Trump unloads on the state of the world in controversial appearance on the Lex Fridman podcast
Donald Trump has ramped up his online election campaign with another candid appearance on an independent podcast, this time appearing for a one-hour interview with popular host Lex Fridman.
Trump already shook the internet last week when his surprise interview with comedian Theo Von dropped out of nowhere. The appearances have shown a more reserved side to the former US President, even though the subject matter he dwells on is rife with controversy, and often baseless.
In his latest sit-down with Fridman, Trump got into everything from Jeffrey Epstein to his belief that humanity could face the threat of WWIII, given the current state of geopolitics.
‘There’s a great possibility of WWIII’
When it comes to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Trump claims he has a plan to propose a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Years after being accused of having ties with Russian election interferers, Trump boldly claimed he had a “good relationship” with Putin and promised to end his “special military campaign” if he is re-elected in November.
“I wouldn’t talk about it too much. But I think I can make a deal as President-elect,” he said.
“I’ll have a deal made, guaranteed.
“It’s a terrible thing, that is a war that should never have happened.
“When this irons out, I think the death numbers are going to be a lot higher than people think. When you take a look at the destruction and buildings coming down all over the place in Ukraine … they lie about the numbers. They try to keep them low.” The actual death toll of Ukraine war is hazy at best. In May, France estimated Russia had lost at least 150,000 troops since the February 2022 invasion.
Some 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives, alongside 11,500 civilians with approximately 24,000 wounded.
“The world is a rough place right now and a lot of it is the fact America has no leadership,” Trump continued.
“We have to get Ukraine done (end the war). That could end up in a Third World War.
“There is a lot of danger in the world right now and there’s a great possibility of WWIII.”
Trump said he didn’t want to reveal his self-described “grand plans” at achieving peace across the globe, despite the fact it is one of the major points he is using to drive his campaign.
“Here’s the problem. If I tell you how, and I’d love to do it, but if I give you plans, I’m not going to be able to use them,” he said.
“Part of it is surprise.”
Promising polls for Harris just a ‘honeymoon period’: Trump
Trump went on to fire shots at presidential election opponent Kamala Harris and the quality of her election campaign, accusing the vice-president of only engaging in “softball interviews” with major left-leaning news platforms.
He has criticised Harris for refusing to do off-the-cuff interviews and has clearly gone all-in on the idea that podcasts will reach more voters sitting on the fence.
“She couldn’t do an interview. This is an interview where they gave her multiple-choice questions. I think she did very poorly,” he said.
“She was a joke until about six weeks ago when they felt they had to pick her.”
When asked about the division in America, which social media has in some part exacerbated, Trump claimed the only way to create unity was to remove Biden and Harris from the White House.
He described Harris’ jump in the polls as a “honeymoon period” and told US voters “we have a chance to save this country”.
The latest broad polling figures from the US suggest 48 per cent of voters will tick the Harris box, with 45 per cent choosing Trump. Harris has had a major boost in popularity ever since Biden dropped out of the election race but at this stage the numbers are very fluid.
Trump ‘will release infamous Epstein list’
The former President also commented on Jeffery Epstein, as millions call for the release of the disgraced financier’s client list, which would, it’s speculated, criminalise several influential individuals still alive today.
Trump said he’d have no problem with making those details public.
“I never went to his island, fortunately, but a lot of people did,” he said.
“It’s very interesting, isn’t it? It probably will be [released]. I’d certainly take a look at it.”
Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges related to procuring a child for prostitution, serving 18 months in jail. In 2019, he was arrested again on allegations of sexually abusing multiple young girls, but he was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August that year, with his death ruled a suicide.
Unsealed court documents from January this year linked to a defamation suit revealed over 170 individuals with ties to Epstein.
Fridman, who has interviewed several influential people in recent years including Elon Musk, Joe Rogan and Mark Zuckerberg, fended off comments from fans who thought he was using his platform to bolster Trump’s election campaign.
“It’s been disappointing to see where you’ve taken such a great podcast to,” one disgruntled listener said.
Some said Fridman shied away from grilling Trump over his alleged illegal activity and said instead chose topics related to his campaign.
“It’s probably not Lex’s fault, but this interview was completely pointless,” one person wrote under Fridman’s Instagram post.
But others applauded the podcast for playing an essential part of the election process, calling for Harris to do more long-form interviews on her policies.
“It should be required for presidential candidates to do long-form interviews,” one person wrote.
“Say what you want about Trump, but these long-form interviews are how we should be hearing from every candidate.”
