When Trump was interviewed by the media pool, his responses were often disjointed and vague, yet the press treated them as if they were priceless treasures. Typically, just before boarding the plane, he would casually chat with reporters for a few minutes, quickly reviewing the latest rapid-fire Q&A to see if there was any valuable content.

The length of his answers reveals how Trump chooses to prioritize issues, but even more revealing is what it shows about the media’s level of competence and their focus of attention.

This is the most recent group interview conducted on the South Lawn of the White House.

Trump: "Iran—apparently we’re supposed to receive a letter tonight. So we’ll just see how things develop."

"The meeting with Brazilian President Lula went very well. We’ll see what happens. They want to do business with the United States."

Reporter: Any updates on the dismissal of FDA head Marty Makary?

Trump: "Nothing major. It's going fine."

Reporter: "Will he stay in office? Are you planning to fire him?"

Trump: "I’ve been reading the reports, but I know nothing about it."

Reporter: Will the three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine last longer than three days?

Trump: "Possibly. I mean, possibly—it would be great. I hope to see it end. Russia and Ukraine have caused the worst tragedy in terms of lives since World War II."

Reporter: How about the Iraqi prime minister election?

Trump: "We have someone in mind—we strongly support him. He won by a huge margin (can’t recall his name). So this is a big victory. We’ve had many big victories. As you know, we achieved a major win today in Virginia."

Reporter: Is that about bringing in a new FDA director?

Trump: "FDA?"

Reporter: Bringing in a new person to lead the FDA?

Trump: "No, no."

Reporter: What’s your take on last night’s UK election results?

Trump: "Oh, let them handle it themselves."

Reporter: What’s the latest on hantavirus?

Trump: "We have excellent people working on it. The situation seems okay. They understand this virus very well—they’ve been studying it for a long time. They know it inside out. It doesn’t spread easily."

Reporter: Was it Putin who proposed the ceasefire?

Trump: "No, no. I proposed it. President Putin agreed, and President Zelenskyy agreed too—both accepted readily. We’ve gained a short window where neither side will kill anyone. That’s fantastic. They also agreed to each release 1,000 prisoners—1,000 each!"

Reporter: Will you reconsider withdrawing from the WHO now that hantavirus is spreading?

Trump: "No. We seem to be handling things very well... It’s been around for a long time. Unlike Covid, it doesn’t spread easily. But we’ll keep an eye on it. We’re closely studying it. We have outstanding people deeply involved in the research."

Reporter: Nearly ten weeks after a missile struck an Iranian girls’ school—who fired that missile?

Trump: "That matter is currently under investigation. Once we have results, we’ll report back to you."

Reporter: Will you send your team to Moscow?

Trump: "If I believe it would help, I will. I really want to see this war end."

Reporter: Should we restore Project Freedom (reopening the Strait of Hormuz)?

Trump: "I don’t think so. We might do it, but I don’t think so. If nothing is finalized, we’ll go another route... It would be Project Freedom Plus—a stronger version, meaning Freedom Project plus additional elements."

The president didn’t explain what those “additional elements” are. Maybe he doesn’t know himself, or perhaps he can’t disclose them yet. He simply walked across the lawn, boarded the aircraft, and flew to the Sterling Golf Club in Virginia for a golf dinner.

He won’t be returning to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida this weekend.

Typically, staying at the White House over the weekend signals that something highly significant is underway.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864670550792204/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.