Trump Says US Won’t Attack Iran Before Midterm Elections

Carol Massar (0:02)

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SPEAKER_2 (0:09)

This is Bloomberg Businessweek Daily, reporting from the magazine that helps global leaders stay ahead. With insight on the people, companies, and trends shaping today's complex economy. Plus, global business, finance, and tech news as it happens. The Bloomberg Businessweek Daily Podcast with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec.

Carol Massar (0:32)

President Trump said, he mentioned this, would not attack Iran ahead of November's midterm election, citing, quote unquote, productive discussions with the Islamic Republic. They also said they would suspend an immigration program for multiple tech firms, including Microsoft, which is kind of interesting.

Tim Stenovec (0:47)

That's a big one.

Carol Massar (0:48)

We said awkward because there's Microsoft execs with.

Tim Stenovec (0:51)

As they're getting medals, their worker visa programs are potentially getting suspended.

Carol Massar (0:56)

Satya Nadella, right? Yeah, with the president. So that's a little funny or not so funny. There's a lot going on. So let's get to it. Over the river and through the woods, we go to Washington and the White House. We head to our Washington DC Bureau. Wendy Benjaminson is on it. She's senior editor of Bloomberg News. I don't know how you guys keep track of it. I feel like it's between Washington and AI. It's just like crazy, crazy Wendy.

What do we need to know? I feel like, first of all, the Iran, it was a redhead highlight here at Bloomberg, President Trump saying that they would not attack Iran ahead of the November elections. That makes sense, right? I mean, the midterms or does it?

Wendy Benjaminson (1:40)

Sure.

I guess it makes sense, but it depends on from what perspective you're looking at it. Is it politically wise not to put the war that is extremely unpopular right back in voters' faces? Yes. Is it strategically wise from a military standpoint to advertise that?

That would be for experts to question. Also, presidents don't normally outwardly say, indicate that there's a political decision behind their military actions. There is, I'm sure, every president since George Washington has thought about the political implications, but saying it out loud and projecting it to the enemy is sort of an unusual step.

Carol Massar (2:27)

So you missed my sarcasm. That makes sense. No, I'm only kidding. I'm only kidding.

Tim Stenovec (2:33)

Go ahead, Stacey. Yeah, I'm wondering what you think of politicizing something like this.

What is your take on it? You said it's something that you haven't really seen before.

Wendy Benjaminson (2:43)

Right. I mean, it's an unusual thing to do, but Trump is, the war is incredibly unpopular right now. I think the latest polling I saw today is that 26% of American adults are in favor of this war, meaning 70, don't make me do math, 74% are not in favor of the war.

But it's not like they're not feeling the effects of it before the midterms anyway, because it's gas prices that are driving this antipathy toward the war and to Trump and the Republican Party right now. So as long as gas prices and diesel prices remain extremely high as they are, voters aren't going to forget that we're at war with Iran even if Trump says they're not going to bomb them. The other thing is that Iran is still striking tankers in the Gulf and we still have a naval blockade. So the possibility of harm coming to commercial ship crew and to American military personnel is still there, whether or not we're launching, the US is launching strikes or not.

Carol Massar (3:50)

Right, that's a good point.

It's kind of just been, I feel like, though, Wendy, a little bit of a mixed bag. We have the US is spending the visa program for tech firms, including Microsoft. Stacey and I were talking about it at the same time. He's been meeting with tech executives, including the Microsoft CEO, giving these awards and giving the medals. Giving the medals? Like, why is this happening?

Wendy Benjaminson (4:14)

Well, it's a little hard to get into the crystal ball, but I do think that Trump right now really needs the, well, he needs the tech firms to be on his side as he goes through this idea that AI will be self-regulated by the tech firms. That's his policy position. And despite the AI firms coming out and saying, you know, it might kill us all, he still wants them to regulate themselves. He had a social media post earlier saying that anyone that doesn't use his term for AI, which he has dubbed superior intelligence, is considered the enemy.

I'm not really sure what that means, but it certainly suggests that he wants a unified voice, his voice, on AI regulation. Yet at the same time, his base still wants him to be very tough on immigration. And so canceling this H-1B visa program, or limiting it as he did today will sort of scratch that itch while he's trying to keep the tech companies close for other reasons.