Iran talks: Trump calls it "garbage"... Vance says there has been "progress"

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\r\n[Financial News] Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly denounced Iran's revised negotiating proposal as "garbage," Vice President JD Vance stepped in to say the talks were moving forward.
At a White House press briefing on the 13th local time, Vance said, "I think the discussions are moving ahead right now," adding, "What ultimately matters is whether we can meet the baseline President Trump has set."
He defined the U.S. core demand as "creating a real barrier that prevents Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons," making the nuclear issue a nonnegotiable condition in the talks.
That message contrasted sharply with Trump's hard-line remarks the previous day. Just before departing for China, Trump harshly criticized Iran's revised ceasefire proposal, calling it "unacceptable" and "a terrible offer." Analysts said the comments appeared designed to pressure the negotiating table, while others suggested the White House may be pursuing both hard-line and conciliatory strategies at once.
Vance also acknowledged that the fallout from the war is weighing on the U.S. economy. Referring to recent inflation figures, he said, "Last month's numbers fell short of expectations," and added, "We have more work to do to ease the economic burden Americans are feeling."
Indeed, the U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) for April, released that day, rose 6.0% from a year earlier, the highest level since late 2022. The increase in energy prices driven by tensions in the Middle East is seen as pushing up costs across businesses.
Vance also moved to clarify Trump's recent remarks. Trump had stirred controversy the previous day by saying, "I don't care about Americans' financial situation. What matters is stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons."
In response, Vance said, "The president's intent was misunderstood," stressing that "President Trump takes the U.S. economy and the lives of the American people very seriously."
Questions about the next presidential race also came up during the briefing. When asked about a possible rivalry with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vance replied, "It's not very presidential to turn it into a TV-style competition to pick a successor." The remark drew laughter in the room, as it evoked Trump's former NBC reality show, "The Apprentice." Vance then described Rubio as a "good friend," but avoided making any direct comments about a presidential bid, saying, "Now is the time to focus on the vice president's role."
Meanwhile, he also took aim at California's Medicaid management. Vance said the state would lose $1.3 billion in federal funding after citing ongoing fraud in the low-income health insurance program. He warned that if state governments do not cooperate in cracking down on fraud, related federal support could be cut off entirely. Some observers said the move was also intended to turn welfare spending into a political issue in a Democratic stronghold.
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km@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-min Reporter