Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Plan Fails, Spirit Collapses, GOP Redraws Congressional Maps: A Closer Look

0:02 -Oil and gas prices surged again on Monday as a new

0:04 poll showed Americans overwhelmingly oppose to the war in Iran,

0:07 which has already resulted in higher prices for almost

0:10 everything and the collapse of a major airline.

0:12 But don't worry, Donald Trump announced a plan to fix the situation by guiding

0:16 tankers through the Strait of Hormuz without sparking a new round of fighting.

0:20 And even though the details were vague and unclear, I'm sure it'll all work out,

0:24 and gas will be cheap again, and the war will be over,

0:25 and everyone will be happy, and wait,

0:27 hold on, I'm getting word the administration

0:28 has unveiled a new name for the mission.

0:30 Oh, it doesn't sound great.

0:31 Let's see.

0:32 What is it called?

0:32 Oh, no.

0:33 Operation Cluster[bleep]?

0:35 Laughter] Well, that's just bad marketing.

0:40 For more on this, it's time for "A Closer Look."[ Cheers

0:44 and applause] Donald Trump ran on three big priorities— bringing prices down,

0:51 ending foreign wars, and deporting violent criminals.

0:53 And as we all know, he's crushing it on all three.

0:55 There's no war in the Middle East, his immigration policies are a smash hit,

0:59 and groceries are so cheap they're paying us to take them!

1:02 Point is, everything's awesome,

1:03 which is why I was shocked when I saw the president's latest poll numbers.

1:06 -A record high that no one wants.

1:09 That is where President Trump's disapproval rating stands this morning.

1:13 A new Washington Post ABC News Ipsos poll

1:16 showing Trump's disapproval rating at a record 62%,

1:21 an all-time high for the survey's history.

1:23 ...President Trump's numbers souring over inflation

1:26 and cost of living as the average

1:28 price of gas now reaches $4.46 a gallon across the country,

1:33 that's nearly $1.50 more per gallon since the start of the war with Iran.

1:38 -Trump's disapproval is at an all-time high,

1:40 higher than COVID and January 6th— a virus and a riot.

1:44 That's how much people hate high gas prices.

1:47 Trump could release an army of bats infected with COVID to attack the Capitol,

1:50 to fly away with Ted Cruz, but if gas prices were under two bucks,

1:54 voters would be like, "Hey, it could be worse.

1:58 He loves to travel."[ Laughter] So,

2:01 Trump's disapproval is at an all-time high of 62%.

2:04 But I just have a quick question for the 37% who approve.

2:10 Look, I get that, like, you're MAGA, but like, what do you actually approve of?

2:15 Is it worth it for you to pay high gas

2:17 prices if it means liberals also pay high gas prices?

2:20 Is that how much you want to own the libs— at the cost of owning thyself?

2:26 Laughter] I mean, seriously, what's left?

2:27 The dancing?

2:28 Is that what you like?

2:29 Because the dancing is the next to go.

2:31 Have you seen how tired he is?

2:33 He barely...

2:34 has the energy to get through a meeting in the Oval Office.

2:36 Dude always looks like my kids when I'm on the last

2:39 few pages of "Goodnight Moon."[ Laughter] Seriously, what's your deal?

2:42 Do you like the corruption?

2:43 The wars?

2:44 Oh, do you like his beautiful poetry?

2:46 -Nothing bad can happen.

2:47 It can only good happen.

2:49 Laughter] -Does that resonate with you?

2:51 'Cause I'm pretty sure he got

2:53 that from a fortune cookie written by Frankenstein.

2:56 Laughter] -This has been "What's your Deal?" -Anyway,

3:00 Trump's disapproval is at an all-time high,

3:02 which is why Republicans have given up on persuading voters

3:05 and moved on to a new strategy of rewriting election rules.

3:08 -President Trump is calling for elections to be thrown out

3:11 and redone in the wake of last week's Supreme Court

3:13 decision to strike down one of Louisiana's majority Black congressional

3:17 districts that dealt a severe blow to the Voting Rights Act.

