Trump gave Fox's Bret Baier an extended interview this Friday and was asked about the statement he made this Tuesday where he told a reporter who asked him to what extent are Americans’ financial situations were potentially motivating him to make a deal with Iran, and Trump's response where he said:
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.
Trump responded by doubling down, calling it a "perfect statement" and then pretending he was somehow taken out of context.
Good luck with that. His longer response here wasn't any better or any less tone deaf when it comes to what so many Americans are experiencing financially right now. Baier also allowed him to lie and pretend that the mess Biden inherited from Trump after COVID was the same as where things were at with the economy when Trump came back into office.
BAIER: Gas prices in America are still high — painfully high.
TRUMP: They're going to drop like a rock as soon as it's over.
BAIER: Painfully high though, now, and could be creeping higher before it's done.
TRUMP: Lower than Biden — excuse me, lower than Biden, and much lower than people thought they'd be.
BAIER: This inflation number is going up. You're right that it's much lower than President Biden's was, but it's going up under you. The numbers are. You can imagine Democrats and political pundits jumped all over this statement that you made the other day. You were asked when you were leaving.
REPORTER: To what extent are American financial situations motivating you to take a deal?
TRUMP: Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters — when I'm talking about Iran — is 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.
BAIER: You can imagine how many people stop the soundbite at "I don't think about America's financial situation." So what's your response to that?
TRUMP: Very simple. When people hear me say it, everybody agrees — short-term pain. It's going to be short-term pain. But the pain is much less than people thought, because people thought oil would go up to $250. It was $99 yesterday — $99 a barrel. I thought it might go up to $200. I was okay with that. Not that I wanted it. But you cannot let them have a nuclear weapon. They will use it on us. They'll start with Israel, wipe it out. The Middle East, wipe it out. They'll go to Europe — they have a missile that reaches Europe.
When you tell somebody they're going to have to pay a little more — not that much more, a little more — for gasoline, for a very short period of time, because we want to stop the threat of being blown to pieces by a lunatic using nuclear weapons, everybody says that's fine.
That question was a fake question, and they didn't air my full answer. I totally care. Look, I inherited high prices.
Yeah, bullshit. He inherited an economy that was recovering better than most of the world.
If we're ever rid of him, he's going to hand another giant mess to whoever is unfortunate enough to have to clean up after him again.
