"Shh," Then a Surprise Call Between Leaders... Inside Trump's Interview That Shocked Even the NYT

Trump Sits Down with 'Adversary' NYT
Lets Reporters Listen In on Call with Colombian President
Personally Guides White House Tour with Laser Pointer

A vivid account has emerged of President Donald Trump's nearly two-hour interview with The New York Times (NYT). Although President Trump has often shown hostility toward the NYT, he offered an unprecedented glimpse by personally guiding reporters through the White House residence and, when the President of Colombia called during the interview, allowing the press to listen in on the conversation on the condition that it remained off the record.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by UPI Yonhap News

On January 8 (local time), the NYT published an article titled "The Many Faces of Trump: What We Saw While Interviewing the President," detailing President Trump's unpredictable behavior during the interview. Sometimes appearing friendly, and at other times displaying the authority of a world leader, President Trump put on his signature showmanship with apparent intent.

The most striking moment came when there was a surprise call from President Gustavo Petro of Colombia. During the interview, an aide handed Trump a note saying, "The President of Colombia is on the line." Trump put his finger to his lips and proceeded to take the call right there. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio quickly joined, and the reporters conducting the interview were allowed to listen to the conversation on the condition that it would not be reported. According to the NYT, everything happened spontaneously.

Holding up the note with the Colombian President’s call request, President Trump asked, "Would former President Biden have been able to do this?"

White House. Yonhap News Agency

President Trump also personally guided the group through the White House, pointing out various spots with a laser pointer. He enthusiastically explained a project to demolish the East Wing and build a new banquet hall, and showed a miniature model of the White House banquet hall project, complete with a replica of the American flag and the presidential helicopter, Marine One. He commented, "I'm really good at real estate. Maybe I'm even better at real estate than at politics."

Referring to the 54-year-old Secretary of State Rubio and 41-year-old Vice President Vance as "kids," Trump displayed a friendly demeanor and expressed confidence in his health. He said, "I feel physically the same as I did during my previous term. I am the same as I was 40 years ago," and added that he has never had a heart attack.

During the interview, he also expressed dissatisfaction with the media, the Nobel Committee, and Zohran Mamdani, the new Mayor of New York. He said, "I ended eight wars, yet I never received the Nobel Peace Prize," and added, "Amazingly, Obama received the prize after just a few weeks of work. He probably doesn't even know what he got it for."

This interview drew attention because it was conducted with the NYT, with whom President Trump has had a long-standing adversarial relationship. Previously, Trump had accused the NYT of malicious false reporting and, in September last year, filed a $15 billion (21 trillion won) defamation lawsuit. However, at the end of the interview, the NYT reported that Trump called the reporters by name in a friendly manner and said, "I could do this for nine hours."