Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday President Donald Trump believed preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon was worth risking short-term energy price increases before deciding to strike the country in February.
While speaking with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation, Wright said gas prices would come down in the coming months and declined to comment on whether or not he thinks Trump will resume military action following November’s midterm elections. Wright also offered insight into Trump’s decision-making before he chose to strike Iran last winter, saying the president sacrificed political standing in order to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“If his decisions were political he would have just kicked the can down the road and delivered a nuclear-armed Iran to the next president,” he said. “You’ve got to respect that. That’s an incredible move to lean in and say, ‘I’m not going to let them become nuclear-armed.’ He knew it was going to elevate energy prices in the short run. He said, ‘I’m going to take a hit there, but I got to do the right thing.'”
“He was well aware of the risk to energy flows that were coming out of the Persian Gulf region,” Wright continued after Brennan asked him to confirm he told Trump an energy price spike would occur. “He said, ‘I simply cannot. The world cannot sustain a nuclear-armed Iran, and I’m not going to do it.'”
AS YEMEN’S CIVIL WAR ENTERS A NEW PHASE, WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE EMBATTLED COUNTRY?
Wright’s admission that Trump knew initiating a military conflict with Iran could lead to a rise in global energy prices comes roughly a month before November’s midterm elections. Trump’s approval rating has steadily declined throughout his second term, largely due to the White House’s inability to quell inflation that began under former President Joe Biden. Though many have credited Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election to his campaign on lowering the cost of living, high domestic prices have been voters’ primary reason for souring on his presidency.
Republican candidates hoping to retain control of Congress in November hope culturally unpopular positions still championed by many Democrats may offer the GOP a lifeline. Socialist figures such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed prevented the broader Democratic Party from moderating following its 2024 loss to Trump, much to the chagrin of more centrist lawmakers and Democratic figures.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
