President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed the United States has been secretly removing massive amounts of crude oil from Iranian control on a nightly basis under cover of darkness as he downplayed inflation data showing prices have spiked at over four percent for the second consecutive month — the highest level in three years.
The president was working his way though a meandering, stem-winding set of remarks at an Oval Office bill signing ceremony when he made the bizarre boast after being asked to respond to Consumer Price Index data showing the inflation rate rose 4.2 percent year-on-year in May, driven by the Iran war’s impact on energy costs. Inflation was at 2.4 percent before the war started on Feb. 28, and since then, soaring prices have hammered working Americans at the gas pump, grocery store and in other consumer goods.
