Trump Says He Will ‘Never Apologize’ for Iran War Raising Gas Prices: ‘I Did the Right Thing’

President Donald Trump defended his decision to initiate the Iran War during a rally in New York on Friday, stating that elevated gas prices are an acceptable trade-off to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Speaking alongside law enforcement officials at a rally supporting Nassau County's Republican gubernatorial candidate, Bruce Blakeman, Trump mocked Democrats and the news media's focus on affordability, particularly referencing skyrocketing egg prices during the beginning of his second term, which he called a "hoax" and blamed on Democrats.

The president then highlighted the military's success in Iran and suggested declaring the Hormuz Strait a U.S. territory, claiming "no ships get through unless we want them to." Trump boasted about the military's accomplishments, acknowledging that he "used it a little more than I wanted to," but emphasized that Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon."

The president added that gas prices were lower than $2 when he was in Iowa, while they hit an all-time high for the year's date according to GasBuddy. Gas prices surpassed $4 per gallon on August 12 in previous years, with the average fuel price currently being just over $4 per gallon. Trump reiterated that while people should expect a slight increase in gasoline costs, they are contributing to stopping Iran's ability to possess a nuclear weapon.

He emphasized that he will "never apologize" for launching the war in Iran, which began on February 28 when U.S. and Israeli forces executed preemptive airstrikes across Iran.