President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the deteriorating financial situation of Americans is not playing any role in pushing him to make a deal with Iran.
The Daily Caller’s White House Correspondent Reagan Reese pressed the president on whether increasing inflation — including energy and food prices — is influencing the White House’s decision to seek a deal to end the ongoing war with Iran. Trump dismissed the idea, declaring, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.”
“What extent are Americans’ financial situation motivating you to make a deal?” Reese asked.
“Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation, I don’t think about anybody.” (RELATED: Cost Of Iran War Balloons To Nearly $30,000,000,000)
JUST NOW: Trump tells me he is not considering American’s financial situation when negotiating with Iran.
“The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they cannot have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about American’s financial situation. I don’t think about… pic.twitter.com/XtfWOx6fwc
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) May 12, 2026
Earlier on Tuesday, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for April revealed that inflationary pressure in the U.S. economy has been rising, with prices for energy and groceries heavily contributing to the spike. The cost of everyday goods rose 0.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis in April, after increasing 0.9% in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported.
The comments are likely to be picked up and used as a cudgel by Democrats with just over 5 months until the 2026 congressional midterm elections. Already, voters are showing increasing weariness of the Iran War and serious concerns about the Republican handling of the economy.
“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 told the Daily Caller in a statement in response to the president’s comments.