Trump gives first TV interview: “I went through hell”

White House

Trump gives first TV interview: “I went through hell”

Trump has only been in office for a few days. And he immediately seeks the spotlight. However, an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity seems more like a chat between old friends.

In his first TV interview as the newly sworn-in US President, Donald Trump doesn’t have to put up with any tough questions. The Republican was interviewed two days after taking office by Sean Hannity, a well-known presenter on his house and court station Fox News. “After four long years, President Donald Trump is back where he belongs. He’s in the Oval Office,” he announced in the interview, which was recorded in the famous White House office. It seemed more like a conversation between like-minded people than an exchange between a neutral journalist and a US president.

Only when it came to Trump’s pardon of all perpetrators of the Capitol storm did Hannity begin to follow up. “The only criticism (…) I have seen is about people who were convicted or involved in incidents of attacking police officers. Why were they pardoned?” he asked. Trump repeated his lie about voter fraud and said people should be allowed to protest. Hannity responded, “You shouldn’t be able to storm the Capitol.”

In connection with attacks on police officers, Trump also said that they were often just “small incidents.” Among those now released are people who brutally beat police officers and other security forces back then. Trump’s rigorous pardon of all hundreds of criminals on January 6, 2021 surprised even those close to him.

Trump accused his democratic predecessor Joe Biden of failing several times in the interview and did not want to rule out investigations – but it remained unclear what exactly he meant by that and against whom it should be directed. “I went through hell for four years. I spent millions of dollars in legal fees and won, but I did it the hard way,” Trump said, referring to the charges against him.

“It’s really hard to say they shouldn’t go through this too.” Trump went on to say that Biden had bad advisers. “Someone advised Joe Biden to pardon everyone but himself.” Shortly before leaving office, Biden pardoned several family members and political opponents of Trump.

The conversation, which was now broadcast on Fox News, lasted around 40 minutes – it mainly revolved around domestic political issues such as migration or the fires in California. The broadcaster announced a second part for Thursday evening (local time). Trump is enjoying the attention – since returning to the White House, he has also given a press conference in addition to the interview – and has also answered questions in front of the camera elsewhere.

This makes him significantly more open than his predecessor Biden, who gave few TV interviews. These were also much shorter. Although the Democrat often answered some questions from the press at meetings, he also made mistakes again and again. Real press conferences were a rarity. There were repeated accusations, including from the media, that Biden’s advisors were shielding him.