Time magazine’s big interview with Trump was a huge missed opportunity

MS NOW media columnist Dan Froomkin argues that Time magazine squandered a rare 75-minute sit-down with President Donald Trump by treating him like a conventional president. Time political correspondent Eric Cortellessa and editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs produced about 11,000 words for the magazine's record 56th Trump cover story, titled "What Trump Has Built," a focus Froomkin says reflects the only subject on which the president sounded knowledgeable.

According to Froomkin, the interviewers let Trump ramble and never corrected falsehoods or pressed him on his lack of an Iran exit strategy, his threats against Iran's civilization, tariffs, or his standing in polls. When asked about AI meetings, Trump answered with a 427-word reply on China's president, debt, interest rates and gold watches from Switzerland. Asked whether he trusts OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, he said he has the highest of IQs. Froomkin writes that the reporters did not interrupt.

Froomkin also faults them for a mild question about Trump's restrictions on journalists' White House access, and for not challenging him after he called CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins crazy. He contends that reaching the real story requires confronting Trump in the moment, correcting him, and testing his command of the issues.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →