Trump Fires Back at TIME: “You Haven’t Asked Me One F***ing Positive Question”

President Donald Trump clashed with TIME magazine during a wide-ranging White House interview, accusing the publication of focusing almost entirely on negative subjects and failing to highlight what he described as his administration’s accomplishments.

The tense exchange came after TIME reporters asked Trump whether Senator Mitch McConnell should resign because of concerns surrounding the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican’s health.

Instead of directly answering the question, Trump shifted to a discussion of presidential pardons and former President Joe Biden’s use of clemency.

Trump then turned his criticism toward the interview itself.

“You haven’t asked me one f***ing positive question,” Trump told the TIME reporters, according to the published transcript.

He continued by pointing to several issues he believed deserved more attention, including renovations to the White House, his administration’s foreign-policy actions and what he described as accomplishments involving Venezuela.

TIME pushed back, noting that Venezuela had already been discussed earlier in the interview. Trump nevertheless continued to argue that the questioning was overwhelmingly negative.

The exchange reflected a broader dispute Trump has repeatedly raised with news organizations over how his presidency is covered. During the interview, he accused several media outlets of producing what he called “bad stories” and argued that coverage should be fair rather than necessarily favorable.

The TIME interview covered far more than media relations. Trump discussed the ongoing conflict involving Iran, U.S. relations with Israel and Saudi Arabia, artificial intelligence, the Federal Reserve, the Supreme Court and the upcoming midterm elections.

On Iran, Trump said he could have ended the conflict earlier but chose to continue military action. He also reiterated his position that Iran should not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

Trump was also asked about Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, whom he appointed during his first term. He said he regretted the nominations because the justices had ruled against him too often, while adding that he wants “good decisions” from Supreme Court justices.

The interview comes just weeks before the 2026 midterm elections and provides a broad look at Trump’s current positions on foreign policy, the courts, AI, the economy and his relationship with the media.

TIME published the full, lightly edited transcript of the interview alongside its coverage of the conversation.