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How Donald Trump tried to court the Atlantic – and why the liberal magazine landed an interview
Hell hath frozen over: At the White House the other day, Donald Trump «was launching a charm offensive, directed mainly at Goldberg,» as in Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief. «There was none of the name-calling or hostility he regularly levels at our magazine.»
That’s according to Atlantic reporters Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, who wrote the magazine’s cover story, which was posted yesterday.
For all the insights gleaned from the interview, nothing is more fascinating than how it came about.
They called the president on his cell phone. (Wha? Who do I have to court to get that? The reporters ain’t saying.)
Trump says he did the initial phone interview to see if the liberal magazine could be fair.
PRESIDENT TRUMP TELLS THE ATLANTIC HE RUNS THE COUNTRY ‘AND THE WORLD’
So I’m here to pronounce that the entire, seemingly endless piece is fair. The president hasn’t taken a shot at it on Truth Social, at least so far.
He has, however, ripped new polls from the «Failing New York Times» and «ABC/Washington Post» as «FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS,» saying they should be «investigated for ELECTION FRAUD, and add in the Fox News Pollster while you’re at it.» His lowest approval rating, in the Post-ABC survey, was 39 percent.
Meanwhile, we may now look back on Trump’s 2024 victory as inevitable, but after Jan. 6 it was anything but. On the cell call, «The president seemed exhilarated by everything he had managed to do in the first two months of his second term.»
President Trump recently gave an interview to The Atlantic. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
And then came the transaction: «As ever, Trump was on the hunt for a deal. If he liked the story we wrote, he said, he might even speak with us again.»
Goldberg describes the session: «What I found in this particular meeting was a Trump who was low-key, attentive, and eager to convince us that he is good at his job and good for the country. It isn’t easy to escape the tractor beam of his charisma, but somehow we managed, and we asked him what needed to be asked.
«But squaring Trump the Charmer with the Orcish Trump we more frequently see is difficult…Trump posted on the social-media platform he owns that Ashley is a ‘Radical Left Lunatic’ (she is not) and that Michael ‘has never written a fair story about me, only negative, and virtually always LIES’ (also false). It is our task at the Atlantic not to be bullied by these sorts of attacks.»
STATE OF WAR: HOW TRUMP IS FIGHTING A 9-FRONT BATTLE
The most interesting Trump sound bite is his comparison of the two terms:
«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.»
Parker and Scherer did many other interviews, such as with Steve Bannon. «Our reality is that we won,» and he cited the conspiracy theory that the FBI had incited the crowd on Jan. 6. The reporters said that was simply untrue.
«Now, here’s the interesting thing,» Bannon said. «Who’s won that argument? I think we have…
«This time it’s ‘Hey, f**k you, Greenland’s ours…When you’ve come back from such long odds, you clearly feel, ‘I can do anything.’ »
What about the four criminal investigations, including the conviction on the weakest one – Alvin Bragg’s hush money case? Trump says his numbers kept going up.
INTERVIEWING DONALD TRUMP: A LAST-MINUTE BLITZ AND NEW CLOSING MESSAGE
«Shockingly, yes,» Trump said. «Normally, it would knock you out. You wouldn’t even live for the next day. You know, you’d announce your resignation, and you’d go back and ‘fight for your name,’ like everybody says—you know, ‘fight for your name, go back to your family.’ …Yeah, it made me stronger, made me a lot stronger.»
He also said in the phone interview: «I got indicted five different times by five different scumbags, and they’re all looking for jobs now, so it’s one of those things. Who would have thought, right? It’s been pretty amazing.»
After the 2016 election, Trump told oil executives at Mar-a-Lago:
If I’m not president, you’re f***ed. Look at your profit-and-loss statements. You realize what would have happened to you if she was president? What’s wrong with you?») She was Kamala Harris, of course.
Referring to the criminal cases against him – including the charges brought forth by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump said «it made [him] stronger.» (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office via AP / Trump-Vance Transition Team)
One turning point: When he went to East Palestine, Ohio after the derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals, while Joe Biden didn’t do squat.
On the Kennedy Center: «I didn’t really get to go the first time, because I was always getting impeached or some bulls**t, and I could never enjoy a show.» So he fired the Democrats and made himself chairman.
All right, enough quotes. Wait, one more that captures the tone of the piece:
«I got 38 percent of the male Black vote. Nobody knew that was possible. That’s a lot. I got 56 percent of Hispanics. How about that one? Every county along the Texas border is Hispanic. I won every one of them.» Though every single number he cited was wrong, the general thrust of his observation was correct.»
