Trump Explodes at TIME Reporters, Criticizes Supreme Court Picks

Former President Donald Trump reportedly had an X-rated outburst in the Oval Office during an interview with TIME reporters, expressing anger over what he perceived as a barrage of negative questions.

Near the end of the hour-long interview, Trump became agitated when pressed about pardoning administration members before leaving office, dismissing the line of questioning as "all negative." He also criticized the reporters for not asking about Venezuela, despite having done so earlier in the interview. The former president boasted about the US intervention that ousted Nicolas Maduro in January, describing it as "another war that we already won."

Trump also voiced regret over his Supreme Court nominations, naming Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. "I gave them the position of a lifetime, and they vote against me often," Trump told TIME, according to the report. His frustration with the court appears to stem from rulings that went against his administration, including a February decision that limited his authority to impose sweeping tariffs and a June ruling that blocked his order ending birthright citizenship. Trump suggested that the court's liberal wing "stick like glue" while his own appointees diverge.

When questioned about the rising cost of living, Trump acknowledged the issue, stating, "The only thing I have to get down now is the gas." Fuel prices have increased significantly following the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes in February. The national average for regular gasoline has reached $4.46 per gallon, up from under $3 before the conflict began.

Trump insisted that oil prices would fall once a deal is reached with Iran, but he rejected Tehran's recent ceasefire offer to reopen the strait as insufficient. Some Republican insiders have privately expressed concern that the rising energy costs, exacerbated by the conflict, could jeopardize Republican majorities in the House and Senate during the midterm elections.

Dismissing his approval ratings as "fake," Trump asserted he could defeat any potential opponent by 20 points, branding pollsters as "almost as corrupt as the writers." As the interview concluded, he continued to hold up old photographs of a deteriorating White House, lamenting, "Well, I hope I get a decent story. I don't think—you know, it's hard to get a good story. Every question's a hit. I don't know what the hell's wrong."