Republicans tried to go to bat for President Donald Trump on Tuesday after he said he doesn’t think about Americans’ “financial situations” as a factor in talks to end his unpopular Iran war.
“Did he say that?” asked Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) when confronted with the president’s remarks by MeidasTouch’s Pablo Manríquez in a clip reposted on his X account.
“I don’t have a comment about that mostly because I think he actually does care,” continued the senator before chuckling and walking away.
Less than two hours earlier, the president put his disregard for Americans on display in comments that critics say are a gold nugget for Democrats as they campaign for the midterm elections.
Trump told reporters outside the White House that Americans’ finances weren’t playing “even a little bit” of a role for him in the negotiations before naming what he claimed to be the “only thing that matters”: that Iran “can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump later doubled down on the remarks when asked by ABC News’ Karen Travers if he’s “not considering” the conflict’s financial impact on Americans.
Manríquez asked several Republicans around the nation’s capital about Trump’s comments, including MAGA Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), who painted a far rosier depiction of the president’s attitude toward the cost of living.
“Donald Trump cares about all of — everybody. He cares about — he’s concerned about fuel prices. He’s concerned about it all,” he told Manríquez.
“He wants to make America affordable for everybody. He loves America. He’s an America-first patriot so don’t take it out of context. Donald Trump loves America and the American people love him,” he added.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), when hit with questions about the president saying he doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situations, told Manríquez, “That’s not what I hear. Every time I talk to him, he’s focused on affordability, so —.”
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) argued that Trump’s initial comments have “got to be out of context” (they weren’t), telling Manríquez that he doesn’t think there’s anything the president is “more focused on” than the availability of jobs and the U.S. economy.
His colleagues marched to a similar squirmy beat, with Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) saying he would “have to find out the context” of Trump’s comments and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) claiming she “didn’t see” the president’s remarks.