We look at President Trump’s shifting goals in the war with Iran, as well as the latest front in his fight to impose global tariffs on dozens of countries.
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
We’re joined now by NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben. Good morning, Daniela.
DANIELLE KURTZLEBEN, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So President Trump now appears to be prioritizing reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked to maritime traffic. This has disrupted the global energy market and is driving up oil prices. In Trump’s Truth Social post, he mentioned that he wanted the Iranian military to lay down its arms, but he did so at the end of his post. It was almost like an afterthought or a…
KURTZLEBEN: Right.
RASCOE: …Appendix. Is reopening that strait now the definition of victory?
KURTZLEBEN: Well, as if you’re getting to that point, the definition of victory has been a moving target until now. But it’s pretty fair to say that yes, he cares a lot about reopening that strait because of gas prices, as you said. I mean, before this war, he talked about gas prices all the time, trying to show that his economy was strong, and that was one of his key facts. And now that line about gas prices has noticeably disappeared when he speaks. And then, last week, he temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil that had been imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine. Relaxing those sanctions is a measure criticized by European allies and Ukraine. And on social media, as you said, he posted several times about the Strait of Hormuz. So yeah, he’s thinking a lot about this. Now, as to whether reopening would constitute a victory, as I said, Trump’s definition of victory has shifted a bit, so I’m not sure we can firmly nail down that definition at this point.
RASCOE: The war in Iran is not popular with voters. The latest NPR/PBS/Marist poll shows that 56% of respondents do not approve of military action in Iran, and this includes some in the president’s own base. How do you respond to this information?
KURTZLEBEN: Well, you seem very concerned about how this war is being received. President Trump has angrily criticized news coverage of the war. In a social media post, he said the media, quote, “actually wants us to lose the war.” And so yesterday, when FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened the licenses of broadcasters that were publishing, as he put it, hoaxes and distortions of news, it was easy to connect that to the president’s anger over their war coverage. So yes, they are worried. But what’s fascinating to me is that while Trump is waging this war, he also, many times, seems to be trying to do things as usual. Last week he spoke in Kentucky and talked a little bit about Iran, but mostly about taxes and prescription drug prices. So it’s still trying to sell this cost of living message even as gas prices go up.
RASCOE: Well, there was also some tariff news on Wednesday, when the Trump administration announced new investigations of dozens of trading partners under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. What can you tell us about these investigations?
KURTZLEBEN: Right. So a few weeks ago, after the Supreme Court ruled that many of Trump’s tariffs were unconstitutional, Trump said he would use other laws to impose tariffs. So Section 301 is one of the main laws you can use. And there is a key difference between these new criminal tariffs and the tariffs the Supreme Court ruled against. And what they are are those old tariffs that Trump would impose on a whim just by signing an order. But with 301 tariffs, there has to be an investigation. These tariffs are intended to be used against countries with unfair trade practices, so the US Trade Representative has to investigate whether these countries are being unfair. So last week, the USTR announced these investigations in dozens of countries. Research says countries are overproducing manufactured goods. Another is how many countries are importing goods made with forced labor. And both investigations involve important business partners. So if these tariffs were applied, they could be a big problem.
RASCOE: Earlier in the week, President Trump said he wouldn’t sign any bills until Congress passed the SAVE America Act, which would eliminate things like voting by mail in most cases, but also trans athletes participating in women’s sports.
KURTZLEBEN: Right. Yes. You’re packing a lot of priorities into this, but at the center of this bill are these restrictive voting rules. Proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, would be required to register to vote, and then the person would also have to present a photo ID to vote. So Trump really wants this bill that would add some friction to voting. Now, Democrats maintain that the goal is to shrink the electorate. Trump’s problem here, however, is that the bill doesn’t have 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster, so it’s unclear how it would pass. But regardless, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it will be brought to the floor this week.
RASCOE: That’s NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben. Thank you very much for speaking with us today.
KURTZLEBEN: Of course. Thank you.
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