Donald Trump‘s latest wide-ranging interview with TIME captures the president nearing the end of his second year back in office as he confronts several national and global crises in a world shaped by his turbulent return to power.
But his answers routinely veer into the long-held grievances he blames for any negative outlook about the state of the country and his presidency: “fake news,” “lunatic” judges and former President Joe Biden.
He appeared frustrated and defensive when presented with straight-forward questions dealing with issues at the top of mind for millions of Americans, including the widening cost of living and growing healthcare costs.
At one point, he claimed he has “the highest of IQs” before cursing out the interviewer by the end of the interview. “You haven’t asked me one f***ing positive question,” Trump said when asked if ailing Senator Mitch McConnell should step down.
The real estate mogul instead appeared fixated on familiar obsessions, like his Trump-inspired makeover of Washington, D.C., and can’t seem to grasp why the press isn’t celebrating him. “I don’t know what the hell’s wrong,” he said.
Donald Trump appeared frustrated and grew defensive under a series of straight-forward questions about the state of the US in an interview with TIME (Reuters)
Trump’s DC makeover
Asked to explain to Americans why his building projects are of national importance, the president said the White House is a “symbol of America” and “our greatness.”
“Maybe I do it better than anything I do, and it’s easy for me. It’s actually relaxing. You know, for a lot of people, it drives them crazy,” he said. “For me, it’s relaxing.”
He also defended potentially ripping down the Kennedy Center, which the president has repeatedly tried to rename after himself. “I’m not committing to anything. We’re going to see how it plays out in court,” he said.
Trump has defended his Washington, DC-wide makeover, which now includes plans to turn his 250-foot ‘triumphal’ arch into a military installation, drawing protests at the site (AFP/Getty)
Last month, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to provide at least 30 days’ notice before making any physical changes to the Kennedy Center — including demolishing it — after the Trump-controlled board voted to shutter the venue for repairs. In court filings this week, the Department of Justice said the beleaguered institution is “dangerously dilapidated, outdated and decrepit” while its finances are “equally in disrepair.”
The president also suggested to TIME that he is trying to preserve the Oval Office, which he stuffed with gold embellishments, from being torn down.
His Iran war and ‘annihilation’
Trump told TIME it’s “possible” he would “annihilate” Iran after declaring a pending “big decision to make” over the fate of the country during his 11-minute address to the United Nations General Assembly last month.
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild, and create a far greater country than it ever was before?” Trump said in his remarks. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
He told TIME: “Yeah, I would do that. It’s possible.”
Asked how the so-called “president of peace” would also call for the annihilation of an entire people, the president said that doing so would create “peace in the world.”
“Because by annihilating Iran, we’ve created peace in the world,” he said.. “With Iran, I don’t think you could ever have peace.”
Trump floated the idea of ‘annihilating’ Iran during his address to the United Nations, then told time he ‘would do that’ (Reuters)
The president also appeared to admit that the war is draining some of the U.S. military’s munitions despite Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials labeling reports of shortfalls as “fake news” that endanger national security.
The White House has also pointed to reporting about munitions shortages to justify banning several press outlets from entering the White House.
But Trump told TIME that some munitions “are a little bit lower than other forms.”
“We have that middle grade and upper middle grade, which is very powerful, which is stronger than it’s ever been before,” he said.
Trump appeared to admit that the the US is facing a munitions shortage due to the Iran war while his administration disputes reports as ‘fake news’ and blocks press outlets from the White House for reporting on the issue (AFP/Getty)
TIME also reports that the president had learned about munitions supply shortages in The New York Times after firing more than 1,200 Patriot missile interceptors. The Pentagon had then reportedly considered pulling from assets in Asia and Europe to make up for the shortfall despite potentially weakening American defense posture elsewhere.
“What the f*** is this?” Trump reportedly told Hegseth.
The defense secretary allegedly told the president that the report, based on an assessment from the Pentagon’s own internal watchdog, was “fake news.”
The Independent has requested comment from the Pentagon.
Midterms and threats of troops at the polls
Trump did not appear to rule out invoking the Insurrection Act or declaring a national emergency ahead of midterm elections after the president’s attempts to assume federal control over election administration fizzled out in Congress and in the courts.
He said he hasn’t thought about deploying federal immigration agents to the polls but he won’t “rule anything out” when it comes to a state of emergency.
“I don’t rule anything out or in. We’ll see. You mean the Insurrection Act?” Trump told TIME.
“No, I’ve never used it. I could use it. A lot of people think I should use it sometimes,” Trump said before touting low crime rates.
The president continues to dismiss polls showing his declining approval ratings and insists he could defeat any candidate ‘by 20 points’ (AFP/Getty)
When told that his polls have “never been lower,” Trump called them “fake numbers.”
“I would beat anybody running today by 20 points,” he said. “Your numbers that you have are fake. The pollsters are corrupt. They’re almost as corrupt as the writers.”
Trump then denied that his own internal pollsters are telling him that before claiming that the U.S. has the “strongest economy” with a boost from new manufacturing jobs.
But asked whether he should be held responsible for an increasingly less affordable country, Trump replied: “No, because what?”
He said he “inherited the greatest inflation in history” and “the greatest price hikes in history.”
His Supreme Court regrets and mounting legal losses
The president has repeatedly lashed out at his three Supreme Court nominees after the nation’s high court ruled against his administration in a series of high-profile cases, including a challenge to his sweeping tariff agenda and attempts to unilaterally toss out the concept of birthright citizenship.
Asked whether he regrets nominating them, he said “yeah” because they have voted against him “too often.”
“Yeah. Yeah. What can I do? I put them in. They voted against me too often,” he said.
“I gave them the position of a lifetime, and they vote against me often,” he added. “I put these people in. It is what it is. Very disappointing, very disappointing for the country — their decisions. And the country knows it. Very disappointing for the country.”