Breaking Down Trump's Moronic FOX Interview

Summary

Bulwark Takes: Breaking Down Trump's Moronic FOX Interview

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Host: The Bulwark team (Will Saletan featured)
Date: April 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Will Saletan from The Bulwark dissects Donald Trump’s recent phone interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News, focusing on Trump’s statements about the ongoing Iran war. The episode uses Trump’s own words to highlight his confusion, inconsistencies, and lack of understanding regarding major geopolitical issues—including Iran's nuclear program, regime change, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and impacts on oil prices and the global economy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Contradictory Narrative on Iran’s Nuclear Program

• Trump claims the U.S. had to attack Iran “to stop them from getting nuclear weapons,” yet he then says the U.S. already obliterated their nuclear sites the previous year.
• Will Saletan exposes the contradiction:
  • “We already wiped out their nuclear program. But now, now we had to go back in again… to stop Iran’s nuclear program, which we had already obliterated. He can’t even get his story straight.” (02:25)

2. Regime Change Confusion

• Trump asserts “we have had regime change,” suggesting new, smarter leaders in Iran.
• Saletan highlights the ignorance:
  • “Dude, the new supreme Leader of Iran is literally another Khomeini. He’s the son of the previous Ayatollah Khomeini. This so-called new regime is the same damn regime we had before.” (03:45)

3. Misunderstanding of Military Strategy and Asymmetric Warfare

• Trump says Iran only has mines left as a threat after the U.S. supposedly destroyed everything else.
• Saletan sarcastically notes:
  • “Turns out… their whole military is gone, but they can still drop a mine into the Strait of Hormuz… Who could have imagined that. Well, every single military planner, that’s who.” (05:30)
• He calls out Trump’s inability to grasp asymmetric warfare, something even junior military strategists understand.

4. Strait of Hormuz: Open or Closed?

• Trump’s statements flip-flop:
  • First, he says Iran will open the strait “automatically” because otherwise “they make no money.” (06:28)
  • Then, he discusses a “complete blockade”—demonstrating his lack of understanding that Iran can selectively allow passage or charge tolls. (06:53)
• Saletan’s commentary:
  • “Our genius president was too dumb to figure that out.” (07:04)

5. Negotiation Delusions and Setting Himself up for Failure

• Trump proclaims:
  • “I predict they come back and they give us everything we want. And I tell my people, I want everything. I don’t want 90%. I don’t want 95%. I told them I want everything.” (07:39)
• Saletan:
  • “If you wanted to make sure… you come out of a negotiation looking like the loser, the surest way… is to tell everybody up front if you don’t get a hundred percent… that’s not good enough.” (07:50)

6. Boasting About Destruction While Losing Leverage

• Trump repeatedly brags: “We’ve wiped out their whole country, essentially… But we’ve pretty much maxed out.” (08:24)
• Saletan points out:
  • “He’s basically telling our adversary, we can’t hit you any harder than we already have. Right. And then he’s surprised when the Iranian negotiators say, okay, well, if you’re maxed out, then we’re not giving you what you want.” (08:46)

7. Trump’s Obsession with Media and Domestic Approval

• Trump digresses from war topics to media approval ratings:
  • “Our military is a 94% approval rating now. Well, Congress has a 14%. The media has a 12%. When I started, the media had a 92% approval rating…” (09:53)
• Saletan critiques:
  • “We’re in a war, and now we’re in a negotiation to end the war. But what he wants to talk about is… driving down the media’s approval rating.” (10:10)

8. Utter Distraction: Renaming the Gulf of Mexico

• Bartiromo asks a real economic question; Trump instead boasts:
  • “Well, I can tell you that it used to be called the Gulf of Mexico. That’s what I can tell you now. It’s called the Gulf of America because of me.” (10:44)
• He spins a long, delusional story about renaming the Gulf:
  • “Google Map… did it. It’s now the Gulf of America, which I’m very… honored by.” (11:28)
• Saletan’s exasperation:
  • “There is a war and an economic crisis, and this guy, instead of doing his job, cannot stop talking about this.” (10:59)

