Did Trump say he doesn’t care about the midterms?
Yes indeed, he did say that. As commenter “huxley” writes:
Trump had better know what he is doing. Maybe he’s got it worked out that Iran collapses economically real soon. Still, it seems he is cutting it pretty close. He may say he doesn’t care about the midterms, but a lot of Americans care more about the economy than Iran.
Indeed they do, although a lot of people care about both. But gas prices are certainly more up close and personal.
What did Trump actually say, in context? This:
President Donald Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he isn’t concerned about making a deal soon with Iran, adding that he doesn’t “care about the midterms” in what he said he thinks is the regime’s calculation that he has to negotiate a deal before what are expected to be highly-competitive elections in November.
“They thought they were going to out-wait me, you know. ‘We’ll out-wait him. He’s got the midterms.’ I don’t care about the midterms. Look what happened last night, that was a prelude to the midterms. People understand it,” Trump said, likely referencing his endorsed candidate, Ken Paxton, winning the Senate Republican runoff in Texas. …
“Mr. President, you’ve said that you’re in no rush to make a deal, but with gas prices that are still high across the country, people are paying more for travel. Does that give you more urgency to make a deal? Why doesn’t it?” ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott asked Trump during the Cabinet meeting.
“Well, I’ll tell you, the primary urgency, I’ve said this, it wasn’t covered properly, but the primary urgency is that we can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump responded.
It’s very clearly a message to Iran that they shouldn’t believe he’s under pressure to cave because of concerns about the midterms. The press and the Trump opposition are eager to convey the message as one that says “he doesn’t care about you, he doesn’t care that you have to pay more for gas, he simply doesn’t care.” But clearly he cares; he just prioritizing the message to the Iranian leadership that they shouldn’t believe he will cave because of the midterms. Note the eagerness of questioner Rachel Scott of ABC (although she’s harely alone) to indicate that he must cave.
Trump also said this:
…[W]e’re not talking about any easing of sanctions or giving money. No sanctions, no money, no nothing,” Trump said. “We have control of money that they claim is theirs. We’ll keep control of that money. And when they behave properly and when they do what’s right, we’ll let them have their money. But right now, we’re not doing that … One thing is not contingent on the other.” …
On the status of negotiations, Trump said on Wednesday he’s “not satisfied” and that Iran is “negotiating on fumes.”
“We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be. We will be. Either that or we’ll have to just finish the job,” Trump said.
The question I would like to see answered is: so why continue to negotiate? Haven’t you given this enough time? I don’t know the true answer, but I listed my guesses in this recent post.
Today at a SAM’s in Loveland, CO regular gas $4.169, down .30$ from a week ago.
I am happy for you Shirehome. In Corona, Ca at the Von’s Supermarket (Safeway affliated) station which runs about $.50 below legacy brands in the area it was $5.70. I know, I chose to live in California (well our children did and my wife chose to be close to grandchildren). At least I am not closer to LA.
But, to the subject at hand. I really want to believe that he has a plan; and that he really understands the chess board on which he is operating. It is getting increasingly harder. As I have said, very smart people begin to think they are smarter than everyone, and also that smartness trumps (no pun) toughness. That is dangerous. I served under the brilliant Robert McNamara. I also served under Ike, who understood risks and costs. Ike was pretty cautious, as the French learned when they tried to pull him into their Indo-China debacle. And the Brits and French when they wanted to grab the Suez Canal.
Conversation with wife, just now. Mid-terms. He better care. We all better care. I actually believe that there is more danger at home than from anywhere else in the world. We are plagued with an ignorant, self centered, electorate that requires a lot of attention.
Trump said, “Iran is “negotiating on fumes.”
“We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be. We will be. Either that or we’ll have to just finish the job,” Trump said.
“The question I would like to see answered is: so why continue to negotiate? Haven’t you given this enough time?” neo
Trump is negotiating to deny democrats the ability to spin a refusal by Trump to continue fruitless negotiations into ‘evidence’ of Trump’s ‘megalomania’. When his gut tells him he can resume saturation bombing, he will because politically, he can’t back down.
Maybe POTUS plans to destroy the crime syndicate that is the donkey party before the midterms.
I’m not clear on who, exactly, is handling negotiations for Iran. Is it Oblahma?
Not concerned about mid terms is more Trump bravado I’m afraid, if Dems take the midterms , everything he has accomplished will be for naught. Our nation will continue its decline. God help us.
@ Chases Eagles > “Maybe POTUS plans to destroy the crime syndicate that is the donkey party before the midterms.”
DataRepublican is giving some context on who plans to destroy whom.
It might be a close race.
https://datarepublican.substack.com/p/the-fourth-founding-how-our-unelecteds
The “Fourth Founding”: How our Unelecteds Plan to Rewrite the Constitution (Part 1)
Inside the Foundation-Funded Blueprint to Restructure American Governance by the Nation’s 250th Birthday
https://datarepublican.substack.com/p/america250-the-fourth-founding-part
America250: The “Fourth Founding,” Part 2: The Standing Army, Named
The Operating System for a Billion-Dollar Democracy Machine
President Trump has been taking Iran’s war back to them for three months.
The midterm elections are five months away.
Let’s at least get to four & four before throwing in the towel.
I believe that President Trump loves our country and knows what he is doing.
