Topline
Vice President JD Vance brushed aside concerns over President Donald Trump’s comments about not thinking “about Americans’ financial situations” while negotiating with Iran—calling it a “misrepresentation of what the president said” and backing Trump’s goals of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Key Facts
When asked at a Wednesday news conference if he agrees with Trump’s statements on Tuesday, Vance said, “I don’t think the president said that—I think that’s a misrepresentation of what the president said.”
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situations, I don’t think about anybody” when going into negotiations with Iran, and instead was only concerned with preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, even as inflation has increased and gas prices have soared as a result of the Iran war.
Vance said he agreed with Trump’s position that “Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.”
The vice president said the U.S. was “engaged in a very aggressive and very engaged diplomatic process” to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuke, with the “fundamental goal” of keeping Americans safe.
Crucial Quote
“The goal of preventing nuclear proliferation is probably the single most important thing we can do to keep our people safe for the long term, it’s absolutely a worthy goal,” Vance told reporters at a press conference, which was called to discuss the Trump administration’s investigations into Medicaid fraud. “But of course the president, and I and the entire team, we care about the American peoples’ financial situations, it’s one of the reasons why we passed the working families tax cut, it’s one of the reasons why we’re so focused on fraud. We care about how the American people are doing economically.”
Key Background
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday before leaving for his trip to China, Trump was asked about whether Americans’ financial situations were motivating him to reach a deal with Iran. Trump immediately answered they were “not even a little bit,” before insisting preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon was “the only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran.” The Trump administration is facing dropping approval ratings, especially around the economy and cost of living, as disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz have pushed the price of oil and gasoline up since the war began on Feb. 28.
