It is a sad state of affairs when Americans are unsure whom to believe: the word of their president or that of his foreign adversary. And what makes it worse, many would rate the statements of the enemy, even though it’s Iran — one of the most prolific sponsors of terrorism on earth — over the word of Donald Trump.

Out of the blue and before financial markets opened on Monday, Trump announced progress on ending the four-week-long war with Iran. Was this another lie, or was there real movement toward the end of the war? It is a head-spinning story that began over the weekend.

In a 7:44 p.m. EST social media post on Saturday night, Trump gave Iran an ultimatum: open the Strait of Hormuz within 48-hours or the United States will obliterate your energy infrastructure, including power plants, which may be considered a war crime since the power is primarily for civilians.

The ultimatum was that Iran had until Monday night to act. But Trump blinked with more than 12 hours to go, and the reason may have been more monetary than military.

At 7:04 a.m. Monday, two hours before the shaken U.S. markets opened, Trump wrote that those threatened strikes on Iranian power plants would halt for five days because “the US and Iran have had productive conversations.”

Within minutes of that post, the S…P 500 rebounded, adding $2 trillion in value. The cost of a barrel of Brent crude oil dropped almost 14%.

Thirty-three minutes later, at 7:37 a.m., Iran categorically denied holding any talks with the Trump administration, saying claims of “productive talks” were a lie. They even used Trump’s term, calling it “fake news.” By 8:00 a.m., half of the S…P gains had vanished.

Trump wasn’t done. He then called in to Fox Business host and Trump cheerleader Maria Bartiromo and CNBC’s Joe Kernen, telling the latter, “We are very intent on making a deal.”

Not so, says Iran’s official news agency. Trump “backed down” because of pressure from allies and the markets, they reported.

Making it all the more suspicious was that the U.S. spin was coming from Trump, and only Trump. Conspicuously silent were the State Department, the White House and the well-traveled negotiating team of Steve Witkoff, the president’s real estate pal, and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Once again, there appears to be no collective wisdom or strategy from the U.S., just the constantly changing whims of one erratic and unreliable figurehead.

“The unsettling reality is that with this president, Americans in wartime are in the unprecedented position of having to suspect that the enemy’s version of events is more likely to be true than our own,” The Wall Street Journal’s Gerard Baker posted on social media.

If you thought trying to pacify markets and buy time were the most chaotic and dangerous things Trump did in the last two days, you’d be wrong. He had a busy weekend.

On Saturday, Trump did something that even for Trump is hard to believe. In an effort to rein in rapidly escalating oil prices, he announced he would lift sanctions on Iranian oil, effectively sending millions of dollars to a regime he has described as a “dire threat to every American,” and one that is killing American service members.

This follows the easing of sanctions on Russian oil earlier this month. Russia, in turn, will use the unexpected windfall to continue financing their four-year long war against Ukraine.

Here at Steady, we try to deal in facts. With that in mind, there is growing suspicion that Trump is struggling to find a way to declare victory and get out.

And then there is Linda from Arizona.

On Friday, during the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a conservative talk radio show, Linda from Arizona called in with a suggestion. “I think I have a solution to the TSA problem. We need to bring in ICE agents.” Travis called her idea “brilliant” and then pitched it on Fox (News) that night.

Early Sunday morning, Trump said in a social media post, “ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents,” which was the first time most of his government heard of the idea.

Apart from the unorthodox genesis of the scheme, let’s talk about how this would work — work perhaps being too strong a word.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), currently unfunded and without a head, will be deploying untrained Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to our nation’s airports during the busy spring break season to assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Because of the partial government shutdown, affecting only DHS, TSA agents haven’t seen a paycheck in 37 days. ICE agents, who are considered essential, are getting paid. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 41% of TSA agents at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport were no-shows on Sunday. As a result, three-hour-plus security lines snaked through the country’s busiest airport. Long lines were reported at many other airports.

Regardless of training, or lack of it, unmasked ICE agents were walking around 13 airport terminals across the country on Monday, reportedly to help. The president called the airports “fertile territory” for arresting “illegals.”

Today, Tom Homan, the de facto head of DHS until a new secretary is confirmed, said ICE could provide site security only, not help with passenger and bag screenings. They could also watch exit doors, Homan said. So essentially no help at all, just a pricey jostling of personnel.

What would help is an end to the shutdown, which was within reach over the weekend.

On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), presented Trump with a deal to fund DHS, minus ICE. He promised ICE would be funded with a reconciliation package in the near future. Not that it needs it. ICE’s $85 billion, three-year budget eclipses the budgets of all the other federal law enforcement agencies combined (FBI, Secret Service, etc.).

Reading the electoral tea leaves, Senate Republicans and some White House aides urged Thune to bring the deal to the president, according to Punchbowl News. Senate Democrats signed on to the deal, compromising on several points, including requiring ICE agents to go maskless.

Trump flatly rejected the offer. He is holding Homeland Security funding hostage until the Senate passes the SAVE Act, the controversial voter suppression bill now pending. “Don’t worry about Easter… In fact make this one for Jesus,” he told lawmakers.

Trump said he would publicly shame any Republican senator who left for the upcoming recess, inviting them to the White House for Easter dinner. That sounds more like a threat than a prize.

“It’s hard to imagine a dumber political strategy to respond to long TSA lines than sending personnel from an agency that 2/3s of Americans don’t like and declaring you won’t fund TSA unless the Senate passes the politically toxic SAVE Act.” Democratic strategist Dan Pfeiffer wrote on social media.

In the middle of a war and partial government shutdown, Trump still managed to spend the weekend at his Florida resort playing golf. He exists in a world where consequences are immaterial. Decisions made are not for the betterment of the American people, but for him alone. Gas prices and long security lines don’t affect him. That may change come November.