Khaberni - US President Donald Trump caused a widespread political and media storm in the United States after he told journalists that he thinks "not at all" about the financial situations of Americans while negotiating with the Iranian leadership, asserting that his only priority is preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The statement came during Trump's talk with journalists in the South Lawn of the White House, just before leaving on a diplomatic trip to China, when asked about how much the "financial situations of the Americans" impacts his desire to reach an agreement with Iran.
Trump responded saying "not at all", adding that "the only important thing" when talking about Iran is that it "cannot possess nuclear weapons".
He continued: "I do not think about the financial situation of Americans, I don't think about anyone, I think only about one thing that we cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, that's all".
The statement did not quell the controversy, but rather inflamed it when another journalist asked if he really did not consider the economic impact of war, Trump reiterated that the most important thing "by far" is preventing Iran from owning nuclear weapons, even if it concerns the fluctuations of the stock market, which he said were at their historical highs.
Trump's remarks come at a sensitive economic moment inside the United States, after the ongoing American-Israeli war on Iran led to widespread disturbances in the energy markets, especially after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the global oil supplies pass daily.
According to American media, the average price of regular gasoline in the United States rose to $4.50 per gallon, while the price of diesel reached $5.64.
Inflation also jumped in April to 3.8%, the highest level it has been in about three years, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicating that energy costs accounted for more than 40% of the monthly increase in the price index.
Trump declined Iran's latest offer to end the conflict on Sunday, describing it as "unacceptable", before stating on Monday that the existing ceasefire was "on life support", heightening fears of the war's continuation and the worsening of its economic impacts on Americans.
Trump's statement turned into a widespread focus of attack from Democrats, local officials, and activists on social media platforms, presenting it as evidence of his detachment from the daily struggles of Americans, especially with the rising costs of fuel, food, and health insurance.
Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a tweet on platform X, "Has it ever been clearer that Donald Trump does not care about you? As he said 'not at all'".
Pelosi's comment was seen as one of the most concise and sharp responses, having reused Trump's own words against him, in an effort to establish the phrase as a political slogan for the stage.
Democratic Representative Jason Crow from Colorado stated that Trump "does not care about rising costs or the suffering of Americans", adding that citizens "deserve better than that from their elected leaders".
Crow focused in his tweet on the representational dimension of the crisis, considering Trump's statement as an undermining core of the political responsibility of the president towards the citizens.
