Johnson admits Iran war 'put a little damper' on affordability messaging

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday conceded that the Iran war had adversely impacted Republicans' messaging on the issue of affordability.

“The conflict with Iran has put a little damper on that,” he told reporters. “Now, as soon as that’s resolved, I agree with the Treasury Secretary, I agree with the president, you’re going to have an alleviation of the pain at the pump, and you’re going to have prices come down overall.”

Johnson's comments came in the wake of a poor inflation report that saw the monthly figure rise to 3.8%, for an increase of 0.6% month-over-month.

The speaker also addressed comments from President Donald Trump, who indicated he did not weigh Americans' personal financial interests as a factor when considering a deal with Iran to end the conflict.

Johnson defended Trump, saying "I don’t know the context in which he made that comment, but I can tell you the president thinks about Americans’ financial situations."

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.