DAVID FOLKENFLIK, HOST:
Today's the day President Trump said signatures would be put to an agreement with Iran. Iran says, not so fast. NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson joins us. Good morning, Mara.
MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Good morning, David.
FOLKENFLIK: So what do we know about this agreement that both Trump and Pakistani mediators say is on the table?
LIASSON: Well, according to Trump's Truth Social post, some kind of deal is scheduled to be signed today. He says immediately after it's signed, the Strait of Hormuz will be open. This deal is basically a memorandum of understanding that would extend the current so-called ceasefire while talks continue on the bigger issues, like what to do with Iran's enriched uranium or how to make sure Iran doesn't ever get a nuclear weapon.
What we don't know is what Iran would get in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Maybe some kind of funds channeled through the Gulf states - but this is just an agreement to keep talking. And significantly, as you said, Iran has not agreed with President Trump and the Pakistani prime minister that something is going to be signed today. And that raises the question about whether this is a real breakthrough or just another one of the dozens of times that Trump has predicted that a deal is imminent, and then it doesn't happen.
FOLKENFLIK: All right. We'll be watching this for more details. In the meantime, what do you think the political effects of this whole drama would be?
LIASSON: Well, Donald Trump has very big political incentives to end the war. The war is extremely unpopular in the United States, and as long as it goes on with the Strait of Hormuz closed, gas prices will stay high. Fertilizer prices will stay high. That means food prices will stay high. And even though Donald Trump himself is not on the ballot in November, this is hurting Republicans running for reelection. And voters are very sour on the economy, and polls show that voters do connect the war in Iran with higher prices and inflation.
FOLKENFLIK: In the meantime, the president has some nominees he wants to send to the Senate. What do you make of the nomination of Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence and Todd Blanche for attorney general?
LIASSON: Well, Todd Blanche was Trump's former personal lawyer. He is comfortable with Trump's vision of the Department of Justice being an arm of the White House, tasked with carrying out Trump's retribution campaign against his political enemies. What's interesting about Jay Clayton is he was Trump's second choice. Trump had initially nominated Bill Pulte, another person who's enthusiastically carried out the revenge agenda but didn't have any intelligence background. And he ran into an unusual and very rare roadblock in the Senate. Senators did not want to confirm Pulte, so Trump switched to Jay Clayton, who has a resume that's more appropriate for the director of national intelligence.
But I think the big takeaway here is the Republican pushback. It's not a full-fledged revolt by any means, but it shows that as Trump's approval ratings decline to record lows for him, as he loses more court battles, as time goes on and he gets to be more and more of a lame duck, some Republicans are pushing back, and they want to put some distance between themselves and the president, especially on things that he does that make it harder for them to win in November.
FOLKENFLIK: Meanwhile, today is President Trump's 80th birthday, and he's spending it watching mixed martial arts on the White House lawn. (Laughter) What am I supposed to make of that?
LIASSON: Well, Trump is 80. And - today. Happy birthday, Mr. President. And generational change and age are big issues in the midterms. His critics say that Trump has been showing signs of decline, closing his eyes in White House meetings, although the White House denies that he has fallen asleep.
But this Ultimate Fighting Championship fight, mixed martial arts match on the White House lawn today, is meant to contradict that image of decline. Remember, Trump's brand is supposed to be strength, toughness, fight, fight, fight - extreme masculinity. So it's very on brand for Trump, but it's also very controversial.
And the match on the White House lawn is going to cost taxpayers money. Trump himself has invested tens of thousands of dollars in the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship games. His family has been selling commemorative coins tied to the fight. But Trump is a very base-focused politician, and the fans of mixed martial arts do overlap pretty strongly with the MAGA brand.
FOLKENFLIK: Yeah.
LIASSON: And even though polls show that Trump's support among white noncollege men is pretty strong, it has slipped a lot, even in that demographic, since he's been elected.
FOLKENFLIK: All right. You've covered politics a long time. Can you think of anything like this from the past at the White House?
LIASSON: Absolutely not (laughter).
FOLKENFLIK: That's NPR's Mara Liasson. Mara, as always, thanks.
LIASSON: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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