President Donald Trump said in a new interview that he was joking when he promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war in the first 24 hours of his second term.
Trump also said Chinese President Xi Jinping has called him about tariffs, and he addressed the Supreme Court’s order that his administration work to facilitate the release of Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia from an El Salvador prison.
Those were just some of the areas the president touched upon in a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine to mark his first 100 days in office, which has been consumed by efforts to reshape the federal government, push the limits of presidential power and bring about an economic sea change through sweeping tariffs. A transcript of the interview was published Friday.
Ending the war in Ukraine
Trump told Time that he was speaking “figuratively” when he promised to end the Ukraine-Russia war on the first day of his second term.
“Well, I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration, because to make a point,” Trump said.
“Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended,” he added.
Trump said repeatedly on the campaign trail that he would end the war within his first 24 hours in office. But that promise never came to fruition, and he has conveyed that negotiations have been more difficult than expected.
“The war has been raging for three years,” he told Time. “I just got here, and you say, what’s taken so long?”
The president also said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin would “rather go and take the whole thing” when it comes to Ukraine’s territory, although he said Thursday that Russia has conceded that it cannot do so.
In the interview with Time, which took place Tuesday, Trump said, “Crimea will stay with Russia. And Zelensky understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time. It’s been with them long before Trump came along.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, however, Trump stopped short of saying Russia would keep control of Crimea, saying only that it would be “very difficult” for Ukraine to get the peninsula back. Russia took control of Crimea during the Obama administration, which Trump has falsely claimed President Barack Obama gave to Russia.
Trump also told Time that he doesn’t think Ukraine will ever be able to join NATO and that its government’s aspirations to join the alliance provoked Russia. “That’s, I think, what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO. If that weren’t brought up, there would have been a much better chance that it wouldn’t have started.”
Phone call with Xi
Trump said in the interview that China’s Xi called him about tariffs, though he didn’t provide any details about when their conversation took place. NBC News has reached out to the White House for comment.
“He’s called,” Trump said, “And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf.”
Asked what Xi said to him, Trump said, “We all want to make deals. But I am this giant store. It’s a giant, beautiful store, and everybody wants to go shopping there. And on behalf of the American people, I own the store, and I set prices, and I’ll say, if you want to shop here, this is what you have to pay.”
The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., declined Friday to comment on any call between Xi and Trump.
As part of his new tariff policy, Trump has imposed duties of 145% on Chinese imports. Trump said earlier this week that the U.S. is “actively” speaking to China about the trade war, but Beijing on Thursday denied that there have been talks. “China and the U.S. have not engaged in any consultations or negotiations regarding tariffs, let alone reached an agreement,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Trade deals?
Trump claimed in the Time interview that he has “made 200 deals” when it comes to tariffs, but there’s no evidence that any agreement has been presented so far. His goal has been to broker trade agreements with 75 countries in less than 90 days.
Asked to clarify his comment that he has made 200 deals, Trump said, “100%.” The president was then asked to share with whom these deals have been made and gave a long answer about his tariff plans without naming any country.
Trump said that the deals would be announced “over the next three to four weeks, and we’re finished, by the way.”
“I’ll be finished,” the president added when asked again to clarify what he meant. “Now, some countries may come back and ask for an adjustment, and I’ll consider that. We’re a department store, a giant department store, the biggest department store in history. Everybody wants to come in and take from us. They’re going to come in and they’re going to pay a price for taking our treasure, for taking our jobs, for doing all of these things. But what I’m doing with the tariffs is people are coming in, and they’re building at levels you’ve never seen before.”
Abrego Garcia case
Trump suggested in the interview that he hasn’t been involved in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whom his administration mistakenly deported to El Salvador, despite the Supreme Court’s order that the administration must help “facilitate” his return to the U.S.
“I leave that to my lawyers,” Trump said when asked if he was helping with Abrego Garcia’s release. “I give them no instructions. They feel that the order said something very much different from what you’re saying. But I leave that to my lawyers. If they want — and that would be the attorney general of the United States and the people that represent the country. I don’t make that decision.”
Trump said he hasn’t asked El Salvador President Nayib Bukele to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. “I haven’t been asked to ask him by my attorneys. Nobody asked me to ask him that question, except you,” Trump said to Time.
The White House has said that Abrego Garcia will “never” come back to the U.S., and officials have maintained that he is a member of the MS-13 gang, which his lawyers and family have denied.
Asked if he’s violating his oath by not obeying a Supreme Court order, Trump said, “I’m not defying the Supreme Court. I never defy the Supreme Court. I wouldn’t do that. I’m a big believer in the Supreme Court, and have a lot of respect for the Justices.”
Third term as president
In the Time interview, Trump again discussed the idea of serving a third term as president, which he cannot do under the Constitution.
Trump claimed he hasn’t “looked at even the possibility” when questioned about his past comments that he might seek another term. But when asked about methods he’s previously referred to that could make it possible, he said, “I’d rather not discuss that now, but as you know, there are some loopholes that have been discussed that are well known. But I don’t believe in loopholes. I don’t believe in using loopholes.”
The Trump Organization, meanwhile, has begun selling red hats embroidered with “Trump 2028” in white block letters.
