Five key quotes from Trump's interview with The Atlantic

President Trump mused on his political comeback and the first 100 days of his second term in a newly published interview with The Atlantic out Monday.The big picture: The Atlantic's June cover story, "Donald Trump Is Enjoying This," lays out Trump's thinking in the lead up to his return to the White House. The magazine asked him about his embattled Pentagon chief, unpopular immigration crackdown and if he'll really seek a third term.The president met with representatives of the publication that dropped the biggest bombshell of his second term so far: Signalgate."I am doing this interview out of curiosity, and as a competition with myself, just to see if it's possible for The Atlantic to be 'truthful,'" Trump said in a Truth Social post last week ahead of the sitdown.Here are five key quotes from the president's interviews with The Atlantic.1. "I run the country and the world"Asked how his second term so far differed from his first, Trump said: "The first time, I had two things to do — run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys.""And the second time, I run the country and the world," he added."I'm having a lot of fun, considering what I do ... You know, what I do is such serious stuff."2. A third term "would be a big shattering"Of a potential 2028 run, Trump told the magazine it "would be a big shattering."He continued, "Well, maybe I'm just trying to shatter." But Trump added, "It's not something that I'm looking to do. And I think it would be a very hard thing to do."That follows his comments from last month, when said he is "not joking" about a third term,Reality check: Trump launching a bid for a third term wouldn't just shatter norms — it would violate the 22nd amendment.Meanwhile, the Trump Organization has started selling "Trump 2028" hats.3. The billionaire class' "higher level of respect"The billionaire class has largely bowed to Trump in his second term. He described the mega-rich taking a friendlier posture as "just a higher level of respect.""I don't know ... Maybe they didn't know me at the beginning, and they know me now," he continued.Zoom in: Of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Trump said he's "100 percent. He's been great." He also praised Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, a one-time-foe turned friend. 4. Hegseth will "get it together"Despite fallout from the Signal scandal and turmoil at the Pentagon, Trump has stood by embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth."I think he's gonna get it together," he said of Hegseth.He added, "I had a talk with him, a positive talk, but I had a talk with him."Zoom out: Trump also said that Mike Waltz, his national security adviser who accidentally added Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the now-infamous group chat, was "fine" despite being "beat up" by the incident.5. "Nothing will ever be perfect"Trump was pressed on his administration's efforts to deport undocumented immigrants without due process and the possibility that a legal resident or American citizen could be accidentally removed — a hypothetical that advocates have said already happened.He replied, "Let me tell you that nothing will ever be perfect in this world."Go deeper: Trump's boundary-breaking 100 days

Comments

World news

Grievances and forgiveness were both on display in Prince Harry's raw TV interview

Comments

Similar News

The five most important books about grief, according to Cariad Lloyd

Five ways Trump's budget request could affect the average American

Trump tariffs cause fastest slump in British factory export orders in five years

Artist’s works resurface nearly five decades after disappearing from Berlin studio

British woman found beaten to death in French village with 'five deep wounds'

Queen Louise's Bridge: Car ploughs into Copenhagen pedestrians with five injured

Poisonous mushrooms trial: Five key bombshells from Australia court you missed overnight

Five year-old girl and her parents among 11 people killed in the Vancouver festival attack

Five things you need to make it through a power cut

Five UK museums ‘alive with ideas and energy’ shortlisted for Art Fund prize

Tourist faces five years in prison for bribing police officer £29 after being caught smoking in non-designated area

Donald Trump’s five-word warning before Zelensky chat at Pope’s funeral caught by lip reader

Five Saudi men sentenced to 32 years in prison and 4,500 lashes for holding a Valentine's Day party with 'unrelated women, drinking and dancing'

Lip reader reveals Trump’s five-word warning to Macron moments before mini-peace summit with Zelensky at Pope’s funeral

The five European countries with no airports - one gets 6m tourists a year

Terrifying moment plane nose-dives into the sea just yards from luxury hotel guests, killing five on board, 'during parachute practice'

Thailand plane crash: At least five dead as aircraft plunges into sea near beach town

At least five people dead after plane crashes into the sea in Thailand

Preferences may help decide the Australian election. Here is what could happen in five crucial seats

