Trump: "Tariffs Led to U.S. Renaissance... Confident of 25 Percentage Point Election Victory"

"Inevitable Choice to Prevent Nuclear Weapons"
Repeatedly Emphasizes Justification for Middle East War
Mentions Iran's 300% Inflation, Among Other Issues

On August 20 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump expressed strong confidence in his approval ratings, highlighting his economic achievements, including his tariff policy. Regarding the Middle East war, which has continued for six months since the U.S. airstrikes against Iran in February, he once again justified the decision to participate, saying it was "an inevitable choice."

Associated Press Yonhap News Agency

President Trump, in an interview on the WABC radio program hosted by his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, said, "We're really doing well in the polls. If I run in the election, we will win big." He added, "If I were to run for office today, I would win by a 25 percentage point margin."

President Trump claimed that his tariff policies have led to increased investment by foreign companies in the United States, resulting in positive economic outcomes, and described the current U.S. economy as a "renaissance." He also stated that automobile factories that had moved overseas are now returning to the U.S., asserting, "We earned a tremendous amount of money through tariffs."

Regarding the joint airstrikes with Israel that began the campaign against Iran in February, he emphasized that it was an unavoidable decision to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He said of the military operation against Iran, "I would do it again a hundred times," adding, "They (Iran) cannot have nuclear weapons and will never have them." He also claimed that when the U.S. military attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, "Iran was exactly two weeks away from obtaining a nuclear weapon."

He further stated that Iran's capacity to produce missiles and drones is now much lower than it was five months ago. "Their production capacity is now very low compared to five months ago," he said. "Five months ago, they were churning out missiles. Now, it is very difficult for them to produce anything," he added.

Noting the poor state of Iran's economy, he said, "Their inflation is at 300%. Their currency has no value." He also added that the Iranian military "is not being paid properly."

This interview also drew attention because the two men, once close allies and now adversaries, spoke publicly for the first time in about eight years. Cohen, who had been President Trump's personal lawyer and closest "fixer" for 15 years, ended their relationship in 2018, resulting in a complete split between the two.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.