Trump takes blame game to a new level with Reflecting Pool, Iran war and inflation finger pointing

Trump takes blame game to a new level with Reflecting Pool, Iran war and inflation finger pointing Trump’s tendency to point fingers at others is increasingly in the spotlight before November’s midterm elections, when Republicans are trying to retain control of Congress - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments "The buck stops here" is one of the most recognizable maxims in American political lore. Yet for President Donald Trump, accountability rarely seems to land at his desk. When confronted with anxieties over economic stagnation and persistent inflation, he points toward his predecessor, Joe Biden, claiming he inherited the issue. He maintains this stance even though the Democrat departed office more than 18 months ago and despite Trump's earlier pledges of a rapid recovery. Regarding the troubled renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the Republican president attributes the setbacks to criminal vandalism. However, a prosecutor appointed by his own administration concluded that poor construction quality was responsible for the defects. As for the deepening conflict in Iran—which has driven up crude prices, depressed his popularity, and unsettled international markets—Trump frames it as necessary corrective action. He asserts he is rectifying decades of hesitation by previous commanders-in-chief who missed half a century of opportunities to contain Tehran's nuclear capabilities. While virtually all modern chief executives pass blame to previous administrations or Capitol Hill when crises emerge, Trump has reshaped the practice. He has adopted a governing approach that claims credit for successes while systematically deflecting blame when difficulties arise. "Taking responsibility being a characteristic of presidential leadership — or any kind of leadership — is absolutely true," said Nicole Anslover, a history professor at Florida Atlantic University and author of Harry S. Truman: The Coming of the Cold War. This inclination to redirect fault has drawn renewed attention ahead of November's midterm contests, where the GOP is fighting to hold its congressional majorities. Trump’s reluctance to admit missteps occasionally leads to outright denials that issues exist, potentially leaving vulnerable Republican candidates with few convincing arguments to ease voter anxieties. Administration officials maintain that the president is actively tackling entrenched problems rather than simply dismissing them. The president is "rightfully addressing the failures of his predecessors while taking action to deliver big wins for the American people," Trump spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. She highlighted legislative achievements for GOP campaigns, including tax reductions, measures targeting drug costs, border enforcement, boosted energy output, and robust financial markets. Ducking responsibility dates to Trump's first term Harry S. Truman famously displayed a sign bearing the motto on his desk during his presidency. According to his official library, the phrase originated in frontier poker games, where players handed off a buckhorn-handled knife to signal who was slated to deal next. "The president, whoever he is, has to decide," Truman declared in his 1953 farewell address. "He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That’s his job." Over time, the expression evolved to signify taking ownership of controversial outcomes. Trump once echoed this sentiment, remarking in 2013 regarding corporate management, "Whatever happens, you’re responsible. If it doesn’t happen, you’re responsible." Upon accepting his party's nomination in 2016, Trump proclaimed, "Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it." Yet in office, he has routinely argued that both remedies and fault lie with others. "The buck stops with everybody," Trump remarked during a protracted government shutdown in 2019. Later, while declaring a national emergency in 2020 over the coronavirus, he stated, "I don’t take responsibility at all" regarding early testing deficiencies. Anslover noted that Truman accepted total responsibility for deploying atomic weapons against Japan, despite only learning about the Manhattan Project after Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed away. John F. Kennedy experienced a surge in public support after taking ownership of the failed Bay of Pigs operation in Cuba. Ronald Reagan expressed regret over the Iran-Contra affair despite questioning his direct culpability, stating, "The buck stops here with me." During his final press conference in early 2009, George W. Bush acknowledged several missteps, including the intelligence failure surrounding Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Similarly, Barack Obama publicly admitted, "I screwed up," following the withdrawal of his health nominee Tom Daschle over tax irregularities. Historical predecessors "really usually take accountability," Anslover observed. In a recent interview with Punchbowl, the president recognized voter frustration but insisted the anger was directed at congressional lawmakers rather than himself. Although he expects Republicans to preserve their majorities in November, he signaled that a defeat would not rest on his shoulders—reiterating his position from the 2018 midterms before his party ultimately lost the House. Trump has shown the same pattern with Iran and the Reflecting Pool Public approval of his economic management has steadily waned, slipping from 40% in March 2025 down to 32% by July, according to data from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Furthermore, Pew Research Center surveys show approximately six in 10 Americans believe his policies have exacerbated economic troubles. "The public certainly expects the president to be concerned about, and focused on, making life more affordable," noted Republican pollster Frank Luntz. Instead, Trump targets Biden, during whose tenure inflation peaked at a 40-year high of 9.1% in 2022 amid global pandemic disruptions before cooling to 2.7% in November 2024. Spurred by conflict in the Middle East, inflation stood at 3.4% last month. "When we took office, we inherited a total catastrophe," Trump told supporters during a recent rally, later emphasizing, "I inherited those high prices, just so you understand." Andrew Bates, a Democratic strategist and former Biden White House spokesperson, highlighted that the president has abandoned his campaign pledge to "immediately end inflation" upon taking office. "He may not remember having made those promises, but swing voters sure as hell do," Bates remarked. The president has described the conflict with Iran as a brief "detour" or "a little excursion." To downplay its duration, he compares it to protracted engagements in Vietnam and Afghanistan, despite his initial timeline predicting resolution within four to five weeks as the fighting now enters its sixth month. Regarding the Reflecting Pool, he attempted to shift focus backward, incorrectly asserting that Biden and Obama wasted "hundreds of millions of dollars" on unsuccessful repair efforts. His principal defense remains allegations of vandalism, though prosecutors have already dismissed at least four related cases—including one involving a high-profile Olympic canoeist—citing insufficient evidence. Anslover noted that after more than 11 years in the political arena, Trump has consistently shattered conventional expectations of presidential behavior without alienating his staunch supporters. "For many Americans, it has either been a shift in how they view the presidency, or, like with so many things, they just feel empowered to say, ‘These are my priorities. My priority is not the facts,'" she said. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments