A month ago, security concerns were so acute that Trump abandoned Air Force One in Turkey and snuck away to a military C-32A jet that flew him to the UK. Reporters including my teammates Gram Slattery and Jonathan Ernst remained on board Air Force One, unaware of the switch. 

In one sense, the operation succeeded. Trump made it safely to his destination despite intelligence suggesting a missile threat amid rising tensions with Iran. Presidents often use secrecy as a tool in statecraft – and they rely on extraordinary security to deal with the constant threat of assassination. 

But the story of Trump being whisked away in a catering truck after attending a NATO summit in Turkey has prompted a cascade of unflattering memes on social media and mocking comments from Iran. 

Nearly six months after his decision to join Israel in a war with Iran, Trump continues to grapple with the military and economic fallout from a conflict he said would last just a few weeks. 

Beyond the apparent increased risks to his safety, the war has driven up gasoline prices, complicating Republicans’ efforts to hold onto their majorities in the U.S. Congress in November’s midterm elections. And military and diplomatic experts agree: there is no clean way for Trump to end the conflict.

It’s not just that U.S. voters dislike the war – two-thirds of them tell Reuters/Ipsos it should end. They’re also losing confidence in Republicans’ ability to manage the economy. The two are related: Trump’s war is increasing costs at a time when voters say they want them lowered.

Trump has led other Republicans looking to solve this political problem by portraying their opposition as communists. But party strategists say that strategy has its limits. 

Consumer prices rose by 3.4% in the 12 months through July, according to official data released on Wednesday. Come fall, many Republicans who ran on lower costs will have to explain why they’ve risen instead. Voters surveyed by Reuters/Ipsos earlier this month said they view Democrats as better economic stewards than Republicans – the first time in nearly a decade they’ve given Democrats the edge on that issue.  

Three months remain for Republicans to turn it around. Trump will deploy a new chief spokesperson after the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, departs at the end of the month. And he’ll host a September 9-10 Dallas convention that’s intended to bring the focus back to Republicans’ pitch on the economy. 

But Iran has demonstrated it can continue to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. That gives Tehran powerful leverage over gas prices, the U.S. economy and the president. Whether or not Trump resorts to secret travel again, he may never escape the consequences of bombing Iran.

Follow Reuters/Ipsos polling on the president's approval ratings here.

Russia on Tuesday freed a former American Marine jailed there since 2022 for humanitarian reasons, in a sign of more positive relations between Moscow and Washington despite the war in Ukraine. Robert Gilman, 32, was released after discussions with President Vladimir Putin aimed at allowing the American to seek medical treatment in the United States. He was one of at least ⁠10 Americans known to be imprisoned in Russia. U.S. officials said Russia sought no concessions in return for the release. Ongoing tensions over U.S. assistance to Ukraine have not prevented Trump from maintaining ties with Putin.