How Donald Trump Tried To Court The Atlantic – And Why The Liberal Magazine Landed An Interview

Hell hath stiff over: At nan White House nan different day, Donald Trump "was launching a charm offensive, directed chiefly astatine Goldberg," arsenic successful Jeffrey Goldberg, nan Atlantic’s editor-in-chief. "There was nary of nan name-calling aliases hostility he regularly levels astatine our magazine."

That’s according to Atlantic reporters Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, who wrote nan magazine’s cover story, which was posted yesterday.

For each nan insights gleaned from nan interview, thing is much fascinating than really it came about.

They called nan president connected his compartment phone. (Wha? Who do I person to tribunal to get that? The reporters ain’t saying.)

Trump says he did nan first telephone question and reply to spot if nan wide mag could beryllium fair.

PRESIDENT TRUMP TELLS THE ATLANTIC HE RUNS THE COUNTRY 'AND THE WORLD'

So I’m present to pronounce that nan entire, seemingly endless portion is fair. The president hasn’t taken a changeable astatine it connected Truth Social, astatine slightest truthful far.

He has, however, ripped caller polls from nan "Failing New York Times" and "ABC/Washington Post" arsenic "FAKE POLLS FROM FAKE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS," saying they should beryllium "investigated for ELECTION FRAUD, and adhd successful nan Fox News Pollster while you’re astatine it." His lowest support rating, successful nan Post-ABC survey, was 39 percent.

Meanwhile, we whitethorn now look backmost connected Trump’s 2024 triumph arsenic inevitable, but aft Jan. 6 it was thing but. On nan compartment call, "The president seemed exhilarated by everything he had managed to do successful nan first 2 months of his 2nd term."

President Trump precocious gave an question and reply to The Atlantic. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

And past came nan transaction: "As ever, Trump was connected nan hunt for a deal. If he liked nan communicative we wrote, he said, he mightiness moreover speak pinch america again."

Goldberg describes nan session: "What I recovered successful this peculiar gathering was a Trump who was low-key, attentive, and eager to person america that he is bully astatine his occupation and bully for nan country. It isn’t easy to flight nan tractor beam of his charisma, but someway we managed, and we asked him what needed to beryllium asked. 

"But squaring Trump nan Charmer pinch nan Orcish Trump we much often spot is difficult…Trump posted connected nan social-media level he owns that Ashley is simply a ‘Radical Left Lunatic’ (she is not) and that Michael ‘has ne'er written a adjacent communicative astir me, only negative, and virtually ever LIES’ (also false). It is our task astatine nan Atlantic not to beryllium bullied by these sorts of attacks."

STATE OF WAR: HOW TRUMP IS FIGHTING A 9-FRONT BATTLE

The astir absorbing Trump sound wound is his comparison of nan 2 terms:

"The first time, I had 2 things to do—run nan state and survive; I had each these crooked guys. And nan 2nd time, I tally nan state and nan world."

Parker and Scherer did galore different interviews, specified arsenic pinch Steve Bannon. "Our reality is that we won," and he cited nan conspiracy mentation that nan FBI had incited nan crowd on Jan. 6. The reporters said that was simply untrue. 

"Now, here’s nan absorbing thing," Bannon said. "Who’s won that argument? I deliberation we have…

"This clip it’s ‘Hey, f**k you, Greenland’s ours…When you’ve travel backmost from specified agelong odds, you intelligibly feel, ‘I tin do anything.’ "

What astir nan 4 criminal investigations, including nan condemnation connected nan weakest 1 – 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 sound you out. You wouldn’t moreover unrecorded for nan adjacent day. You know, you’d denote your resignation, and you’d spell backmost and ‘fight for your name,’ for illustration everybody says—you know, ‘fight for your name, spell backmost to your family.’ …Yeah, it made maine stronger, made maine a batch stronger."

He besides said successful nan telephone interview: "I sewage indicted 5 different times by 5 different scumbags, and they’re each looking for jobs now, truthful it’s 1 of those things. Who would person thought, right? It’s been beautiful amazing."

After nan 2016 election, Trump told oil executives astatine Mar-a-Lago:

If I’m not president, you’re f***ed. Look astatine your profit-and-loss statements. You recognize what would person happened to you if she was president? What’s incorrect pinch you?") She was Kamala Harris, of course.

Referring to nan criminal cases against him – including nan charges brought distant 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 aft nan derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals, while Joe Biden didn’t do squat.

On nan Kennedy Center: "I didn’t really get to spell nan first time, because I was ever getting impeached aliases immoderate bulls**t, and I could ne'er bask a show." So he fired nan Democrats and made himself chairman.

All right, capable quotes. Wait, 1 much that captures nan reside of nan piece:

"I sewage 38 percent of nan antheral Black vote. Nobody knew that was possible. That’s a lot. I sewage 56 percent of Hispanics. How astir that one? Every region on nan Texas border is Hispanic. I won each 1 of them." Though each azygous number he cited was wrong, nan wide thrust of his study was correct."

The reporters chronicled really things person gone southbound for nan president, particularly connected tariffs and nan economy, and really he pressured Hill Republicans into backing his nominees pinch superior threats. 

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After nan March telephone interview, nan reporters tried Trump’s cellphone again. Just sewage sound mail. But astatine 1:38 am, he tried them back. No message.

Trump believes he tin triumph complete moreover his worst enemies. In 2015 aliases 2016, I watched him make a beeline successful nan New York greenish room for Karl Rove, who was very unsmooth connected him. At worst, he thinks, he tin neutralize nan person. Or soften him aliases her up for nan adjacent time. He enjoys nan challenge.

The mainstream media almost uniformly can’t guidelines Donald Trump. He does induce immoderate of his ain antagonistic headlines, while providing unprecedented access, but overmuch of nan property is backmost successful Resistance mode. 

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Still, nan Atlantic’s original transportation is undeniable, that he’s "The Most Consequential President of nan 21st Century."