Trump says he disregards US economic concerns in Iran policy, sparking political backlash
President Trump told reporters Tuesday he does “not even a little bit” think about Americans’ financial situation when dealing with Iran, a remark that threatens to undercut Republican midterm messaging on affordability. The comment came as the Labor Department reported wholesale inflation hit 6% in April, driven by the Iran war, and a CNN poll found 77% of Americans say Trump’s policies have raised their cost of living. Democrats are already using the clip in campaign ads, with Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) saying, “When the president of the United States doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situations … your prices go up.”
President Trump told reporters Tuesday he does “not even a little bit” think about Americans’ financial situation when dealing with Iran, a remark that threatens to undercut Republican midterm messaging on affordability as fresh economic data and polling show voters feeling the pinch from the Iran war.
“The president’s ultimate responsibility is the safety and security of Americans. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if action wasn’t taken, they’d have one, which threatens all Americans,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in response to a request for comment.
The comment came as the Labor Department reported Wednesday that wholesale inflation spiked to 6% in April, up from 4% in March, as a result of the Iran war. The department reported Tuesday that the consumer price index increased 3.8% over the past 12 months. A CNN survey released Monday found 77% of Americans, including 55% of Republicans and 81% of independents, reported that Trump’s policies have driven up the cost of living in their communities. The same poll found 75% of respondents said the war in Iran has had a negative effect on their finances.
Republicans are struggling to defend the president’s economic record. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) said Tuesday: “President Trump’s been president for a year and a half now, so it’s his economy.” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) acknowledged Wednesday “the conflict with Iran has put a little damper” on affordability.
Democrats are already using the clip in campaign ads. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said at a press conference Wednesday: “When the president of the United States doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situations … your prices go up.” Democratic campaign adviser Andrew Mamo said: “The clip is just really nice and clean … a few seconds of Donald Trump saying ‘I think everything’s fine,’ and then you just pan to everything that is not fine.”
A Trump adviser told Axios: “The president could have chosen different words, but this is what he thinks.” A second Trump adviser acknowledged: “Iran has more time, and they’re counting on our political calendar to benefit them.”
U.S. officials say one option is to resume “Project Freedom,” with the Navy attempting to break the logjam in the Strait of Hormuz. Israeli officials say they’ll be on high alert this weekend in case Trump decides to resume the war. Trump brought business leaders including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on his trip to China this week.