When the COVID-19 virus began to spread in early 2020, Trump responded to his first real emergency by revealing that he was completely out of his depth.
Starting in January 2020, Trump declared that COVID was “
totally under control,” claiming, “It’s one person coming in from China.” He continued to downplay the virus in February, stating that infections were “
going down, not up,” and that the stock market was “
starting to look very good to me!” It would just “
go away” by spring, he said. But then, once reality set in he claimed that he always knew how bad it would get.
This time, the global crisis comes from Trump’s own hands, but his “performance” is much the same with contradictory statements, absurd solutions (drink bleach), a refusal to take responsibility and a general indifference to death.
The war’s length is a subject of ever-shifting time frames for Trump — much like his declarations that COVID would “disappear” soon. He initially claimed that the war which has now gone on for more than one month would be over in 3 days.
The war was already “
very complete, pretty much,” he said on March 9. Contradicting himself again, he said that the war wouldn’t end until there was “
unconditional surrender” or that he’ll decide to end it, “
when I feel it, feel it in my bones.” On March 19, Trump threatened to bomb Iran’s energy infrastructure, but two days later, he declared that the war was “
winding down.” Then he said the “
war has been won,” as bombs continued to fall across Iran.
A month into the war, Trump claims that he is making “
great progress” in negotiations with Iran. Iranian leaders, however, claim that
no such negotiations are taking place.
During COVID, he had purged the pandemic preparedness group in the National Security Council. Similarly, Trump sidelined experts and failed to properly plan Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20% of the world’s oil supply. The State Department’s oil and gas experts
were all fired in 2025 by DOGE, removing critical expertise for this very moment. DOGE cuts to the State Department also made it impossible for the agency to help Americans who were urged to flee Gulf states now under attack by Iran.
The result has been a slow creeping energy shock that could rival or surpass the 1970s shocks that led to oil shortages, rationing and gas station lines if the war continues to rage.