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Donald Trump is waging a two-front war.

In Iran, the downing of an American F-15 fighter jet, with the spectacular rescue of the missing second crew member, announced by the president yesterday, was fantastic news thanks to special ops teams who risked their lives to find him. But the fact that the plane was shot down unfortunately undercuts Trump’s argument that the murderous mullahs have no ability to fight back. And it highlights what soldiers have always known: War is hell. 

The same goes for the Iranians downing an A-10 attack plane, and though the pilot was quickly rescued, it shows the unpredictable nature of war. 

At home, Trump has been firing top aides, and targeting others for dismissal. The ouster of Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem, and media reports about who’s next, has fueled anxiety throughout the Cabinet. The only person who’s probably safe at this point is Jared, given his son-in-law status.

WHY TRUMP’S WAR SPEECH FAILED: DECLARING VICTORY BUT STILL BOMBING IRAN BACK TO THE ‘STONE AGES’

There is some connective tissue between these ongoing battles. They reflect a president who busts through the guardrails, scolds his allies, launches a surprise war with little explanation, and turns on those he deems insufficiently loyal.

To his supporters, Trump gets results because he’s not afraid to take risks that have paralyzed previous presidents grappling with the world’s leading terror state.

To his detractors, Trump is impulsive and reckless, boxing himself into impossible corners by failing to adequately plan for the inevitable consequences.

WHY TRUMP FACES AN AGONIZING DECISION ON OBLITERATING IRAN’S OIL SUPPLY IF HE CAN’T GET A DEAL

By any fair yardstick, U.S. and Israeli warplanes have decimated Iran’s military machine with a remarkably low casualty rate.     

And Iran’s cheap-to-produce drones have caused some injuries to Americans at military bases in surrounding Arab countries, and also inflicted damage on Israel, wounding numerous residents.

Asked by NBC’s Garrett Haake in a phone call whether the downing of the F-15 – before the rescue – would affect his negotiations with Iran, Trump said, "No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war, Garrett."

One reason the president’s prime-time speech fell short is that the public expected him to declare victory and get out, not threaten to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Ages." And will he actually wrap things up in "two to three weeks," which is his standard refrain for some time in the future?

For the president to urge European nations to just "take" the Strait of Hormuz – after having declared that he wouldn’t end the war without a deal to break the Iranian blockade – shows the mixed messages that have marked this conflict.

And then, having washed his hands of anything having to do with Hormuz, Trump posted on Truth Social yesterday: "Open the F----- Strait, you crazy b------s."

Uh, which is it? Depends on when you ask him. (CNN ran the quote as a banner, uncensored.)

TRUMP VOWS US WILL STRIKE IRAN’S POWER PLANTS, BRIDGES IF STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS NOT REOPENED

Trump is touting Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf, as someone he can do business with. But Ghalibaf has repeatedly mocked him, posting: "This brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?’"

Perhaps the president will lose confidence in him the way he did with Pam Bondi.

The now-former attorney general did a terrible job, from botching the Epstein files to refusing to engage with the pedophile’s victims to insulting Democrats at a hearing in which she proudly proclaimed that this was a distraction from the Dow topping 50,000.

Bondi unloaded on Jamie Raskin, who led Democrats during Trump’s second impeachment: "You don’t tell me anything, you washed-up loser lawyer. You’re not even a lawyer!?" (Raskin is a graduate of Harvard Law School and taught constitutional law at American University.)

But that only partially explains her removal. Bondi did everything she could to prosecute Trump’s political enemies. But charges against James Comey and Letitia James were tossed out by judges or blocked by grand juries that refused to indict.

It’s worth dwelling on how outrageous it is for the Justice Department to serve as an attack dog for those who the president has pronounced guilty. Not since John Mitchell went to prison in the Watergate coverup has the department’s mission been so twisted.

Bondi’s likely replacement, Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General, a former Trump defense lawyer (and ex-prosecutor), backed Bondi every step of the way in turning DOJ into Trump’s Department of Retribution. The president clearly wants Blanche to be even more aggressive.

Trump all but confirmed this yesterday to ABC, saying: "Everybody wants it. But Todd’s doing very well. He’s been with me a long time."

PAM BONDI IS OUT AS AG — HERE ARE THE CONTENDERS WHO COULD REPLACE HER

Trump’s attorneys general have suffered the same fate. He booted Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russiagate probe, and then campaigned against him. Bill Barr resigned under pressure from Trump after finding no widespread fraud in the 2020 election, with the president later hurling insults at him.

Noem also did an awful job, seemingly more interested in self-promotion than dealing with the excesses of ICE, especially the fatal shooting of two American citizens, who she branded domestic terrorists. It wasn’t until she falsely accused Trump of approving a costly ad campaign featuring her that he’d had enough.

As an added indignity, we learned that Noem had potentially exposed herself to blackmail when those gaudy photos of her cross-dressing husband surfaced.

Now there are newspaper reports that Trump may dump Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who’s been accused of an improper relationship with a security staffer, misusing public funds and workplace drinking. Several top aides have resigned, and her husband is barred from the building after an accusation of sexual assault.

Trump is also weighing a pink slip for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who often freelances on his own. Lutnick was untruthful about visiting Jeffrey Epstein on his Caribbean island, years after he claimed to have cut off contact.

Trump has been asking aides about sacking Tulsi Gabbard, the national intelligence director, but seems to have dropped that idea for now. He doesn’t want headlines about a full-scale housecleaning.

"She’s a little bit different in her thought process than me, but that doesn’t make somebody not available to serve," he told reporters the other day. 

KRISTI NOEM ‘DEVASTATED’ BY STORY ABOUT HER HUSBAND’S ONLINE ACTIVITIES

A judge has also blocked a subpoena for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, the subject of a DOJ criminal probe related to cost overruns for the agency’s renovation of its 89-year-old headquarters.

Cabinet shakeups are occasionally used as quick fixes. In 1979, Jimmy Carter demanded that all members resign, and wound up dropping Health Secretary Joe Califano, Treasury Secretary Michael Blumenthal, Energy Secretary James Schlesinger, Transportation Secretary Brock Adams and Attorney General Griffin Bell. It didn’t help.

For Trump, it’s almost always a question of loyalty, and for those who fall into disfavor, no amount of butt-kissing is ever enough.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

So we have the president fiddling with his political lineup and potential replacements even as he is fighting a war against Iran. You might think that would be put on hold as American warplanes are shot out of the sky.

But Trump is the ultimate multi-tasker. He’s even found time lately to complain about his planned White House ballroom and filed an emergency appeal, citing national security concerns, of a court ruling that has blocked construction.

Whether the president is dealing with Pam Bondi or Mohammad Ghalibaf, he does what he wants, when he wants to do it. And leaves the consequences for another day.

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As multiple agencies collect tips in the Nancy Guthrie case, the man funding a $100,000 reward says Crime Stoppers — not the sheriff — offers the safest path for witnesses to come forward and an enticing one for people who want to get paid for credible information without giving their name.

"I believe that people will come forward if they’re anonymous and if they get a reward," said Wisconsin attorney Michael Hupy, who is the president of Crime Stoppers Milwaukee.

In Pima County, Arizona, the local Crime Stoppers affiliate is known as 88-CRIME, and the number is 520-882-7463.

Hupy has paid out $75,000 in rewards and posted another $200,000 in an effort to solve crimes in his hometown. But he told Fox News Digital this week he put up six figures in the Guthrie case due to the alarming circumstances of her disappearance.

NANCY GRACE SLAMS SHERIFF’S HANDLING OF GUTHRIE CASE: ‘THE FISH STINKS AT THE HEAD’

She is believed to have been taken from her bedroom in northern Tucson around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1. Responding officers found a thin trail of blood droplets from her front door to the edge of her driveway. Her back doors were propped open. Her Nest doorbell camera was missing. And the trail seemingly ended there, until the FBI and Google recovered home security video showing a masked man on her doorstep — who is still unidentified.

"I was very sad that an 84-year-old woman in poor health was taken from her home, without her medication, her heart pacemaker stopped [synching], there's blood at the crime scene, and I thought something had to be done quickly," he told Fox News Digital. "And I thought this is a place I could step in, as I have in Milwaukee."

He also criticized the early handling of the investigation, saying the sheriff released the crime scene too quickly and made other missteps.

LEAD NANCY GUTHRIE COP HAD NO HOMICIDE EXPERIENCE, SHERIFF BENCHED TOP DETECTIVES: SOURCES

"I don’t think they secured the scene long enough to process it," he said. "They went in, looked, opened it up, then they had to come back later."

Hupy said he believes that the anonymity guaranteed by Crime Stoppers can't be matched by the county sheriff's tip line or even the FBI, whose tip line the Guthrie family has promoted publicly.

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Tipsters can avoid being labeled "snitches" or facing retaliation, he said.

"That's the point of it," he added. "They get a reward anonymously, and they help society by getting criminals off the street."

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And with the investigation entering its third month this week, Hupy said the chance that someone who knows something about Guthrie's suspected abduction told someone else has only increased.

"Somebody will learn something," he said. "An ex-girlfriend will get mad and tell the authorities or Crime Stoppers that her boyfriend confessed to her. A bartender will say a drunk came in and spilled the beans on himself or someone else. So the longer it goes on, the more likely we are to get the criminal."

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Tipsters who use Crime Stoppers can also avoid getting in the middle as both the PCSD and FBI vie for information on the case independently, Hupy said.

"Avoid the bickering and avoid the nonsense and call Crime Stoppers," Hupy said. "We know how to handle this. We have solved thousands of cases, and we're not in the middle of something."

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

And because Crime Stoppers is not a government agency, Hupy said it is not subject to freedom of information laws and does not keep identifying records of the informants it pays.

Tipsters are not asked for their names and receive a unique code number when they give information instead, he said. If there's an arrest based on that information, they can collect by giving the code, not their name.

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"If your tip results in an arrest, you get a reward," he said. "We don’t even know your name or your address or your phone number."

And there are no records kept of those details either, he added.

The national crime fighting organization has given out tens of millions of dollars in reward money over the years, he said.

The Crime Stoppers reward is $102,500 for information that leads to an arrest. The FBI is separately offering a $100,000 reward for information that leads to either Guthrie's recovery or an arrest and conviction. And "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie is offering $1 million for information that brings her mother home.

"Come forward, you'll be anonymous...and if you have the right information, you'll get a reward," Hupy said. "It's that simple."

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The four astronauts on the Artemis II mission are more than halfway to the moon after launching Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center, but a familiar problem has surfaced.

For the second time since launch, Orion’s toilet is malfunctioning.

"During the night, we tried to vent the wastewater tank that's attached to the toilet. We had problems with that, due to suspected blockage we think probably due to ice. So we directed the crew overnight to use their collapsible contingency urine devices," Judd Frieling, the Artemis II flight director, explained during a news conference Saturday.

The astronauts encountered a similar problem with the toilet on the first day of their mission. The ship's lunar loo malfunctioned following liftoff and has remained a lingering issue.

TRUMP HYPES MOON MISSION AS ARTEMIS II PREPARES TO LIFT OFF UNDER PRESSURE FROM PAST FAILURES

Debbie Korth, NASA’s Orion program deputy manager, said the toilet is still operable.

"You know, this is a test flight. We're figuring out how these systems work together, but it is operable, and we have redundancy to get us through the mission," she said.

The toilet, NASA confirmed, is still available for astronauts to use for solid waste.

ARTEMIS II LAUNCH STEALS THE SHOW AT COLLEGE SOFTBALL GAME AS PLAYERS STARE SKYWARD IN AMAZEMENT

"Space toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can really understand .. it’s always a challenge," Korth said.

John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said the public's interest in the Orion toilet was "kind of human nature."

