Loading latest news…
admin
By Staff Reporter | May 4, 2026 President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that he had never suggested the United States might be better off walking away from nuclear negotiations with Iran — a claim immediately contradicted by video footage of his own public remarks made less than 24 hours earlier. The denial, delivered
By Staff Reporter | May 4, 2026
President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that he had never suggested the United States might be better off walking away from nuclear negotiations with Iran — a claim immediately contradicted by video footage of his own public remarks made less than 24 hours earlier.
The denial, delivered during a brief exchange with the press, adds to a growing list of instances in which Trump has flatly disputed statements he made in full public view.
On the evening of Friday, May 1, 2026, Trump addressed the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches in South Florida — a high-profile speaking engagement that was open to press and recorded on camera.
During that speech, Trump made his position on Iran negotiations unmistakably clear.
“Frankly, maybe we’re better off not making a deal at all, do you want to know the truth,” Trump told the crowd. “Because we can’t let this thing go on.”
The remark was notable given the fragile state of ongoing U.S.-Iran diplomatic talks. Iran had recently submitted a 14-point peace proposal — including demands for U.S. troop withdrawals from the region, a lifting of the naval blockade, the release of frozen assets, and sanctions relief — and the international community was closely watching Washington’s response.
One day later, speaking with reporters on Saturday, May 2, Trump struck a different tone. He told the press he was “looking at” a new Iranian peace proposal and indicated openness to diplomatic progress.
When a reporter reminded him of his “better off not making a deal” comment from the night before, Trump was unequivocal in his pushback.
“Well, I wouldn’t have to. I didn’t say that,” Trump responded.
He then offered an alternative account of his own remarks, claiming he had spoken about reconstruction timelines: “I said that if we left right now, it would take them 20 years, 25 years, to rebuild the place.”
That statement was also made during Friday’s speech — but it does not replace, negate, or otherwise account for the “better off not making a deal” comment that remains clearly preserved on video.
Footage from the Forum Club event directly contradicts Trump’s denial. The president’s words — “maybe we’re better off not making a deal at all” — are audible, unambiguous, and delivered in a public forum with press present.
This is not a case of a quote taken out of context, misheard audio, or disputed transcript. The remark exists in full on camera, and Trump’s subsequent denial that he made it is false.
The false denial comes at a pivotal moment in U.S.-Iran relations. Military conflict between the two nations has been ongoing, with Iran and the United States now deep into a conflict that has drawn in regional actors and disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s 14-point proposal, handed to U.S. officials on Thursday, envisions ending the war and resolving the blockade first, with nuclear program restrictions to be negotiated in a later phase. That sequencing appears to directly conflict with Washington’s firm position that Iran must first agree to give up its stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium before any broader deal can proceed.
On Saturday, Trump wrote on social media that he could not “imagine” the Iranian proposal would be “acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price.” A senior Iranian military official warned the same day that renewed fighting was “likely.”
This is not the first time Trump has denied making remarks that exist on video. As fact-checkers have documented, the president claimed in April 2025 that he had “obviously” been speaking “in jest” when he repeatedly promised during his 2024 campaign to immediately end the war in Ukraine — promises that were made in earnest across dozens of public appearances.
Analysts who study political communication note that such denials serve a dual purpose: they muddy the factual record for supporters and force media outlets into a defensive, evidence-presenting posture rather than a forward-looking one.
Trump’s claim that he did not say the United States may be “better off not making a deal” with Iran is false. Video footage from his own public speech at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches on May 1, 2026, records him making that statement directly. His denial the following day was not supported by any evidence and directly contradicts the documented record.
President Donald Trump has warned Iran to make a deal confirming that it will not seek nuclear weapons…
Today’s key news items include: 1) President Trump warned of new military action against Iran…
