Flanked by UFC fighters around the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office to promote a June fight at the White House, President Donald Trump on Wednesday told reporters that he had “very good” talks with Iran over the past 24 hours.
The unusual scene highlighted how the president has been juggling the war he started in Iran with his other priorities, including festivities for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The White House is scheduled to host the UFC fight on the South Lawn on June 14, Flag Day, which is also the president’s birthday.
“It’s going to be the biggest event we ever had,” Trump declared. “The White House doesn’t really do athletic events for the most part,” he added.
Dana White, CEO of UFC, had been at the White House this week, Trump said. The president also met with executives from Chevron and ExxonMobil, to discuss the economic impact of the war, he said.
Trump held up a glossy book of photo renderings showing what the stadium that will be installed for the fight on the South Lawn will look like. It’s designed to hold 4,000 people, he said.
Trump then fielded questions from reporters about the war, touting the resilience of the stock market and the decline in oil prices over the last day, even as the nationwide average for a gallon of gasoline hit a wartime high of $4.56.
Trump suggested that when he launched the war on Iran he had expected the economic pain to be worse. It would have been worth it, he said, in order to neutralize the threat Iran’s nuclear program posed to the world. He had expected the stock market to decline 20 percent and oil prices to shoot to $200 per gallon, he said.
“Even if it went to 200, it would have been worth it,” Trump said, referring to oil prices.
He expressed optimism that the two sides would soon reach a deal — as he has several times over the last two months.
“Why do you say they refuse to submit? You don’t know that,” Trump said when asked about Iran’s firing on U.S. ships earlier this week. “They want to make a deal badly. We’ll see if we get there. They can’t have nuclear weapons.”
Trump turned to the fighters, seeking reassurance that the United States is in “good shape” in Iran. He also compared his Iranian adversaries to the UFC fighters who stood laconically behind him.
“They’re proud like these guys are proud,” Trump said.
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