President Donald Trump defended his decision to prolong the war in Iran and dismissed concerns about artificial intelligence during a 75-minute interview with Time, released roughly one month ahead of the midterm elections. The conversation marked Trump's 56th appearance on the magazine's cover, surpassing the record held by President Richard Nixon for over half a century.
Regarding the conflict in Iran, Trump rejected the timeline of four to six weeks that he had previously communicated to multiple news outlets. He told Time, "I could have stopped then, but I wanted to go further," while simultaneously suggesting the war was nearly over. When asked to reconcile his threat to "annihilate" Iran with his self-description as a peacemaker, Trump stated that annihilating Iran would create peace in the world. He disputed Pentagon reports of a munitions shortfall, saying it is "possible" he would increase bombing after the midterms.
On the topic of artificial intelligence, Trump characterized warnings about existential threats as "phony threats" and attributed them to "Trump derangement syndrome." When asked if this characterization applied to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, with whom he dined on Sunday, Trump said he did not know. The president identified federal law enforcement, specifically the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as his primary "guardrail" against potential misuse by AI labs. He also advocated for the construction of data centers despite local opposition, warning that if the United States did not build them, they would be built elsewhere.
Trump avoided directly endorsing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection in Israel. He described himself as "not involved in politics anymore" but emphasized his desire to help Israel defend itself. Regarding Netanyahu's main opponent, former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, Trump said he had not heard negative reports about him. However, he cautioned against underestimating Netanyahu, noting that people have frequently written off both Netanyahu and himself.
The interview also featured sharp exchanges about media coverage. After a federal judge ordered him to reinstate three media outlets banned from the White House, Trump continued to criticize "fake news" reporting. He lashed out at Time's questioning style, particularly regarding the health of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), stating that he had not received a single positive question. Trump predicted that if Democrats take control of the House in the midterms, they would "go after" him, and he would retaliate in kind. He expressed confidence that his own campaigning would prevent a Democratic takeover of Congress, though he praised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani while calling the mayor's policies "crazy."