Five cards China holds in a trade war with the US

World news

Grievances and forgiveness were both on display in Prince Harry's raw TV interview

Pakistan test fires ballistic missile as tensions with India spike after Kashmir gun massacre

Russian drone attack wounds 47 in Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv

Voting closes in Singapore as its long-ruling party seeks a bigger win

U.N. envoy condemns intense wave of Israeli airstrikes on Syria

Vatican workers install Sistine Chapel stove where ballots are burned during conclave to elect pope

7-year-old boy found safe after going on a joyride to get a McDonald’s Happy Meal

JD Vance skewered for comments about polls during Fox News interview

GiveSendGo founder compares Karmelo Anthony case to Kyle Rittenhouse

Trump blows off trade war recession fears: ‘Everything’s ok’

Donald Trump posts bizarre image of himself as pope just week after pontiff’s funeral

‘Groundbreaking’ snake antivenom made from man bitten 200 times

Five people survive 36 hours in alligator-infested swamp after plane crash

A timeline of events in Prince Harry’s troubled relationship with the royal family

Body of missing kayaker recovered from Nova Scotia lake: RCMP

A family and a festival: How Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Day tragedy unfolded

A timeline of Prince Harry’s troubled ties with the royal family

Stove to burn conclave ballots for new pope installed in Sistine Chapel

Inside Labour plans to recover from election battering at the hands of Reform

‘I’d like to be next’: Trump posts AI image of himself as the Pope

Inside wild Ibiza hotel where sex-addict owner served 'cocaine served for breakfast'

'Cold-blooded Vladimir Putin' reveals he fights desire to 'punch' people

British solider told girlfriend 'I'm going to die' after falling from Thai waterfall

Six people arrested after three shot dead in Sweden

Ukraine blasts £38million Russian fighter jet out sky over Black Sea using missile-armed sea drone in ‘world first’

Three unanswered questions over ‘frenzied’ murder of Brit mum, 69, in French village as cops scour woodland for clues

Europe's best 'hidden gem' revealed - but it actually gets 5m tourists every year

Another beautiful European city fights back against tourists with new £3.41 tax

Zelensky issues Victory Day celebration threat to Putin sparking fury in Russia

Musk promises DOGE has a ‘long-term’ future as steps back from White House having cut a fraction of what he promised

Alabama parents want answers after their 4-year-old got drunk at school: ‘She was slobbering at the mouth’

Tourists killed in fiery Yellowstone crash were among millions drawn to scenic park

Starmer congratulates Albanese on re-election and hails UK-Australia friendship

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wins 2nd term

RCMP continue search for 2 children who wandered from N.S. home

Deadly crash near Yellowstone highlights risks on scenic routes

McCanns remember missing Madeleine on anniversary of her disappearance

Ukraine ‘unleashes British Storm Shadow missiles on Russia, with Trump’s approval’

An afternoon watching Aston Villa’s MVP

How Rubio became Trump's minister of many hats

Warren Buffett calls for more free trade as path to prosperity

Terrified crash survivors cling to plane for 36 hours in alligator-infested swamp after emergency landing in Amazon

Russia reeling as £38m fighter jet shot down by Ukrainian sea drone in world first

Pensioner sues cruise ship after fall - but she's accused of wearing 'inappropriate' item

Australian conservative opposition leader loses seat in ‘Trump factor’ backlash

Throngs of admirers fill an arena to get Warren Buffett's take on tariffs and Berkshire Hathaway

Majority of Canadians say misinformation affected federal election: poll

‘Catastrophic loss’: Former MP says NDP lost touch with core supporters

Small-town mayors ‘excited’ Pierre Poilievre targeting seat in rural Alberta

Alberta NDP to vote on opting out of federal party membership

Trump posts AI image of himself as pope

Five people survive 36 hours surrounded by alligators after plane crashes into swamp

Why the places Reform didn’t quite win show the party is a real national force

‘I moved to Spain – now I’m bored and want to come back to the UK’

How to prevent yourself from being hacked – and what to do if you have

How Trump's budget proposals could affect lower-income Americans

Zelensky calls meeting with Trump at Vatican 'the best' and raises ceasefire hopes