When not firing off social media posts threatening potential war crimes against 93 million Iranians, Donald Trump is busy quietly killing the so-called American dream. With gasoline at US$4 a gallon, credit card debt hitting a record US$1.28tn, and stagnating wages, Americans are struggling to detect the prosperity their president promised them. Regardless, Trump plans to spend a record $1.5tn on the military in 2027 – a 40% increase for the Pentagon at a time when farm bankruptcies have increased by 46%.
But if Trump’s illegal war on Iran has taught us anything, it is this: Americans will pay any price for freedom, except if it increases the price of groceries or gasoline. People in the Maga heartlands tolerated the erosion of civil liberties, democracy and the rule of law during the first year of Trump’s second presidency but they will be unforgiving if their standard of living declines.
My wife and I moved from Fremantle to New York for our careers 15 years ago, bringing our three small children with us. All of them are US citizens. But we recently took a family decision to return to Australia. To be honest, it feels like an escape.
Political Glance
Clay Fuller supports the war in Iran. Shawn Harris opposes it. Voters in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former district in north-west Georgia decided that this distinction was not enough to propel a Democrat into a conservative-leaning House seat on Tuesday night.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says he’s considering pulling US customs agents from airports in sanctuary cities – a move that could upend international travel to and from some of the country’s busiest airports. Mullin said he was considering the change because “I believe sanctuary cities is not lawful.” Republicans and Democrats remain in a pitched political battle over funding for ICE and Border Patrol.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s plans to rally in the state this week with controversial livestreamer Hasan Piker are roiling the Democratic primary, with other candidates blasting the decision to invite him on the campaign trail.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday said that those who push to not “engage” with popular Twitch streamer and left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker “will cost us future elections.”
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Sunday slammed President Trump’s message to Iran earlier in the day, saying he is “insane” and “not a Christian.”





























