Sunday shows preview: Trump rejects Iran deal after week of high-stakes meetings; GOP clammers to keep Congress

President Trump rejected a new seven-day proposal from Iran Saturday morning to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt military operations in the ongoing conflict between Tehran and the U.S.

“They want to make a deal, and I think that’s fine,” the president told reporters at the White House. “I like making a deal, too, but that deal would not be acceptable.”

The president is under heightened pressure ahead of the midterm elections to bring the monthslong war to a conclusion amid rising energy prices tied to the closure of the strait, a major oil trading corridor, and rising public discontent with these U.S. military operations.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sat down with CBS News’s Margaret Brennan this week to discuss the ongoing conflict. His interview with the network will air on “Face the Nation” this Sunday.

Additionally, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — who has led the Iranian delegation’s negotiations to reopen the strait — will appear on NBC News’s “Meet the Press .”

Trump’s job approval rating has taken a hit amid the Iran war, sinking to a career low of 32 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos survey released this week. Only 17 percent of the poll’s respondents approved of the way the president has handled rising living costs, a top issue for voters this election cycle.

Some Republicans are concerned this conflict could hurt their chances at retaining power in Congress in November, as the president repeatedly calls for Americans to cast their vote as if he is “on the ballot.”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a strong supporter of the president, will join “Face the Nation” on Sunday to discuss the GOP’s strategy less than six weeks out from the midterms.

This week, Trump delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York before bilateral meetings with several world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On the sidelines, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, met with members of the Iranian delegation.

The president strongly defended his handling of the Iran war during his remarks and urged nations to join the U.S. in “the complete economic isolation of Iran.”

“They were the bully of the Middle East, but they are the bully no more,” he said. “From the first day I entered the political arena, I’ve been unwavering. I will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz will join both “Meet the Press” and CNN’s “State of the Union” this Sunday.

Later last week, the president rolled out the red carpet this week for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first U.S. state visit in over a decade. The two leaders participated in a lavish state dinner , toured Trump’s updates to the White House grounds and exchanged gifts .

While the pair discussed issues like artificial intelligence development and Taiwan, the summit produced scant policy announcements.

Trump has brushed aside calls to curb the development of advanced AI amid concerns about the potential dangers posed by this technology, citing competition with China.

On Friday, the president said he had a “very productive meeting” with Xi, in which the two global leaders discussed this issue.

“Like almost everyone else, he seemed to like calling the poorly and inaccurately named Artificial Intelligence to a far more accurate and important name, SUPER INTELLIGENCE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social .

David Perdue, the U.S. a mbassador to China, will appear on Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday” to discuss Xi’s White House visit.

The ranking member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), is scheduled to join “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

See the full list of guests on the Sunday morning news shows below:

NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.)

CBS News’s “Face the Nation”: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Taiwan Ambassador to the U.S. Alexander Yui, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.)

CNN’s “State of the Union”: UN Ambassador Mike Waltz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)

Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday”: U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, NASA astronaut Chris Williams

NBC News’s “Meet the Press”: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, UN Ambassador Mike Waltz, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates

Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg

ABC News’s “This Week”: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Attorney General Todd Blanche, Cook Political Report political analyst Charlie Cook