America is standing on the precipice of a full-scale regional war in the Middle East—a conflict that could claim thousands of lives and send gas prices skyrocketing—yet the vast majority of the public is almost entirely unaware of the danger.
While everyday Americans are busy with their daily lives, the U.S. government is engaged in a “titanic” military buildup in the Persian Gulf, one that rivals the preparations for the invasion of Iraq. But unlike 2003, there is no national debate, no congressional authorization, and no clear argument being made to the public. Instead, we are being led into disaster by a corporate media that refuses to ask the hard questions.
Former Washington Post editor and Press Watch columnist Dan Froomkin has sounded the alarm on this journalistic malpractice. He argues that while President Trump may be “careening into a major war,” the media coverage has been “credulous, stenographic, and feeble.”
“American journalists are busy speculating on will-he-or-won’t-he and dutifully noting the position of military assets,” Froomkin writes. “What they should be doing is asking Trump officials some essential questions on behalf of the public — and calling attention to the lack of answers.”
Instead of challenging the administration on the lack of a reasoned argument for war or the violation of the Constitution (which requires Congress to declare war), major outlets are treating the buildup like a spectator sport. They report on the movement of aircraft carriers as if they were weather patterns, rather than instruments of a potential mass casualty event.
The Public Says “No”
The disconnect between the government’s war footing and the will of the people is staggering. Recent polling from February 2026 reveals that the American people want nothing to do with this conflict.
According to a YouGov poll, a massive 85% of Americans oppose a war with Iran, with only 5% in support. Similarly, a Quinnipiac University poll found that 70% of voters do not want the U.S. to take military action, even if protesters in Iran are killed.
This opposition is bipartisan. While 50% of Trump voters support intervention, a significant 35% of Republicans oppose it, along with 80% of Independents. The American people are tired of endless wars, yet their government—and the media supposed to hold it accountable—is ignoring them.
On the independent news show Breaking Points, hosts Crystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti have been doing the job the corporate media refuses to do: showing the scale of the threat.
“If you were not reading the news [deeply], you would have no idea,” Enjeti warned in a recent segment. He described the current deployment of U.S. forces as a “titanic amount of military assets… some not seen since the Iraq War.” He noted the presence of “air tankers, jets, service members, naval assets, carrier strike groups” all being positioned for a conflict the public hasn’t agreed to.
The trigger for this war appears to be a set of impossible demands being placed on Iran. As Crystal Ball explained, referencing warnings from international relations scholar John Mearsheimer, the U.S. and Israel are demanding Iran give up “all the ballistic missiles it has” and “zero enrichment capability.”
“The idea that they would give up their ballistic missile… that is insane. No country would agree to that,” Ball said. She characterized these demands as an “intentional poison pill” agreed to by the Trump administration to make war inevitable when Iran naturally refuses.
The consequences of this “sleepwalking” are terrifying. Enjeti warns that the “real nightmare” is that the American population is “asleep… watching the NBA,” and will only wake up “when the bombs start falling on Tehran.”
By then, it will be too late. The Iranian strategy, as Ball and Enjeti note, will likely be to make the conflict as miserable as possible for the West—potentially shutting down the Strait of Hormuz and sending gas prices to $5.50 a gallon or higher.
Beyond the economic pain, the human cost would be devastating. “Thousands… of civilians would be killed,” Ball notes, describing the potential outcome as a “nightmare for the Iranian people.”
Wake Up and Take Action
We are watching a disaster unfold in slow motion. The administration is betting that you won’t notice until the shooting starts. The media is betting that you won’t care enough to read past the headlines.
They are wrong. The polls show the American people do not want this war. But passive opposition is not enough. To stop this slide into catastrophe, we must wake up and make our voices heard.
Call your representatives. Demand to know why they are allowing the President to bypass Congress.
Protest the buildup. Make it clear that 85% opposition cannot be ignored.
Share the truth. Don’t let your friends and family sleepwalk into a war that could set the Middle East on fire.
The war is not inevitable—unless we stay silent.
