Trump’s latest remarks are stirring up fresh controversy.
During his most recent public speech, one former president was labeled “terrible” — and another received an even harsher title.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump spoke for more than an hour at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s fundraising dinner in Washington, D.C., where he urged Republicans to stay united despite slipping poll numbers.
The event comes as Republicans work to maintain — and potentially expand — their narrow 218–214 House majority ahead of the midterm elections.
Turning to familiar targets
“We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again, and most importantly, we will make America great again,” Trump told the crowd.
“Thank you very much Republicans, go out and win the midterms!”
Soon after, his speech shifted toward familiar political rivals, including Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
“If you go back to Obama, he was a great divider. He divided this nation. He was a lousy president. The worst president in history was Biden. But Obama was a terrible president,” Trump said. While criticizing Obama, he made it clear he believes Biden holds the title of “worst president in history.”
He also accused Democrats more broadly of failing the country.
“Republicans are the party for every hardworking patriot,” he said. “And we do something very much different from them. We put America first.”
Political headwinds
Republicans face significant challenges heading into the midterms. Historically, the party controlling the White House tends to lose seats, and this year’s political climate isn’t helping.
Persistent inflation, rising energy costs tied to the ongoing conflict with Iran, and declining approval ratings for the president have created headwinds that could make it difficult for the GOP to hold or expand its slim majority.
Revisiting the Iran nuclear deal
During his speech, Trump also returned to his long‑standing criticism of the Iran nuclear deal negotiated during Obama’s presidency.
“He gave Iran the right to have a nuclear weapon at the highest level within a very short period of time. I terminated that agreement as soon as I came to office,” Trump claimed.
The agreement — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — was designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal during his presidency.
Later, he shifted to rising tensions in the Middle East, describing ongoing actions involving Iran and suggesting the country is eager to negotiate.
“Nobody has ever seen anything like we’re doing in the Middle East with Iran. And they are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it,” he said.
“They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us. There’s never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran.”
Trump went on to describe the situation as a “military operation,” claiming the U.S. is “decimating” Iran and achieving “great military triumphs… [that] can’t be displayed on television.”
Despite those claims, Iranian officials have denied any direct talks with the U.S., saying communication has only occurred through intermediaries.
