Accessibility statement Skip to main content Read in app Opinion Marc A. Thiessen To save the midterms, Trump needs victory in Iran Americans will endure high gas prices for a good military outcome — but not for a bad deal. May 21, 2026 at 12:40 p.m. EDT Today at 12:40 p.m. EDT 5 min Make us preferred on Google President Donald Trump returns to the White House from his China trip on May 15. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) There was no political advantage to President Donald Trump in going to war with Iran. Wars are filled with risk, as was seen in this one when two U.S. pilots were shot down, necessitating a dramatic rescue. And polls have consistently shown that many Americans think the decision to go to war in Iran was a mistake. What will happen in the 2026 midterms? Sign up for Margin of Victory But Trump did it anyway, because he understands that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon , and that he is the only president America has had with the intestinal fortitude to stop it. So...