Trump on Pahlavi: He's nice, but I don't know if Iran would accept him

In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Donald Trump said that Iranian exile leader Reza Pahlavi "seems very nice," but it is unclear whether Iran would accept him as its leader. If it did, the US president would not object. With the support of the exiled prince, he hesitates: "We haven't really gotten to that point yet."

Sixty-five-year-old Pahlavi has lived in the US since his father was overthrown during the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and has become a prominent voice in the current protests across Iran.

Trump said it was possible that the government in Tehran could fall as a result of the protests, but in reality, "any regime can fail." "Whether it falls or not, it will be an interesting period," he said.

The president also rejected criticism from Republicans who expressed concern about the investigation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. "They should be loyal," he said. He also responded to JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon's comments about the potential risks of political interference in the Fed: "I don't care what he says."

Trump is scheduled to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Thursday. He also praised Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, with whom he held talks on Wednesday. He praised her as a "very good negotiating partner." About Machado, he said only that she is "a very nice woman."

(reuters, max)