U.S. President Donald Trump walks ahead of departing the White House for Joint Base Andrews en route to Beijing, China, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
President Donald Trump was mocked on Tuesday for offering a startling admission about the state of the U.S. economy.
Trump told reporters outside the White House that the financial stress many Americans are under is not motivating his negotiations to end the war in Iran. That claim caught the attention of David Pakman, host of the liberal political podcast "The David Pakman Show," who argued in a new reaction video that it revealed exactly where Trump's priorities lie.
"The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran: they can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. "I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody."
Pakman mocked Trump's comments in his video.
"The president is in no rush. Good thing, huh? I mean, thank goodness Trump's not worried about it!" he said. "Of course, it doesn't affect Donald Trump. He's a billionaire, and most of his day-to-day expenses are paid for by you, by me, through taxes, but Trump's not worried about it."
Trump's comments came at a time when the latest economic data showed that inflation spiked to 3.8% over the last 12 months, the highest reading since the Covid-19 pandemic. The primary driver of the inflation was rising energy prices resulting from the war in Iran.
Meanwhile, public polls continue to show Americans are losing faith in Trump's handling of the economy. For instance, a CNN poll found that 7 in 10 Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy.
"I'm glad they're not getting stressed out about it," Pakman said. "You know, if they were worried about getting gas prices down for the average American, they might actually lose some sleep. Isn't it nice that they're not?"