Photo: Alamy
Tuesday morning kicked off with a bang for President Donald Trump as the latest edition of TIME magazine hit social media, featuring the man himself with an alluring title: “If He Wins.”
Bathed in black and white and framed in red, Trump peers stalwartly into the camera, hands clasped together, American flag pin on his suit lapel. It is a testament to his determination that he has forced TIME to take notice of his 2024 campaign – a foreshadowing of things to come, perhaps, as the November presidential election hovers unswervingly on the fast-approaching horizon.
The detailed profile from TIME focused heavily on President Trump’s future vision for the country, including how he would hire – or fire – potential cabinet picks, his thoughts on securing the southern border, abortion, the economy, and whether he would send money to war-torn Ukraine.
He commented, “If Europe is not going to pay, why should we pay? They’re much more greatly affected. We have an ocean in between us. They don’t.”
TIME writer Eric Cortellessa focused on what he called “transactional isolationism” in his profile of the president, zeroing in on how Trump would support Israel against Iran, although he has his share of criticism for how the Holy Land has handled its war against terrorism and Hamas.
“It happened on his watch,” Trump stated of Netanyahu, referring to the brutal Hamas incursion of October 7, 2023, that left more than a thousand Israeli men, women, and children dead.
TIME’s write-up on Trump was impressively expansive, as Cortellessa followed the president to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach and even to trial in New York, getting a taste of the almost mythic man’s current life, which pivots constantly between fighting courtroom battles to hitting the 2024 campaign trail.
“I think the enemy from within, in many cases, is much more dangerous for our country than the outside enemies of China, Russia, and various others,” Trump stated ominously to TIME, alluding to the threat of internal corruption destroying American strength.
On the issue of the southern border, Trump’s approach discussed his intention to implement a nationwide deportation operation, alluding to utilizing military assets if needed.
And, on the issue of abortion, the president reiterated his belief that it was now a state’s right issue. He explained that on the topic of state regulations aimed at prosecuting women who choose to terminate their pregnancies, his stance was “irrelevant.” He said, “It’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not. It’s totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions.”
In this interview, Trump’s measured and even-keeled approach to a future administration comes through clearly, along with another singular message: niceness is off the table if he returns to Washington, D.C.
When it comes to ineffective members of a potential second administration, Trump explained that in his first term, “I let them quit because I have a heart. I don’t want to embarrass anybody.”
He added, “I don’t think I’ll do that again. From now on, I’ll fire.”