Five takeaways from Trump’s first sit-down interview as president
Washington: Donald Trump granted his first one-on-one interview back in the Oval Office to his friend Sean Hannity at Fox News in a predictably soft-ball exchange that barely challenged the US president on his barnstorming return to executive power.
Nonetheless, the exercise yielded insights into Trump’s approach to key issues and his priorities having assumed the role he believes he was saved by God to perform.
Trump with Sean Hannity on Fox News – his first one-on-one interview since returning to the Oval Office.Credit: Fox News
1. Bushfire aid could be held hostage
Predecessor Joe Biden left office promising to cover 100 per cent of California’s firefighting and recovery costs amid the destructive blazes that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 28 people. Fires began flaring again on Thursday (AEDT).
But Trump confirmed in this interview that he was prepared to hold such payments hostage to get what he wants, including any federal funding if a state defies him on his immigration crackdown.
He said he might withhold funding for any state that persisted with so-called sanctuary cities for undocumented migrants. “Sometimes that’s the only thing you can do,” he said.
“California’s a great example of it. If you actually polled the people, they don’t want sanctuary cities but [Governor] Gavin Newsom does and these radical left politicians do.”
Trump also raised the spectre of denying aid to California unless it caved in to his demand to direct more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to the state’s south, which is environmentally contentious.
“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow,” he said.
2. He is still obsessed with Joe Biden
A notable theme throughout Trump’s inauguration was his lingering criticism of the Biden administration, despite the occasion usually being one for unity following divisive elections.
He threw muted barbs during his inaugural speech, but then ratcheted back up to full-blown Trumpism in later addresses and an evening Q&A with journalists in the Oval Office.
Hannity asked Trump about Biden pardoning members of his own family, precipitating a long rant about how Biden had been poorly advised on every topic, from Ukraine to the Middle East to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
When Hannity interrupted to try to ask about the economy, it caused a rare moment of tension. “I don’t care,” Trump said. “This [Biden] is more important because right now the economy’s gonna do great, I’m here so the economy’s … But you have to understand he had bad advisers on almost everything.”
3. He may try to have Biden investigated
Trump would not rule out trying to set the Department of Justice on Biden, noting that Biden did not pardon himself in his flurry of last-minute pardons, and suggesting he might not be able to resist the temptation.
“I was always against that … I could have had Hillary Clinton, a big number done on her,” Trump said. “I went through four years of hell by the scum that we had to deal with. I spent millions of dollars on legal fees and I won, but I did it the hard way. It’s really hard to say that they shouldn’t have to go through it all.”
In fact, rather than winning those two federal cases – one involving election interference, the other mishandling classified documents – the Justice Department shut the matters down when Trump won the 2024 election.
Trump made no secret of his desire to take vengeance against his perceived enemies. Pam Bondi, his pick for attorney-general, faced several questions during her confirmation hearing about whether she would stand up to Trump if he sought investigations into his political rivals. She did not give a clear answer.
4. Trump always wanted a second coming
Hannity shared an anecdote about a private conversation the two men apparently had not long after Trump lost the 2020 election – though, of course, at the time, Trump was denying he lost and falsely claiming it was rigged.
According to Hannity, Trump had wondered whether “maybe in the end it would be better if I came back in four years”. They compared the situation to that of legendary British prime minister Winston Churchill, who also served two separated terms. Hannity agreed it would be better that way.
Trump now loves to talk about orchestrating what he calls “the greatest political comeback of all time”, which arguably it is, given he was written off and facing multiple criminal charges just a couple of years ago.
5. His weirdness has not weakened
Returning to high office has not dulled Trump’s cattiness or penchant for punching down. In this case, he set his sights on a dishevelled victim of the Los Angeles bushfires, whom he apparently recognised on TV.
“I saw somebody on television, one of the wealthiest people, one of the most powerful people in the country, being interviewed as though he were a vagrant,” Trump said during a digression about California.
“And you have to know him, he’s a mean, horrible human being. He’s a tough guy, very tough guy, a horrible person. But he’s very rich. You have rich people who are very nice, but this guy’s a terrible person.
“I said to Melania, look at it, they were interviewing him as a guy that lost his house. And he’s literally in his underwear and his T-shirt; he looked like he just got out of the bedroom.
“And I say, ‘That’s one of the wealthiest guys in the [country], look at this guy.’ Some day I’ll tell you the name … but you won’t even believe it. He was complaining they wouldn’t let him go to his house, which was on fire.”
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