New York Times Interview with Trump: 7 Key Points on the Logic of Power

Original | Odaily (@OdailyChina)

Author｜jk

In the Oval Office this week, four New York Times journalists conducted a rare, nearly two-hour-long interview with President Trump.

"My power is constrained by only one thing, which is my own morality," Trump said. "I don't need international law." In the interview, he discussed topics ranging from Venezuela to Greenland, from the Federal Reserve to family business, and from immigration policy to pardon lists. This interview largely clarified the logic of power for Trump's second term.

Here are the seven key points you need to know from this interview.

Has Chosen Next Fed Chair, But Refuses to Reveal

Trump stated that he has already decided whom to nominate for the next Federal Reserve Chair but refused to reveal the choice during the interview. "I've made my decision in my mind," he said during the Wednesday evening interview, "but I haven't spoken to anyone about it yet."

When specifically asked about his chief economic advisor Kevin A. Hassett, Trump said, "I don't want to say," but described him as "certainly one of the people I like."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated at an event on Thursday that Trump is expected to make a decision on the Fed Chair this month, possibly around the time of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Bessent also hinted that the job is not guaranteed for Hassett, mentioning there are a total of four candidates.

As intended by the U.S. Congress, the Federal Reserve needs to be protected from political interference to ensure the central bank can pursue low and stable inflation and a healthy labor market unimpeded. However, Trump has been outspoken in his desire to see the central bank act according to his wishes.

Trump made it clear that his choice for Fed Chair must support lowering borrowing costs, even stating bluntly that anyone who disagrees with his views would never get the job.

Whoever Trump chooses, the successor will take over the Fed at a critical juncture. At this moment, Trump is pressuring the Fed to secure significant reductions in borrowing costs. Powell will serve as Chair until his term ends in May and has become one of Trump's frequent targets of attack; it's hard to imagine the storm the next Chair would face if unable to meet the President's demands.

No Intention to Pardon SBF, Nor Other High-Profile Figures

Trump also expressed no intention to pardon Sam Bankman-Fried, a question raised by the New York Times while inquiring if Trump would pardon a series of well-known figures.

Other high-profile individuals mentioned include:

• Nicolás Maduro: The recently captured Venezuelan leader, facing charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine;
• Robert Menendez: Former New Jersey senator, convicted in 2024 for trading political influence for gold, cash, and a Mercedes convertible;
• Sean Combs (aka Puff Daddy or Diddy): Wrote to President Trump seeking a pardon, but Trump indicated he would not consider approving the request.

When asked if he would consider pardoning Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck during a 2020 arrest, Trump said, "Nobody has asked me that question."

Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández last month, but when the New York Times asked if he would consider pardoning Maduro, who also faces drug trafficking-related charges, the President said, "No, I don't think so."

Maduro has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.

U.S. Control Over Venezuela Could Last for Years

Trump stated that U.S. oversight and oil extraction in Venezuela could continue for many years. When asked if the duration would be three months, six months, a year, or even longer, he replied, "I would say much longer."

Trump anticipates that the U.S. will operate in Venezuela for years to come, extracting oil from the country's vast reserves. The U.S. has already announced it will receive 30 to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude. However, Trump also acknowledged that revitalizing Venezuela's neglected oil industry will take years.

Trump expressed great pride in the successful operation to capture Maduro, stating he monitored the training of the operation's forces throughout and revealed that the forces built a one-to-one replica model of the Caracas fortress at a military facility in Kentucky for this mission.

Trump emphasized that Maduro's allies, now the interim government, are "giving us everything we think is necessary."

Trump also sidestepped several questions: about why he recognized Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, as Venezuela's new leader, why he did not support opposition leader Machado, and made no mention of when elections would be held in Venezuela.

When asked how long the U.S. government would demand direct oversight of this South American country, he said, "Only time will tell."

Trump made these remarks hours after administration officials stated that the U.S. plans to effectively control Venezuela's oil sales indefinitely, as part of a three-phase plan outlined by Secretary of State Rubio to members of Congress.

