Trump contrasts his two terms in office: 'The second time, I run the country and the world'
In a surprising move, President Donald Trump recently agreed to do a pair of interviews last with The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg and two other figures.
Part of the exchange covered Trump's first 100 days in office, with the president boasting that he has effectively taken over the political scene.
"I run the country and the world"
The Washington Examiner reported that at one point, Trump was asked to contrast how his second administration was going with what he experienced during his first term in office.
Donald Trump told @AshleyRParker and @michaelscherer that his second term feels different from his first: “The first time, I had two things to do—run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys,” he said. “The second time, I run the country and the world.”
Read our… pic.twitter.com/tGZBWTfJrc
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) April 28, 2025
"The first time, I had two things to do — run the country and survive. I had all these crooked guys," the president complained before adding "And the second time, I run the country and the world."
Trump went on to recall how after being elected in 2016, he and members of his team were under the impression that certain moves would not be feasible.
President says criminal convictions were "shockingly" helpful to him
A former adviser echoed that assessment, comparing hot-button issues to a "red-hot" stove. The former adviser then stated, "And then you touch it and you realize it’s actually not that hot."
The interview also touched on Trump's legal problems, including the 34 felony convictions in his New York hush-money case.
The Examiner noted that Trump had previously touted his upcoming interview with Truth Social post and emphasized the fact that Goldberg, Scherer, and Parker are not sympathetic to him.
"Later today I will be meeting with, of all people, Jeffrey Goldberg, the Editor of The Atlantic, and the person responsible for many fictional stories about me, including the made-up HOAX on “Suckers and Losers” and, SignalGate, something he was somewhat more 'successful' with," Trump wrote.
Trump wonders "if it's possible for The Atlantic to be 'truthful.'"
The president highlighted how in addition to Goldberg, the interviews also included fellow Atlantic contributors Michael Scherer and Ashley Parker, both of whom are "not exactly pro-Trump writers, either, to put it mildly!"
Trump explained that he was "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.'"
"Are they capable of writing a fair story on 'TRUMP'?" he went on to ask before adding, "The way I look at it, what can be so bad – I WON!"
