan. The president was asked why he didn't alert allies before he attacked Iran and he used that question to invoke the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor.
"You don't want to signal too much. … We didn't tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise," Trump said. "Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?"
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had quite the facial expression when Trump said that. 🎥 Watch the clip
TRUMP MAY BE RETHINKING HIS IMMIGRATION POLICIES:
The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump has been telling those close to him that he may have gone too far in his mass deportation policies.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles reportedly thinks there should be an immigration reset in the Trump administration because immigration went from one of Trump's biggest strengths to a midterm weakness.
Read more: 'Trump Told Inner Circle Some Mass Deportation Policies Went Too Far'
