A rumor that U.S. President Donald Trump said he doesn't concern himself about the financial struggles of Americans circulated online in May 2026.
Users across social media platforms shared a purported clip of Trump to reporters and claimed he said, "I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody."
The statement spread rapidly online as businesses struggled with rising costs, gasoline prices dramatically increased and grocery prices shot up, largely due to the ongoing war in Iran initiated by the United States and Israel.
The quote was correctly attributed to Trump, though truncated and omitting crucial context.
Trump made the comment on May 12 while answering questions from reporters on the lawn of the White House before departing for a diplomatic visit to China.
Video of the exchange shared with the claim was authentic, but some users omitted the reporter's question that prompted Trump's remark. The missing context was supplied in footage of the exchange shared by credible outlets such as The Associated Press, PBS, Forbes, CNN, CBS News and NBC News.
Trump's statement, as seen in the AP's video clip (viewable on YouTube), begins when a reporter asks Trump, "When you're negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are Americans' financial situations motivating you to make a deal?"
Trump's full response was (emphasis ours):
Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran — 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.
So, while Trump did make the statement in question, it's important to note that with the omitted context added, it's clear he was saying that keeping Iran from having a nuclear weapon is a much higher priority for him — the "one thing" he considers — than the financial situation of Americans in terms of factors in ending the war.
Also not present in many of the circulating clips were some follow-up questions reporters asked Trump . At the 30-second mark of the AP video clip, a reporter asked, "You're not considering the financial impact of this war on Americans?"
The president responded:
The most important thing by far, including whether our stock market — which by the way, is at an all-time high — but including whether or not our stock market goes up or down a little bit, the most important thing by far is Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
When pressed about the increasing prices of food and gasoline at the one-minute mark of the same clip, Trump said, "Every American understands. … We just had a poll, like 85%, which is surprising it's only that, they understand that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."
Snopes could not find a poll taken during the Iran war in which 85% of Americans said they understand Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, but it's possible Trump was referring to a June 2025 Harvard CAPS / Harris poll that found that "85% of voters say Iran should not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, including a strong majority across political parties."
Snopes contacted the White House press office for further insight into Trump's statement, but a spokesperson simply echoed Trump's sentiment via email: "The President's ultimate responsibility is the safety and security of Americans. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if action wasn't taken, they'd have one, which threatens all Americans."
In March, PBS reported that an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 59% of Americans believe "U.S. military action in Iran has been excessive" and 45% are "'extremely' or 'very' concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months."