One-on-One with President Trump on the L.A. Riots, Gavin Newsom and Elon Musk.

Summary

Podcast Summary: Pod Force One – One-on-One with President Trump on the L.A. Riots, Gavin Newsom, and Elon Musk

Release Date: June 11, 2025

In the inaugural episode of Pod Force One, Miranda Devine engages in a comprehensive and candid conversation with President Donald Trump. The discussion spans a wide array of topics, including the state of the nation under current leadership, economic achievements, national security concerns, and personal insights into Trump's life and legacy. Below is a detailed summary of the key points, enriched with notable quotes and timestamps for reference.

---

1. Setting the Stage: The White House and Symbolism

Miranda Devine opens the conversation by welcoming President Trump and acknowledging the significance of his participation in the podcast.

• Trump discusses the choice of the library setting:

  “Well, it just represents a lot having to do with the White House... It represents a little bit of it.” [00:47]

He emphasizes the White House as a symbol of power and grandeur, suggesting future discussions might delve deeper into its iconic spaces like the Oval Office.

• Trump praises the architecture:

  “I don't know why, but it really is one of the most beautiful buildings anywhere...” [01:24]

---

2. Critique of the Biden Administration

Trump offers a vehement critique of President Joe Biden, highlighting perceived failures and policies he believes have harmed the country.

• On Biden's impact:

  “What he did to this country was disgraceful. So much damage done to this country, and we're fixing it step by step.” [02:10]

He attributes the current economic improvement to his administration's efforts and criticizes Biden's immigration policies, particularly the influx of individuals from prisons and mental institutions.

• On immigration:

  “Where they allow 21 million people... they're from jails and prisons all over the world.” [02:48]

Trump dismisses speculation that Biden allowed increased immigration for political gains, instead blaming systemic issues within the current administration.

• On the use of the auto pen:

  “You see it easily... there's zero change.” [04:14]

He accuses Biden of autofill or automatic signing of legislation, leading to unvetted and unchecked immigration.

---

3. Economic Success Under Trump's Leadership

Highlighting his administration's economic achievements, Trump contrasts them with the previous administration's performance.

• On economic indicators:

  “We're way ahead economically. You saw the numbers are coming out phenomenally well.” [02:10]

He boasts about significant reductions in prices and energy costs, predicting continued economic growth.

• On future prospects:

  “We have phenomenal numbers... I think we're gonna do really well.” [05:45]

Trump asserts that despite media negativity, public sentiment is increasingly favorable towards his economic policies.

---

4. The L.A. Riots and Handling of Crises

Addressing the recent riots in Los Angeles, Trump criticizes Democratic leadership and outlines his approach to maintaining order.

• On deporting illegal alien criminals:

  “75% of Americans now think the country's on the right track... Democrats defend them.” [05:55]

He emphasizes the need for deportation and criticizes Democrats for opposing such measures.

• On National Guard deployment:

  “I called him at that time... why would I call him?” [08:30]

Trump defends his decision to deploy troops, countering claims that he provoked the riots.

---

5. Cabinet and Administration Insights

Trump discusses his current cabinet members, praising their performance and contrasting them with previous appointments he deems ineffective.

• Praise for cabinet members:

  “Pete Hegseth, J.D. Vance, Kristi Noem... great people.” [09:23]

He criticizes former members like Esper and Millie, highlighting the importance of having competent individuals in key positions.

• On trade policies and international deals:

  “We're making deals with others... telling the country what they have to pay is very easy.” [11:02]

Trump outlines his straightforward approach to trade negotiations, favoring setting clear terms over traditional deal-making.

---

6. Personal Background and Family

Shifting to personal topics, Trump shares insights into his upbringing, family dynamics, and parenting philosophy.

• On his father's influence:

  “My father was tough, but a good person... he was a strong man.” [26:28]

He discusses learning from his father's struggles with alcohol, which led him to abstain from alcohol himself.

• On parenting his children:

  “No drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. Don’t get tattoos.” [27:02]

Trump emphasizes strict guidelines and the importance of hard work and intelligence in his children's upbringing.

---

7. National Security and International Relations

Delving into national security, Trump addresses contemporary threats and his strategies for maintaining America's safety.

• On drone warfare:

  “Drones are the new weapon of choice... replacing a lot of other weapons.” [33:14]

He highlights the evolving nature of warfare and the necessity of adapting military strategies accordingly.

• On the war in Ukraine and discussions with Putin:

  “This is one of the most consequential presidencies... being able to do things now that I wouldn't have been able to do.” [35:19]

Trump discusses ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict, his past relationship with Vladimir Putin, and the complexities involved in achieving peace.

---

8. Legacy and Vision for the Future

Concluding the interview, Trump reflects on his desired legacy and the impact of his presidency on America and the world.

• On being remembered as a great president:

  “I'd just like to be a great president, do a great job for the people in the country.” [43:20]

He underscores his commitment to strengthening the nation, eliminating "woke" culture, and restoring America's prominence on the global stage.

• On societal changes:

  “No WOKE in our military. Getting rid of WOKE in our schools, our military, and just in our society was very important.” [42:25]

Trump asserts that his policies have revitalized the country's social and institutional structures.

---

Conclusion

President Trump's conversation with Miranda Devine offers a deep dive into his perspectives on governance, personal life, and the challenges facing the United States. Through a blend of policy discussion and personal anecdotes, Trump articulates his vision for America's future, emphasizing economic prosperity, national security, and societal cohesion.