ARTEMIS II CREW DESCRIBES LIFE ABOARD ORION SPACECRAFT ON HISTORIC JOURNEY TO THE MOON AND BACK

"I mean, everybody knows how important that is to us here on Earth and it's harder to manage in space. I'm interested in it, you know? I mean, I know we're in a good state right now, but I would really like for it to be in the best state that it can be for the crew's sake," he said. "It's a little bit of camping in space already, but then it makes it camping a little bit tougher when you don't have the full capability of the toilet."

"But you know, they're okay and they're trying to manage through the situation," Honeycutt added.

NASA said the astronauts reported a smell coming from the bathroom, which is located in the floor of the capsule.

"Regarding the smell, I just wanted to make sure you all were tracking the EGS notes of the kind of burning heater smell that was coming from toilet several times," astronaut Christina Koch, who helped address the issue earlier this week, told mission control on Saturday, according to Space.com.

Orion will orbit the moon on Monday before heading back to Earth.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The two men who face charges in what authorities are calling a "gang-related" shooting that left a 7-month-old baby dead in Brooklyn were captured on surveillance video crashing the moped they used to flee the scene of the crime.

In the video, the pair can be seen racing the wrong way down a one-way street before crashing into a black sedan driving towards them. The force of the crash flung both suspects forward off the motorbike before landing hard on the pavement.

The pair can be seen staggering to their feet, one hopping on his right foot, while both attempt to gather items that were strewn about during the crash, before moving back towards the moped.

The 7-month-old was identified as Kaori Patterson-Moore of Brooklyn. Her mother was pushing her in a stroller when shots were fired in their direction early Wednesday afternoon. Her father and 2-year-old brother were also present during the shooting. The family ducked into a bodega in an attempt to dodge the bullets.

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Kaori was struck and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital soon after the incident.

The NYPD announced Thursday that 21-year-old Amuri Greene is the suspected triggerman. Police say he was a known affiliate of a gang that operates out of a housing project in Brooklyn. They are investigating whether Kaori's father might have been the intended target of the shooting.

Greene was the rear passenger on the moped. He suffered a broken leg and was taken to the hospital after the crash, where he was subsequently arrested on unrelated domestic violence charges.

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The NYPD announced Thursday that he has been charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He will be taken into custody and arraigned after his hospital stay.

Police announced Friday the second suspect, Matthew Rodriguez, was arrested in Pennsylvania. The 18-year-old, who can be seen driving the moped in the surveillance video, was taken into custody by NYPD detectives assigned to the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force. Charges are pending.

The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered, though police say they have found two shell casings related to the incident.

At an emotional news conference, NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch decried the heinous crime.

"This is a terrible day in our city, a tragedy that truly shocks the conscious," she said. "As a mother, I cannot imagine the pain that this family is feeling or the grief that they now carry with them. It is unspeakable."

Police are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips online or on X @NYPDTips.

Fox News' Michael Sinkewicz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Embattled Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has been called out by a local resident over an incident at the local airport, where TSA agents allegedly stopped him at the security checkpoint with a loaded, undeclared firearm in his carry-on bag.

And the hits keep coming, with a recent independent investigation into bullying and retaliation allegations against the sheriff finding that the "preponderance of the evidence" shows he abused his office for political gain during a close race in 2024 against former PCSD Lt. Heather Lappin.

Amid that contentious race, a woman named Cory Stephens complained to the county board of supervisors at a public meeting on Nov. 12, 2024 that the sheriff did not face the same consequences a regular citizen would have.

"If a private citizen had encountered that at the airport, the consequences would have been greater," Stephens, a longtime Tucson resident and president of the Conservative Coalition of America, told Fox News Digital over the phone Friday.

NANCY GUTHRIE UPDATE: RETIRED K9 OFFICER SAYS DECISION NOT TO USE CADAVER DOGS ‘DEFIES LOGIC’

Nanos' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident, which did not result in any charges.

Stephens said she found the incident alarming after hearing about it in local circles and was disappointed it received little attention in the media, so she brought it up during public comment at a board of supervisors hearing.

Nanos is facing heightened scrutiny amid the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie. While the complicated case remains unsolved, the sheriff's critics have seized on other issues — including lawsuits against him from his own current and former deputies and an allegation that he lied about past disciplinary problems under oath.

