Although U.S. President Donald Trump rails against the New York Times relentlessly and often attacks their reporting as "fake news," he granted several Times reporters for "nearly two-hours" an early January interview — which came at a time of considerable turmoil both at home and aboard. And the reporters covered a lot of ground, focusing heavily on foreign policy and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3.
Here are five major takeaways from the interview.
1. Trump said America will be Venezuela 'much longer' than a year
Critics of the Trump Administration's actions in Venezuela are arguing that the U.S. president's top motivation in the South American county is oil. Trump acknowledged, "We're going to be using oil, and we're going to be taking oil. We're getting oil prices down, and we're going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need." And during the Times interview, he admitted that the U.S. could be in Venezuela for a long time. When asked if the U.S. would remain in Venezuela for six months, a year or longer, he replied, "I would say much longer."
2. Trump feared Maduro operation would be a 'Jimmy Carter disaster'
Before Maduro was captured, Trump told the Times reporters, he feared that it wouldn't go well and would mirror the Carter administration's failed April 24, 1980 attempt to rescue 52 American hostages being held in Iran. That "Jimmy Carter disaster," Trump told the Times, "destroyed his entire administration." Trump said of President Jimmy Carter, "I don't know that he would have won the (1980) election, but he certainly had no chance after that disaster."
3. Trump paused interview to talk to the Colombian president
During the interview, Trump paused to take a call from Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Trump, as part of his War on Drugs, has been threatening Petro. But according to Times reporters David E. Sanger, Tyler Pager, Katie Rogers and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, "Mr. Petro's call — which ran about an hour — appeared to dissipate any immediate threat of U.S. military action, and Mr. Trump indicated he believed that the decapitation of the Maduro regime had intimidated other leaders in the region to fall into line."
4. Trump was unclear about future use of U.S. military in Venezuela
When asked about the future use of U.S. forces in Venezuela, Trump was short on details. According to Sanger, Pager, Rogers and Kanno-Youngs, "Mr. Trump appeared far more focused on the rescue mission than the details of how to navigate Venezuela’s future. He declined to say what might prompt him to put American forces on the ground in the country."
5. Trump described leftist Maduro allies as cooperative with U.S.
After Maduro was ousted by U.S. forces, leftist Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela's acting president despite the fact that she was an ally of Maduro and the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. And Trump was dismissive of opposition leader María Corina Machado's ability to lead the country.
During the Times interview, Trump said of Rodríguez and other Maduro allies, "They're giving us everything that we feel is necessary. Don't forget, they took the oil from us years ago."
Read the New York Times' interview with U.S. President Donald Trump at this link (subscription required).