A geopolitical expert warned Sunday that President Donald Trump is facing a trap in Iran, one that created one of the most dangerous windows in the war's timeline.

Robert Pape, a political scientist who teaches at the University of Chicago, wrote in a new Substack essay that Iran's pathway to winning the war against the U.S. is by creating excruciating economic pressure on the Trump administration. Pape predicted that the Trump administration is likely to respond to such pressure with a limited ground operation in Iran after the midterms are over. This could cause a spiral of repeating escalations that drag the U.S. further into the war.

"This is the Escalation Trap in its purest form," Pape wrote.

Pape argued that the two months after the midterm elections in November will be the "most dangerous" part of the war. For starters, Pape noted that the lame-duck Congress will have little incentive to prevent Trump from acting on his worst impulses, especially if the Democrats trounce Republicans, as some polls have suggested.

He also noted that Trump will have the fewest domestic constraints of his second term after the midterms, which could cause Trump to deal with the ongoing economic pressure in a concerning way.

"Pressure on Hormuz and Gulf oil leaves Washington two choices: make the sweeping concessions an increasingly ambitious Iran demands, which carry a heavy price at home, or climb the next rung," Pape wrote.

The stakes are even greater because of the looming elections in Israel, he added. There is a chance Netanyahu becomes a "caretaker" Prime Minister after the election, which could cause him to act erratically as well.

Officials in the Trump administration who think they will be able to avoid legal consequences for their actions should think again, according to one former Justice Department pardon attorney.

Liz Oyer, who was Trump's pardon attorney until she was fired by Attorney General Todd Blanche in 2025, argued in a new Substack essay that administration officials who believe they will avoid accountability if they receive a presidential pardon are making a "mistake." She noted that the "calculated risk" the officials are taking could come back to haunt them, as it did for a businessman President Donald Trump pardoned during his first term.

"As Democrats focus on accountability, those in Trump’s orbit continue to behave as though there is no tomorrow. Why? Not because they believe the elections will go their way," Oyer wrote. "It’s because they are banking on presidential pardons to insulate them from any future consequences."

"This is a mistake," Oyer added.

She pointed to the case of Philip Esformes, a wealthy businessman who Trump pardoned after running a massive health care fraud scheme. The Department of Justice went after Esformes even after he received his pardon, arguing that it only applied to the 20 counts he was convicted of and not the six counts where the jury failed to reach a verdict.

Oyer argued that this technicality "could very well come back to haunt Trump officials in the future."

"The next administration will surely insist on the same deference in interpreting the scope of pardons. And their interpretation may not favor those currently in power," she added.

"Today’s pardon hopefuls should be forewarned that there is no binding precedent that would prohibit a future Justice Department from bringing charges based on the good faith belief that the president exceeded his pardon power or failed to exercise it unambiguously," Oyer wrote.

Onlookers were furious Sunday after President Donald Trump hurled insults at a progressive Senate candidate that some described as "pure racism."

Trump spoke in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday as part of his midterm tour to rally support for Republicans like Senate candidate Mike Rogers. During his speech, Trump took aim at Rogers' opponent, Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, over his "record of support for jihadists."

Republicans have frequently claimed that El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood because of his Egyptian heritage, a claim that El-Sayed has forcibly denied.

"Anyone with that record of supporting jihadists would be screened and unable to get a seat on an airplane. They certainly should not give him a seat in the United States Senate," Trump said. "He would be the only Senator who is required to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate. I want him to have a metal detector!"

Trump's comments sparked a firestorm on social media.

Journalist Aaron Rupar described Trump's comments as "pure racism."

"Republicans objectively are campaigning on little more than bigotry," Rupar posted on X.

Joanne Carducci, who goes by "JoJofromJerz" on social media, found Trump's comments ironic because of his actions on Jan. 6, 2021.

"This coming from the traitor who sent a rabid mob to attack the Senate for him," Carducci posted on X.

Hemant Mehta, a "Jeopardy!" champion, wrote on X that Trump's comments reflected the state of the GOP.

"A reminder that roughly 80% of white evangelical voters are fine with this blatant racism," Mehta posted.