"We as citizens want answers," Stephens said. "The safety of our community is at stake."

An incident report obtained by Fox News Digital from Nov. 6, 2024, shows a TSA X-ray technician saw the weapon in the sheriff's bag and flagged an officer.

NANCY GRACE SLAMS SHERIFF’S HANDLING OF GUTHRIE CASE: ‘THE FISH STINKS AT THE HEAD’

"As a law enforcement officer, he should know the TSA rules, how to declare a weapon, secure it and follow the same rules as everyone else," Stephens said.

Airport police found five rounds in the magazine and another in the chamber.

The sheriff missed his flight, stowed the firearm in his vehicle and flew out later.

SHERIFF SHRUGS OFF MISSTEPS IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE, CALLS FOR CAPTOR TO ‘LET HER GO’ AS FAMILY PLEADS FOR HELP

James Gagliano, a retired FBI agent and Fox News contributor, said he found the whole incident surprising because as a law enforcement officer, the sheriff could've taken measures to fly with it legally.

"You declare yourself as a law enforcement officer ahead of time," he said.

The protocol requires confirmation between the TSA and the individual's agency, but typically allows active-duty personnel to fly with their weapons, he said.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE SET TO RETURN TO NBC’S ‘TODAY’ AS HER MOTHER REMAINS MISSING

After the X-ray tech found the weapon in Lane 1 at the Tucson International Airport's B Concourse, the first responding officer recused himself due to an apparent conflict of interest, according to the incident report.

SHERIFF WARNS NANCY GUTHRIE SUSPECT COULD 'ABSOLUTELY' STRIKE AGAIN, HINTS AT MOTIVE

The second officer brought Nanos to a private screening room, where he asked the sheriff where in his bag the gun was located, according to the incident report.

Nanos told him it was in a zippered pocket, where the officer removed it and found five rounds in the magazine and another in the chamber, according to the incident report.

Read the incident report:

"The firearm was in a hard plastic holster," the officer wrote. "The firearm was not artfully or purposely concealed."

The sheriff, of course, had no active warrants. But the officer read him his Miranda rights and informed his superiors as well as the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

"Mr. Nanos was escorted off the concourse to place his firearm in his vehicle, and he was rebooked to fly out at a later time," the report concludes.

MISSING WOMAN’S SISTER SAYS NANCY GUTHRIE CASE NOW A ‘HOPE ROLLER COASTER’ FOR FAMILY AS SEARCH CONTINUES

That appears to have been the end of the incident.

But it's one of many allegations against the sheriff to resurface during the stalled search for Nancy Guthrie.

Lt. Lappin's retaliation complaint led to an independent investigation by Northstar Employment & Legal Solutions, which cleared the sheriff of bullying allegations but found that "the preponderance of the evidence supports a finding that Sheriff Nanos used his authority and department resources for political gain."

NANCY GUTHRIE’S FAMILY URGES RENEWED ATTENTION, WON'T CEASE UNTIL SHE'S 'BROUGHT TO A FINAL PLACE OF REST'

He is also accused of violating department rules on courtesy and civility for allegedly putting confidential information about Lappin in a press release during the campaign.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE SAYS FAMILY IN 'AGONY' IN FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE MOTHER NANCY'S DISAPPEARANCE

However, while the review found the sheriff's actions "inconsistent with the listed policies," it also found that he is not subject to those policies because he is an elected official.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's department said Nanos has been made aware of the investigation's results.

"The findings do not support allegations of bullying but note additional concerns," she said in a statement. "The Sheriff has requested the full report for review."

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE BELIEVES TWO RANSOM NOTES HER FAMILY RESPONDED TO WERE GENUINE

PCSD declined to comment further, citing a pending civil lawsuit, and Lappin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Last year, the Pima County Board of Supervisors referred Nanos to the state attorney general for investigation into whether he behaved inappropriately during the campaign. Lappin was suspended over what county officials said appeared to be unsubstantiated allegations and prevented from actively campaigning.

The sheriff is also facing a First Amendment lawsuit from another deputy who alleges he was retaliated against for supporting Lappin ahead of the vote.

