Republicans hedge after Trump downplays Americans’ wartime financial struggles
During a Q&A with reporters at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump faced a straightforward question that should’ve been easy to answer: “When you’re negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are American financial situations motivating you to make a deal?”
One need not have the instincts of a communications expert or a highly trained politician to know it’s a good idea to express some concern for the public’s financial struggles, especially when extensive public opinion research is showing widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Trump’s instincts, however, took him in a very different direction. Without hesitating, the president replied, “Not even a little bit.”
The Republican went on to offer impromptu comments that aren’t likely to be forgotten anytime soon: “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.”
There’s an old joke that says the definition of a “gaffe” is when a politician accidentally tells the truth. This came to mind watching Trump declare, out loud and on camera, that when it comes to Iran, he’s indifferent to the financial hardships imposed on his own country’s populace.
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Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”
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