The United States should no longer pursue a deal with Iran, President Donald Trump said Thursday as he ordered Vice President JD Vance to focus his attention on corruption and crime in Democratic cities and states.
“We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days are long gone,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social article.
“We have their money, hundreds of billions of dollars, and we have their straits!” Trump wrote, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint in the ongoing war between the United States and Iran.
The announcement came a little over a week ago that Republicans suffered huge losses in the midterm elections. Vance and other Republicans blamed the losses on the war in Iran, launched by the United States and Israel in late February.
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, Trump repeatedly suggested that the United States might resume military strikes, which have largely eased as a difficult standoff has settled in the region.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Vance, who led diplomatic efforts with Iran in previous months, was planning to speak face-to-face with a senior Iranian security official.
Stock futures fell following Trump’s message.
The unpopular war against Iran, which Trump and others in his administration would win within weeks, is now in its ninth month with no clear end in sight. The conflict region has caused a global rise in energy prices, creating a ripple effect on the economy and exacerbating concerns about inflation and affordability that were top of mind for voters in the midterms.
Corruption emerged as another major issue that worked in Democrats’ favor in the election. Trump’s message Thursday morning attempts to flip the script, accusing Democratic-led areas of allowing corruption and crime to proliferate.
“I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his full attention on the massive corruption and crime taking place in Democratic-run cities and states across the United States,” Trump wrote.
“Blue states, like Minnesota, California, Illinois and many more, are all mismanaged and corrupt disasters. Billions of dollars are stolen every month,” the president wrote. “Our budget could quickly be BALANCED by correcting this large-scale criminal activity.”
“CORRUPTION is in the blood of Democratic leaders!” he added.
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