3:20 -Republicans are now pushing several states across the South

3:23 to redraw their congressional maps before November's midterm elections.

3:27 So, Republicans overnight in Florida passed a new congressional map

3:30 that would allow Republicans to gain four seats in the midterms.

3:34 South Carolina, Tennessee,

3:35 and Missouri could try to redraw their maps before voting begins, too.

3:39 -When the Democrats have the chance, they will end the filibuster.

3:42 They want to turn America into a one-party nation.

3:45 They'll pack the Supreme Court.

3:46 They'll, you know, turn DC, Puerto Rico into, uh, into states.

3:50 They will nationalize our elections, automatic registration, mail-in balloting.

3:55 So, we need to stop them.

3:57 -That's your nightmare scenario?

3:58 Automatic voter registration?

3:59 That sounds awesome.

4:00 It shouldn't be harder to vote than it is to gamble on sports.

4:03 And yet, to register to vote,

4:05 you have to fill out a six-part form with your DMV number, proof of residency.

4:08 But to gamble on sports, all you have to do is open your phone,

4:11 wait for a notification from FanDuel, and be willing to get divorced.

4:14 Laughter] And should anyone run into my wife,

4:17 the Kentucky Derby is next week, okay?!

4:20 Don't you dare tell her the race happened already!

4:22 You let her enjoy her Mother's Day!

4:25 It's her last one before we have to sell the kids.

4:28 So, Republicans want to redraw congressional maps

4:30 and pass restrictive new voter ID laws,

4:33 but they can't even explain those laws in a way that makes sense.

4:36 -There's a lot of things that we can be doing, like voter ID,

4:40 like every time you walk into a restaurant or a club, you have to show your ID.

4:45 -No, you don't.

4:46 Laughter] You have to show your ID to buy alcohol,

4:48 but not to walk into a restaurant.

4:50 They don't card you at the door at Outback Steakhouse.

4:53 Although, personally, I think you should have to be over 18

4:56 to eat a Blooming Onion because it is better than sex!

5:00 Oh, man, it is so good to say that out loud finally.

5:03 You know, after they said it was too weird to be a subway take.

5:07 Also, there are plenty of restaurants that don't

5:09 even serve alcohol, much to my dismay.

5:11 You know how many times I've walked into a Friendly's

5:13 and asked for a shot of bourbon in my Fribble?

5:16 Hey, don't judge me.

5:17 If you were there with two boys and their friends

5:19 arguing over whether fire Pokemon are more valuable than water Pokemon,

5:22 you'd want bourbon in your Fribble, too!

5:25 Laughter] Point is, Republicans are reeling from bad

5:27 poll numbers on the Iran war and the economy,

5:29 a situation that's so bad it's toppling major airlines.

5:32 -Breaking news this morning,

5:33 Spirit Airlines is announcing it's shutting down the ultra-low-cost airline,

5:37 making the announcement early this morning

5:39 saying all flights have been canceled, telling guests to not go to the airport.

5:43 -After 34 years, Spirit Airlines is no more,

5:47 posting a message overnight that it was ceasing operations,

5:50 all flights canceled, and there is no customer service.

5:52 So, if you're holding a ticket, you will have to reach out to other airlines.

5:56 -The airline's parent company is saying it has already,

5:58 "started an orderly wind down of operations,

6:01 effective immediately." -Only Spirit could cancel all

6:05 flights and tell customers not to come

6:06 to the airport and also describe it as "an orderly wind down." But you know,

6:11 compared to a normal Spirit flight, that kind of is orderly.

6:14 Laughter] Spirit flights, God bless 'em, were chaos,

6:17 running down the jetway to get a seat and overhead space was

6:20 like racing through an obstacle course

6:22 on "Wipeout."[ Laughter] Here's the thing, though.

6:25 We make plenty of jokes about Spirit on this show.

6:31 Laughter] But it was a budget airline that employed

6:34 17,000 people and made flying affordable for millions more.

6:36 But now, it's out of business due to high fuel costs

6:39 caused by the Iran war— or as Trump put it recently, Obama.

6:42 -Spirit is...

6:45 uh...

6:47 ...an airline that's had some trouble.

