To mark his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump appeared for an interview with ABC News reporter Terry Moran. What followed was a no-holds-barred conversation that quickly devolved into a surreal sparring match.
Let’s break down some of the wildest, weirdest, and most telling moments from the interview—and why it’s got everyone talking.
Economy Talk: Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Trump Math
To start, Moran pressed Trump on the ongoing trade war with China and tariffs in general, citing analyses that suggest American families are bearing the economic burden for which they did not vote. Trump, in response, insisted the opposite—declaring that Americans did sign up for tariffs, an issue central to his 2024 campaign.
You might recall that in his ABC News debate with then–Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump made a similar case for tariffs.
Trump further claimed:
The U.S. was losing “$3 to $5 billion a day” on trade deals when he took office.
His tariffs would generate “hundreds of billions of dollars.”
That despite the Biden administration keeping his China tariffs, they didn’t cause runaway inflation.
Fact-checkers, start your engines. Disputes over those numbers abound, but whether you believe Trump or not, his pitch hinges on the image of a one-man economic rescue mission.
Moran’s Misstep On Immigration Law
The verbal jousting escalated when the conversation turned to immigration.
While acknowledging the drastic decrease in illegal border crossings since Trump took office, Moran questioned the legality of mass deportations without due process, noting that under U.S. law, each person is entitled to a hearing.
Trump’s retort?
“Do you think we can give 21 million trials? Each trial takes two weeks.”
Moran tried to clarify: “Not trials, hearings.” But apparently, Moran’s grasp of immigration law wasn’t much stronger.
According to a 2017 article from the Bipartisan Policy Center—still cited today—judicial hearings aren’t the only remedy. U.S. law, including the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996, allows for administrative and expedited removals at the border. These processes are common and legal, despite media confusion about due process rights in immigration contexts.
The Classic Trump Media Burns Are Back, Baby!
As the kids might say, the entire interview gave peak Trump energy.
When Moran pushed Trump on the controversial case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a reputed MS-13 gang member whose return the Supreme Court ordered the administration to “facilitate”—Trump swatted back with a classic Trumpism:
“I picked you because frankly, I never heard of you.”
There were also plenty of “fake news” comments, a staple of Trump’s media takedown arsenal.
For readers unfamiliar, Garcia is a Salvadoran national with suspected gang ties who became the subject of a contentious legal standoff involving international extradition, due process rights, and the limits of executive authority.
What We Have Here Is a Failure to Communicate
Both Trump and Moran were talking at each other, not to each other.
When Moran mischaracterized the Supreme Court’s order regarding Garcia, Trump could have made a straightforward argument: SCOTUS remanded Judge Xinis’s ruling to clarify the term “effectuate,” a legal ambiguity still unresolved.
But that wouldn’t be Trump’s style, now would it?
Instead, he pivoted to Abrego Garcia’s finger tattoos as evidence of gang affiliation. Moran took the bait—arguing over the interpretation of the tattoos rather than addressing their broader implication. Trump laid a trap, and Moran walked right into it—ultimately backing off the point entirely.
Like we said: classic Trump.
Who Do You Think “Won?”
Clearly, this interview isn’t a shining moment for Terry Moran or for modern journalism. But it also wasn’t a fine display of presidential decorum. Trump’s supporters will see defiance, dominance, and clarity. Critics will say Moran exposed red flags, questionable facts, and legal imprecision.
As political theater, though? This had everything:
Ego clashes
Agenda gymnastics
Snide digs
Legal misstatements
And most importantly: unfiltered Trump
What did you think about this interview? Is there a “winner” in your mind? Get into the comments and let us know what you think about all of this buffoonery!
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Buffoon of the Week Staff
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