NYT's Maggie Haberman delivers blunt verdict on Trump's 'very confusing' war

Trump's reasoning for carrying on the war in Iran while facing upcoming midterms and trying to open the Strait of Hormuz for shipping doesn't make sense, said New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman.

"I see it as very confusing," Haberman told CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday. "It is very hard to know what is happening. Frankly, from either government."

Haberman pointed out that Iranians "are facing economic difficulties. There's no question about that," but "gauging exactly what that means is quite hard," she said.

"The economic issues that are being created by the energy crisis from this war are pretty measurable in terms of the cost of gas at the pump," at home in the U.S., though, Haberman added. But Haberman is perplexed that Trump's strategy with the war doesn't factor in voters' discontent with the bump at the pump.

"We'll see if President Trump gets more engaged in the midterms and feels as if there's some personal interest in it for him," Haberman said. "Maybe he will decide he wants to travel, but as long as gas prices remain where they are, it's not a great climate for his party."

Iran and U.S. Naval forces exchanged fire on Thursday. Trump boasted U.S. military action in a Truth Social post shortly after the skirmish, writing that Iranian ships "dropped ever so beautifully down to the Ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave!