White House Attacks Reporter Over Natalie Harp, Trump Becoming Lame-Duck, David Cay Johnston Joins

Donald Trump’s political problems are getting harder to ignore — and his options overseas may be shrinking just as fast. A brand-new Reuters/Ipsos poll has Trump’s approval at just 33 percent, the lowest of his presidency, with 64 percent disapproving and a remarkable 80 percent of Americans now expecting the Iran war to drag on. Meanwhile, Trump’s promised quick resolution with Iran looks increasingly elusive: the negotiating period has expired without a deal, the Strait of Hormuz remains a dangerous sticking point, and Trump is escalating his rhetoric even as his practical choices for ending the conflict appear increasingly limited. We’ll look at a president boxed in abroad, battered in the polls at home, and running out of room to maneuver on both fronts. Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta may be pulling a trick from Johnny Carson’s Carnac the Magnificent when it comes to predictions. Acosta recently guessed that President Trump would check out of the White House early, before his term is up. Acosta cited trump’s issues with cognitive decline, a disasterous job on affordability and the possibility that the Democrats could sweep the midterm elections as reasons for Trump’s growing frustration. Acosta also said a major event could force Trump out, like if he is caught overtly trying to steal the midterm elections. Military analysts think a big catastrophe forcing Trump out might not be far off if he continues with his Iran plans. We will put it to our Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston. Find David Cay Johnston: https://substack.com/@davidcayjohnston https://www.dcreport.org/ Christian nationalists are gaining more of a foothold in America with Trump‘s Religious Liberty task force and the promotion of laws that would force public schools to display the 10 Commandments in classrooms. Congressman Jared Huffman will drop by to talk about his new book “No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism. The book is being released today. Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/No-Prophets-Democracy-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1324130482 For more on Congressman, Jared Huffman, please check out his sub stack: https://repjaredhuffman.substack.com/ The Mark Thompson Show 8/18/26 Today's Guests Links Prof. David Cay Johnston at RIT, Pulitzer Prize winning Author & Investigative Journalist https://bsky.app/profile/davidcayjohnston.bsky.social Congressman Jared Huffman https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2026-08-18/congressman-jared-huffman-fight-save-democracy-christian-nationalism https://huffman.house.gov/ https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324130482 The Rundown- 0:00 Welcome 10:08 Iran and Korea 27:18 David Cay Johnston 1:04:07 Comments 1:05:58 Trump to step down 1:12:05 Congressman Jared Huffman 1:37:51 Comments Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you’d like to help, here’s our Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshow Maybe you’re more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/? The Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page. Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/ Show sponsors: coachellavalleycoffee.com - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%