Republicans Scramble After Trump Says He Doesn’t Think About Americans

Republicans Scramble After Trump Says He Doesn’t Think About Americans

The president said he didn’t care about Americans’ finances. Republicans in Congress don’t want to talk about it.

Republicans are scrambling to either justify or ignore President Trump’s shocking Tuesday admission that he doesn’t care “even a little bit” about the financial struggles of American citizens.

Journalist Pablo Manríquez asked multiple GOP senators about the president’s comments about 90 minutes after he said them—plenty of time for members of Congress to react.

“What do you think of Donald Trump saying he doesn’t think about the finances or the financial situation of the American people?” Manríquez asked Senator Cynthia Lummis.

“Did he say that? I don’t have a comment about that, mostly because I think he actually does care,” she replied with a laugh, claiming that the president didn’t mean something he doubled down on publicly.

Republicans already being pressed on Trump’s comments:PabloReports: What do you make of Trump saying that he doesn’t think about the financial situation of the American people?Senator Lummis: Did he say that? I don’t have a comment because I think he actually does care. pic.twitter.com/BzptOHbOc9— Acyn (@Acyn) May 12, 2026

Republicans already being pressed on Trump’s comments:PabloReports: What do you make of Trump saying that he doesn’t think about the financial situation of the American people?Senator Lummis: Did he say that? I don’t have a comment because I think he actually does care. pic.twitter.com/BzptOHbOc9

Senator Roger Marshall, also smiling, refused to answer as well, claiming he didn’t know the “context” of the comment. And Senator Susan Collins stated she didn’t see the president’s comment at all.

Republican senators already dodging questions on Trump’s statement:PabloReports: Any comment on what Trump said? He said he doesn’t think about the finances of the American people.Senator Roger Marshall: I would have to find out the context. I’m sorry. pic.twitter.com/FoFfmoZZs6— Acyn (@Acyn) May 12, 2026

Republican senators already dodging questions on Trump’s statement:PabloReports: Any comment on what Trump said? He said he doesn’t think about the finances of the American people.Senator Roger Marshall: I would have to find out the context. I’m sorry. pic.twitter.com/FoFfmoZZs6

Another Republican reluctant to comment on Trump’s statement:PabloReports: Any comment on Trump saying he doesn’t think about the financial situation of the American people?Senator Susan Collins: I didn’t see that. pic.twitter.com/wGqJAmiHyt— Acyn (@Acyn) May 12, 2026

Another Republican reluctant to comment on Trump’s statement:PabloReports: Any comment on Trump saying he doesn’t think about the financial situation of the American people?Senator Susan Collins: I didn’t see that. pic.twitter.com/wGqJAmiHyt

For the record, Trump’s comments were crystal clear.

“When you’re negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are Americans’ financial situations motivating you to make a deal?” a reporter asked Trump before he left for China on Tuesday, alluding to the skyrocketing inflation caused by the fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Lebanon.

“Not even a little bit,” Trump said. “The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran is they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation, I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all. That’s the only thing that motivates me.”

Trump’s China Entourage Shows Just How Blatant His Corruption Is

Donald Trump is taking his son, his daughter-in-law, and a host of his other buddies to China.

You won’t believe who’s included in President Donald Trump’s corrupt caravan of CEOs headed for China. 

Trump traveled to China Tuesday for a two-day summit with President Xi Jinping, accompanied by more than a dozen American entrepreneurs—including his own son—each hoping the president will clear the way for them to make even more money.

Among those aboard Air Force One Tuesday were the president’s son Eric Trump and his wife, Lara. While the White House has claimed Eric is attending the trip in a “personal capacity,” isn’t this the exact same thing Trump railed against former President Joe Biden doing with his son Hunter? 

As executive vice president of development for the Trump Organization, Eric Trump has helped to net lucrative real estate deals across Europe and the Middle East that directly benefit his father. Eric and Don Jr. recently merged their publicly traded golf course holding company with Powerus, a Florida-based drone company, with the goal of filling the gaps left by the Trump administration’s ban on Chinese drones. They also recently won a government contract of an unknown value.  

The Trump Organization does not currently have any upcoming real estate projects in China, but during Trump’s last term, China and its state-owned entities paid a whopping $5.5 million at vacation properties owned by the president’s family—far more than any other country.

Other CEOs who are planning to travel with Trump include Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, and Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, as well as officials from Meta, Visa, Mastercard, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, GE Aerospace, Cargill, and Illumina. The group also included CEOs from major semiconductor manufacturers Qualcomm, Micron, and Coherent. 

As a precondition of their selection, each company was tasked with developing a “tangible ask” that promised a concrete outcome, one source familiar with the matter told Reuters. For example, Musk is reportedly looking to acquire $2.9 billion of equipment to build solar panels and regulatory clearance for Tesla’s self-driving assistance system in China, the world’s largest auto market. 

Reva Goujon, a geopolitical strategist at Rhodium Group, told Reuters that aside from Boeing and Cargill, which are involved in purchase agreements, the rest of the cabal of wealthy entrepreneurs is there to deliver demands on critical input supply. “This could help the U.S. administration’s messaging that to even ​be able to discuss a board of investment, China needs to be a reliable investment partner and not weaponise supply,” he said. 

Also included in Trump’s caravan is director Brett Ratner, who directed Melania’s Trump’s vanity-project documentary that turned into a box office flop. Ratner will spend his trip scouting locations for Rush Hour 4, which was greenlit at Trump’s demand, according to the New York Post.

Kash Patel Flies Off the Handle When Asked About Drinking on the Job

Patel reportedly regularly has to reschedule meetings because of his drinking.

FBI Director Kash Patel’s appearance before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday fell apart as soon as he was asked about his widely reported drinking habits.

It was the bureau chief’s first time back on Capitol Hill since The Atlantic published multiple bombshell reports detailing how Patel’s alleged substance abuse and his unexplained absences had alarmed officials in and out of the agency.

But the topic was apparently still too hot for Patel to handle come Tuesday. In one particularly heated exchange with Senator Chris Van Hollen, Patel resorted to a barrage of lies and mockery in a futile attempt to deflect from his issues.

“You have publicly denied those allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit, so today as you testify before Congress, is it your testimony that........

© New Republic