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In hindsight, the political calculus was misguided: The president knew he was poised to start a war in Iran, and he was almost certainly warned that the conflict would push oil prices higher. But Trump stuck his neck out anyway, effectively telling Americans to judge him on this issue.

A week later, it’s increasingly clear how not smart that was. MS NOW noted Thursday as part of the network’s live blog coverage:

Oil prices have risen about 20% this week, with U.S. crude oil at $82 per barrel this afternoon.

Consumers are seeing gasoline prices 27 cents higher since last week, up to $3.25 per gallon on average as of today, according to AAA.

Less than a week into the war, gas prices were up 11% as of late Thursday, and as Friday gets underway the news is no better......

What’s more, when the president wasn’t peddling nonsense, he was expressing indifference. “I don’t have any concern about it,” Trump told Reuters when asked about the higher prices at the pump. “They’ll drop very rapidly when this is over, and if they rise, they rise, but this is far more important than having gasoline prices go up a little bit.”

Whether American consumers find this persuasive remains to be seen.

Behind the scenes, Politico reported that administration officials are desperate to find ways to lower prices. But at this point, they appear short on ideas.....

As costs climb, and Americans are introduced to the idea of “warflation,” the concept of “The Trump Effect” is taking on a very different kind of meaning.