For at least 15 years, President Donald Trump has been adamant that the Islamic Republic of Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. “President Donald J. Trump has never wavered in his stance that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon — a pledge he has made repeatedly, both in office and on the campaign trail,” the White House said in a June statement. And the White House is correct. Trump has been warning about the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran since before he ran for president. In a 2011 social media post, he called Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons “a major threat to our nation’s national security interests,” adding, “We can’t allow Iran to go nuclear.” Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons is a major threat to our nation’s national security interests. We can’t allow Iran to go nuclear. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2011 Trump bluntly expressed these views on the campaign trail during the 2016 election. Speaking at a 2015 campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, Trump said nuclear weapons in the hands of rogue actors like Iran pose a grave risk to the United States. “You can take out the east coast of this country,” he said. “You can take out large sections of the Midwest. You can take out things that were unthinkable, the power. And we have to be in a position where that never, ever, ever happens.” Here is a list of instances where President Trump voiced his opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons: “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. Nuclear weapons are the greatest single threat to our country, but to the entire world.” (11/3/24) “I would have been very good to Iran. They — I had to have one thing, no nuclear weapons. You can’t have nuclear weapon. Nuclear weapons are the greatest danger to our country going forward, to the world going forward.” (10/29/24) “And all I wanted was Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon … That’s all I wanted. Very simple. You can’t have a nuclear weapon.” (10/28/24) “We don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” (10/23/24) “I didn’t want much. I wanted Iran to be very successful. I just don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon.” (10/16/24) “You can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.” (10/14/24) “I just don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple.” (10/10/24) “I only wanted one thing. You can’t have a nuclear weapon. You cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.” (10/7/24) “No, they can’t have nukes. No, they can’t have nukes.” (10/7/24) “They can’t have a nuclear weapon — and now they’re very close to having one and it’s very dangerous for the world, very dangerous for the world. The biggest problem today, in my opinion, the biggest risk is the nuclear weapons.” (10/1/24) “All I want them to do is not have a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a nuclear weapon.” (9/30/24) “The only thing is [Iran] cannot have nuclear weapons.” (9/26/24) “I wanted one thing from Iran — no nuclear weapon. I didn’t want much — no nuclear weapon. And now they’re very close to getting it, and you can’t let that happen.” (9/19/24) “All we want is we don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. Very simple. That’s all we want. We don’t want you to have a nuclear weapon.” (9/17/24) “They can’t have a nuclear weapon. We just can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say this. If they do have a nuclear weapon, Israel is gone. It’ll be gone.” (8/27/24) “I don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon.” (8/23/24) “I just wanted to have a deal with Iran, very simple deal — can’t have a nuclear weapon. That’s it.” (8/23/24) “They can’t have a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. And we were all set to make sure that they don’t have a nuclear weapon. Because once they do, it’s a whole different world, it’s a whole different negotiation.” (8/15/24) “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon — it’s very simple.” (8/8/24) “They can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.” (8/5/24) “Iran should not have a nuclear weapon … Iran should never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.” (7/10/24) “The main thing is Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. That was my main thing. The deal was a simple deal. Iran can’t have a nuclear. You know, it can’t have a missile, it can’t have a nuclear missile. It cannot have that nuclear capability.” (6/20/24) “We have a very hostile country that wants nuclear weapons. You can’t let that happen.” (6/15/24) “Iran should not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. They