President Donald Trump turned from the widening U.S. conflict with Iran to a new domestic political offensive Sunday, declaring Democrats "America's greatest enemy" in a social-media post that landed as 13 U.S. service members have been killed, oil prices have surged above $106 a barrel and the Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues to disrupt airport operations across the country.
"Now with the death of Iran, the greatest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly Incompetent, Democrat Party!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. The message came hours after he issued a 48-hour threat aimed at Tehran, warning that Iranian power plants could be destroyed if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened.
The post fused wartime rhetoric with campaign-style attack politics at a moment when the administration is under pressure on several fronts at once. Iran's military has threatened to permanently close the strait and to strike energy infrastructure across the Gulf, while Washington is also contending with rising fuel prices, congressional deadlock and staffing breakdowns at airports tied to the prolonged DHS funding lapse.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries responded in unusually blunt terms. "Donald Trump should keep his reckless mouth shut before he gets somebody killed," Jeffries said. He also said the White House has "no vision, no plan, no exit strategy" and that officials "clearly didn't anticipate some of the things that have happened, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz."
Trump's assertion that Iran is effectively finished sits uneasily beside the state of the conflict. The war began on Feb. 28, and the casualty count on the American side has continued to climb. Pentagon figures cited in the source material say more than 140 U.S. personnel have also been wounded, while Iran's health ministry has reported more than 1,400 civilian deaths from U.S. and Israeli strikes.
The economic damage has been immediate and global. The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints, remains effectively shut to normal commercial traffic. Brent crude opened Monday at $106.41 a barrel, according to the source material, extending a sharp rise since the start of the year and intensifying inflation fears far beyond the battlefield.
Key pressure points now facing the White House include:
- 13 U.S. service members killed since the conflict began on Feb. 28
- More than 140 U.S. personnel wounded, according to Pentagon figures cited in the source
- Over 1,400 Iranian civilian deaths, according to Iran's health ministry as cited in the source
- Brent crude at $106.41 a barrel Monday
- Roughly 20% of global oil supply normally transits the Strait of Hormuz
- A reported $200 billion additional Pentagon funding request tied to the war effort
The administration is also battling a domestic transportation crunch. On the same day Trump attacked Democrats online, he said he wanted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deployed to airports where unpaid Transportation Security Administration employees have been quitting or not showing up. According to the source material, more than 366 TSA officers have quit since the DHS shutdown began on Feb. 14, and callout rates have exceeded 55% at some airports.
At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday, some passengers reportedly waited nearly six hours to clear security. White House border czar Tom Homan said ICE personnel would not run screening equipment but could support operations by handling crowd control and checking identification, freeing TSA officers for core security tasks.
Trump also sought to link the funding fight to a broader political demand. Speaking to NewsNation on Sunday night, he said he would not support a DHS funding agreement unless Democrats approved the SAVE America Act. "I don't think any deal should be made on this until they approve SAVE America," Trump said.
