Editor’s note: Commentators are expressing concern about a Time cover story by Eric Cortellessa in which our commander-in-chief’s mind appears to wander. Maybe, they’re saying, the old bird is losing his marbles.
But we’ve been through this before. What Trump-Derangement-Syndrome-addled philistines fail to grasp is that our president is a poet. As Trump explained two years ago, he applies a rhetorical technique called “the weave,” about which “friends of mine that are, like English professors, they say, ‘It’s the most brilliant thing I’ve ever seen.’”
In October 2024, we published a digital chapbook of these Trump weavings as found verse, drawing from the campaign trail. Here we publish a sequel, drawing this time from the Time transcript.
MSDNC
I do respect the free press
But I don’t respect fake news.
I’ll give you an example.
CNN and MSDNC—
Which is MS Now—
They changed the name because it does so poorly.
But I won the election. I won it handily
By massive numbers.
I won the popular vote.
I won all seven swing states.
They said if you won three swing states,
I won all seven.
I won the counties.
It’s very important,
86 percent popular vote.
Everything, and very conclusively,
I haven’t had a good story
You say,:
“What’s the purpose of like this crazy Kaitlan Collins?”
She’s a very average person.
She’s the most unhappy young person
I’ve ever seen.
Saudi Arabia
I’ve done a lot for
Saudi Arabia.
I protect
Saudi Arabia.
If I weren’t president
Saudi Arabia
Wouldn’t be here right now.
Neither would Israel.
They’d be wiped off the face of the planet.
I do a lot for
Saudi Arabia.
My relationship with them
Is very good.
I like the crown prince.
My relationship
Is very good.
But remember:
If I weren’t here,
There wouldn’t be a
Saudi Arabia.
There wouldn’t be an
Israel.
There wouldn’t be
Various other countries also.
