Topline
President Donald Trump said he isn’t motivated by Americans’ financial situations “even a little bit” when negotiating a peace deal with Iran, insisting he is only concerned with preventing Iran from getting ahold of a nuclear weapon, despite rising inflation, skyrocketing prices for energy and gasoline and shortages of materials needed for popular consumer goods.
The president made the remarks before leaving for a trip to China.
Getty Images
Key Facts
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situations, I don’t think about anybody,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before leaving for his trip to China, adding “I think about one thing—we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
He also insisted his policies “are working incredibly” even with rising inflation, later claiming that after the war in Iran ends oil prices will fall and “you’re gonna see a stock market, which is already at the highest point in history, go through the roof.”
Trump also claimed “hundreds” of ships were waiting to exit the Strait of Hormuz, and “as soon as they come out, we’re going to have a gusher of oil and you’re gonna have inflation that goes way down.”
When asked about how Americans were feeling about rising prices, Trump said “every American understands,” citing a poll he claimed showed a majority opposed Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Crucial Quote
“The President’s ultimate responsibility is the safety and security of Americans,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement sent to Forbes. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if action wasn’t taken, they’d have one, which threatens all Americans.”
Do Americans ‘understand’ Trump?
Trump insisted Americans understood his goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. “They just had a poll like 85%—which is surprising it’s only that—they understand that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, if Iran has a nuclear weapon the whole world would be in trouble because they happen to be crazy,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. The White House did not elaborate on which poll the president was referring to when asked by Forbes, but a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll conducted between April 23-26 found 74% of voters agreed it was in the U.S.’ interest to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. However, that poll also found 60% of voters believed Iran would keep trying to develop nuclear weapons even if the Trump administration continued its strong stance against the nation.
Key Background
Most major polls conducted in recent weeks have found Trump’s approval rating around or below 40%, with many respondents citing disapproval over his handling of the Iran war and the economic fallout caused by rising oil prices. An April Gallup poll published the same day as the Harvard/Harris poll found 55% of respondents believed their financial situations were getting worse, while only 34% thought they were getting better—a steep drop from 43% with a positive outlook in April 2025. A total of 31% of respondents ranked inflation as their biggest economic problem—up from 29% last year, but still down significantly from 41% who said the same in April 2024. However, other concerns are now rising, with 13% citing the cost of owning a home and another 13% citing energy and gas costs as their biggest hardship—a sharp uptick from only 3% who cited gas prices in 2025.