{"id":1353,"date":"2026-10-01T18:49:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T18:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shahed.org\/news\/?p=1353"},"modified":"2026-10-28T07:57:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T07:57:39","slug":"trump-strategy-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shahed.org\/news\/2026\/10\/01\/trump-strategy-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump strategy analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Analysis: Trump\u2019s TIME interview shows a president consumed by his own news coverage<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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Analysis by\"Brian<\/a>Brian Stelter<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a reporters question in the Oval Office at the White House on September 28, 2026 in Washington, DC.<\/span><\/div>\n

Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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President Donald Trump\u2019s new interview with TIME magazine begins and ends with his complaints about the media, reaffirming how consumed he is by his own news coverage.<\/p>\n

Even when asked about Iran or the Senate, he circled back to his feelings about the press.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou haven\u2019t asked me one f**king positive question,\u201d Trump said toward the end of the interview with Eric Cortellessa and Sam Jacobs.<\/p>\n

The entire interview was remarkably emotional. \u201cWell, I hope I get a decent story,\u201d Trump concluded. \u201cI don\u2019t think \u2014 you know, it\u2019s hard to get a good story. Every question\u2019s a hit. I don\u2019t know what the hell\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Trump\u2019s strong reactions may relate to his recent banning of CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House \u2014 a rash action that was stopped by a federal judge last week.<\/p>\n

The TIME reporters began the interview by signaling support for the recently banned news outlets. They asked: \u201cWhy should Americans believe that you respect the free press when you\u2019re restricting access to the White House to some of our colleagues?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump gave his usual answer, differentiating between real and \u201cfake\u201d news, with the implication being that he should have the power to decide what\u2019s real and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

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President Donald Trump on the newly built helipad at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 28, 2026.<\/span><\/div>\n

Dan Winters for TIME<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When the reporters asked if Trump was ignoring last week\u2019s court order \u2014 given that CNN has been banned from Air Force One twice in recent days \u2014 Trump said, \u201cI\u2019m not ignoring his order,\u201d then asked which order it was.<\/p>\n

White House communications director Steven Cheung piped in: \u201cThe judge basically ordered them to renew their access back to the White House, but that\u2019s different than allowing the pool into the events in the Oval Office or on Air Force One.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Cheung seemed to justify the administration\u2019s ongoing actions against CNN by saying access to the White House complex is different than access to tight spaces like Air Force One. (The Associated Press has ongoing litigation over this distinction.)<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the White House left CNN off the TV pool schedule again, even though CNN was listed earlier in the week. The other major networks declined to fill in \u2014 part of an ongoing show of solidarity with CNN \u2014 so no TV pool crew will travel with Trump to Texas and Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

The TIME reporters also probed further about the ban, asking, \u201cWhy now?\u201d Trump didn\u2019t really answer. But he repeatedly claimed he has \u201cnever\u201d gotten \u201cfair press\u201d and singled out CNN for criticism.<\/p>\n

The reporters then asked, \u201cIsn\u2019t it a founding principle of the country that the press is supposed to hold government and those in power accountable? Do you believe in that?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is, but they got to treat you fairly,\u201d Trump said. \u201cYou know, when they write stories that are knowingly false, and everyone knows NBC\u2019s, NBC\u2019s bad too, but CNN is terrible. MS NOW changed their name because they have no friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, he complained about The New York Times and said \u201cmaybe they\u2019ll be next,\u201d indicating the ban concept is still front and center in his mind.<\/p>\n

A familiar obsession<\/h3>\n

Detailed, transcribed interviews with Trump are a rarity. TIME\u2019s presentation of the interview may help explain why he agreed to do it. The cover photo shows Trump standing on the new White House helipad.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe cover marks a milestone,\u201d the magazine said: \u201cWith 56 appearances, Donald Trump has now appeared on TIME\u2019s cover more often than any other individual, surpassing President Richard Nixon, who held the record for more than half a century.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump has shown a particular interest in TIME magazine for decades.<\/p>\n

During Monday\u2019s contentious interview, Trump ranted about judges; showed off pictures of his White House renovations; fretted that someone will try to rip the gold out of the Oval Office; and refused to rule out demolishing the Kennedy Center.<\/p>\n

Cortellessa ended the cover story<\/a> this way: \u201cToward the end of our interview, I ask what he will miss most when his presidency is over. This time there is no digression, no grievance, no story. Trump does not need a moment to think: \u2018This beautiful room.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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The interview transcript is also worth reading<\/a> for exchanges like this one:<\/p>\n