'President Trump is doing this for you': White House's message to young voters on Iran war
President Donald Trump is "doing this for you," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about how young voters should react to the ongoing Iran conflict and rising gas prices. In the press briefing on Wednesday, Leavitt echoed the President's statement that the drastic spike in gas prices was temporary and the negotiations between Washington and Tehran to end the war are "ongoing." She claimed the President took the bold step to protect the nation's youth from a "rogue terrorist regime" in the Middle East and "do right" by national security.
In the 2024 election, youth voters swung dramatically towards Trump and cut a wide margin that former U.S. President Joe Biden had in 2020. During the press briefing, a reporter asked the White House Press Secretary how the young voters should react to the ongoing conflict, given that many of them voted for Trump, believing his promises of no more wars and lower prices. To this, Leavitt responded: "President Trump is doing this for you. He's doing this for young people so that we are no longer threatened by a rogue terrorist regime in the Middle East that seeks to kill the brave men and women who serve our country in the Middle East, many of them young men and women themselves." She added that it was Trump who finally dared to step up and do what's right by U.S. national security.
Addressing rising gas prices, Leavitt said the fluctuations were temporary and would settle down once the conflict was over. "This administration is going to continue to unleash energy dominance. We're continuing to do that every day, and we're going to see prices go back down at the pump as we have the past year because of this president," Leavitt said. While President Trump has made similar claims, gas prices across the country averaged $3.98 across as of Wednesday, according to data from the AAA. Prices skyrocketed from an average of $2.97 recorded a month ago, as Iran moved to seize the Strait of Hormuz, a key crude oil chokepoint in the Middle East. Leavitt went on to blame the Biden administration as well, saying that Democrats, "if they had their way," would lead the nation to those same higher prices, without a conflict. As of now, with the U.S. and Israel continuing with their military campaign, the Strait of Hormuz effectively remains closed, as per an Al Jazeera report.
However, earlier this week, Trump claimed Tehran was negotiating a deal to end the war, allowing some relief to global oil markets. While Leavitt, too, claimed the talks are "ongoing," she added that Trump was ready to hit Iran harder if Tehran fails to accept the terms. "President Trump does not bluff, and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again," Leavitt told reporters. She added that if Iran fails to accept that they have been a "defeated military," the U.S. will hit Tehran harder than ever before.
