President Donald Trump publicly contradicted Vice President JD Vance on Monday over the administration’s primary goal in the Iran war. Trump stated that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is the top priority, rebutting Vance’s claim that keeping gas prices low for Americans came first.
Donald Trump says Iran’s nuclear weapons program remains his top priority despite JD Vance’s comments about gas prices
JD Vance told Fox News last Thursday that the administration’s “goal No. 1” was to “keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country.” He placed nuclear prevention second. Trump rejected that order on Monday morning in a Truth Social post. He wrote that the “number one Goal is, and always will be,” that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
The president’s post came minutes after a Fox News host called for clarity on U.S. objectives. Donald Trump has consistently dismissed economic concerns as a factor in military decisions regarding Iran. “I’ll never apologize. I did the right thing,” Trump said when addressing the financial pressure on Americans.
“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.” The average price of regular gasoline now sits at $4.06 per gallon. Prices have risen by more than $1 per gallon since the war began.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the discrepancy on Friday, claiming that both goals are equally important to the president. She said the administration wants stable markets, but that preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon remains the priority regarding the war.
Additionally, a White House official dismissed any suggestion of division, saying the media is “attempting to drive a wedge” between Trump and Vance. The official pointed to earlier comments from Vance where he listed American objectives differently, saying the conflict ends with “Iran not having a nuclear weapon” and the Strait of Hormuz stabilizing (via ABC News).
The Strait of Hormuz remains a central battleground, and Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that the cost of not intervening in Iran would outweigh the higher fuel prices Americans currently face.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
