President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns about a war with Iran. He told Politico that the United States would help choose Iran's next leader. Politico reports that the president predicted the fall of the Cuban regime, attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the tech giant Anthropic.
President Trump is facing domestic political backlash on multiple fronts, including criticism of the Iran war from within the MAGA coalition and relentless attacks from Democrats on the cost of living.
He dismissed concerns about the impact of war with Iran on gas prices and US ammunition stocks and insisted that military action was popular with voters.
Many recent public opinion polls show the opposite to be true, although a Fox News poll released Thursday found that voters have mixed views on Iran. It predicted that Iran's government would not be the last to bow to a Trump-initiated confrontation.
"People are loving what's happening. Cuba is going to fall too. We cut off all the oil, all the money, or we cut off everything that was coming from Venezuela, which was the only source. And they want to make a deal," he said.
Intervention in Cuba
Asked if the United States was playing a role in the fall of the Cuban government, Trump replied: “Well, what do you think? For 50 years, this is the icing on the cake. Venezuela is doing fantastically. Delcy Rodríguez is doing a fantastic job. The relationship with them is wonderful.”
Trump also confirmed that the United States is in contact with Cuba's communist leadership as instability on the island intensifies following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
"They need help. We're talking to Cuba," Trump said.
He suggested that the island's worsening situation is partly the result of US pressure, including the disruption of Venezuelan oil supplies that once sustained Havana.
"Well, it's because of my interference, the interference that's happening. Of course, otherwise they wouldn't have this problem. We cut off all the oil, all the money, everything that was coming from Venezuela, which was the only source. How long have you heard about Cuba, 50 years? And that's one of the smallest for me," Trump said.
Trust in Iran
Speaking as U.S. military operations against Iran continue to dominate the administration's foreign policy agenda, Trump indicated that the United States intends to play a significant role in shaping Iran's postwar political landscape.
Asked how much influence he expects to have on Iran's next leadership, Trump replied: "I'm going to have a big influence, or they're not going to have any choice, because we're not going to have to do this again. We're going to work with the people and the regime to make sure that someone gets there who can build Iran up well, but without nuclear weapons," Trump said.
The president also spoke out about the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is in the running to be the new supreme leader, saying the reason the father did not give it to his son is because they say he is incompetent.
Trump stressed that the US will work with them to help them make the right choice because he wants to avoid an Iran head-on that will lead to the need to do this again in another 10 years.
Trump projected confidence in the campaign's trajectory and dismissed concerns that rising gas prices linked to the conflict could hurt Republicans politically ahead of November elections that could break the party's power triumvirate in Washington.
Trump described the US campaign against Iran as highly controlled, while boasting of overwhelming military capabilities, despite concern from Pentagon officials and lawmakers on the Hill about dwindling arms supplies.
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