5 takeaways from Trump's combative Time interview

Driving the news: Trump was unapologetic across the board: on prolonging the Iran war, resisting AI regulation and threatening to "go after" Democrats if they win the House.

• The interview was historic, too, as it was Trump's 56th appearance on a Time cover, "surpassing President Richard Nixon, who held the record for more than half a century," the magazine says.

Here are five takeaways.

Trump on Iran:

Trump was defiant when asked why the war in Iran had stretched longer than the timeline he originally floated, telling Time, "I could have stopped then, but I wanted to go further."

• He said the press "fed" Americans his initial prediction of attacks lasting around four to six weeks, a timeline he gave to multiple outlets at the start of the war. He also repeatedly suggested the war was almost over.

He reiterated the threat he made before the UN General Assembly that he may "annihilate" Iran.

• Pressed to square that with the assertion that he's the president of peace, Trump replied, "by annihilating Iran, we've created peace in the world."
• He also said it's "possible" he'd ramp up bombing after the midterms, disputing Pentagon reports of a munitions shortfall.

Trump on Netanyahu reelection:

Trump sidestepped questions about whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be reelected in Israel, with the election just weeks away.

• He said he was "not involved in politics anymore" but touted his popularity in Israel.
• Pressed again, Trump applauded U.S. support for Israel, saying, "No, my primary thing—I do want to help them defend Israel."

On Netanyahu's leading opposition candidate and former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, Trump said, "I don't hear bad things about him."

• But he added, "people have written off Bibi [Netanyahu] many, many times, just like they've written off me many, many times. I wouldn't underestimate Bibi."

Trump on the AI race and superintelligence:

Trump continued to brush aside concerns about AI's threat to humanity as "phony threats."

• Asked by Time who's behind that conspiracy, Trump replied, "The whole country is based on fake stuff because these people have Trump derangement syndrome."

He said he didn't know if that included Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who dined with the president on Sunday.

• The president said his "guardrail" if top AI labs "do bad things" is federal law enforcement: "I have a DOJ, I have an FBI."

Trump also championed the data centers powering the AI boom, despite widespread opposition.

• "I would like to have data centers," he said. "It doesn't mean I want them right next to my house, but certainly I like them in my county."
• He acknowledged "so many politicians are against them," but warned, "If we don't build them, they'll be built someplace else."

Trump pressed on the media ban, coverage:

After banning three media outlets from the White House — and being ordered by a judge to reinstate them, Trump continued to blast "fake news" for what he called "bad story after bad story."

• It comes as the White House once again dropped CNN from the press pool covering the president's trip to Texas and Oklahoma Thursday.

He also lashed out at Time for the questions they asked him, saying in response to an inquiry about Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) health, "You haven't asked me one f--king positive question."

• He ended the interview by saying, "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."

How Trump views Democrats

Trump told Time that he doesn't think Democrats will take control of Congress after the midterms — especially if he campaigns.

• "I think we'll do okay if I campaign, and I intend to. If I campaign … you don't give me enough credit. When I campaign, I give people a lot."

If Democrats win the House, Trump predicted: "They'll probably go after me and I'll go after them."

• There was at least one Democrat Trump was willing to praise: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. "I say I like him, I think he's great, but I think his policies are crazy."

Go deeper: How Trump's signature issue fell off voters' radar