WASHINGTON – In an interview with The Atlantic magazine, President Donald Trump declared that he runs the world, reflecting on what has changed during his second term.
“The first time, I had two things to do ‒ run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys,” Trump said in an interview published on April 28. “And the second time, I run the country and the world.”
During his first 100 days back in the White House, Trump has pushed the limits of the presidency, issuing more than 140 executive orders to achieve his policy goals and exact revenge on his political opponents.
Trump’s sit-down interview came as his approval rating fell to 39% in a new poll from The Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos, citing economic concerns and his aggressive use of tariffs.
Trump agreed with a close ally that he is having more fun blowing up Washington “with a twinkle in his eye” since returning to the White House.
“I am having a lot of fun, considering what I do,” said the president. “You know, what I do is such serious stuff.”
During his second term, Trump remarked on the friendly reception he has received from many billionaires, including Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
“It is simply a higher level of respect. “I do not know,” Trump replied. “Maybe they did not know me at the beginning, and they know me now.”
The interview, conducted on April 24 by Atlantic reporters Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, came after Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he agreed to participate “out of curiosity, and as a competition with myself, just to see if The Atlantic can be ‘truthful.'” Trump slammed the publication in a social media post weeks ago, denying the magazine’s request for an interview before later changing his mind.
Trump has had a long-running feud with The Atlantic, which began when the magazine reported that Trump called US soldiers who died in combat “suckers” and “losers.”
Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor, was also in the Oval Office for the interview, and his accidental inclusion in a Signal chat of top Trump national security officials revealed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussing plans for US airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on the commercial messaging app.
Trump on Hegseth: ‘He’s gonna get it together’
When asked about Hegseth, Trump told The Atlantic, “I think he is going to get it together.”
Hegseth is under renewed scrutiny after reports emerged that he discussed the timing of US air strikes on Houthi rebels with his wife and brother in a separate Signal chat.
A former top Pentagon spokesman described a “month of total chaos” under Hegseth’s command. Last week, CBS News reported that Hegseth had a make-up room installed next to the Pentagon briefing room. Hegseth has fired a number of Pentagon “leakers” who have been accused of spreading negative information about him.
“I had a talk with him, a positive talk, but I had a talk with him,” Trump said of Hegseth.
Trump has floated the idea of seeking a third term in the White House, despite the fact that the Constitution prohibits anyone from being elected to the presidency more than twice.
Trump told the Atlantic that he has not asked the Justice Department to investigate the legality of running again, but he has left the possibility open for weeks.
“That would be a big shattering, would not it?” Trump replied with a laugh. “Well, maybe I am just trying to shatter.”
Despite his public hostility towards the media, which he labeled the “enemy of the people” in a Truth Social post Monday, Trump recently spoke with Time magazine and will participate in an interview with ABC News on Tuesday to mark his first 100 days in office.