"I Don't Need International Law," Trump Says His Power Is Constrained Only by "Own Morality"

When asked if there were any limits to his global power, Trump gave his most straightforward statement: "Yes, one thing. My own moral sense. My own ideas. That's the only thing that can stop me."

He added, "I don't need international law. I'm not trying to hurt people." When pressed further on whether his administration needed to abide by international law, Trump said, "I would abide by it," but made clear he would decide himself when those constraints applied to the U.S. "It depends on what your definition of international law is," he said.

He made it clear that he would leverage his reputation for being "unpredictable" and his willingness to quickly resort to military action to coerce other countries.

Most notably, shortly after the New York Times journalists sat down with him, Trump paused the interview to take a call from Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Days earlier, Trump had threatened action against Colombia due to its role as a drug transit hub.

The conversation's content was not public, but the leader apparently expressed concern about a potential U.S. attack on Colombia similar to the one on Venezuela.

After the call with Petro, Mr. Trump dictated a social media post to an aide, stating that the Colombian President called "to explain the drug situation."

After the roughly one-hour call ended, the New York Times journalists noted that "the call appeared to remove any immediate threat of U.S. military action." Trump then said he believed the collapse of the Maduro regime had intimidated other leaders in the region, "making them compliant."

The New York Times claimed they witnessed Trump's "coercive diplomacy" in action firsthand.

Greenland Sovereignty Issue: Trump Insists on "Ownership"

Trump reiterated his stance that the U.S. must own Greenland, claiming that merely reopening a military base on the land under the 1951 treaty is insufficient.

"Ownership is very important," Trump said. The New York Times commented that he discussed Greenland with a "real estate mogul's eye." The landmass is three times the size of Texas but has a population of less than 60,000. "I think psychologically, ownership is necessary for success. Whether you're talking about a lease or a treaty, ownership gives you something you can't get otherwise. Ownership gives you an element that signed documents cannot provide."

When asked whether Greenland or NATO had higher priority, Trump refused to answer directly but admitted, "It might be a choice." He made it clear that without the U.S. at its core, the transatlantic alliance was essentially useless.

Family's Crypto Activities and Overseas Business Deals Are "No Problem"

Trump made it clear in the interview that concerns about conflicts of interest arising from his family's global money-making activities over the past year do not bother him at all.

"I banned them from doing business in my first term, but got absolutely no credit for it," he said. "I didn't have to do that. It was really unfair to them." He added: "I found nobody cares, and I'm allowed to do it."

Donald Trump Jr. had previously expressed similar views, but the President responded more comprehensively than before to concerns about his family's economic interests. The White House has repeatedly stated that Trump and his family never engage in conflicts of interest and that he always puts Americans' interests first.

He also added that he has never accepted the presidential salary.

Trump defended his support for the cryptocurrency industry, in which his family has become a major player. "I got a lot of votes for supporting crypto, and I'm starting to like it," Trump said. "But he stated the strong push for crypto is to make the U.S. the global leader in the industry."

Advancing "De-naturalization" Plan, Specifically Targeting Somali-Americans

Trump stated that his administration is taking steps to strip citizenship from some naturalized Americans, with a particular focus on people of Somali origin.

"If they are dishonest, I wouldn't hesitate to do it," Trump said during the Oval Office interview. "I think many people from Somalia, they hate our country."

Trump said his administration is reviewing the criteria for denaturalization. He indicated the measure is not limited to the Somali community but refused to specify which other groups of foreign-born U.S. citizens his administration is targeting.

This would be a significant escalation of Trump's immigration crackdown, which has already begun to extend beyond targeting illegal immigrants. The New York Times reported last month that the administration issued guidance to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field offices, instructing them to "provide 100-200 denaturalization cases per month to the Office of Immigration Litigation in fiscal year 2026."

Under federal law, citizenship can only be revoked if fraud was committed during the citizenship application process or in a few other specific circumstances. However, activists warn that denaturalization efforts could sweep up those who made honest mistakes on their citizenship paperwork.