would never have had even close to a nuclear weapon. They are very close to getting a nuclear weapon. You cannot let that happen.” (5/15/24) “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon — very simple. They cannot have a nuclear weapon.” (5/1/24) “You can’t let Iran have nuclear weapons.” (4/30/24) “Iran wanted to make a deal, and what the deal — 90% of the deal that I want to make is no nuclear weapon. That’s 90% — almost 100%. It might be 100%. That’s all I want. No nuclear weapon for Iran” (3/25/24) “I want everybody to be happy. They just can’t have a nuclear weapon.” (2/23/24) “I just didn’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I said, ‘You know, we’re going to make a great deal. Everybody’s going to be happy. You’re going to be rich as hell again. Everything’s going to be great, but you cannot have a nuclear weapon.’” (1/20/24) “They cannot have a nuclear weapon. That was the only thing — the one thing I said, ‘You cannot have.’” (1/5/24) “I just don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon.” (1/5/24) “They will have, within a short period of time, nuclear weapons — and that is never something that can be allowed to happen.” (12/30/23) “No nuclear weapons. You can’t have nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are the single greatest threat to this world.” (11/9/23) “They can’t have a nuclear weapon. That’s all. They can’t have nuclear weapons. It’s too destructive, too powerful. They can’t have it.” (10/29/23) “Don’t let Iran have nuclear weapons. That’s my only thing I have to tell you today. Don’t let them have it.” (10/16/23) “No nuclear weapons. You can’t give [Iran] nuclear weapons.” (7/15/23) “You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. You cannot let it happen because bad things will happen if that happens.” (6/24/23) “Will be totally up to them but, no nuclear weapons and “don’t kill your protesters.” (1/12/20) “IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!” (1/6/20) “The U.S. request for Iran is very simple – No Nuclear Weapons and No Further Sponsoring of Terror!” (6/24/19) “Iran cannot have Nuclear Weapons!” (6/22/19) “We can’t let Iran get a nuclear weapon. We can’t do it. Can’t do it. We cannot let that happen.” (1/24/15) “While everyone is waiting and prepared for us to attack Syria, maybe we should knock the hell out of Iran and their nuclear capabilities?” (9/5/13) “Let me put this as plainly as I know how: Iran’s nuclear program must be stopped–by any and all means necessary. Period.” (12/15/11) “We can’t allow Iran to go nuclear.” (11/4/11)

The job market just delivered a reality check. Instead of the job gains economists were expecting, the U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, according to new federal data. Forecasters had predicted employers would add about 50,000 jobs. The unemployment rate also ticked up to 4.4%, signaling the labor market may be cooling after several years of strong hiring. The weaker-than-expected report comes as businesses face a mix of economic uncertainty and rapid technological change that is beginning to reshape hiring across several industries. One bright spot in the report was wages. Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose by 15 cents in February, continuing a recent trend of steady wage growth that has helped many workers keep pace with inflation. The federal government workforce continued shrinking, shedding another 10,000 jobs last month. Since October, federal employment has declined by roughly 333,000 positions, reflecting ongoing efforts to reduce government payrolls. And the job losses weren’t limited to just one corner of the economy. Healthcare, which saw strong hiring in January, lost 28,000 jobs, with strike activity cited as the primary driver behind the decline. Transportation and warehousing also fell by 11,000 jobs, concentrated among couriers and messengers — a category that includes major delivery companies such as UPS and FedEx. UPS recently announced plans to reduce its workforce as part of a broader restructuring effort. The information sector, which includes telecommunications companies, cloud services, digital media, and publishing, also declined by 11,000 jobs. Some areas did see modest gains. Social assistance, which includes services supporting families, children, seniors, and vulnerable populations, added 9,000 jobs in February. Meanwhile, employment in construction, manufacturing, retail, financial services, and hospitality showed little change during the month. In short, the hiring boom may finally be slowing down. Economists and employers say a mix of economic uncertainty, automation, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping hiring decisions across the economy.