The reporters chronicled how things have gone south for the president, especially on tariffs and the economy, and how he pressured Hill Republicans into backing his nominees with primary threats.
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After the March phone interview, the reporters tried Trump’s cellphone again. Just got voice mail. But at 1:38 am, he tried them back. No message.
Trump believes he can win over even his worst enemies. In 2015 or 2016, I watched him make a beeline in the New York green room for Karl Rove, who was very rough on him. At worst, he thinks, he can neutralize the person. Or soften him or her up for the next time. He enjoys the challenge.
The mainstream media almost uniformly can’t stand Donald Trump. He does invite some of his own negative headlines, while providing unprecedented access, but much of the press is back in Resistance mode.
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Still, the Atlantic’s original pitch is undeniable, that he’s «The Most Consequential President of the 21st Century.»
Media Buzz,Donald Trump,Media
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Inside Tehran after strikes: Iranian woman describes fear, checkpoints and people used as ‘human shields’
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An anonymous Iranian woman has bravely stepped forward on the international stage to describe what’s really happening on the ground in Tehran as President Donald Trump’s two-week ceasefire with Iran tentatively began Tuesday.
In an essay published in The Australian, the anonymous author details nightly explosions, sweeping checkpoints and communications blackouts as a part of Iranian daily life since the beginning of operations launched by the United States and Israel in February.
«In effect, ordinary people have been turned into human shields within a vast militarized landscape,» she wrote. «A pervasive sense of anger, paranoia and exhaustion has taken hold.»
Flagrant public executions of protesters by the thousands by the Iranian regime in January moved residents to cheer on the initial days of attacks by U.S. and Israeli forces as Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28.
WHY TRUMP, IRAN SEEM LIGHT-YEARS APART ON ANY POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR
Iranians gather after a ceasefire announcement at Enqelab Square, Wednesday, in Tehran. The U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire Tuesday, barely an hour before President Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate the rival country was set to expire. Tehran temporarily reopened the vital Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via Getty Images)
«They say they’ve hit the leader’s residence,» the author’s daughter was quoted saying. «All the children were screaming and cheering. … Even our teacher was quietly snapping their fingers and dancing.»
The author described everyday Iranians celebrating the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei that same Saturday, and the streets of Tehran filling with cheers of «death to the dictator.»
«Perhaps for the first time,» the anonymous author recalled, «we allowed ourselves to believe our long-held dream was beginning to take shape.»
RED CROSS SHARES AUDIO OF IRANIAN CIVILIAN EXPLAINING SITUATION ON THE GROUND IN TEHRAN: ‘NO RESPITE’
A woman sits on rubble across from a building damaged during airstrikes March 12 in Tehran, Iran. (Vahid Salemi/AP)
But soon enough, the reality of day-to-day life under a threatened, crumbling regime and ongoing attacks took a toll. One of the harshest realities those on the ground in Iran face is the internet blackout, effectively ending communications with the outside world and leading to great uncertainty at the hands of the regime.
«So far, none of those close to us have suffered physical harm, but no night is calm,» the Iranian woman wrote. «What weighs most heavily is not only the war itself, but the possibility that it may end leaving behind a regime even more authoritarian, more repressive and more violent.»
According to the author, a stubborn faction of regime supporters remain, blasting propaganda on loudspeakers nightly through the streets of Tehran and reinforcing its authority to those who support the revolution.
TRUMP’S IRAN CEASEFIRE ROCKED WITHIN HOURS AMID REPORTED MISSILE, DRONE ATTACKS
Rescue workers search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an airstrike March 27 in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
«The streets are now covered with checkpoints,» she wrote. «Under bridges and along main roads, movement is restricted. Long traffic lines form. Young people are stopped, their phones inspected under the pretext of routine checks.»
After the announcement of the ceasefire between U.S. forces and the Iranian regime Tuesday, the author said, most of her country went to sleep that night in a «state of deep anxiety.»
«What weighs most heavily is not only the war itself, but the possibility that it may end up leaving behind a regime even more authoritarian, more repressive, and more violent,» the author notes.
She urged a ceasefire that is not «abandonment,» but peace, destabilizing the Iranian regime.
«A ceasefire that stabilizes the current order, without addressing the demands that have brought Iranians into the streets for years, risks being experienced not as peace, but as abandonment,» the author wrote.
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Negotiations between Iran and the U.S. are scheduled to begin Friday in Pakistan.
«We wait, and we continue, in whatever ways possible, to insist that light will eventually overcome this darkness,» she concluded.
