President Donald Trump, in an interview released Tuesday, said he has watched the footage of a follow-up strike on a suspected drug boat and warned that more military action could be coming against drug traffickers soon. Trump sat down for a 45-minute conversation with Politico’s The Conversation, touching on topics ranging from Venezuela to the war in Ukraine to concerns about Europe.
Here are the main takeaways from the president’s interview with Dasha Burns:
Trump says he’s seen boat strike video, issues new warning to Maduro
As controversy over a follow-up strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug boat that killed two survivors of the initial strike continues to grip Washington, Trump appeared unconcerned when asked about the matter.
“It looked like they were trying to turn back over the boat,” Trump said, “but I don’t get involved in that.”
He also praised the drug boat strikes more generally, saying that an average of 25,000 American lives were saved with each strike.
In the same vein, Trump affirmed he would consider using lethal force against targets in other countries where the drug trade is active, such as Mexico and Colombia. Regarding Venezuela specifically, Trump once again said that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered” and declined to rule out deploying U.S. troops to the country if deemed necessary.
“I don’t want to rule in or out. I don’t talk about it,” Trump said when asked if he could deploy ground troops to Venezuela. “I don’t want to talk to you about military strategy.”
‘No question’ that Russia is in a better negotiating position
Trump expressed certainty that Moscow currently enjoys a far superior negotiating position to Ukraine, saying there’s “no question” on the matter, citing Russia’s vast size and greater resources. He quickly turned to bashing European leaders’ handling of the conflict, saying they “weren’t handling it well.”
The president voiced frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he hadn’t even reviewed a new peace proposal he’d drafted.
“It would be nice if he would read it,” Trump said.
He also cast doubt on the current Ukrainian government’s legitimacy, pointing to a lack of recent elections.
“They haven’t had an election in a long time,” Trump said. “You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”
The Ukrainian president, he argued, has to change his position and start being more proactive in negotiations to avert catastrophe.
“He’s going to have to get on the ball and start accepting things. When you’re losing, cause he’s losing,” Trump said, pointing to Ukraine’s territorial losses. “You certainly wouldn’t say it’s a victory.”
When Burns said that the “resounding consensus” in Europe was that they should support Ukraine until it can achieve victory, Trump quipped, “Until they drop, yeah.”
Frustration with Europe: ‘I think they’re weak’
The Trump administration sent shockwaves around the world with the publication of its newest U.S. National Security Strategy, the most notable part of which bashed Europe’s political class and warned of “civilizational erasure” due to mass immigration and poor policies. Trump stood firm on that perspective in the interview.
“Well, Europe is a different place. And if it keeps going the way it’s going, Europe will not be, in my opinion, many of those countries will not be viable countries any longer. Their immigration policies are a disaster. What they’re doing with immigration is a disaster,” Trump said, contrasting the continent’s immigration policies with his own.
He bemoaned the penchant for European leaders to aim to be “politically correct,” blaming this on their lack of action on immigration.
The president overall voiced sadness over the state of Europe, noting his roots on the continent. However, he noted that he was the president of the United States, not Europe, so he didn’t want to get too involved. He noted some progress in his dealings with the continent.
“NATO calls me daddy,” he said, noting his efforts to get NATO countries to increase military expenditure.
Reflecting the NSS, Trump didn’t rule out getting involved in some European elections, noting his endorsement of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He dismissed European concerns over the change in posture, saying they should be “freaked out by what they’re doing to their countries, they’re destroying their countries.”
When asked if he was just trying to give “tough love” to the U.S.’s European allies, Trump responded in the negative.
“I think they’re weak,” he said of Europe’s political leaders. “I think they don’t know what to do. Europe doesn’t know what to do.”
On the issue of Ukraine, Trump said Europe “is not doing a good job.”
“They talk too much … They talk, but they don’t produce, and the war just keeps going on and on,” he said.
Trump waves off concern that he’s too focused on foreign affairs
Trump’s dealings on the world stage have won him widespread praise, particularly his peace efforts, but to some of his supporters, this has come at the cost of domestic action. The president singled out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in his response, arguing that her criticism of him was baseless.
“I’ve watched her say that ‘He spends too much time on foreign [policy].’ Well, by doing that, first of all, it doesn’t take a lot of time. I made one trip. I brought back trillions of dollars on that one trip. I stopped in Japan. I stopped in South Korea. I met with [Chinese President Xi Jinping],” Trump said.
“I went to the Middle East, I brought back $3 trillion from the Middle East. I sold many Boeing airplanes on that trip, like 300. When I go on a trip, I only have one place in mind: it’s the United States,” he continued, arguing that he’s “made a fortune” for the U.S. through his international focus.
The president argued that his dealings must be viewed in a wider context and are essential for domestic success.
“I made a fortune and spent very little time. All of my time is spent here. Most of my time is spent here. But when I do go outside, it’s only going outside … for instance, settling and solving the problem with China. That has a huge effect in the United States,” he said. “Making deals with Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, all of these countries. You’re talking about trillions and trillions of dollars.”
“So I could, I guess I could say, let’s not deal with anybody. We wouldn’t have much of a country. We wouldn’t have much of an economy. We make a lot of money with these countries,” Trump added.
Uncertainty on healthcare
Trump had fewer details to spare on the issue of healthcare. When asked if he would support a temporary extension of Obamacare subsidies as a bigger healthcare plan is worked out, he responded, “I don’t know. I’m gonna have to see.”
Trump used the opportunity to pivot to an attack on Democrats, saying they had been too generous with insurance companies in the Affordable Care Act.
“I want to give the people better health insurance for less money,” Trump said, without giving specifics for his plan. “The people will get the money, and they’re going to buy the health insurance that they want.”
The president had less patience with the issue, dismissing Burns when she said that the issue with premiums was occurring during a key financial period of the year, when families were buying holiday gifts and drawing up household budgets.
“Don’t be dramatic. Don’t be dramatic,” he said.
Trump hopes conservative Supreme Court justices will stay
Regarding the Supreme Court, Trump voiced his hope that justices Samuel Alito, 75, and Clarence Thomas, 77, would stay on the bench, against the hope of some conservatives who want to secure a spot with a younger justice.
“I hope they stay,” he said, “cause I think they’re fantastic.”
Trump also said it would be “devastating” if the court ruled against his attempt to end birthright citizenship.
Uncertainty on his successor
On the issue of his Oval Office successor, Trump was ambiguous once again. When asked if he believes there is anyone who can energize and unite the Republican Party as he can, he responded, “I hope so.”
TRUMP UPS ATTACKS ON ‘WEAK’ AND ‘POLITICALLY CORRECT’ EUROPEAN LEADERS
“I don’t know, you never know until they’re tested. It’s like you jump in the water, you can swim or you can’t, some people can swim and other people can’t,” he added.
The president boasted that he believed the Republican Party has a “great bench” and a much better Cabinet than during his first term.