U.S. President Donald Trump said the war with Iran would end shortly after the U.S. midterm elections, again voicing confidence that the conflict is nearing a close. He said Iran is eager to negotiate and suggested a deal could come soon.
Speaking to reporters on the 13th at his Doonbeg golf resort while visiting Ireland, Trump said the war with Iran would end "right after the midterms, maybe before." He said Iran is desperate to negotiate and that its officials are calling constantly, adding that they want a deal.
He drew a line, however, on the terms of any agreement with Tehran. Trump said Iran has to make the right deal and that he would not accept a worthless one. He added that the U.S. would ultimately pull out of Iran unless it decided to stay and take the oil, as in Venezuela.
Asked about a meeting between Iran and Gulf states in Oman on the 14th to discuss passage through the Strait of Hormuz, he said it did not matter to him and that it was up to them.
Trump also said he was not concerned about the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States on the 24th and a U.S.-China summit could be canceled. He answered "no" to a related question, saying the two countries have a great relationship and that both Xi and the United States want things to go well.
He went on to claim that China had treated the United States very fairly during his years in office, while it had reaped enormous gains under former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
He offered no forecast on the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. Asked whether he expected the Fed to raise its benchmark rate at the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on the 15th and 16th, Trump said he did not know.
He was clear, however, about his preference for lower rates. He said the U.S. economy is so strong that the country should have the lowest interest rates in the world regardless of the Fed's formula. He added that U.S. creditworthiness is the best in the world, that the country is making other nations rich, and that it could end that situation in two minutes.
Trump also said Congress would be able to approve his pledge to pay $5,000 dividends to each American if Republicans win the midterm elections.
Asked whether he believed congressional approval was needed for the pledge, which he announced at a Republican midterm election convention in Dallas, Texas, on the 9th, Trump said he did not know but that it would be easy enough if Republicans won.
He added that the country could easily afford it because it is bringing in enormous amounts of money, stressing that he had made a promise and always keeps his promises.