Notable Quotes:

• “We have phenomenal numbers... I think we're gonna do really well.” [05:45]
• “No drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. Don’t get tattoos.” [27:02]
• “I'd just like to be a great president, do a great job for the people in the country.” [43:20]

This episode serves as a comprehensive overview of President Trump's ongoing initiatives and his assessment of the current political landscape, providing listeners with an insider's view of his administration's priorities and strategies.

Transcript

[Miranda Devine]

Welcome to the Pod Force One podcast, where the world's most powerful people reveal what really drives them. Their motivations, their beliefs and desires. Kicking off this week is the apex alpha of global politics, President Donald Trump. Mr. President, thank you so much for doing this. Our very first podcast especially. I mean, I know how much you have on your plate. I don't know. I mean, how do you juggle it all? You've got wars.

[Donald Trump]

You've got big, beautiful war and peace. And I have you. And I heard it was your first. So this is your first. That's an honor to be on your show.

[Miranda Devine]

Thank you. So tell us, we're in this room. Why did you choose the library?

[Donald Trump]

Well, it just represents a lot having to do with the White House. Books on the library. Books on the White House. I'm very familiar with this building, and I love it. And it's, you know, it's a very special building. People walk in from rich people, powerful people, the biggest politicians in the world, kings and queens, and they walk into the White House and they just sort of want to look around and see it. And this represents a little bit of it. It's a small piece of it. Perhaps the next one we'll do will be the Oval Office. That represents an even bigger part, the power.

[Miranda Devine]

I mean, the grandeur of this building, the power that comes from.

[Donald Trump]

It's such an incredible building. And people don't say, you know, you don't say, oh, gee, the White House, somehow it's so beautiful. But as a. As somebody that lives here, you can't go out and say, oh, this building's the greatest, blah, blah, blah. You know, you just don't do it. I don't know why, but it really is one of the most beautiful buildings anywhere, and it represents so much beyond the beauty.

[Miranda Devine]

And, I mean, do you. Joe Biden was here, of course. Jill Biden's book is nearby. I think one of the ones where she didn't acknowledge the fifth grandchild. It must have been strange for you, coming back to the White House and having a president who doesn't seem to have been all there, who seems to really have been gaga.

[Donald Trump]

Well, you covered that better than anybody. I think you covered it. Look, I guess it's not for me to say, but what he did to this country was disgraceful. So much damage done to this country, and we're fixing it step by step. I think we're really way ahead economically. You saw the numbers are coming out phenomenally well. But, you know, we. We have those. All of those areas I guess you could call them unforced, or maybe you call them forced errors. The border where you. Where they allow 21 million people. And many of these people should never be in this country. They're from jails and prisons all over the world. They're from mental institutions.

[Miranda Devine]

Why did he do that? So disturbing.

[Donald Trump]

Nobody can understand it. You know, they say for the votes, but I don't believe that because they cheat. And you don't have to do it when you cheat. You don't have to do that. So destructive. And so much of what we're doing now is getting killers out of our country, taking them back to where they came from, whether it's Venezuela and by the way, not just South America. It's all over the world. They come in from the Congo, from prisons in the Congo. They come in from places that nobody would believe, from all over the world. And a lot of times I get asked that question, why would they do that? And I can always tell you, you know, when you have an opponent or you have somebody on the other side of you buying a property or something, you always sort of understand, why are they selling and why are you buying? Nobody can understand why they allowed people to come into our country totally unvetted, unchecked, no checks, no nothing. Just come on in.

[Miranda Devine]

Do you think Joe Biden knew?

[Donald Trump]

No, I don't believe so. I think it was a little bit of an auto pen deal. The people who ran this country were radical left lunatics. And I believe they used. He was perfect. They didn't want him. They wanted Bernie Sanders. They got him. And I think for the first two weeks, they were really, really disappointed. They couldn't even believe it. And then they realized that you had somebody that didn't know what he was doing. They could do anything they wanted because the auto pen was the power.

[Miranda Devine]

And you can tell where the auto pen is used, can't you?

[Donald Trump]

Oh, you can see it easily, yeah. I mean, auto pens are easy to see if you know that. Usually they have pinholes that the pinhole grabs it, you know, boom. It's like two little pinholes that grabs it this way, you know, for the next one, just signs as much as you want. In some cases, they have that. And you see it from. If you're going to look at two or three or four, you see it's exactly the same. There's zero change. You know, when you sign your name, everyone's a little bit different, Right. When you have an auto pen, it's exactly the same.

[Miranda Devine]

That's a crime to do that to the country.

[Donald Trump]

Well, number one, I really believe it was a crime because I don't think he knew he was doing it. I think that people took over the auto pen. They got things signed that shouldn't have been signed. I don't believe he ever wanted open borders. I don't believe. You know, he talked as if. You go back and look, a few years before, he wanted borders as tight as I did. And so they took over the White House. These people took over. They're sick. And what they've done is terrible. But the good news is we're fixing it. We have phenomenal numbers that just came out. Prices are way down for everything. Energy. Now we're cracking $2 in some states. Think of it, 198 came out today in three states. And I think we're gonna do really well. You know, I had the greatest success, the greatest economic success of any president for four years in my first term. I think we're going to blow it away this term. I think we're going to do even better.

[Miranda Devine]

Well, I mean, most Americans now think the country's on the right track. So despite all the negativity from the.

[Donald Trump]

Media, first time in 28 years. Yeah, it's a good thing.

[Miranda Devine]

And the riots in LA. I mean, again, 75% of Americans, polls show, want deportation of illegal alien criminals. What are the Democrats doing defending them?

[Donald Trump]

They can't defend it. They can't defend transgender for everybody. They can't defend men in women's Sports. These aren't 9010. These aren't 80, 20 like they say these are. These are literally, I think, 97 to 3, most of them. They don't want people pouring into their country unchecked, unvetted, from prisons and from mental institutions. They don't want this. They want their country back. They really want their country back.

[Miranda Devine]

Foreign flags. What did you think when you said that?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I mean, you had every flag up other than American flags. And I happen to think if you burn an American flag, because they were burning a lot of flags in Los Angeles, I think you go to jail for one year. Yeah, just automatic.

[Miranda Devine]

Are you going to arrest Gavin Newsom?

[Donald Trump]

Well, he's not doing a good job, you know. Arrest. What does that mean, he's not doing a good job charging? Well, in theory, you could, I guess. You know, it's almost like a dissipation of duty. Nobody's ever seen anything like that. First he had his fires that burned down half of the place. I mean, nobody ever saw anything like that. I told them water. Get the water from upper, you know, the Pacific Northwest, tremendous amounts of water. They put it into the Pacific and you have half pipes. These are big, massive pipes. They were all empty. They were as you know, I got the water to go down, but I told them to do it in my first term. And after the fires, I said, forget. They were using environmental as a reason not to give water. They were protecting a certain type of fish, which, by the way, has not done well, and it wasn't worthy of protection. It was, you know, in many other locations, but you now have tremendous amounts of water going down there. But he should have done it in my first time. You wouldn't have had the fires.

[Miranda Devine]

No. Same thing happens in Australia.

[Donald Trump]

It's criminal. Yeah, it happens. It happens. But in Australia, maybe they didn't have the water. We have the water. You know, in Los Angeles. We have plenty of water in California, but they have a big pipe that turns it into the Pacific Ocean. It falls into the Pacific. We turned it back.

[Miranda Devine]

So why are the. Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass, why are they objecting to the National Guard? I mean, they're saying that you provoked the riots. Gavin Newsom called you a stone cold liar. He said you talked on the phone. You never mentioned anything about the deploying the troops.

[Donald Trump]

Of course I did. I mean, the phone call was to deploy the troops. It was late at night. I said, you know, your city's burning down, your state is in bad trouble. You gotta get the. Why would. Why would I call him at that time?

[Miranda Devine]

You said it was a setup.

[Donald Trump]

What's he. A setup? A setup for what? Because he's not putting in the troops. All I want him to do is do a good job. I'd rather have him do a good job. Yeah. Than a bad job. Even though politically. I guess you could take the other extreme. He's doing a poor job. He's doing a poor job with the train. How about the train that's costing like 40 times more than it was supposed to?

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah. Did you talk about that?

[Donald Trump]

And doesn't go. Yeah, I always mention. Doesn't go to. It doesn't go to San Francisco or Los Angeles. It's way short because it was too expensive to go in. The whole thing is crazy. It is the worst run. One of the worst run places. We have a lot of them in almost all cases run by Democrats.

[Miranda Devine]

I saw a few of your cabinet members just a few minutes ago. Pete HEGSETH, you had J.D. vance, you had Kristi Noem.

[Donald Trump]

Great people.

[Miranda Devine]

Great people. Pam Bondi, you must be incredibly happy with your cabinet as it is now compared to, particularly in 2020, when you had a lot of turncoats, you know, the millies and the ESPers, who really weren't helpful to you.

[Donald Trump]

Well, they were bad. Esper was a loser. Millie was not a good general. I mean, we have great generals here.

[Miranda Devine]

Why did he need a pardon?

[Donald Trump]

Excuse me?

[Miranda Devine]

Why did Millie want to pardon?

[Donald Trump]

Well, he needed a pardon because of what he said. I mean, he had conversations with China.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

And I guess he felt he needed a pardon, but he wasn't very good. They were. They were just not talented. We had a lot of very talented people. I had great generals in the military that as an example, I totally defeated ISIS using. Yes. General Kane. Raisin Cain, we call him, but he's fantastic. He's now the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Yeah, we have great people. And I had great people then, too. You know, I had really great people in the first term, but I had some bad ones. I mean, I don't know if I should go over. A lot of them have endorsed me. I feel very badly because they endorsed me. And I don't want to say bad things about them, but guys like ESPER were terrible.

[Miranda Devine]

But now you've got a team that seems to be really singing in unison.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, I think. Fantastic. We have a great team and we're having great numbers, great economic numbers, great security numbers. Crime is down, but we have. We're doing a job, but.

[Miranda Devine]

And Scott Besant's been in China, been in London talking to the Chinese.

[Donald Trump]

That's right. We're right now working on a deal. We'll see what. How that turns out.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

And China is always very tough to deal with. They're a little spoiled from having such great success against our negotiators.

[Miranda Devine]

Yes.

[Donald Trump]

But we have some things that are going on. I got along great with President Xi, always have. And we'll see if we can make a deal with China, but we're making deals with others. We just made a big deal with the uk, as you know, and we have others coming down the road. And if we don't make deals, we just send them what the price to do business in the United States is, which, frankly, is the best way to do it. Yeah, I like doing that better than making a deal. You know, making a deal with a country is always very tough politically. This telling the country what they have to pay is very easy. You send a letter with two or three paragraphs and you say, this is what you have to pay. To do business in the United States and they're going to pay it.

[Miranda Devine]

But negotiating a trade deal you've managed to do that with?

[Donald Trump]

We have, we're doing great. But there's only so many deals you can do because we have, let's say 170 countries that we do business with. That's a lot. And you don't want to do deals with 170. I mean, you go absolutely semi crazy. Right? What we do is at a certain point we're going to just set the terms of the deal and those people are going to pay those terms. They'll pay it. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile.

[Miranda Devine]

With the price of just about everything.

