“Donald Trump Is a Con Man With No Plan,” Newsom Says After Trump Calls Americans “Fools”
WASHINGTON — California Gov. Gavin Newsom escalated his criticism of President Donald Trump on Monday, calling him “a con man with no plan and failing the American people” in a social media post that tied Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict to rising fuel-price fears. The attack came after Trump dismissed concerns about higher oil prices as a temporary cost of confronting Iran’s nuclear threat and said “only fools” would disagree.
The clash reflects a broader political fight over whether Trump has a clear strategy in the growing U.S.-Iran conflict and how much Americans may end up paying for it. In the post Newsom highlighted, Trump argued that short-term oil-price increases were “a very small price to pay” for U.S. and global security if Iran’s nuclear threat is eliminated. Newsom responded by accusing Trump of celebrating low gas prices one moment and then insulting Americans for worrying that war could send prices higher.
The economic backdrop helps explain why the exchange is getting attention. Reuters reported Monday that most Americans expect gasoline prices to keep rising after the Iran strikes, with 67% saying they believe prices will increase over the next year. The same Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 64% of Americans said Trump had not clearly explained the goals of the military action.
Energy markets have already reacted sharply. Time reported that crude oil rose above $100 a barrel as the conflict disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route. In California, gas prices climbed above $5 a gallon on average, according to reporting published Monday, far above the national average and high enough to intensify the political blame game between Sacramento and the White House.
Newsom’s language was plainly political, but it also landed in the middle of a substantive debate over whether Trump entered the conflict with a clear endgame. Critics argue that the administration has not fully explained how long the campaign could last, what success would look like, or how it plans to contain the fallout for consumers and U.S. troops. Supporters of the president argue that short-term pain is justified if it weakens Iran’s military and nuclear capacity and restores deterrence.
For now, the facts are simpler than the rhetoric. Trump is arguing that higher oil prices are temporary and worth the cost. Newsom is arguing that the president is minimizing the burden on working Americans while lacking a coherent plan. With gas prices already rising and public skepticism growing, that argument is likely to remain one of the clearest domestic flashpoints in the Iran conflict.