9. Shrugging Off Gas Price Consequences

• Bartiromo asks about oil prices before midterms:
  • Trump: “I hope so. I mean, I think so. It could be. It could be, or the same, or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same.” (12:19)
• Saletan calls out the lack of real answers or strategy:
  • “He says, hey, it’s just a little detour, a journey. This… operation will… be over soon. Right. And… you’re still going to be paying $4 or $5 or $6 for gas right through the midterms.” (12:26)

10. Trump’s Misplaced Pride in Media Harm

• Trump brags:
  • “The media had a 92% approval rating. Now they’re down to 14%. Wow. And I’m very proud of it, because they’re very dishonest.” (09:53)
• Saletan:
  • “Have you noticed that the media’s approval rating is way, way down? That’s something, right? So congratulations, Mr. President. You do. You do win the Nobel Prize in stupidity.” (13:08, closing section)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Will Saletan:

  • “We have all the advantages except one thing. We have the world’s dumbest president.” (00:47)
  • “He can’t even get his story straight.” (02:25)
  • “This so-called new regime is the same damn regime we had before.” (03:45)
  • “This moron president… is so determined to brag about all the damage he’s done that he’s basically telling our adversary, we can’t hit you any harder than we already have.” (08:46)
  • “There is a war and an economic crisis, and this guy, instead of doing his job, cannot stop talking about this.” (10:59)
  • “You do win the Nobel Prize in stupidity.” (13:08)

• Donald Trump (as quoted/cut from Fox interview):

  • “We knocked out with the B2 bombers… Had we not knocked that out, they would have had a nuclear weapon within one month…” (01:59)
  • “We have had regime change…” (03:20)
  • “They have one thing they can do… drop a mine… it’s extortion and they’re extorting the world.” (05:01)
  • “It used to be called the Gulf of Mexico… now it’s called the Gulf of America because of me.” (10:44)
  • “When I started, the media had a 92% approval rating. Now they’re down to 14%. Wow. And I’m very proud of it, because they’re very dishonest.” (09:53)

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Notable Timestamps

• 00:47 – Introduction to Trump’s interview on Fox and framing of the critique
• 01:46 – Trump’s rationale for attacking Iran and nuclear site claims
• 03:20 – Trump’s regime change assertion & miscues about Iran’s leadership
• 05:01 – Bizarre logic about Iran’s lingering threat with mines
• 06:28 – Misstatements about the automatic reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
• 07:39 – Negotiation bluster: “I want everything.”
• 08:24 – Trump’s maximum pressure boast and Saletan’s analysis on lost leverage
• 09:53 – Distracted by media approval ratings mid-discussion on military
• 10:44 – The “Gulf of America” name change anecdote
• 12:19 – Dodging on oil price forecasts
• 13:08 – Closing critique: “Nobel Prize in stupidity”

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Summary

This episode sharply critiques Trump’s recent Fox News interview as a showcase of confusion, ignorance, and misplaced priorities by the president during a major international crisis. Through pointed analysis and Trump’s own contradictory statements, The Bulwark highlights the risks of unstable leadership at a time of global danger, blending grave concern with biting satire. For listeners who missed the episode, this breakdown captures the essence of the discussion: a presidency overwhelmed by self-promotion, strategic blunders, and incoherence at the highest stakes.

Transcript

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[Maria Bartiromo]

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[Podcast Host]

you need help because a great trip starts with the right support. Hey, it's Will Salatan from the Bulwark. So how are things going in Iran? Well, the United States has the world's most powerful military and we've got the world's most powerful economy, right? So we have all the advantages except one thing. We have the world's dumbest president. And today we got a really good look at just how dumb he is. So let me show you what happened. Trump did a phone interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News. Now, Maria Bartiromo, in case you didn't know, is a total Trump suck up. So she is trying, she's trying her hardest to make him look good, but he keeps exposing himself as just a total fool. So let me start by showing you one of her suck up questions. Here she is.

[Maria Bartiromo]

Can you explain to those people why it was critical for the United States to go into Iran? Can you articulate what was behind that move that was so important for the US to go into Iran?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah. So easy. The easiest question you've asked me so far, they can't have nuclear weapons. They have nuclear. They want to enrich what they have. They want to enrich more. As you know, we knocked out with the B2 bombers. Had we not knocked that out, they would have had a nuclear weapon within one month after we knocked out. In other words, that the B2, those beautiful B2 bombers, totally obliterated. There's three sides.