[Donald Trump]

Going up, we thought we'd bring our prices down.

[Miranda Devine]

So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a.

[Donald Trump]

Thing Mint Mobile Unlimited Premium Wireless. How did you get 30, 30? Better get 30. Better get 20. 20, 20. Better get 20, 20. Everybody get 15, 15, 15, 15.

[Miranda Devine]

Just 15 bucks a month. So give it a try. @mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of network's busy. Taxes and fees extra see mint mobile.com.

[Donald Trump]

Hi, this is Joe from Vanta. In today's digital world, compliance regulations are changing constantly and earning customer trust has never mattered more. Vanta helps companies get compliant fast and stay secure with the most advanced AI automation and continuous monitoring out there. So whether you're a startup going for your first SoC2 or ISO 27001 or a growing enterprise managing vendor risk, Vanta makes it quick, easy and scalable. And I'm not just saying that because I work here.

[Miranda Devine]

Get [e-mail] and what happened with Elon? Is there anything that you can do to forgive him? Could you see that happening?

[Donald Trump]

Well, look, I have no hard feelings. I was really surprised that happened. He went after a bill. That's phenomenal. It's the best thing we've ever signed in this country. And that's phase one, phase two, phase three. All of a sudden it all comes together. It's coming together so well. And when he did that, I was not a happy camper. So it's too bad.

[Miranda Devine]

You said he had problems. What kind of problems? I mean, is it the drugs?

[Donald Trump]

I don't know what his problem is. Really. I don't know. I haven't thought too much about him in the last little while. But the bill is so good. When he Went after the bill. This bill is going to turn around this country so fast your head will spin. And it's good for everyone. It's also a tax cut. It's a massive tax cut. It's an extension of debt, which we need. We have to get that. And then we're going to start paying off debt at record levels. It's tariffs on certain people. It's, by the way, no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security. You know, all your promises. Yeah, yeah. And I mean, it's no tax on overtime. If a worker works overtime, there's no tax. That's going to be a great stimulant for the country. No, I think a bill is great. And he just didn't think. He feels very badly that he said that, actually.

[Miranda Devine]

And maybe it was something else. I mean, he had the fight with Scott Besson outside your office.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, well, they had. Not a fist fight, you know, people. But I guess they had a little bit of a shouting match. But that's.

[Miranda Devine]

Did you hear it?

[Donald Trump]

That's typical. I heard it a little bit, but that's sort of typical about, you know. Yeah, that happens.

[Miranda Devine]

You were very kind to him. I saw you together and I think he treated you a bit like a father. And he.

[Donald Trump]

I was disappointed.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

In him. But, you know, it is what it is. That happens. Things like that happen. I don't blame him for anything, that I was a little disappointed.

[Miranda Devine]

Did you reconcile? Could you reconcile with him, do you think? Could you forgive him?

[Donald Trump]

I guess I could. But, you know, we have to straighten out the country. Yeah. And my sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than it's ever been. And I think we can do that. I think we're going to do it easily again. I had the best economy in the history of our country for the four years, especially the first three before COVID I mean, we had numbers like we've never had here. I think we're going to top it this term, pretty sure. And the early indication is that we will.

[Miranda Devine]

The thing about you that's, I think, quite striking is that you are your own man. You're sort of uncontrollable. People can't push you around or own you. And does that come from your childhood being that sort of independence? I ask that because Newt Gingrich has this theory about you, and he says that you grew up in Queens and you were never really accepted in Manhattan. And rather than conforming to fit in, you. You just thought, huh, I don't have to fit in. They'll fit in with me.

[Donald Trump]

Is that what is there is.

[Miranda Devine]

And you just stayed. Always stay the same wherever you are.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, well, I think I was accepted in Manhattan. I did really well in Manhattan as a developer. Did some of the best buildings in the country and outside of Manhattan also. But no, I just have my way about me. I want to, you know, if I think I'm right about something, I fight for it, that's all. It's a. I don't think it's non conforming, it's just that maybe it's the opposite if I think I'm right. Like on sending troops into la.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

A lot of people say, oh, don't do it. If I didn't do it, you wouldn't have la. Between the fires and now the riots, there'd be nothing left. You have a governor that's incompetent. You have a mayor that's highly incompetent. I mean she is, she can't even get permits out for people to rebuild. You know, the federal government has their permits out. Yes, federal government is always the last one and now we're the first one they can't get. Lee Zeldin's done a fantastic job, you know. Lee. Yeah, but they can't get the permits out for people to go and rebuild their houses.

[Miranda Devine]

So how do you know, like how are you so confident in your own judgment that you will go against the grain?

[Donald Trump]

Because I've had success. You know, when you have a lot of success. I've had a lot of success no matter what. I mean in the real estate business I did great. I go into show business, I have the Apprentice, I didn't do anything else. I mean I had the Apprentice, which was big. I did number one, best selling books. You know, you have a certain success even though there's somewhat different fields and everything else. And after a while you feel that you're going to be right about something. And the nice part is you can do it through conviction, you know, you really believe it and if you believe it, makes it a lot easier. But so I don't think, I don't think I'm a rebel. I just feel that I want to do things the way I did them. Even you take a look at what we're doing in Washington D.C. with everything, you know, I'm doing something that's a little unusual. For 150 years they've wanted to build a ballroom at the White House. I'm good at building ballrooms, I'm good at building period. But I'm good at building it. So we've never had a president that would understand it. And it's a little complex because you know the site and everything else. And I'm going to give gift the White House, the most beautiful ballroom you've ever seen. We're going to working on it right now.

[Miranda Devine]

When will that be?

