THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE (April 28, 2025): The latest issue features “I Run The Country and The World” – Donald Trump explains his victory and his plan…

1. “I run the country and the world”

Asked how his second term so far differed from his first, Trump said: “The first time, I had two things to do — run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys.”

• “And the second time, I run the country and the world,” he added.
• “I’m having a lot of fun, considering what I do … You know, what I do is such serious stuff.”

2. A third term “would be a big shattering”

Of a potential 2028 run, Trump told the magazine it “would be a big shattering.”

• He continued, “Well, maybe I’m just trying to shatter.” But Trump added, “It’s not something that I’m looking to do. And I think it would be a very hard thing to do.”
• That follows his comments from last month, when said he is “not joking” about a third term,

Reality check: Trump launching a bid for a third term wouldn’t just shatter norms — it would violate the 22nd amendment.

• Meanwhile, the Trump Organization has started selling “Trump 2028” hats.

3. The billionaire class’ “higher level of respect”

The billionaire class has largely bowed to Trump in his second term. He described the mega-rich taking a friendlier posture as “just a higher level of respect.”

• “I don’t know … Maybe they didn’t know me at the beginning, and they know me now,” he continued.