GOP lawmakers squirm when pressed on Trump's astonishing admission: 'Did he say that?'

President Donald Trump made the stunning admission Tuesday that he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation” when making major decisions, and when asked about the remark by MeidasTouch’s Pablo Manriquez, several Republican lawmakers refused to weigh in.

Speaking with reporters on the White House lawn Tuesday, Trump was asked “to what extent” did “Americans’ financial situations” motivate him to secure an end to his war against Iran.

“Not even a little bit,” Trump answered. “The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran – they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody.”

Trump’s remarks were met with widespread condemnation from political commentators, and described by MS NOW’s Zeeshan Aleem as “the ideal video clip for midterm messaging” for Democrats. Republican lawmakers, however, when asked about the remarks, had little to say.

“I don’t know the context in which he made that comment, but I can tell you, the president thinks about Americans’ financial situations,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday when asked about the president’s remarks.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), when pressed by Manriquez on Tuesday, instinctively questioned whether Trump had actually said such remarks.

“Did he say that?” Lummis asked. “I don’t have a comment about that, mostly because I think he actually does care [about Americans’ financial situations].”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) also refused to comment on Trump’s remarks, claiming she hadn’t seen them herself, as did Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who told Manriquez he “would have to find out the context of it” before commenting.

In an analysis published on Wednesday, MS NOW political contributor Steve Benen predicted that Trump’s remarks would “likely not be forgotten anytime soon.” Regarding Johnson’s response to Trump’s remarks – that he didn’t “know the context in which he made that comment” – Benen offered the House GOP leader some cautionary advice.

“The trouble is, the context doesn’t help," Benen wrote. “‘I don’t think about anybody’ is one of those quotes that even the most creative GOP voices can’t spin away.”