Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) didn't mince words Thursday evening, declaring that President Trump’s version of events around the Iran conflict “lacks a lot of credibility.” The sharp rebuke came after Trump spent the day threatening escalated strikes on Tehran, only to later claim Iran’s supreme leader had agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear negotiations.
“This is the problem when the president squanders his credibility by telling falsehood after falsehood throughout this presidency and his last,” Schiff told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source.” “The American people really don’t know when to believe him.” He added that the ambiguity isn’t strategic: “It doesn’t make us stronger that we can’t trust our own president.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, poured cold water on Trump’s claim Thursday, stating that the U.S. and Tehran “had not reached a final conclusion” on any deal. That denial aligns with a CNN tally showing Trump has signaled at least 38 times that a war-ending agreement was imminent since hostilities erupted on Feb. 28.
Schiff suggested the president’s repeated optimism reveals more about his own desperation than any real progress. “Every time the president talks about how eager Iran is for a deal, it’s basically a reveal that he’s talking about his own eagerness for a deal,” the California Democrat said. “And all I can say is I hope that he has more to show for it than an Iranian promise not to develop a bomb.”
The senator also voiced concern that the talks could end with a hollow “face-saving announcement to agree at a later date by the president.” He called that outcome “a terrible strategic loss for the country.” On the possibility of a genuine breakthrough, Schiff noted that “only time will tell,” but stressed that “a tremendous amount of damage has been done, and American families are paying the price.”
Those costs are stark. The conflict has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil normally flows daily. According to AAA, the average price of regular gas in the U.S. topped $4 a gallon Friday morning—a 31 percent jump from a year ago. In Schiff’s home state of California, prices surged from roughly $4.66 to $5.78 over the same period, a 24 percent increase.
The credibility gap Schiff highlighted extends beyond the Iran war. Trump’s shifting narratives have also fueled skepticism on other fronts, such as his claims of a settlement with Tehran and his broader foreign policy posture. Meanwhile, the White House faces resistance from Senate Republicans on Trump’s push for a third reconciliation package to fund the Pentagon, adding another layer of political tension to an already combustible situation.
As the war grinds on and energy prices climb, Schiff’s warning resonates: when the president’s word can’t be trusted, the nation’s strength erodes—and American families bear the burden.
