"“Not even a little bit,” Trump replied, before elaborating: “I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody.”"
"Trump was probably trying to lie here-he likely wanted to reject the premise that the economic pain caused by his war of choice is putting pressure on him to end it. The premise is obvious, but he has fervently denied it, in part to retain some leverage over Iran."
"But his denial revealed a deeper truth: Trump has treated the public's economic well-being as an afterthought. The thing he admitted so casually is the primary reason his popularity has cratered. Trump was elected to tackle inflation, and instead has made it worse."
"The factors that determine inflation often lie outside elected officials' control. The Biden-era inflation surge occurred mostly due to the disruptive effects of reopening the global economy after the coronavirus pandemic, though the large fiscal stimulus he signed also contributed."
Trump responded to a question about whether Americans’ finances motivated him to make a deal with Iran by saying he was not thinking about Americans’ financial situation and not thinking about anybody. The denial suggests he was trying to reject the idea that economic pain from his chosen actions pressured him to end them. The statement also reflects a broader pattern of treating public economic well-being as secondary. Trump’s popularity has declined as inflation worsened, despite being elected to address inflation. His affordability promises relied on changing outcomes that are difficult for elected officials to control, since inflation drivers often come from global disruptions and policy effects beyond direct control.
Read at The Atlantic
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