Elections are coming up this year all over the world.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/05/in-france-the-times-may-be-changing.php
“France’s Minister of Justice, expected to be a candidate to succeed Emmanuel Macron, is coming out against immigration: … I take it that what is driving the change is that a majority of voters are now “far right,” and it is suicidal for politicians like Darmanin to stand in their way.”
There may be hope for France, but Spain is a lost cause.
https://europeanconservative.com/articles/analysis/spain-without-spaniards-the-unprecedented-decline-of-the-national-population/
“In 2024 alone, the population rose by over half a million, driven overwhelmingly by immigration. At the same time, the number of Spaniards fell by roughly 130,000. Spain adds inhabitants but loses nationals. … One in every five people living in Spain was born abroad, a proportion comparable to Germany’s and ahead of Italy’s or France’s. ‘Diversity’ is said to support the labour market and the welfare system but forces Spain to confront questions of integration, identity, and long-term social cohesion.”
One advantage Spain does have is that many of their immigrants are returning emigrants or descendants of Spaniards from Latin America and Morocco.
Thoughts on Iran from John Hinderaker.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/05/whistling-past-the-graveyard.php
He is not a happy camper.
“…Spain is a lost cause.”
Yes and no.
There’s a sizable Conservative electorate, but the Socialists and Communists (essentially the same) have a lock on elections, though this may change.
But ISRAEL!
https://instapundit.com/799947/
I have no idea if this is the most up to date story or not; that’s one of the problems with talking about Trump and Iran.
FWIW
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/05/28/new-iran-reportedly-agrees-to-trump-terms-on-60-day-framework-n3815369
Trump still has a weapon if Iran is still an issue by Labor Day.
Block oil and fuel exports. All that production now flowing to Europe and Japan which is replacing Gulf exports would clobber fuel prices in the US. The oil companies wouldn’t likeit, but…
Trump can say he doesn’t care. It would be useful if various parties thought that. But having said it does not prevent him from using such influence as he may have which doesn’t publicly unsay what he said.
Thinking back to Viet Nam; Have the parties, institutions, segments of the populations, religious denominations, which opposed our efforts in Viet Nam ever failed to support out enemies in every confrontation, large and small, since?
Hmmm…. a few days ago many here told me I was being inpatient in regards to my doubts about the constant negotiations. Are you all having a bit of a change?
The article linked by AesopFan by Hinderaker is interesting and makes my point: the ceasefire should never have happened. Again, Sherman/McClellan
@physicsguy
Hinderaker is a paint by the numbers lawyer, he is always mystified by Trump.
Still impatient it seems.
physicsguy:
Most people here – including me – have indicated impatience for quite some time. So, no, I don’t think people are having a change. The difference between you and most people here is how much the person is giving in to his or her feelings of impatience, not whether the person has them.
President Trump is playing the right strategy. The US goal was never regime change. The economic stranglehold will work, given time.
President Trump emphatically said the midterms aren’t going to sway his strategy in Iran.
The vast majority of Americans think Iran having a nuclear weapon or even weapons grade uranium (60% falls into that category) is a serious or critical/existential problem for the US.
By showing that he is trying to leverage our position to force Iran to give up the uranium– 1. demonstrates why it will take some time to get access to the material; 2. using the preferred strategy of diplomacy for a near majority of Americans.
I might add Brent crude has dropped from it’s high of $109 on the 15th to around $93. We are seeing that at the pumps as prices have dropped by 20-30 cents at the pump.
The fact that Qatar is willing to give Iran $12 billion in the form of a loan (anyone expect Iran to ever pay it back?) demonstrates how serious the economic crisis is inside Iran. China could prolong the stranglehold if they decide to “prepay” for oil. How much is China willing to give up cash as opposed to weapons?
If the case is made to the American people that the Trump administration is doing the work that has been delayed by the inaction of previous administrations to secure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program– many Americans will be willing to pay slightly more for their energy– given that once the uranium is retrieve and the strait is opened, prices will fall to levels below pre-conflict.
Looking back through old articles online, when gas prices in real terms were more expensive than now back before the 2022 midterms, the legacy media messaging was that Americans broadly supported sanctions on Russia despite resulting higher gas prices, and that it was not fair to blame Biden for them because the price of gas is driven by many factors, including “record profits” for oil companies.
When I think through what’s at stake in the conflict with Iran:
American deaths
Israeli deaths
Iranian deaths
A future where Iran has nuclear weapons
High gas prices
The midterms
I have to say that I think two of those things are not like the others.
Incidentally, I remember that in 2022 the midterms didn’t go too badly for the Dems despite the high gas prices, and that our gracious hostess debunked the conventional wisdom about midterms, two things it seems some of us here have forgotten.
@ Brian E > “If the case is made to the American people that the Trump administration is doing the work that has been delayed by the inaction of previous administrations to secure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program– many Americans will be willing to pay slightly more for their energy”
I agree with your analysis, but the entire media complex in America (and Europe et al.) is dedicated to NOT making that case.
@AesopFan:the entire media complex in America (and Europe et al.) is dedicated to NOT making that case.
And they WERE dedicated to making it in 2022, when instead of Trump and Iran it was Biden and Russia.
Brian E:
The administration has been making that case. But many others are dedicated to making sure it’s only preaching to the choir and is not amplified.