Gavin Newsom mocked President Donald Trump on Friday after the president suggested the war with Iran would end whenever he personally “feels it in my bones.”
The California governor shared a photo on X of Trump’s visibly bruised hand alongside a repost of a Politico article highlighting the remark—making the president look less like a wartime commander and more like someone who’d already taken a beating.
The president’s right hand, which he typically tries to hide from clear view, is often slathered in foundation to hide severe bruising that the White House commonly attributes to “frequent handshaking.”
The comment came during a Friday interview with Fox Radio‘s Brian Kilmeade, where Trump declined to offer a clear timeline for ending the conflict.
“I don’t think it’s going to be long,” the president said, adding that the war would end “when I feel it, feel it in my bones.”
Trump insisted the United States had overwhelming military superiority and dismissed concerns about potential weapons shortages.
“Nobody has the technology or the weapons that we have,” Trump told Kilmeade. “We’re way ahead of schedule. Way ahead.”
Hours later, Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. military had carried out a massive bombing raid on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub in the Persian Gulf.
“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump wrote.
He added that U.S. forces deliberately avoided striking the island’s oil infrastructure “for reasons of decency,” but warned that he could reconsider that decision if Iran interferes with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” Trump threatened.
Crude oil prices have surged more than 40 percent since the U.S. and Israel began military operations against Iran on Feb. 28, fueling fears of rising fuel costs and renewed inflationary pressure.
The conflict has already triggered what the Pentagon described as the largest oil supply disruption in history, costing an estimated $11 billion in its first week alone.
Trump has sought to downplay the economic risks, arguing that higher oil prices could actually benefit the United States.
“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” he wrote earlier this week on Truth Social.
Still, the surge in oil prices has rattled markets and raised concerns among economists that a prolonged conflict could push fuel costs sharply higher for consumers.
The average price of gas was $3.60 per gallon on Thursday, according to GasBuddy.com. The average diesel price hit $4.86 per gallon.
“Americans today will spend roughly $250 million more on gasoline than they did 30 days ago,” noted GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan.
But Trump has maintained that the U.S. military campaign, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” will continue until Iran no longer poses a threat.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump claimed that higher oil prices were “a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace.”
Whether the war ends as quickly as Trump predicts remains to be seen, but critics like Newsom have already suggested the conflict may be leaving its mark.