[Donald Trump]

A lot of people wouldn't sort of say, no, let's do it. They've wanted it for 150 years. You know, when they have somebody like the head of China or they have the head of France or the head of some country come, they use a tent, they put a tent up. And if it's raining, you're in deep trouble. We're going to have a beautiful ballroom and I'm able.

[Miranda Devine]

How long will that take be done before you.

[Donald Trump]

I'd say 18 months.

[Miranda Devine]

Wow.

[Donald Trump]

Maybe two years. Yeah.

[Miranda Devine]

So have you ever doubted yourself? I've seen videos of you when you were quite young and you were still very self assured and confident. Were you like that from your earliest memories as a little boy?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah. Well, I don't know. I don't think of it like that. I don't even think about it. I just do whatever I want to do and I just, you know, I seem to be able to get it. Remember where they said Trump was right about everything? When the hat is a very big set. Trump was. And if you look at the wars and all the different things, Elon agrees with it. Okay. He still agrees with it. Trump was right about everything. A lot of it's common sense.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

And it's not anything. It's a conviction I have, it's a feeling I have. But you. A lot of things, a lot of life is common sense, you know, when you say it.

[Miranda Devine]

And when you were little though you have said that you were a bit rambunctious like you had. You were headstrong, you knew your own mind even as a young boy. And you went to military school at 13, I guess. Was your dad trying to straighten you out?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, he was trying to sort of make me behave a little bit better. No, I really think when people. You're born a certain way. Yeah. And even before you can speak and everything, you're sort of a certain character.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

And as you get older, you don't change that much. You can change a little bit, but you know, and you want to change for the better. But I really. You're born a certain way, you're born with a certain energy.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

A lot of people don't have energy if you don't have energy. It's going to be a tough life, but they don't have energy. To be successful, you need energy. You have to be able to go hard and long. Now, you need a lot of other things. You need a lot of things, but you do need energy. I see people with that energy. They're really smart, but they don't have what the drive necessary to be successful.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah. And when you were quite young, your father sent you for aptitude testing. Didn't you tell us what happened?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I was sent for aptitude. Like, I just did one over here. I just did a cognitive test and I aced it. The doctors will tell you I aced it. I'm the only president that's ever done a cognitive test.

[Miranda Devine]

Joe Biden should have done one.

[Donald Trump]

Well, he wouldn't have gotten past two or three questions. I don't think he wouldn't have done very well. But no, I'm the only president that's ever done a cognitive test. The doctor says, sir, I did my physical. It came out good. And then they said, sir, would you like to take a cognitive? I said, well, I do. Well, you know, it's Walter Reed. I said, if I do well, nobody's going to write about it. If I do poorly, it's going to be the biggest story in history. Right. So. But I got 100% of the questions. I aced it. You know, the doctors have reported it. So who's. But when you were little, it's a little risky. You know that, right?

[Miranda Devine]

It was, yeah. But you knew you'd be fine. But when you were little, you were found to be having. Have a musical genius.

[Donald Trump]

That's right. They said, well, my father, mother took me to a place, like an aptitude place to see what I would be good at, what I liked and what my talent was at. Pretty young, like probably 11 or 12. And I went through this process for a couple of days, and they came up to my father. They said, your son is brilliant at music. He'd be an incredible musician. This is not. This is not what my father wanted to hear. You know, this was not the greatest thing, but I do have an ear for music. I mean, I feel, you know, I think music has played a big role. We have. I play great music. People like the music I play, but it was funny because my father would not have thought about music for me. But I do. I think I have an ear for music. They play a note and, like on a piano. And then I remember to this day, yeah. And then they'd Ask you other questions. And then they'd play notes later on and they'd say, which is the note we played from one hour ago? And I'd like, get it right, I guess, but. But that was a long time ago.

[Miranda Devine]

But did you ever play an instrument?

[Donald Trump]

I played like, for very short periods of time. The flute. Would you believe that?

[Miranda Devine]

Did you like it?

[Donald Trump]

I had flute lessons. It's the first person that's ever asked me that crazy question. Yeah, I had flute. Can you believe it? I could have been a flutist. And I didn't particularly like it. I don't know. It wasn't for me, but. And my mother had me with. I had instructors. An instructor come in to teach me how to play the flute. Can you believe that? Who would think? I can't imagine an unusual instrument.

[Miranda Devine]

You could maybe still do it.

[Donald Trump]

I doubt it. I don't think so.

[Miranda Devine]

And do you. Do. I guess you've incorporated music into your life anyway. I mean, your. Rallies, you.

[Donald Trump]

Music is important. Yeah.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

It also gives you energy. Gives you something that's. Gives you. If it's good. Good music. People that produce good music are really talented, in my opinion. It's a. It's not an easy thing to do, but it's. It's.

[Miranda Devine]

You played in the residence?

[Donald Trump]

I play it as much as I can. I love. I love great music.

[Miranda Devine]

What do you hear? What do you love?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I love different types of music, but I like country music a lot. I like. I think Elton John is terrific. I think he's absolutely terrific. There's so many great.

[Miranda Devine]

The show, the Broadway shows, you know.

[Donald Trump]

There'S so many great talents, but it's amazing, actually, how many. And there's some people that make it that I don't think are talented, but great music is. I think it's very important, actually.

[Miranda Devine]

And you were fourth of five children, so one of the youngest. And were you spoiled or do you think you were more neglected as a.

[Donald Trump]

Middle child or sort of the opposite of neglected? But it was. I was fourth. Good family, great parents, great brothers, sisters. I mean, I had really always a good family.

[Miranda Devine]

They.

[Donald Trump]

There was nothing unusual other than if you call good. Cause I had a great mother, I had a great father. My brothers and sisters were terrific. It's not a lot of excitement in that answer, but I really was your.