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The Pima County Board of Supervisors, which has a 4-1 Democrat majority, also moved unanimously last week to have outside counsel draft proposed questions for Nanos and plans to bring him in front of the panel to answer questions about his workplace history and other concerns.

The sheriff, who declined to comment on the board's decision, was not accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Guthrie investigation during the meeting.

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"We have information that we need as an electorate to know who we’re voting into office," Stephens told Fox News Digital. "We need all the information that we could possibly have to put the right people into office."

Stephens, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the board as a Republican in 2024, has called on Nanos to step down following allegations that he lied under oath in connection with a lawsuit from another deputy as well as on his application to join the department back in the mid-1980s.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

"He was not properly vetted," she said.

The search for Guthrie remains unsolved more than two months after she is believed to have been taken from her Tucson home in the dead of night. No suspects have been publicly identified.

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A masked intruder wearing long sleeves and rubber gloves appeared on Nest doorbell camera video at her front door around the time of her suspected abduction. Although the video has been widely circulated, it has not led to his identity.

And a DNA sample taken from inside the home containing genetic material from an unknown male has not yet been unraveled.

The family is asking anyone with information to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that leads to an arrest or Guthrie's recovery.

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While delivering an update to the nation on "Operation Epic Fury" on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump said the families of the 13 slain U.S. service members have urged him to "please finish the job" to defeat Iran.

Trump emphasized that "every single one of the people, their loved ones, said, ‘Please, sir, please finish the job.’ Every one of them."

He commended the fallen service members who served in the Army and Air Force.

"We salute them," he said. "And now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives."

TRUMP TOUTS MILITARY MIGHT AGAINST IRAN AS ALLIES PUSH FOR DIPLOMACY

Thirteen U.S. service members, ages 20 to 54, have been killed in the Middle East since the Trump administration launched its Iran operation. 

Six U.S. Army soldiers were killed in a March 1 Iranian drone strike at a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. Six others, U.S. Air Force airmen, died in a refueling plane crash on March 12 in Iraq. Another, Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, died in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

During his Wednesday night address, Trump announced that the "core strategic objectives" of the operation "are nearing completion."

"As we celebrate this progress," Trump said, "we think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran."

TRUMP DECLARES IRAN CONFLICT 'NEARING COMPLETION' AS POLL INDICATES AMERICANS' DISAPPROVAL

Trump has traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware twice since the start of the conflict to honor the fallen service members as their remains were returned to the U.S. in a dignified transfer for burial.

"I wanted to be with those heroes as they returned to American soil," Trump said. "And I was with them and their families, their parents, their wives, their husbands."

Trump touted America’s military might. He said the U.S. is "on track" to complete all of its objectives "very shortly." However, he announced, "We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next 2 to 3 weeks," adding, "We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong."

TRUMP CALLS ON WORLD TO BUILD ‘DELAYED COURAGE,’ SEIZE KEY OIL ROUTE FROM IRAN

Despite their losses, Trump emphasized that "every one" of the fallen service members’ families asked him to keep going.

"Every one of them," he repeated. "And we are going to finish the job, and we're going to finish it very fast. We're getting very close."

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There was something about President Trump’s prime-time address that didn’t add up.

Several things, actually.

But what struck me immediately was his low-energy delivery. He backed into it, first talking about the Artemis moon mission and then the oil we’re seizing from Venezuela. After that he was just reading words off the prompter.

No one could argue with the president’s core message. Iran is the world’s leading terror state. Something should have been done during its 47-year history of violence and murderous proxies like Hamas. Iran can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. The dictators killed 45,000 of their own people (though Trump played this down when he was trying to negotiate a deal).

TRUMP LASHES OUT AT 'SICK' IRANIAN LEADERS, CONFIRMS ESTIMATED TIMELINE FOR ENDING WAR

But the 19-minute speech was a jumble of contradictions. Trump kept saying we’ve won, we’ve decimated Iran’s military, which is true. And yet he said the U.S. will intensify its bombing campaign for the next two to three weeks, targeting Tehran’s energy facilities. 

