U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 27, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
The Iran war, according to countless polls, is a key factor in President Donald Trump's weak approval ratings. Trump addressed the war during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, and when he was asked about the November elections, the president told reporters, "I don't care about the midterms."
Trump, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on one side of him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the other, said of the Iran government, "It looks like they just want to make a deal. I don't think they have a choice. They're just going back to the internet, because they're getting clobbered. Their economy is in freefall, they have 250 percent inflation, their money has no value. Their whole economic system is broken down."
The U.S. president continued, "They thought they were going to out-wait me. 'We'll out-wait him. He's got the midterms.' I don't care about the midterms. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms. ... Very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."
By "last night," Trump was referring to a Republican U.S. Senate primary that was decided in Texas — where far-right Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton unseated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton won by roughly 27 percent, but conservative political strategists are warning that the Democratic nominee, James Talarico, could have an easier time competing against Paxton than he would have had against Cornyn — a traditional conservative who was supported by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) and other establishment Republicans in the U.S. Senate.
Trump launched a war against Iran three months in late February, and the president's critics — including major economists like Paul Krugman, Robert Reich and the University of Michigan's Justin Wolfers — are blaming the war for rising gas prices and inflation with many other products as well.
The war has resulted in the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, a Middle Eastern waterway vital to the flow of oil.
Trump's comments during the Cabinet meeting are drawing a lot of reactions on X.
According to Energy Headline News, "Trump: Iran is very much intent. They want very much to make a deal. So far they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be, either that or we'll have to just finish the job. They’re negotiating on fumes."
The Russian media outlet RT observed, "Trump: 'I don’t think [Iran] has a choice' but a peace deal 'They’re just going back to the internet because they’re getting clobbered' 'They thought they were gonna outwait me… I don’t care about the midterms."
