Topline
President Donald Trump bragged that he runs “the world” and is “having a lot of fun” in his second term in a new interview with The Atlantic, conducted in part after the magazine, which Trump once derided as “failing,” called his cellphone and the president answered.
President Donald Trump raises a fist as he steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Joint Base … More
Key Facts
In his first term, Trump said he “had two things to do—run the country and survive” and he had “all these crooked guys,” apparently referring to prosecutors who had investigated him, the Atlantic observed, but in his second term “I run the country and the world,” Trump said.
Trump touched on several hot-button issues in the two-part interview conducted via cellphone and from the Oval Office on April 24, including the controversy surrounding his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal chat app, the alleged deportations of some Americans and Silicon Valley’s warming to him.
Trump expressed tepid confidence in Hegseth, telling The Atlantic—which exposed Hegseth’s Signal leak of information— “I think he’s gonna get it together . . .I had a talk with him, a positive talk.”
On the possibility his administration could accidentally eject an American citizen in its mass deportation push, Trump said “let me tell you that nothing will ever be perfect in this world.”
Trump also praised tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos as “great,” speculating that they and others with great wealth have become more friendly with him in his second term because they have “a higher level of respect . . . maybe they didn’t know me at the beginning, and they know me now.”
Crucial Quote
“I’m having a lot of fun, considering what I do . . . you know, what I do is such serious stuff,” Trump said when the magazine asked if the observation made by one of Trump’s allies that he was “blowing it up with a twinkle in his eye” was correct.
Tangent
Some of Trump’s advisors reportedly told The Atlantic they’ve adopted a new rule in his second term of doing what he says only after he says it twice, because “he says a lot of s—t,” one unnamed advisor reportedly said.
Key Background
Trump has repeatedly bashed The Atlantic, including in the weeks leading up to the interview. He called its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg—who accompanied his reporters to the Oval Office sit-down with Trump on April 24—a “total sleazebag” earlier this month after Goldberg was inadvertently included in the Signal chat in which top Trump officials discussed national security secrets last month. Trump’s feud with Goldberg began years ago when Goldberg reported on claims that Trump said veterans who had been killed in combat were “suckers” and “losers” (allegations Trump has repeatedly denied). At the time, Trump called The Atlantic a “failing magazine.” Trump initially denied the magazine’s request for an interview by publicly bashing writers Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer on Truth Social. Several weeks later when they called Trump’s cellphone on a Saturday morning, he answered with “who’s calling?” He then invited Parker, Scherer and Goldberg to the Oval Office for a second sit-down on April 24, they reported.
Further Reading
White House Says It’s ‘Moving Forward’ From Signal Leak: ‘This Case Has Been Closed’ (Forbes)
Waltz Says He Doesn’t Know Atlantic Editor He Invited To War Chat—As Trump Defends Aide (Forbes)
Trump Says He Knows ‘Nothing’ After Atlantic Editor’s Bombshell Claim He Was In Signal Chat For War Plans (Forbes)