Donald Trump’s inner circle fears that the president may have shot himself in the foot by crassly admitting he does not care about Americans’ financial hardships.
The 79-year-old president, who has an estimated net worth of more than $6 billion, made the shocking claim on Tuesday while answering questions about the war in Iran on the White House lawn.
When asked whether people’s financial difficulties, which have been exacerbated by the gas and oil crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict, were “motivating” him to make a deal with Iran, Trump replied: “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,” Trump added.
One Trump adviser told Axios that while Trump needs to keep piling pressure on Iran if he wants to win the Middle East conflict and prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons, the president “could have chosen different words” that did not dismiss the main concerns of tens of millions of voters.
“But this is what he thinks,” the adviser added.
Another adviser admitted the harsh truth is that Iran has no real timeline to come to a deal with the U.S. and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whereas the war becomes more politically damaging to Trump the longer it drags on toward November’s midterm elections.
“Iran has more time, and they’re counting on our political calendar to benefit them,” the adviser said.
In response, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told the Daily Beast: “President Trump’s ultimate responsibility is the safety and security of Americans – which is why the President will never allow the world’s number one state sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon.
“While the President has been clear about short-term disruptions as a result of Operation Epic Fury, the administration is focused on implementing the proven Trump agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance to keep America on a solid economic trajectory.”
Republicans are expected to suffer heavy losses in the midterms, which could mean the GOP loses control of both the House and the Senate.
Those predictions were made even before Trump launched into a deeply unpopular war in Iran.
Since the conflict broke out on Feb. 28, Trump has recorded dire approval ratings, including record-low numbers for his handling of inflation and the economy.
A CNN/SSRS poll released Tuesday found that a historic low of just 30 percent of voters approve of his handling of the economy, while only 26 percent approve of his handling of inflation. Three-quarters of Americans also believe the Iran war has made their financial hardships worse.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung previously reiterated to the Daily Beast that Trump considers preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon the number one issue surrounding the 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,” Cheung said.
Democratic National Committee Communications Director Rosemary Boeglin blasted Trump’s Tuesday remarks as the president saying the “quiet part out loud.”
“He doesn’t care about Americans who are struggling to make ends meet in his economy,” Boeglin added.