Battered by COVID-era inflation, many Americans are understandably concerned about the impact of another war on their finances – but data suggests American bank accounts won’t become casualties.   Energy affects the price of everything, and missiles are flying in a region that produces a third of global oil exports. If supply is constrained, prices will increase, but the current global supply is better positioned than in the past.  Global inventories are currently around 6.5 billion barrels of oil, the highest level this decade. The world consumes only 1.57% of that total each day. Middle Eastern oil production is at one of its low points. During the 1970s energy crisis, the region produced about 55% of the world’s oil. Today, the share is 35%. In 2018, the United States became the world’s largest oil producer, dethroning Russia and Saudi Arabia thanks to the shale revolution of the late 2000s. The revolution was driven by a technological advancement that combined fracking and horizontal drilling, allowing the US to unlock oil that was previously unreachable.  The Daily Wire reviewed data from a leading Wall Street bank that concluded the high inventory and increased oil production from the United States would help offset costs from elevated oil prices. In an analysis of 21 previous air strikes in the region, the bank found that there was typically an initial spike in oil prices that subsided over the following two months.  So far, markets are tracking that historical pattern. This month, Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) are up roughly 15% in the days following Saturday’s strikes. The bank concluded a sustained increase in oil prices would raise headline inflation by 0.2%, a drop in the bucket compared to what consumers experienced from 2022 to 2024.  The bank also predicts that GDP growth will drop by less than a tenth of a percent for the year. Experts attribute the Fall government shutdown to a 0.06 to 0.12 percentage-point loss in GDP.  Beyond oil, the bank’s data also showed promising expectations for the broader market. After eight weeks, gold, the U.S. dollar, and 10-year Treasury bonds posted gains in most instances, and U.S. equities were higher in 20 of the 21 cases. Despite initial declines from the strikes, US large-cap equities are still hovering around all-time highs with earnings beating analyst expectations for the fourth quarter by 6% and high expectations for 2026.   Even JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon, Wall Street’s designated worrier, is expressing calm: “The economy is not often driven by something like that unless it is prolonged.”  What Dimon did warn about back in 2022, however, was cumulative inflation. “Inflation is eroding everything I just said,” said Dimon. “When you’re looking out forward, those things may very well derail the economy and cause a mild or hard recession that people worry about.” A sustained conflict could alter the outlook, though. A fifth of global oil and LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and analysts predict triple-digit oil prices if Gulf production halts. Trump has floated the idea of using the US Navy to accompany ships traveling through the strait to mitigate that risk. Dr. Wayne Winegarden, a senior fellow at the free-market think tank Pacific Research Institute, echoed a measured view in comments to The Daily Wire. “If prices stay around $80 a barrel and supplies don’t get more constrained, over the next two months it could be painful but it would not be a barnburner. However, the severe effect would be prices going up to $90 a barrel and they stay there for a year.” Winegarden explained that a significant loss of Gulf production would force more countries back into the global market for supply, driving prices higher. However, he added that higher prices would also incentivize producers elsewhere to ramp up output, increasing supply over time and helping stabilize the market.

A Democrat Senate candidate, looking to court the votes of working and middle-class families in Iowa, held a campaign event at a Leftist bookstore that once promoted a 14-year-old “drag queen” and routinely stocks sexually explicit books parents don’t want their kids to access at school.  Zach Wahls, running for the seat currently held by Senator Joni Ernst, hosted an event at the Ames-based Dog-Eared Books, a bookstore that remains a haven for leftist ideology. The bookstore has promoted “Drag Queen Story Hour” for children and called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  At the event, Wahls and his wife, romance novelist Chloe Angyal, discussed “the art of storytelling, the demands of public service, and the intersection of writing and advocacy.” They also discussed how their “parallel careers as authors have shaped their approach to politics, family, and the urgent work of building a better Iowa.”  While Wahls has portrayed himself as a moderate seeking to work across partisan lines, Dog-Eared Books was a fitting venue for the Senate hopeful. Wahls has a documented history of advocating for leftist politics, though he pledges to “always put Iowa families first, no matter what.” In September 2021, Dog-Eared Books promoted a teenage boy “drag performer” who goes by the stage name Lonika LaBelle Knight. “Lonika is a 14 years old drag queen with almost three years of experience under her belt. She nabbed the title of Miss Mason City Youth Pride and performs regularly at Lefty’s Live Music and The Garden Nightclub,” the bookstore posted on Instagram. “She can dance, twirl and capture the attention of everyone in a room with sass and class!” That same performer returned in June 2023 for “a drag storytime” aimed at children. The bookstore posted on Instagram that the event would “feature movement activities alongside a picture book reading so kids can engage both their minds and bodies.” Dog-Eared Books/Instagram. Dog-Eared Books has hosted a “Tattoos for Palestine” fundraiser, maintains a “Books for Fighting Fascism” list that includes a book by leftist Senator Bernie Sanders, called for ICE to be abolished, and has a “You Can’t Read That At School” book selection. That section includes books like “Let’s Talk About It,” a graphic novel that contains explicit depictions of sex.  