The Australian notes the author remains anonymous for «fear of retribution.»
war with iran, iran, israel, world, geopolitics, military, donald trump
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Elecciones en Hungría: después de 16 años en el poder, Viktor Orbán busca otro mandato frente a un rival en ascenso
Viktor Orbán, el primer ministro ultranacionalista de Hungría y uno de los políticos más controvertidos de Europa, buscará este domingo su cuarta reelección consecutiva en clara desventaja, según todas las encuestas.
Tras 16 años en el poder, los sondeos señalan que el premier podría perder las elecciones frente a su rival, el conservador Péter Magyar, de 45 años y líder del partido Tisza, en medio de una fuerte radicalización de su discurso.
El líder de la derecha populista húngara está en el poder desde 2010 con mayorías parlamentarias de dos tercios al frente de un sistema político centralizado y personalista que tensó cada vez más su relación con la Unión Europea (UE).
Orbán, líder del partido Fidesz, es el principal aliado de Rusia entre los líderes de los 27 países de la UE y un fuerte crítico de las sanciones europeas a Moscú por la invasión de Ucrania. Ha sido, en los últimos años, una piedra en el zapato para las políticas de Bruselas en el conflicto.
La última encuesta, publicada la semana pasada por el Centro de Investigaciones 21, otorga al Tisza el 56 % de los votos, 19 puntos más que al Fidesz de Orban, de 62 años.
En ese escenario adverso, el gobierno de Donald Trump envió esta semana a Budapest a su vice, J.D. Vance, para demostrar su respaldo al gobierno de Orbán, en un intento por traccionar el voto oficialista.
La campaña culmina en un ambiente de elevada tensión
La campaña para las elecciones generales de este domingo culmina en un ambiente tenso, marcado por acusaciones de injerencias extranjeras, compra de votos y otros fraudes electorales.
Un reciente estudio del instituto Publicus publicado en el diario independiente Népszava señala que el 79 % de los húngaros considera posible que algún país extranjero realice acciones secretas para influir en las elecciones.
El candidato opositor Peter Magyar, líder del partido Tisza (Foto: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo)
El 46 % apunta a Rusia, el 30 % a Ucrania, el 28 % a la Unión Europea (UE) y el 17 % a Estados Unidos. El portal de investigación VSquare aseguró en marzo, en base a fuentes de seguridad nacional europeas, que Moscú envió un equipo a Budapest para interferir en las elecciones.
Este equipo estaría “en contacto activo con los operativos de la campaña relacionados con el gobierno de Orbán”, afirmó el portal. Además, dijo que la prensa cercana al Gobierno publica narrativas “alineadas con el Kremlin”.
Mientras tanto, el prestigioso instituto Political Capital asegura que “se está llevando a cabo una campaña de desinformación, que según todos los indicios tiene origen ruso” sobre supuestas injerencias ucranianas en la campaña electoral.
Leé también: Una protesta en una cárcel de presos políticos extranjeros en Venezuela fue reprimida y hay heridos
El Gobierno, por su parte, afirma que es Ucrania la que quiere interferir en las elecciones. Kiev, afirma Orbán, bloquea el envío de crudo ruso a Hungría a través de su territorio para debilitar a su Gobierno, para lo que cuenta con el apoyo de “los burócratas de Bruselas”.
En este punto, el primer ministro contó con el apoyo del vicepresidente de EEUU, JD Vance, que en su visita a Budapest el martes afirmó que “lo que ha sucedido en este país es el peor ejemplo de una intervención extranjera”.
Según Vance, “la intervención de los burócratas de Bruselas es indigna” y se debe a que “no les gusta el líder electo de Hungría”.
Prácticas populistas, amenazas y compra de votos
Por otra parte, un reciente documental independiente emitido por Youtube, titulado El precio del voto, denunció estructuras de poderes locales que presionan a los sectores más vulnerables en el interior del país, donde mucha gente dependen de las prestaciones sociales, para que emitan votos a su favor.
El Fidesz profundizó este sistema, existente desde hace décadas en las regiones más pobres de Hungría, afirma el documental. Así, aplica métodos de compra de votos y otros de intimidación, como la amenaza de pérdida de prestaciones sociales o de empleo, y hasta el chantaje de quitarles los hijos menores de edad.
Un activista señala en ese documental, producido por asociaciones civiles y periodistas independientes, que esta red en caso extremo podría llegar hasta a medio millón de votantes, en un país con poco más de 8 millones de ciudadanos con derecho a voto.
Temor a una postergación de las elecciones
La encuesta de Publicus asegura por otra parte que el 88 % de los votantes dice que en la recta final de la campaña ya no sucederá nada que le haría cambiar sus preferencias.
