A fawning member of President Donald Trump's cabinet on Sunday praised a higher power for his boss's character.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright appeared on CNN Sunday morning amid an ongoing war in Iran that has reportedly cost thousands of lives and delivered a severe blow to the global economy with the subsequent and record-breaking spike in gas prices.

"Thank God for President Donald Trump's courage to take this on," Wright said.

Wright argued Trump had acted bravely when he launched an attack on Iran in February without the consent of Congress.

Political analyst David Pakman has called this an "optional war," waged in one of the world's largest oil-producing regions, noting it was not prompted by an invasion or attack on the U.S.

But Wright argued Trump had protected Americans from the potential threat of an Iran armed with a nuclear weapon.

"He did not want to kick the can down the road," said Wright. "This is Iran without nuclear weapons — imagine Iran with nuclear weapons."

This comment was met with criticism on social media who argued Americans had paid a high price to combat a hypothetical threat.

"Iran did not attack us," wrote retired journalist Jack Polakoff. "Oil prices shot up after #Trump launched his unprovoked war. 18 US service members died because of him. It's costing taxpayers billions. We gain nothing."

A survey released Saturday by polling firm Leger finds that a plurality of Canadians now view the US as an “enemy” nation thanks to President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on their economy and national sovereignty.

In all, the poll finds that 41% of Canadians now consider the US enemy, compared with 22% who say the US is an ally, and 22% who say the US is a neutral country.

In a similar poll conducted in June 2025, Leger noted, only 26% of Canadians said the US was an enemy.

Trump’s trade war is a major driver of negative opinion among Canadians, as 63% of those surveyed say they expect the president’s tariffs to have either a moderate or major impact on their personal financial situations.

Additionally, 74% of Canadians say they agree with their government’s decision to retaliate against Trump’s tariffs, even while acknowledging such retaliation will hurt the economy.

Canadians are also resentful of Trump’s demands that Canada become the 51st US state, with 85% saying they do not want to become part of America.

The disdain toward the US is driven almost entirely by Trump, the survey finds, with 64% of Canadians saying their opinions of the country would likely change if he were no longer president.

In an interview with The National Post, Leger vice president Andrew Enns emphasized the centrality of Trump in Canadians’ deteriorating views of their neighbor to the south, arguing that the US president “can move public opinion like nobody’s business.”

Brian Rathbun, professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, told The National Post that while Canadians aren’t letting their dislike of Trump tarnish their opinions of Americans as a whole, that could change in the coming years.

“At some point, I think Canadians will start to get frustrated if this persists, even if it’s not what the American public wants,” said Rathbun. “They can say, ‘Why is it that no one’s standing up to this particular bully?’ Then I think that you could get into something like a deeper problem that couldn’t be fixed by kicking this guy out.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) lashed out Sunday at former aides who accused him of ditching constituents for face time on Fox News, arguing they'd masked crucial context: an X post, some flowers and vomit.

In an exclusive report from CNN Fetterman dismissed three claims made by “disgruntled staffers” he argued were out to tarnish his reputation by speaking to the Wall Street Journal and organizing an anonymous account on X.

“Per usual — lies, half-truths, innuendos, smears and anonymous,” Fetterman said. “No matter how many smears or stories, I’m proud to continue to deliver for Pennsylvania.”

Fetterman then responded to three specific anecdotes revealed to the Wall Street Journal he argued had been “stripped of any context and circumstances," CNN reported.

The first was that he complained about frequent meetings with officials from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"They are worried about vaccines and Medicaid cuts,” an aide told Fetterman. He replied; “Well, I’m not.”

In his statement to CNN, Fetterman said that his comment was just a “dumb joke, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

Fetterman then responded to the Journal's report that he skipped a funeral for three police officers killed near his hometown and complained the service was too long.

“On the day of that tragedy, we privately ordered flowers to be delivered for their families and expressed my condolences publicly,” Fetterman said, referring to a post on X.

Finally, Fetterman responded to the report that he'd skipped a meeting with three paralyzed veterans, claiming he didn't feel well, then conducted an interview on Fox News.

“I was at home throwing up, so I asked my staff to continue with the meeting which they did," said Fetterman. "Hours later, I felt well enough to continue the day as scheduled.”