The bookstore also released a statement slamming Iowa Republicans when they voted to pass a law shielding kids from transgender procedures. It also raised over $3,000 for the Iowa Trans Mutual Fund, a group that provides grants to Iowans seeking “gender-affirming care.”  As a state senator, Wahls has vehemently opposed laws aimed at protecting kids from transgender surgeries and cross-sex hormonal procedures. He claimed that there was “blood on the hands” of Iowa Republicans who supported the law. His opposition was based on questionable evidence that claimed children would be more likely to commit suicide if they weren’t given transgender procedures.  Wahls, who rose to prominence after discussing his experience of being raised by a lesbian couple, has close connections to One Iowa, an activist group “rooted in intersectional advocacy for LGBTQ Iowans.” Wahls toured with the group to promote gay marriage back in 2012 and even presented an award to them. One Iowa offers to help gender-confused kids access cross-sex hormones from out-of-state providers and schedule surgeries outside of Iowa. The group pushes girls to find breast binders to compress their chest so that it looks more masculine and other gender-confused kids to pursue “voice therapy.” The radical organization praised Wahls for opposing male participation in female sports.  Despite his links to the far-Left, Wahls’ campaign website portrays him as a moderate focused on cutting costs and combatting political corruption. Wahls claims to support securing the border by hiring thousands more Border Patrol agents and immigration judges, and wants to ensure “secure” elections. He also says he wants to “restore abortion access,” pass paid family and medical leave, and a path to “legal status” for illegal aliens “who’ve been here for years, are working, and haven’t committed crimes.”

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he planned to replace current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) — and while the impact of that shake-up will certainly be felt across the administration and the Senate, it also marks a clear departure from the frequent personnel shakeups of Trump’s first term. By this point in Trump’s first administration, more than half a dozen major players had already been summarily dismissed — from an adviser and a deputy chief of staff to Health and Human Services Secretary and even Secretary of State. And although a few of those who got the presidential boot were holdovers from former President Barack Obama’s administration, a fair few were people Trump had believed were the right fit for his administration — until they weren’t. It was no surprise, for example, that Trump would fire Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates — an Obama appointee — in the first ten days of his administration. General Michael Flynn lasted three weeks before he was fired as National Security Advisor. Obama’s Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, resigned by mid-April, and in early May, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. But by mid-July, the president was already on his second White House Press Secretary after Sean Spicer resigned, and by the end of the month, the tenure of other staffers was being measured in “Scaramuccis” after Anthony Scaramucci only lasted ten days as White House Communications Director. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus was also fired before the end of July, and advisors Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka were gone before the end of August. The first cabinet member to go was Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who resigned from his post in late September. And by the end of March 2018, two more cabinet members were out — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin — along with a laundry list of lower-level staffers. Trump almost constantly faced attacks and leaks from staff on their way out the door. Omarosa Manigault Newman, for example, was fired in December of 2017 — and within a year, she’d released a tell-all book and made a slew of accusations against the man who first made her a star on NBC’s “The Apprentice.” Scaramucci also turned on Trump after he was fired, referring to his former boss — and former friend — as an “orange wrecking ball,” and said in 2019 that Trump was suffering from “early stage fascism.” Tillerson was slightly more measured in his criticisms of the president, calling him “undisciplined” and claiming that he “disregards briefing reports.” After screening more strictly for loyalty his second time around, Trump’s staff retention has been markedly higher. Noem is just the second big name in the second Trump administration to be removed from her post — the first being former National Security Adviser Michael Waltz — and neither of the two have been asked or ordered to leave the administration entirely. Waltz has since been appointed to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations, and Noem will become Trump’s Special Envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” a western hemisphere security initiative that is set to be unveiled in the coming days.