In an unexpected turn of events, President Donald Trump revealed that he would soon be sitting down for an interview with the Atlantic, the magazine at the center of Pete Hegseth's damning Signal scandal after its editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, had been mistakenly included in a chat where secret war plans were being discussed.
"I am doing this interview out of curiosity," Trump claimed on Truth Social, "and as a competition with myself, just to see if it’s possible for The Atlantic to be 'truthful.'"
Right, ok.
Well, in my view, there are two ways to see this surprising sit-down. First, as a testament to how much Trump, deep down, desperately craves the approval of legacy media. Second, as a hint that Hegseth, despite the display of defiance earlier this week, may soon be out. Either way, I can't imagine that this interview will end up benefiting Trump or make him look smart, like the president likely hopes it will.
But I wonder what Hegseth thinks of it. I certainly would be anxious if I were him! At least the defense secretary can rest easy knowing he'll look beautiful for the next scandal—or ouster.
—Inae Oh
