Trump says he doesn't think about Americans' financial situations as he negotiates with Iran

追加: 2026-05-14

[00:00:00]Hear President Trump say it, as he did today, he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have almost nothing >> [music] >> to talk about when it comes to the war with Iran.

[00:00:11]Really?

[00:00:12]It's all going to work out, Trump said.

[00:00:15]Oh, and oil prices and inflation, which can only be described as rising at noticeable and financially irritating rates, will all come magically down when this war is over.

[00:00:27]You will be forgiven for asking yourself, wait, have I heard any of this before about gas prices, inflation, the end of the war?

[00:00:36]Yes, you have. Almost every week since the war began, in fact. Now, as you know, the president talks a lot, takes a lot of questions. This is part of his laudable transparency and intentional misdirection. Seeing and hearing the president in action is not always about fixed statements, that's kind of an understatement. Sometimes it is an elaborate illusion, saying one thing in public while maneuvering in another direction in private. So be it.

[00:01:03]Presidents have different styles, negotiations, and rhetoric.

[00:01:07]But this statement, the one I'm about to play, may say more about the president's actual intentions and the economic pain pain, rather, he is willing to endure and by extension force you to endure while, as we know, the Strait of Hormuz remains mostly closed and talks to end Iran's nuclear ambitions bog down like a jalopy in a mud bog. Here's what the president said today before leaving for China.

[00:01:34]When you're negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are American financial situations motivating you to make a deal?

[00:01:42]Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters is what I'm talking about Iran. They can't have a nuclear weapon.

[00:01:48]I don't think about American financial situation. I don't think about anything, but I think about one thing. You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all.

[00:01:59]That's the only thing we can do.

[00:02:02]Something tells me that sound bite is, as they say, going to have legs and political consequences. We begin tonight with Arlette Saquille who joins me at the family table. Ed, great to see you.

[00:02:12]>> Good to see you.

[00:02:13]President was very clear there.

[00:02:15]>> Oh, yeah. I don't think about it at all.

[00:02:17]>> Yeah.

[00:02:18]American economic matters as it relates to Iran. Now, I understand prioritization. Presidents do it all the time.

[00:02:25]But that's going to circle in the atmosphere.

[00:02:27]>> It is and not only prioritization, but like a signature bedrock original promise >> promise of this guy when he started running for president more than 10 years ago, right? Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. I'm going to work on immigration. It was right there with it.

[00:02:41]So, for him to continue to focus on that and try to achieve that.

[00:02:45]>> part of the re-election campaign is I'm going to tame inflation and I'm going to make your economic situation better than it was.

[00:02:50]>> Yep, exactly. And so now, to your point, it probably will end up in advertising in the coming days, as well as some other things he said today along the rope line regarding redistricting and and regarding the state of the economy.

[00:03:02]And he continues to say, "Just hang with me. Be patient because the moment this war is over, everything's going to plunge back to where it was."

[00:03:09]Economic data, economic history would suggest it takes a little while. What is it that our Jill Schlesinger likes to say? Inflation goes up in an elevator and comes back down the stairs.

[00:03:18]>> right, exactly.

[00:03:18]>> what's inevitably going to happen.

[00:03:20]>> Quick up, slower down.

[00:03:21]>> trying to convince the voters, "Hang with me despite this pain." But this inflation report with all the different ways groceries and other goods you buy at the hardware store and in other places are climbing up now, in part because of the oil costs. You know, this really now, getting into the summer, starts to hurt a lot more for America.

[00:03:39]>> And Ed, you know this better than I do.

[00:03:40]For weeks now, the president has basically been saying the same thing.

[00:03:43]>> Same exact message. Hang with me. The war's almost over. When it's over, the prices will come down. And what happens as he continues to say that? Support for him or his stewardship of the economy and the war continues to go down.

[00:03:56]So, but it's not in his nature to suddenly reverse course in hopes of improving poll numbers because the only one that really matters to them is that the Republican support continues to sustain itself for the most part. Therefore, they believe going into the midterms their base at least is there to show up and elect Republicans.

[00:04:12]As best we can tell, Ed, what is the White House interpretation of what's at stake for the president in China?

[00:04:19]With Xi Jinping? He told me directly trade. Trade is the big thing. True. Not Iran.

[00:04:24]>> Not Iran. He said Iran, uh, we'll we'll talk about that, but we've mostly got that under control. But trade to me, he said, is the biggest concern. Uh, that is why you're seeing Tim Cook. Uh, that is why you're seeing other, uh, not only tech executives, but other financial institutions >> there? Elon Musk is invited. This is the thing, they've told us all these guys are invited. Head of Cargill, head of Visa, head of MasterCard, uh, Apple, and others. We don't know for certain that they're going and they're not all on Air Force One with him.

[00:04:50]>> Got it. They'll get there or they won't, but the point is you've invited all these different executives to come to demonstrate American economic might, hope that they cut some new deals, and he can turn around and say look what I've done. And it's also important to point out because you might think to yourself, do you normally travel with CEOs like this? The German Chancellor, the French President, the British Prime Minister have all gone there in the last several months with business executives from their country in tow. So, the US is doing exactly what the Europeans did in bringing their business guys along. Ed O'Keefe, always great stuff. Thank you very much.