Camilla Jessen
Trump claims the US would have suffered unrest similar to that in Iran if he had lost the election.
During a speech in Detroit focused largely on the economy, President Donald Trump briefly turned his attention to unrest in Iran.
His remarks mixed foreign policy warnings with domestic political claims, drawing a parallel between protests abroad and what he says the United States narrowly avoided.
Detroit remarks
Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump addressed the situation in Iran while telling the audience that instability could have spread much closer to home.
“Everything is very fragile, we would have suffered too, I tell you, if I hadn’t won this election,” Trump said, according to The Times of Israel.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had earlier said the president would mainly focus on the economy, with only brief comments on Iran.
Message to Iranians
Trump used his remarks to directly address Iranian protesters, urging them to challenge their country’s leadership.
“Iranian patriots, CONTINUE TO PROTEST – TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!” Trump wrote earlier on Truth Social.
At the Detroit event, he repeated his call for accountability. “Remember the names of the murderers and abusers who abuse you. You are being abused very badly, if the numbers are correct,” he said.
‘One death is too many’
Trump said he had heard conflicting reports about the scale of violence in Iran.
“One death, and that’s too many, but I hear much lower numbers, then I hear much higher numbers,” he told the audience.
He added, “But I say write down their names, because they will pay a very high price.”
The president again promised support, saying “help is on the way,” without offering details.
Economic focus
Trump repeatedly returned to economic issues during the speech.
According to the BBC, he claimed that “economic growth is explosive, productivity is rising, investment is booming, incomes are rising” and that “inflation has been defeated.”
He praised his tariff policies, saying they had brought hundreds of billions of dollars into the United States, while also complaining that their legality is now being questioned by the Supreme Court.
After the speech, Trump was expected to return to the White House for a meeting with his national security team to discuss possible measures against Iran, a White House official said.
Asked what he meant by “help is coming soon,” Trump declined to explain, telling reporters, “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Sources: The Times of Israel, BBC, Digi24
