Image Credentials: Image Title: ‘We’re Losing Every Day’ David Brooks Warns Trump Over “Exorbitant” Costs of Iran War Source: (sora.openai) Date: April 2026. Attribution: This image was created using AI-generated imagery (sora.openai) and does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Conservative columnist and The Atlantic staff writer David Brooks issued a blistering critique of the ongoing conflict with Iran, arguing that President Donald Trump must face the reality that Operation Epic Fury is failing despite the administration’s claims of a swift victory.
Speaking on PBS NewsHour Friday, Brooks asserted that the strategic and human costs of the six-week-old war have reached a breaking point, even as the White House continues to project an image of total military dominance.
“The Costs Are Just Exorbitant”
Brooks’ comments come at a particularly sensitive moment for the administration, following the downing of two U.S. fighter jets over Iranian territory. While one pilot has been rescued, a massive search-and-rescue operation is currently underway for the second airman in the rugged mountains of southwestern Iran.
“The costs are just exorbitant now, not to mention the human suffering,” Brooks said. “If Trump doesn’t see that we’re losing every day he continues this thing, he’s going to just face more and more political problems, military problems, and all sorts of problems.”
Brooks, who noted he had initially hoped for a positive outcome following the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stated that any marginal benefits of the campaign have been “exponentially” outweighed by global instability.
A Global Crisis of Strategy
Brooks argued that the war has inadvertently strengthened America’s adversaries while fracturing its traditional alliances. He pointed to several “structural” failures of the campaign:
-
Energy Revenue: High oil prices caused by the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz have boosted revenues for Russia and Iran.
-
Alliance Strain: Brooks noted that “NATO is in shreds” as European allies grapple with the energy crisis and the threat of a wider regional conflagration.
-
Economic Tremors: Global markets remain in a state of high volatility, with fuel prices hitting levels not seen in years.
“Trump failed to warn Americans that Iran is a ‘serious country’ and can make life tough for other nations,” Brooks added, noting that the president’s “huckster” tendencies prevent him from admitting the military reality to the public.
The Disconnect in Washington
The critique stands in sharp contrast to President Trump’s televised address on Wednesday, where he told the nation that the war was “going great” and would be “wrapping up in a few weeks.”
While the U.S. military has successfully neutralized dozens of high-ranking Iranian officials since the February 28 start date, the “decapitation” of the regime has not led to the expected collapse of Iranian resistance. Instead, 13 American service members have died, and the Iranian military continues to demonstrate its ability to strike high-value U.S. assets.
As the search for the missing pilot continues and the Monday deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz looms, Brooks warned that the President’s “mental ability” to pivot from rhetoric to realistic diplomacy will determine the ultimate scale of the disaster.