6:49 They were going to merge with People Express

6:51 or one of them a number of years ago,

6:55 and Barack Hussein Obama decided it was a bad idea.

6:57 How did that work out?

6:59 -Yes, we all remember when Obama

7:01 stopped Spirit from merging with People Express,

7:05 an airline that ceased operations in 1987.

7:08 Laughter][ Applause] Which— which...

7:12 Which makes sense when you realize Trump's brain also ceased operations in 1987.

7:19 Cheers and applause][ As Donald Trump] Spirit...

7:20 You know Spirit.

7:22 Spirit was gonna merge with People Express, and then, when that fell through,

7:26 they almost had to deal with Panda Express, which made sense because...

7:29 Laughter] ...Panda Express is already at the airport

7:32 and who wouldn't get excited about a panda pilot?

7:36 Laughter] Beautiful panda bear with a little pilot's cap.

7:38 But Obama said no because Obama hates fun.

7:41 Laughter][ Normal voice] Also,

7:43 a good bellwether as to how much [bleep] Trump is dealing

7:45 is if he's using the Hussein middle name in Barack Obama.

7:50 He's so bummed Joe Biden didn't have

7:51 a foreign-sounding middle name he could lean on.

7:54 Although, Joe Biden's real middle name is Robinette,

7:56 and I'm kind of surprised Trump never used that.

7:59 You know...

7:59 As Donald Trump] The country is a bank and Joe Biden is robbin' it.

8:02 [Robinette][ Laughter] Joe Robinette Biden!

8:06 Normal voice] Over the weekend,

8:07 Trump officials were asked about the collapse of Spirit and said,

8:10 "Don't worry, you guys, don't worry.

8:11 There are still other airlines." -In this statement Spirit

8:14 released explaining why they were shutting down, they said,

8:17 "the sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks ultimately has

8:22 left us with no alternative." Are other industries also at risk of collapse,

8:27 or other major companies, due to this energy shock?

8:32 -Well, don't forget that Spirit Airlines was chapter 11 twice

8:37 because they basically didn't have a business model that was working.

8:41 -I acknowledge that.

8:42 -That's right, and the other airlines are still operating.

8:45 I just flew out here to discuss these matters at the Milken Conference in LA,

8:49 you know, on United Airlines.

8:50 And you know, the other airlines are operating.

8:53 -That doesn't make it better.

8:54 If a restaurant in your neighborhood burns down,

8:56 the fire department doesn't say, "Relax, there's a Chili's down the block.

8:58 Just..."[ Laughter] "...bring your ID because eating

9:01 those baby back ribs is basically [bleep]."[ Laughter] So,

9:05 Trump's Iran war is spiking fuel prices and destroying airlines.

9:09 Can you at least tell us how long this war will last,

9:12 or if it's even a war at all?

9:15 -You said the blockade is still on.

9:17 A blockade is an act of war.

9:18 Are we at war with Iran?

9:21 -Iran shut down the straits.

9:23 Iran shut down the straits,

9:25 and the only ones they were letting through were Iranian ships.

9:29 And President Trump didn't think that was acceptable.

9:32 -So, we are still at war with Iran.

9:36 Laughter] -You know...

9:37 Stammers] I don't know what the definition of war

9:39 is when we're not shooting and we're negotiating.

9:42 -You don't know what the definition

9:43 of war— Did Merriam-Webster also go bankrupt?

9:48 Also, the answer is yes, we're at war!

9:49 A blockade is an act of war.

9:51 If I park my car in front of my neighbor's

9:53 driveway and refuse to let him in or out,

9:55 that's an act of war against my neighbor.

9:57 And I will admit I did that once,

9:58 but only because I had one too many bourbon Fribbles.

10:02 Laughter] So, now, a major airline has collapsed due to rising

10:05 fuel costs caused by an unpopular war started by Donald Trump.

10:08 Which means, of course,

10:09 and I know you're all thinking this, so say it with me— it's Joe Biden's fault.

10:13 Alright, nobody said it.

10:15 Laughter] -Spirit tried to merge with JetBlue.

