On June 20, 2023, Donald Trump spoke with Fox News, where he defended his choice to store confidential materials at his Florida property and blasted the Biden administration for its handling of the conflict in Ukraine.
Here are five takeaways from the interview:
- Trump defended his decision to keep classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Trump said that he had the right to keep the documents and that he did not believe they were classified. He also said that he had turned over all of the documents that he was legally required to turn over.
- Trump criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Ukraine. Trump said that the Biden administration had “made a mess” of the war in Ukraine and that he would have handled the situation differently. He also said that he believed that the war could have been avoided if he had remained president.
- Trump claimed that he could have ended the war in Ukraine. Trump said that he had told Russian President Vladimir Putin that if he invaded Ukraine, there would be “hell to pay.” He also said that he believed that Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he had been president.
- Trump said that he would run for president again in 2024. Trump said that he was “seriously” considering running for president again in 2024 and that he would make a decision “in the not-too-distant future.”
- Trump attacked the media. Trump attacked the media throughout the interview, calling them “fake news” and “the enemy of the people.” He also said that he believed that the media was biased against him.
Many others saw Trump’s interview as an effort to repair his reputation in preparation for a possible presidential candidacy in 2024. Some Republicans, however, criticized Trump for being “out of touch with reality” because of this.
Whether or if Trump will really run for president again in 2024 is an open question. His Fox News interview, though, gives the impression that he is giving political aspirations the old college try.