Trump defends Iran strikes, touts anti-weaponization fund in NBC interview

Trump used a taped NBC interview at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, to portray his Iran policy as decisive and temporary, telling Kristen Welker the conflict was “not an endless war” as the network marked 100 days since the first U.S. strikes. He also predicted gasoline prices would “drop like a rock” when the war ended, a promise that tied foreign policy directly to household costs and the economic pressure on voters already watching inflation and fuel prices.

NBC’s fact check undercut some of Trump’s strongest claims. He repeated that the United States had “totally obliterated” an Iranian nuclear site and argued Iran would have had a nuclear weapon without the strikes, while the network pointed to earlier U.S. intelligence assessments and International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that Iran likely still held nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium enriched to 60%. That clash over the state of Iran’s program went to the heart of Trump’s effort to frame military escalation as a success while minimizing the risk of a longer conflict.

Trump also leaned into a separate political fight over the Justice Department’s newly announced Anti-Weaponization Fund, a $1.776 billion settlement mechanism created May 18 in Trump v. Internal Revenue Service. The department said the fund would be paid from the judgment fund, stop processing claims no later than December 1, 2028, and provide a process for people who said they were harmed by government “weaponization” or “lawfare.” In exchange for dropping the lawsuit, the plaintiffs, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and the Trump Organization, were to receive a formal apology but no monetary damages. Trump called the fund “a great idea” and said he would be disappointed if Republicans did not approve it, while adding that he would not be inclined to send taxpayer money to January 6 rioters who attacked police officers.

The interview also gave Trump a stage to reassert control over the economy. He backed new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, calling him “fantastic” and saying, “I want him to do whatever he wants” on interest rates. The comments came as the administration faced renewed sensitivity over inflation, markets and the economic strain linked to the Iran conflict, and as Trump campaigned before rural voters and farmers in a swing state where price stability carries immediate political weight.

Trump ended up returning to one of his most durable political weapons, doubt about elections. He repeated claims about California’s June 2 primaries and alleged fraud, even as California officials said counting was still underway under new district lines approved by voters in 2025 and defended the slower tabulation as part of the state’s process. NBC reported that the U.S. attorney’s office in California and the FBI had opened multiple election fraud investigations after Trump’s claims, with attention focused at least partly on Los Angeles. Welker pressed Trump on whether he had proof, and NBC’s fact check said the interview was filled with false, misleading or exaggerated comments, a reminder that Trump’s message is still built around confrontation, grievance and an aggressive challenge to institutions that resist him.