Former President Trump did not like being confronted with tough questions during a somewhat heated interview on Tuesday.
Trump and Bloomberg News’ John Micklethwait clashed on numerous issues during a testy interview at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday. Trump repeatedly insisted that he was doing the “weave” while being called out for his rambling answers by Micklethwait.
At one point, Trump starts talking about a potential “World War III” while answering a question on tariffs. While he kept switching between topics, Trump explained that he was doing the “weave.”
“I inherited that war. There were no wars. And, by the way, by the way, and I think it’s very important to go, you know, I call it the weave. You can call it kind of, you have the weave, as long as you end up in the right location at the end. But while we’re talking about it, we have never been so close to World War III as we are right now with what’s going on in Ukraine and Russia in the Middle East,” Trump said at one point.
“With great respect, I was asking about tariffs. You’ve gone off of that,” Micklethwait said.
Trump also pivoted from answering a question about currency to discussing French President Emmanuel Macron. He acknowledged that he switched subjects, again describing it as the “weave.”
“If I can finish, I’ll go longer if you want … You got to be able to finish a thought, because it’s very important. You know, this is big stuff we’re talking about. You can’t go that quickly,” Trump said.
“You’ve gone from the dollar to Macron,” Micklethwait noted.
“No, I’m just telling you basic…. it’s called the weave. It’s all these different things happening,” Trump said.
Earlier in the conversation, Micklethwait noted that many economists and experts have warned that high tariffs would only hurt U.S. consumers and the economy. He said that a 20 percent tariff will have “a serious effect on the overall economy.”
Trump said that he agreed that there would be a “massive” effect, but that the results would only be positive as he clashed with the moderator over the question.
“It must be hard for you to spend 25 years talking about tariffs as negative and then have somebody explain to you that you’re totally wrong,” Trump told the moderator.
The moderator also pressed Trump on whether he has talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin following reporting that he kept in contact with him after leaving the White House, but Trump did not answer the question.
“I don’t comment on that, but I will tell you that if I did, it’s a smart thing. If I’m friendly with people, if I have a relationship with people, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing in terms of a country,” Trump said.
Trump’s confrontational interview came just hours after social media users expressed concerns about whether he is fit for office following a bizarre town hall performance on Monday. After numerous medical emergencies involving the attendees interrupted the event, Trump decided to sway to music for 30 minutes instead of answering questions.
Many of his supporters made their way to the exits, but some stayed through the end. The scene was reminiscent of Trump’s winters at Mar-a-Lago, his South Florida estate, where he likes to play DJ and hold court with the wealthy members of his private club.
Finally, Trump left the stage as “Memory” from the musical “Cats” played.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