10:18 The Joe Biden-Pete Buttigieg administration and DOJ tanked that deal.

10:22 Immediately after that, they filed for bankruptcy.

10:24 They were having financial problems, Martha.

10:27 They filed for bankruptcy again last year.

10:29 They were bleeding money.

10:30 And so, this was in the works for some time.

10:34 -Spirit Airlines closed operations.

10:37 The Treasury was supposed to be doing a deal to save this company.

10:41 Can you tell us what happened?

10:43 -Uh, sure, Maria.

10:45 So, this is just more of the mess we inherited from the Biden administration.

10:49 -"Maria, it's just more of the mess we inherited from the Biden administration.

10:53 I'm so angry I can't even open my mouth.

10:56 Maria, my jaw is permanently clenched because of how outraged I am about

11:00 Joe Biden causing the collapse of Spirit

11:02 Airlines 15 months after he left office.

11:04 That's why I talk like I just ate a jar of peanut butter mixed with sand."[

11:08 Laughter] You guys can blame Joe Biden for the collapse of Spirit all you want.

11:12 No one's buying it.

11:13 Mainly because Joe Biden wasn't an airplane guy.

11:15 He was a train guy.

11:16 We all know that.

11:17 As Joe Biden] Uh, no, joke, I was best friends with Jesse James, yeah.

11:20 That's how I got my middle name.

11:22 I told Jesse "When I see a train, Jesse...

11:25 "Jesse, when I see a train..."[ Laughter] "I'm robbing it."[ Laughter] "I'm not

11:32 kidding around."[ Normal voice] Trump's desperate for a way out of this mess,

11:35 which is why he keeps announcing new fake solutions to the crisis

11:37 he started that don't make sense and catch everyone off guard.

11:40 -President Trump announces Project Freedom,

11:43 a US military plan starting today that will offer what's being described

11:47 as a defensive umbrella to help cargo ships pass safely through the strait.

12:00 -Well, it's a very friendly blockade.

12:02 -A friendly—[ Laughter] A friendly block— Is there such a thing?

12:06 I mean, what would you even call a friendly bl— Oh, a Fribble.

12:09 It's a...

12:10 Laughter][ As Donald Trump] It's a friendly blockade.

12:12 A Fribble, if you will.

12:14 Normal voice] "Friendly blockade" sounds like slang for when a girl at a bar

12:16 needs a friend to come over and get her away from an annoying guy.

12:26 But you heard him!

12:27 Financial markets, it's a friendly blockade, everything's chill.

12:30 Tankers should start going through the Strait

12:31 of Hormuz without issue any minute now.

12:34 Now, we all just sit back and watch gas prices plummet.

12:37 -The ceasefire between the United States and Iran under strain right now

12:40 as we've learned that both sides have traded shots in the Strait of Hormuz.

12:44 It began after the US began guiding vessels through the waterway,

12:48 including two US flag commercial ships.

12:51 In response, US Central Command says

12:53 that Tehran launched multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats.

12:56 The US says it's blown up at least six of those Iranian small boats.

13:00 -I spoke with President Trump for 20 minutes about the situation with Iran.

13:04 He talked about Project Freedom and the US

13:07 efforts to guide vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,

13:10 issuing a new warning to the Iranian regime,

13:13 saying if the Iranians try to target US ships in this area,

13:17 they will be "blown off the face

13:19 of the Earth." -What happened to the friendly blockade?!

13:22 Laughter] Trump's dumb plan went south faster than Spirit Airlines.

13:25 Although, is that the solution?

13:27 We just send a bunch of decommissioned Spirit planes to the strait,

13:30 load 'em up with oil, and see what happens?

13:32 Laughter] Trump got himself into this mess thinking it'd be quick and easy,

13:35 and now he's spiraling.

13:36 He can't get himself out of it.

13:38 Americans are overwhelmingly against it.

13:39 If the election were held today,

13:41 it's very likely voters would send Trump packing

13:43 with a one-way ticket on his favorite functioning airline...

13:46 -People Express.

13:47 -This has been "A Closer Look."[ Cheers and applause]