[Miranda Devine]

Older brother, I guess. He was incredibly handsome, very athletic, very promising. And he ended up having an issue with alcohol.

[Donald Trump]

He did. He had a big issue. And he used to tell me, never ever drink, never ever smoke. He smoked too he was a very handsome guy. He had an unbelievable personality, but the booze got to him. And he'd always say, don't drink, don't smoke. Now those days there were no drugs, you know, drugs, I guess there were, but you didn't know about it. But he would have added drugs in there. But he said, don't ever smoke and don't ever drink. But drinking in particular must have broken.

[Miranda Devine]

Your dad's heart, did it?

[Donald Trump]

Well, he was a great guy, you know, he was, he was terrific. Could have done anything. You could fly airplanes. Unbelievably. Well, he had a great talent for that. But alcohol was a. Was a killer for him.

[Miranda Devine]

And did you sort of learn from his mistakes?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, I never had a drink of alcohol.

[Miranda Devine]

And then also you knuckle down. You were a hard worker.

[Donald Trump]

And I don't smoke and I'm hard worker. Well, he worked, but he just had the curse, you know, the curse. And it was tough. It was a tough period of time.

[Miranda Devine]

And was your dad a tough father?

[Donald Trump]

He was tough, but good, a good person, but he was tough, you know, he was a strong man, but he was, he was, he was a really good person. He had a big heart. One would walk outside, I remember, would walk outside if he saw somebody looking for money. Like, they would call him panhandlers. They call him a lot of different things, but, you know, his always give money.

[Miranda Devine]

And your kids, you have great relationships with your kids, your grandkids. What is your sort of formula for good parenting?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I always said the same thing. I said, no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. I also would say don't get tattoos, but I don't say it too strongly because a lot of people have gotten tattoos and that's what they chose to do. But I would say if you can avoid it, avoid it. But I'd say no drugs, no cigarettes and no alcohol. And like Ivanka would say, dad, give me a break. How many times you have to tell me? I said, I'm going to keep saying it. I would say it for their whole life. They said it all the time. I still say it.

[Miranda Devine]

And did you spend time with them? Like, why are they all so, I guess, well adjusted?

[Donald Trump]

Well, they had very good look and they enjoy you just very good kids. And they're smart and they were good students. All of them were good students. But they're. I think they're special. But everybody thinks their child is special. But they're hard workers too, but they're very smart.

[Miranda Devine]

They're quite down to earth, aren't they.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, but they were born smart.

[Miranda Devine]

Right.

[Donald Trump]

And sometimes you have children, you love them just as much. You know, they're not particularly smart. A lot of people have that.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

But they work hard, too, and they're good to people.

[Miranda Devine]

Do you think Don Junior's got a future in politics? Do you think he might run for president?

[Donald Trump]

I don't know. I mean, I don't know. It's like. I think all of them probably have a future in politics, frankly. And Don is very good, good guy. He's an outdoorsman. Eric has done a fantastic job. Baron is great. He's very tall and good. Ivanka, you know Ivanka. Yes, very well. She's so great. And Tiffany is done really well. She went to a great law school and did very well. Always a good student.

[Miranda Devine]

And Barron's, how's he going at nyu? Did you warn him about all the lefty professors?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, no. A little bit, but he just wanted to be there. He wanted to be there because his grandmother was going to stay and wait for him in an apartment near the school. And he passed away.

[Miranda Devine]

Yes.

[Donald Trump]

He was fantastic. Melania's mother was a fantastic woman. And Melania's a fantastic mother, by the way. She loves Baron. She's very tall and good looking.

[Miranda Devine]

Guy, you must be incredibly proud of Melania, of the first lady, of what she's been through. I mean, was it hard to talk her into coming back to the White House after the way she was treated, you know, quite badly last time?

[Donald Trump]

She was, in a way, treated badly, but in another way, the people love her.

[Miranda Devine]

New York posters love her.

[Donald Trump]

Oh, yeah, the New York Post has been great, actually. New York Post is. They really do a fantastic job.

[Miranda Devine]

Thank you.

[Donald Trump]

And I appreciate it. And you're a big part of that. You know, you're really. People don't know. They're watching. This is your first podcast, but you are a tremendous success and what you do for the New York Post is amazing. Great writer.

[Miranda Devine]

Thank you.

[Donald Trump]

There aren't many of them. It's a. It's a tremendous talent. But Melania is very respected and loved by the people. Yeah, but she doesn't get treated fairly, I would say, by the.

[Miranda Devine]

I mean, she seemed, you know, she dressed much sort of more fiercely this time. I felt during the. It was almost like she was sending us a signal like, you know, you're not messing with me this time.

[Donald Trump]

She loves the country. She loves the people of the country. The media is the media, you know. Now if she were a Democrat, if she were married to a Democrat, she'd be the.

[Miranda Devine]

On Vogue.

[Donald Trump]

20 times different. It would be a different thing.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah. And. But does she care? She doesn't care about not being on the COVID of Vogue.

[Donald Trump]

She doesn't seem to.

[Miranda Devine]

No.

[Donald Trump]

Well, she's been on the COVID of Vogue and she's been on the COVID a lot of them. Yeah, but she, she's, she's a very confident person. Now, if you weren't confident, you'd care. Yes, but she's been there. She's done so well. And as a first lady, they love her. There's a great elegance and coolness that she's got. The people, really, so many people say, like when I make speeches, they have pictures. We love our first lady. And they do. They really do. They, they admire her. This episode is brought to you by San Pellegrino. A meal isn't just about what's on your plate. It's about what you bring to the table. San Pellegrino believes the table is where the best of life happens. That that's what makes gathering around it so rich and rewarding. And with their unique sparkling natural mineral water, San Pellegrino brings its best. So you can bring yours.

