'What struck me': Trump official shocks CNN hosts with major Iran war concession

CNN's John Berman was staggered by a high-ranking administration official's comments about President Donald Trump's view of global energy shocks.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright appeared Thursday morning on "CNN News Central," where he told co-host Kate Bolduan that the 79-year-old president was thinking long term and therefore not concerned with short-term disruptions in the global oil market caused by his war in Iran.

"President Trump's thinking long term, he's not thinking about next month," Wright said. "He's thinking about what's best for the American people, what's best for the American economy, and what brings safety to our troops in the region and brings prosperity to the Middle East."

Berman was astonished by the cabinet official's characterization of Trump's thinking as oil prices near $100 a barrel and tankers remain stranded in the Persian Gulf due to threats from Iran if they pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

"What struck me there is when he said President Trump not thinking about the next month," Berman said. "Oil prices are at $93 a barrel. He said it's unlikely, but not impossible, they go to 200. I was thinking about what Republicans, elected Republicans around the country might be thinking when they heard that President Trump's not thinking about the next month."

Republican lawmakers generally support the military operation against Iran, according to CNN's David Chalian, but they're nervous about the possibility of long-term conflict.

"So what we're hearing from Republicans on Capitol Hill is not that they are not supportive of the president's efforts here in Iran – most of them are – but what we are hearing a lot of is looking for some kind of end-game plan, how the U.S. gets out of this successfully and the president turns the attention back to the number one issue for American voters which is their economic situation," Chalian said.

Berman pointed out that the president was clearly not focused on domestic issues since launching Operation Epic Fury.

"Obviously, when he's focused so much on Iran, that's not focused on the economic situation," he said. "But if he is focused on something domestically, it doesn't really appear to be the economic situation, either. He's obsessed with this battle right now inside the Republican Party in the Senate, mostly over the SAVE America Act."

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