Eso sí, el 66 % de los encuestados dice que el gobernante partido Fidesz sería capaz de cometer fraude electoral, mientras que en el caso del Tisza la proporción es sólo del 15 %.
En los últimos meses los críticos de Orbán temían que en vista de los malos datos en las encuestas y de la gran popularidad de su rival, el Fidesz podría posponer las elecciones.
Pese a que el Gobierno asegura que las elecciones se realizarán de acuerdo al orden legal, el 55 % de los húngaros no excluye que los comicios se pospondrán hasta el último momento, aludiendo a alguna situación de excepción.
(Con información de EFE)
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Trump blasts Biden admin for releasing illegal immigrant now charged in fatal hammer attack on Florida mother
Angel families speak out at ICE event
WARNING – GRAPHIC FOOTAGE: Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin reports on the pain the relatives of victims of violent crimes by illegal immigrants still feel as expressed at an event marking the relaunch of a family support program on
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President Donald Trump on Thursday condemned a violent video allegedly showing a Haitian illegal alien fatally attacking a Florida mother with a hammer last week, blasting the Biden administration for releasing the suspect in 2022.
Rolbert Joachim, 40, is charged with second-degree murder and criminal damage to property after he was caught on camera bludgeoning the mother of two in broad daylight last Friday outside a Fort Myers gas station.
«An Illegal Alien Criminal from Haiti, who was released into our Country by the WORST President in History, Crooked Joe Biden, and the Radical Democrats in Congress, just beat an innocent woman to death with a hammer at a gas station in Florida,» Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. «The video of her brutal slaying is one of the most vicious things you will ever see.
«This one killing should be enough for these Radical Judges to STOP impeding my Administration’s Immigration Policies, and allow us to END THIS SCAM ONCE AND FOR ALL,» he added.
DAYLIGHT HAMMER ATTACK SUSPECT IS ILLEGAL ALIEN RELEASED UNDER BIDEN POLICIES: DHS
Trump condemned a video of a Haitian immigrant allegedly killing a Florida mother with a hammer in broad daylight.
Joachim first entered the U.S. in August 2022, and was released into the country under former President Joe Biden, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
A federal judge later issued a final order of removal against Joachim, but he was granted Temporary Protected Status, which Trump has described as «a massively abused and fraudulent program.» He has also blamed what he called «radical liberal district court judges» for blocking efforts by his administration to end it.
While a federal judge issued a final order of removal against him, Joachim was reportedly granted Temporary Protected Status, a program Trump called «massively abused and fraudulent» and difficult to eliminate due to Democratic support.
The suspect then remained in the country after his status expired in 2024.
SUSPECT IN FATAL NEW JERSEY HIT-AND-RUN CRASH IS ILLEGAL ALIEN, FUGITIVE: DHS
Rolbert Joachim is charged with murder in connection with the Florida killing. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Trump further said Democrats are turning the United States into what he called a «dumping ground,» flooded with tens of millions of unvetted and «mentally insane» individuals.
«To my fellow Republicans, and frankly all Common Sense Americans, NEVER FORGET that Joe Biden and the Democrat Party turned the United States of America into a dumping ground, allowing Tens of MILLIONS of Criminals, Lunatics, and the Mentally Insane from all over the World to pour into our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked through our wide Open Borders,» he said.
«As I’ve said all along, if you import the Third World, you become the Third World, and that is what happened over the four years of Democrat Control.»
Rolbert Joachim is allegedly pictured in surveillance footage on the day of the Florida killing. (Fort Myers Police Department)
In the attack, the female victim was reportedly a store clerk at the gas station.
According to the footage, she was repeatedly struck in the head with a hammer after confronting the suspect for smashing her car window.
Rolbert Joachim is under arrest after allegedly killing a Florida mother with a hammer. (Fort Myers Police Department)
Trump urged prayers for the victim, who was the mother of two teenage daughters, according to a report from local outlet Gulf Coast News.
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«Please say a prayer for this innocent woman’s family. We will ensure quick and severe JUSTICE is served in this case!» Trump said.
Fox News’ Alexandra Koch and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
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Trump blasts Biden admin for releasing illegal immigrant now charged in fatal hammer attack on Florida mother
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INTERNACIONAL1 hora agoTrump blasts Biden admin for releasing illegal immigrant now charged in fatal hammer attack on Florida mother
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Se viene el buen clima: el pronóstico del clima para este fin de semana de abril
- INTERNACIONAL1 hora ago
Elecciones en Hungría: después de 16 años en el poder, Viktor Orbán busca otro mandato frente a un rival en ascenso