[Podcast Host]

Wait a minute. We had to attack Iran this year, a month and a half ago, to stop them from getting nuclear weapons. But then he keeps talking and he says, we already obliterated their nuclear sites with the B2 bombers. He says that was last year. So we already wiped out their nuclear program. But now, now we had to go back in again and wreck the world's oil supply and double your gas prices and bill American taxpayers for another $200 billion for this war to stop Iran's nuclear program, which we had already obliterated. He can't even get his story straight. Okay, next, Trump says we've already achieved regime change.

[Donald Trump]

Look at their leadership. We have had regime change because the people we dealt with yesterday were frankly very smart, very sharp, very good, very good. I think they were smarter than the people from before Khomeini and that group.

[Podcast Host]

Wait a minute, did he just say Khomeini in that group?

[Donald Trump]

I think they were smarter than the people from before Khomeini in that group.

[Podcast Host]

Dude, the new supreme Leader of Iran is literally another Khomeini. He's the son of the previous Ayatollah Khomeini. This so called new regime is the same damn regime we had before with all the Revolutionary Guards and the mullahs and the repression. It's, it's just new faces. And if you think, if you think this new regime is different from the old regime, check out what Trump said in this interview about what we just got from talking to them.

[Donald Trump]

We had a very intensive negotiation and toward the end it got very friendly and we got just about every point we needed, except for the fact that they refused to give up their nuclear ambition.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah, they were super smart and sharp and they were so friendly. The only thing was they wouldn't give up their nuclear program. Just like, just like the old regime. There is no new regime. There's just Donald Trump's bullshit. Okay, here's another one. Trump says we totally won the war and the Iranians have nothing left to fight with. Right. Except there's one little problem.

[Donald Trump]

The whole place is gone. They have one thing that they can do. They can say, well, gee, we're going to put a mine someplace in the. Just a mine. We'll drop one mine, two mines, 10 mines, and that will. If you have a ship that costs a billion dollars, you say, well, you know, I prefer not getting whacked by a mine, losing my ship or damaging it badly at least. And so that's a little bit of a thing that they can do, that it's military might and military power. Don't do it. But, you know, it's extortion and they're extorting the world.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, really? Gee, it turns out that we have all the military power and their whole military is gone, but they can still drop a mine into the Strait of Hormuz or just threaten to drop a mine and that, that's enough to choke off all the shipping. Who could have imagined that. Well, every single military planner, that's who they told him that. But this idiot, our president, seems totally surprised. I mean, you can hear his disbelief that he won the military fight, but he has no idea what to do about the mines. It's called asymmetric warfare, and he's just too dumb to understand it. So here's another one. On Friday, a reporter asked Trump about the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranians had closed off. And here's what Trump said.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, but that'll open up automatically. Yeah, the answer is yes, but the strait will open up. If we just left. The strait's going to. Otherwise they make no money.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, so it'll open automatically. See, they'll have to open it and let all the ships through, because if they don't, they won't make any money. Right? But then here's what Trump said today in the interview with Bartiromo.

[Donald Trump]

We're putting on a complete blockade. We're not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like and not people that they don't like or whatever it is. It's going to be all or none.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, wait. Huh? It turns out that Iran doesn't have to open up the strait for everybody. They can just let some countries bring their ships through and they can charge a toll for that, and that way they can make money without opening it up for everybody. But our genius president was too dumb to figure that out. Oh, but he's a great. A great negotiator, right? I mean, he literally. He literally wrote the Art of the Deal, right? So let's see what he's saying about the talks with Iran.

[Donald Trump]

I predict they come back and they give us everything we want. And I tell my people, I want everything. I don't want 90%. I don't want 95%. I told them I want everything.

[Podcast Host]

Everything, huh? I mean, 95%, he says, is not good enough. I mean, if you wanted to make sure, make absolutely sure that you come out of a negotiation looking like the loser, the surest way to do that is to tell everybody up front that if you don't get a hundred percent, literally 100% of what you wanted, that's not good enough. Trump is setting himself up for failure. Okay, but we're killing Iran in the war, right? I mean, we are absolutely smoking these dudes.