[Miranda Devine]

Meta AI is the personal AI that's tailored to you now with its very own app. It's built to get to know you, offering helpful answers and inspiration. Looking for something to add to your bucket list. Meta AI goes beyond traveling the world. It remembers you're a basketball fanatic and suggests you attend one of the playoff games. Just start typing or speaking to get the answers you need, wherever and whenever. Because Meta AI is your personal AI. Download the Meta AI app now available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Now, I wanted to ask you about drones. You know, we had the issue in New Jersey before the election where there are all these people thought UFOs or an attack of the killer drones. And I believe you're doing something about. Yeah. What are you doing?

[Donald Trump]

I, I, well, I know who, I can't tell you what, who it was and what it was, but I can't really tell you. I'd love to tell you, actually, but it's not a. It's not a big deal.

[Miranda Devine]

It's not, not, not something frightening.

[Donald Trump]

No. But I, I just, you know, so obviously it's some, something that I know about and it's not a problem at all.

[Miranda Devine]

It was legal.

[Donald Trump]

Oh, yeah. That was Lego.

[Miranda Devine]

And are you going to do anything about drones? Are you?

[Donald Trump]

Well, drones is the new thing. It's a new weapon. It's a weapon of choice. If you look at the war, this horrible war with Russia, Ukraine that we're trying to get over, it's all drone warfare. It's amazing. Drones are. You wouldn't believe how quick and how fast, how smart they are. I mean, what they're able to do with these drones.

[Miranda Devine]

National security threat.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah. It's a real. Well, three years ago, nobody had any idea that there would be so good.

[Miranda Devine]

So are you thinking of banning them?

[Donald Trump]

No, I don't think you can ban them, but there are things you can do. You've got to be very careful with airplanes coming in. You know, they're very fast. I mean, the good drones, they really are weapons for warfare. Warfare. Now, if you. If people are studying the war that's going on and they're using both sides, are using drones to a level that nobody ever thought possible.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah. It's frightening, really.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah. It's not good.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah. What can you do about it?

[Donald Trump]

Buy more drones than they have, I guess.

[Miranda Devine]

Right.

[Donald Trump]

And better.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah. Yeah. And you've got the giant.

[Donald Trump]

Just a new thing. I mean, who would think that a drone turned out to be such a powerful weapon? But it's replacing a lot of other weapons. Even airplanes, it's replacing.

[Miranda Devine]

And you spoke to Vladimir Putin for quite a long time last week.

[Donald Trump]

Long time.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah. What do you talk about when you talk? I mean, do you.

[Donald Trump]

Well, mostly about the war and getting it over with, but we talk. I. Look, I had a great relationship with him. And this war would have. With Ukraine would have never happened if I were. If the election weren't rigged. Because it was a rigged election. If it weren't rigged, there would be no. Think of it. You'd have no inflation, you'd have no war there. You'd have no war with Israel. You wouldn't have had a problem because Iran had no money, they were broke, they weren't giving money to Hamas or Hezbollah. You wouldn't have had that embarrassment of Afghanistan, which was one of the most embarrassing moments in the history of our country. None of that stuff. None of that would have happened. It would have been a different country. But it did happen. And interestingly, because it happened, this is somehow a much more consequential presidency than it would have been if we just went on for another four years. It's much more. I mean, it's not me saying it, it's everybody saying it. And I'm able to do things now that I wouldn't have been able to do because the previous president and presidency was so bad that anybody looks good.

[Miranda Devine]

What sort of things can you do now that you couldn't do?

[Donald Trump]

Well, as an example, I can be stronger on an attack on Los Angeles.

[Miranda Devine]

Yes.

[Donald Trump]

Okay. I think bringing in the National Guard four years ago or eight years ago would have been more difficult, but they see what happens, you know, and I didn't do that. I would. I would let the governors run it. And I always said that they're not running it right, they're not doing it right. I mean, what they're doing is so bad. I mean, they're doing such a bad job. And I said, if I ever have a crack at it, if I ever have a shot at it again, and I won the election by a landslide. I mean, we have a crack and we have a big mandate because of that. When you win all seven swing states, you win the popular vote, you win everything. You win all the districts by 2,750 to 500.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

You know, you sort of have a mandate.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

But I said I wouldn't let that happen again. If you look at Minnesota, Minneapolis, where they had the, you know, the riots, you look all over the place, police. Portland is so bad.

[Miranda Devine]

Yes.

[Donald Trump]

Portland is just terrible.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah. So Camp David, you were just there, and you're with the generals and the admirals and Marco Rubio. What were you talking about?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I can't tell you exactly, but it was a pleasure without discussing anything. Look, we just had. We had a meeting, a very important meeting and really talked about many subjects.

[Miranda Devine]

Iran, Ukraine, one of them.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, all of that. It's all big topics, especially when you have generals and admirals.

[Miranda Devine]

Do you think you're going to be able to stop Iran from enriching its.

[Donald Trump]

I don't know. I. I did think so. And I'm. I'm getting more and more less confident about it. They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame. But they. I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made. I would have said a deal would be made.

[Miranda Devine]

Something happened to them, like.

[Donald Trump]

No, I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I have instincts about things.

[Miranda Devine]

You think China talked them out?

[Donald Trump]

No, I don't think China has anything to do with it. I just think maybe that maybe they don't want to make a deal. What can I say? But. And maybe they do.

[Miranda Devine]

So what does that mean?