Why is that necessary, if America has already won? And will it really last less than a month?

It was clear heading into the speech that Trump knows how unpopular the war is. He knows that soaring gas prices are hurting him at home. He knows he is dropping like a rock with young men who bought his no-foreign-wars rhetoric.

MORNING GLORY: PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BIG SPEECH ON IRAN — WHAT WILL IT DO?

He knows – and this is critical – the stock market has tanked since U.S. and Israeli warplanes attacked Iran on the last day of February. Trump is extremely sensitive to the market, as we saw when the Dow hit 50,000, and that often spurs him into action.

Having boxed himself into a corner with an Iranian regime that refuses to seriously negotiate, the public expectation was that he would declare victory and get out. But that didn’t happen. Instead, Trump declared he’ll be bombing Iran back to the "Stone Ages."

What about the president’s own goals?

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He said the war’s goal was never regime change. But he spoke about regime change the morning after the initial attack. In any event, Trump now claims it’s been achieved because several levels of leadership, starting with the Ayatollah, have been killed, 

But the new sheriff in town, the Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf, lashed out yesterday.

"When it comes to defending our homeland," he said in a posting, "each and every one of us will become a soldier of this country. If you look askance at our mother’s house … you’re up against the whole family, all of us. Armed, ready, and standing. Come on in, we’re waiting."

ROGAN, DAVE SMITH SPEAK ABOUT HOW TRUMP'S IRAN WAR BROKE HIS COALITION, COULD HAND COUNTRY RIGHT BACK TO DEMS

So much for regime change.

Again and again, Trump said the war could not end until Iran stopped blockading a fifth of the world’s oil traffic at the Strait of Hormuz. But in Wednesday night’s speech, he washed his hands of the matter. We don’t rely on the strait, so who cares? It will "open up naturally," on its own.

The president then scolded our onetime European allies, saying they should show some "delayed courage" and "just take" Hormuz–as if it were that easy.

TRUMP’S IRAN STRATEGY SHOWCASES ‘DOCTRINE OF UNPREDICTABILITY’ AMID STRIKE THREATS AND SUDDEN PAUSE

As for Trump’s declaration that our country is now "free of the specter of nuclear blackmail," Iran still has nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium–and further enrichment could lead to a nuclear weapon.

In a CNN poll released just before the speech, 66 percent of those surveyed said they strongly or somewhat disapprove of the decision to attack Iran, a 7-point jump since the conflict began.

Most network pundits criticized the address as a rehash of things that Trump has said before.

POLL POSITION: WHERE TRUMP STANDS AMONG AMERICANS AS HE FACES THE NATION IN PRIMETIME

"There was nothing new in that speech," said ABC’s Jonathan Karl, adding: "Not a lot of optimism."

His colleague Martha Raddatz: "It added to the confusion of why we are there." 

European leaders felt blindsided by the war. "When we’re serious," said French President Emmanuel Macron, "we don’t say the opposite of what we said the day before every day, and maybe one shouldn’t speak every day,"

Austria and Switzerland yesterday joined Italy, Spain and France in banning U.S. warplanes headed for Iran from their skies. They don’t want any part of this war. Britain’s prime minister had done the same but reversed himself after Iran retaliated.

In the first sign of intensified bombing yesterday, Iranian authorities said an airstrike had destroyed a Tehran research facility called the Pasteur Institute. 

I don’t know if the timing was deliberate, the day after the speech, but the president dramatically changed the subject yesterday.

The media are already moving on to Trump’s decision yesterday to fire Pam Bondi as attorney general, because she hasn’t been aggressive enough in prosecuting his political enemies, and for her mishandling of the Epstein files.

In the end, the speech may matter less than what happens for the rest of April.

If Trump ends the assault on the timeline he’s suggested, voters may breathe a sigh of relief and move on. They’ll remember that Trump went after the Mideast terrorists and be mollified if gas prices start declining.

The problem is that the damage to the world economy may be far more painful, and much longer lasting, than if the president had not launched his war of choice. And no single speech could change that.

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