Troops around the midterms, pardons for his team, more bombing in Iran, and an F-bomb for reporters. That pretty much sums up Trump’s TIME interview.
President Trump sat down with TIME in the Oval Office on September 28 for about 75 minutes. The cover story, "What Trump Has Built," came out October 1, as a Reuters/Ipsos poll put his approval at 32%, the lowest of his career. The midterms are coming up.
He won't rule out troops or emergency powers around the midterms
TIME asked if he would declare a national emergency or invoke the Insurrection Act around the elections.
"I'm not committing to anything," Trump said. "We're going to see how it plays out in court." Pressed again, he said, "I don't rule anything out or in," adding, "A lot of people think I should use it sometimes."
In the same breath, he bragged that the murder rate is the lowest "since 1900."
The Insurrection Act lets a president send troops into American streets during an uprising. There is no uprising. So why keep it on the table right before an election?
Trump has said he regrets not using the National Guard to seize voting machines after 2020. Earlier this year, he mused about canceling the midterms.
The good news: states run elections, not the president. "Courts have made clear that the president has no power to control elections, and a fake emergency can't change that," one legal expert told Democracy Docket.
But he doesn't have to succeed to do damage. He only has to scare people into staying home. Don't let him.
"Yeah, sure I'd do that": Pardons for his team
Asked if he'd pardon members of his administration before leaving office, Trump said, "Yeah, sure I'd do that." He pointed to Biden: "Sleepy Joe Biden, he gave pardons to everyone."
The difference? Biden pardoned people like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Gen. Mark Milley to protect them from Trump's promised revenge. Trump would be protecting his own officials from accountability for what they did while in office.
One is a shield against a vengeful president. The other is a get-out-of-jail-free card from one. (See who he's already pardoned in our Pardon Tracker.)
He kept the Iran war going because he wanted to
The war was supposed to last four to six weeks. It's been seven months. Trump blamed the press for that prediction, but TIME's fact-check found he predicted four to five weeks himself in March. He's also on video making the “4-6 weeks” claim multiple times.
"I could have stopped then, but I wanted to go further," he told TIME.
He called Iran's latest ceasefire offer "just not good enough" and said more bombing after the midterms is "possible."
How does this make him a "president of peace"? "By annihilating Iran, we've created peace in the world," he said.
George Orwell would like a word.
"Going further" has cost the lives of at least 19 U.S. service members and more than $25 billion. Thousands more have been killed across the region. Congress never voted for any of it. Follow it all in our Iran War Hub.
He regrets his own Supreme Court picks
Trump says he regrets appointing Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. "I gave them the chance of a lifetime, and it's unfortunate what they did," he said. "They voted against me too often." 😫
This year, the Court ruled against his tariffs, his birthright citizenship order, and his mail-ballot rules.
He "gave" them the job, so they owe him? A judge's loyalty belongs to the Constitution. Demanding personal loyalty is one of the 10 Signs of Fascism.
"You haven't asked me one f***ing positive question"
When TIME asked whether Mitch McConnell should resign over his health, Trump blew up: "You haven't asked me one f***ing positive question… I took the White House and made it beautiful again."
He called CNN's Kaitlan Collins "the most unhappy young person I've ever seen." Then he said the New York Times' Iran coverage was "fake news, fake news, and maybe they'll be next."
Next for what?
On September 18, he banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. A judge he appointed restored their access.
On September 30, the White House pulled CNN from the press pool anyway. And in July, federal agents served subpoenas at New York Times reporters' homes.
When he says "maybe they'll be next," believe him.
Also in the interview
- Polls and ratings: He called bad polls fake and bragged that his midterm convention got "107 million" views. TIME's fact-check found his speech averaged about 2.5 million viewers on Fox News. If Democrats win the House, he said, "They'll probably go after me and I'll go after them."
- AI: On AI safety, he said, "I'm not going to kill a thing based on phony threats." He wants more data centers, just not "right next to my house."
- The ballroom: He finds his White House construction projects "relaxing." House Democrats, citing the Washington Post, say the administration planned to spend more than $300 million in taxpayer money on the project.
- Israel: Asked whether Israelis should reelect Netanyahu, he said, "I'm not involved in politics anymore, except that we're popular." (Huh?) How popular? "Like 99%," he said. TIME found no such poll. Pew put Israelis' confidence in him at 66%.
What all the lies and grievances from Trump’s TIME interview add up to
Judges who rule against him are disloyal. Reporters who ask hard questions might be "next." Democrats who win will face payback. And the laws that keep troops away from polling places are something he's "not committing to" respect.
That's a president worried about losing power, not an argument.
But many “checks” held this year: the courts, the press, and millions of No Kings marchers. On November 3, voters get their say.
Vote early. Check your registration, then find a No Kings: Vote Early event near you on October 17.
He's "not committing to anything." Fine. We are.
