Prominent conservative proclaims Trump 'being played like a fiddle': 'He admitted as much'

Influential conservative commentator Erick Erickson warned this week that the Trump administration is being outmaneuvered by Iran, arguing that President Donald Trump waited too long to act and has now boxed himself in over oil prices.

Erickson, a longtime radio host and writer with a substantial following on the right, did not mince words in his assessment of the administration's posture toward Tehran.

"Iran is playing this administration like fiddle," he wrote.

According to Erickson, the core of the problem is timing. He argued that Trump "waited so long that oil prices became a crisis" and now finds himself unable to take any step that might jeopardize the flow of oil.

Erickson went further, claiming the president had effectively conceded the bind he was in. Trump "admitted as much publicly," Erickson wrote, adding that the president "was afraid of a depression."

The contrast Erickson drew was pointed: while Trump fears the economic fallout, "Iran is not."

The post was a notable shot from the right flank, coming from a commentator who is generally aligned with Republican politics rather than an outside critic of the administration.

The criticism adds Erickson's voice to a chorus questioning the administration's handling of Iran, made more striking by the fact that it comes from within conservative ranks rather than from the president's usual liberal opponents.