[Donald Trump]

I mean, just listen to Trump and the maximum campaign. You can't do any more Maximum. We've wiped out their whole country, essentially. But when you talk about maximum, I think, you know, Outside of those few things that are remaining, I think I pretty much maxed out. You are very, very violent and vicious. I don't want to have you against me. I'll tell you what you say I think we pretty much maxed out. Other than those. Those few items.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah, we are totally maxed out. I mean, we have done everything we could. We are done. So then, if we've already done to Iran everything we could do, what exactly is our leverage at this point? This moron president. This moron is so determined to brag about all the damage he's done that he's basically telling our adversary, we can't hit you any harder than we already have. Right. And then he's surprised when the Iranian negotiators say, okay, well, if you're maxed out, then we're not giving you what you want. Duh. But the dumbest thing about Trump and the Iranians know this is he's completely obsessed with his ego and his domestic opposition. He can't focus on the war because he's got his own petty fights back home. Watch what happened in this interview when he started talking about the military, and then his brain drifted over to media.

[Donald Trump]

Our military is so good. You know, our Military is a 94% approval rating now. Well, Congress has a 14%. The media has a 12%. When I started, the media had a 92% approval rating. Now they're down to 14%. Wow. And I'm very proud of it, because they're very dishonest.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, he's very proud of that. I mean, we're in a war, and now we're in a negotiation to end the war. But what he wants to talk about is the fight he really, really cares about, which is driving down the media's approval rating. And check out what happened when Bartiromo asked him what's going to happen with the global supply of oil.

[Maria Bartiromo]

Let's talk about that, Mr. President, because you referred to a post that hundreds of supertankers are headed to the Gulf of America to buy oil and gas from the U.S. what can you tell us about that, sir?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I can tell you that it used to be called the Gulf of Mexico. That's what I can tell you now. It's called the Gulf of America because of me. One of my little things that I did, you know, one of my little sidelines. And it's a great honor. People are so happy. You go to Louisiana, you go to Florida, you go to these states, Texas.

[Podcast Host]

She's asking him a serious question about the Global economy. And he's going off about changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, and he goes on like this. I mean, look, I know some of you can't stand to watch this guy, and I'm there with you, but this is real dementia. There is a war and an economic crisis, and this guy, instead of doing his job, cannot stop talking about this.

[Donald Trump]

Used to say, why, why is that the Gulf of Mexico when we have 93% of the frontage and, you know, it fronts 93% in the United States? I said, I think I'm going to change it to the Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And I did. And I give a lot of credit to Google because once I filed the papers, I did it. And Google Map, once Google Map changed, you know, did it. It was, it was a done deal. But we had, we had lawsuits, we had lost, we won everything. And it's now the Gulf of America, which I'm very. Which I'm very honored by.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, well, that's great for your honor, sir, but what about the people you're supposed to be working for? You know, what about, say, I don't know, the skyrocketing price of gas?

[Maria Bartiromo]

So do you believe the price of oil and gas will be lower before the midterm elections?

[Donald Trump]

I hope so. I mean, I think so. It could be. It could be, or the same, or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same.

[Podcast Host]

Around the same, huh? Or, or maybe it'll be a little higher. He says, hey, it's just a little detour, a journey. This, this little military operation will. It'll be over soon. Right. And we're going to get right back to normal life, except for the part where you're still going to be paying $4 or $5 or $6 for gas right through the midterms. In fact, Trump says when he decided to do this, he thought the price would go up even more.

[Donald Trump]

So the stock market has not gone down very much at all. Gone down a little bit, Much less than I thought. And frankly, the gas hasn't gone up as much as I thought.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, well, that's great. I mean, don't you feel so much better knowing that when Trump started this war, which we absolutely, we absolutely had to do to wipe out the nuclear program that we already wiped out last year? Right. Doesn't it make you feel so much better knowing that he thought, he thought he was going to drive your 401k even lower, and he thought he was going to drive the price of gas even higher? And what did you get for it? Well, your gas prices double, your mortgage rates are higher, inflation's up, and the Strait of Hormuz is still closed. But hey, hey, we sank a lot of ships, right? And have you noticed that the media's approval rating is way, way down? That's something, right? So congratulations, Mr. President. You do. You do win the Nobel Prize in stupidity. See you next time.

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