[Donald Trump]

There's nothing final.

[Miranda Devine]

What happens then?

[Donald Trump]

Well, if they don't make a deal, they're not going to have a nuclear weapon.

[Miranda Devine]

Right.

[Donald Trump]

If they do make a deal, they're not going to have a nuclear weapon too, you know, but they're not going to have a nuclear weapon. So it's not going to matter from that standpoint. But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying. It's so much nicer to do it. But I don't think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. I think they'd make an. I think they would make a mistake. But we'll see. I guess time will tell.

[Miranda Devine]

I guess it's like Russia as well. I mean, what, what cards do you have really, to force these two warring parties to stop?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, I mean, look, they're losing 5,000 soldiers every single week. 5,000. Well, maybe he doesn't. I mean, I'm starting to think maybe he doesn't. He's losing a lot of soldiers and so are they, so is Ukraine. But, you know, we're going to see what happens where we make progress and then all of a sudden something gets bombed that shouldn't be bombed and yeah, that's the end of the progress. Would like to see if we can, you know, it doesn't affect us from the standpoint. Money, it's a lot of money. But I brought back $5.1 trillion from the Middle east in four days. So it's not the money. What it is is that, you know, humanity, it's like 5,000. More than five. Much more than 5,000 people a week are being killed in that war. That's a vicious war. There's not been anything like it since the Second World War.

[Miranda Devine]

So did Putin say what he wanted from you? What does he want?

[Donald Trump]

He talked about what he wanted and talked about what he didn't want. We had a good conversation, but so far nothing's come of it.

[Miranda Devine]

And lastly, your legacy. What do you hope at the end of your four years that you've left America and the world with?

[Donald Trump]

Well, you know, it's interesting. I always felt you had to be a two term president to be great. I don't know if that's true necessarily. There were a couple that were pretty great one term, but I always felt being two term was somehow. Does that make sense? Somehow psychologically important. And that became.

[Miranda Devine]

Especially doing two terms the way you did.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, well, especially the way I did it and yeah, especially skipping, skipping one. But we did great in 2020, by the way. I won that election by so much. It was a rig deal and then I had to do it again. If I didn't win that, I would have never run again because that's like the ultimate ball. But I won it by a lot. I mean, and everybody knows that now. I think that's one thing that's come out of the last few months, is people are seeing that. And look at the damage he's done to the country by doing that. Look, that they've done.

[Miranda Devine]

Well, the censorship, for one thing. I mean, the laptop, his corruption.

[Donald Trump]

The laptop. When you wrote the Laptop from Hell.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

Which is a great book, but you wrote that. And you look at the damage that he caused to this country, it's not even believable. But the good news, we're going to make the country better than ever. It's going to be better than ever. It's going to be stronger, smarter. We learned from this man what you can't have. And people don't miss him, and they don't miss what he did to the country. And again, it was people that surrounded that desk that operated the auto pen. They surrounded the beautiful Resolute desk. It's a beautiful desk in the beautiful, most beautiful, most powerful office in the world, the Oval Office. They are criminals. And what they did to our country should never be forgotten. And hopefully, as criminals, they'll pay a price for what they did. That's not going to be up to me. It's going to be up to other people. But hopefully they're going to pay a price.

[Miranda Devine]

And do you hope you leave the world at peace in our country?

[Donald Trump]

I would much rather have peace. And I had it for four years. Remember, I took out isis. And after that, I just. I didn't have to use the military. I was able to just. Peace through strength, I say, and I certainly hope that, you know, we're building an additional. I had. I rebuilt the entire military, and it was great. But we have now a situation. They gave a lot of it away to Afghanistan, which is the craziest thing I've ever seen. But again, it's a lot. But it's not that much relative to the size of what we have.

[Miranda Devine]

They wipe it out.

[Donald Trump]

I have to update it and I have to redo it and we have to drone it out. You know, we got to drone it.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Donald Trump]

But then we're in the process. We're really in the process of doing that. We have a great military. There's no WOKE in our military. I got rid of that. Getting rid of WOKE in our schools, our military, and just in our society was very important. That's one of the things I did, people you're not seeing woke anymore. You're seeing it. It's almost. It almost became illegal.

[Miranda Devine]

Yes.

[Donald Trump]

It was horrible for this country. It was a curse on our country.

[Miranda Devine]

And all it took was for you to just say, it's rubbish.

[Donald Trump]

That's it. It was rubbish. It was garbage. It was sick. Transgender for everyone, all of this stuff, and it was killing our country. No, our country's back. We're really back. We have the hottest country in the world right now. When I went over to Saudi Arabia and I went to Qatar, uae, and everybody, all the leadership there, they have great leaders. All of that leadership said, you know, the United States is the hottest country in the world right now. And six months ago, it was. It was absolutely cold as ice. It was nothing. It was dying. But we're the hottest. We're the hottest country anywhere in the world. They don't talk about any other country anymore.

[Miranda Devine]

So in the scheme of all the presidents, you live among their ghosts here. How do you want to be seen?

[Donald Trump]

I'd just like to be a great president. You know, things take weird turns. You end up in a war when you never thought you were going to gotta win the war, but you end up in wars and you end up in peace, and you end up in lots of different circumstances that you didn't know were gonna happen. I'd just like to be a great president, do a great job for the people in the country.

[Miranda Devine]

Terrific. Thank you so much.

[Donald Trump]

Thank you very much. Good luck.

[Miranda Devine]

Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us on our inaugural episode of Pod Force One. Please hit the like and subscribe buttons so that you won't miss any future interviews with the biggest names in Washington and the world. I'm Miranda Devine. We'll see you next week.