On May 12, 2026, speaking with reporters on the White House South Lawn, Trump was asked to what extent "Americans' financial situations" were motivating him to make a deal with Iran, to which Trump responded:
Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran — they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all.
When questioned by a reporter about his remark, Trump said:
The most important thing by far — including whether our stock market, which, by the way, is at an all-time high — but including whether our stock market goes up or down a little bit, the most important thing by far is Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Every American understands.
Source:
Smith, Allan. (May 12, 2026). "Trump says he's not thinking about Americans' finances 'even a little bit' in Iran talks". NBC News. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
Politically speaking, this was a huge Trump gaffe. Democrats will use the video clip of what he said to their advantage as we move into the 2026 mid-term elections.
Regarding Trump's seeming dismissal of the financial situations of Americans, to be fair, Trump said "the only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran." In other words, he said what he said, seemingly, only as it pertains to not allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
So, Trump's only concern about Iran is whether or not Iran obtains a nuclear weapon. He's not concerned, in the least, "Not even a little bit," about how his war with Iran is affecting Americans financially.
I suggest you stop and let that sink in for a moment.
How about a president who understands and realizes that BOTH of those things are important?
This is a prime example of how extreme and narrow-minded Trump is. Any reasonable, rational president, or person for that matter, would have answered the question posed by the reporter quite differently, understanding that the effect the Iran war is having on American citizens is very, very important.
Trump is obviously laser-focused on Iran and nuclear weapons, but to just ignore and dismiss the fact that it's HIS war with Iran that is causing more financial woes for Americans tells us even more about who Trump really is and where his priorities are.
Remember all of those ridiculous economic claims Trump made during his 2024 presidential campaign? He said he would cut energy and electricity prices in half within 12 months. He said groceries will be cheaper. He said he would end inflation and make America affordable again.
Source:
"TRUMPFLATION: Donald Trump's Broken Promises on Affordability". banking.senate.gov. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
TRUMP LIED! NONE OF THESE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED!
The U.S. Department of Labor just reported that wholesale inflation spiked to 6 percent in April, up from 4 percent in March, as a result of the Iran war, and that the consumer price index increased 3.8 percent over the past 12 months.
At the end of the day, because Trump is completely controlled by his massive ego, everything he says and does is ultimately about him. Trump chose to go to war with Iran primarily because he wants another "feather in his cap." He wants to be able to say that he prevented yet another war. I forget, how many wars has he already claimed to have prevented?
The fact that his war with Iran is disrupting the world economy is of no real consequence to Trump. As always, he just does whatever the hell he wants to do, regardless of the unfortunate consequences, and he does it to feed his ego.
Unfortunately for Trump, for all Americans, and for the entire world, Trump's Iran debacle is not going to end well.
It's been almost three months since the start of the war.
Gas prices have risen sharply as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Consumer Price Index and inflation are both on the rise.
Proposed peace plans by both Iran and the U.S. show just how far apart the warring parties are.
Remember, it was Trump who withdrew the U.S. from the Iran Nuclear Deal brokered during the Obama administration. No, the deal wasn't perfect, but with any deal you don't get everything you want because you have to compromise. The Deal was certainly better than what's happening now. And yes, some of the original expiration dates in that Deal would have expired by now, but those dates and the specifics of the Deal could have been renegotiated by the Trump administration. Instead, Trump has backed himself into a corner that he's going to have a very difficult time getting out of.
I've said this before, but I will say it again. The entire "Iran can't have a nuclear weapon" narrative is way, way overblown. In my opinion, it's just a never-ending political talking point, and for Trump, an excuse to go to war.
For years there was concern over North Korea obtaining a nuclear weapon. North Korea has had nuclear weapons for quite some time now. So what? Why aren't people, particularly politicians, screaming bloody murder about that?
From my perspective, Trump's decision to go to war with Iran was based on 1) a faulty long-term narrative, 2) Trump administration lies about an "imminent" Iranian threat, and 3) Trump's gargantuan ego (which caused him to withdraw from the Obama Iran Nuclear Deal, not only because Trump didn't like the deal, but because it has Obama's name on it, and because Trump wants to say he prevented yet another war, which would be a huge boost to his ego).
Brian Tyler Cohen has said many times that Trump doesn't "give a shit" about Americans - that all Trump cares about is himself.
Cohen is absolutely correct.