FACT CHECK: Trump's 'New York Times' Interview On Russia, Taxes, Health Care And More
In an impromptu 30-minute interview with the New York Times on Thursday, President Trump said 16 different times that there has been "no collusion" proved in the Russia investigation. Trump also asserted he will win re-election in 2020 because the media need him for ratings and made inaccurate claims about his role in the Alabama Senate race, the state of the Affordable Care Act and more.
As for that special counsel investigation, while some Trump allies have actively tried to undermine the Mueller probe, in the interview Trump hewed closely to what his own lawyers have been saying. "I think that Bob Mueller will be fair, and everybody knows that there was no collusion," Trump said.
According to the Times, there were no aides on hand as Trump spoke with reporter Michael S. Schmidt about a wide range of topics in the Grill Room at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla. The president didn't conduct a traditional end-of-year news conference, so this interview offers a look at what Trump is thinking as he heads into 2018.
NPR reporters and editors have combed through the interview excerpts transcribed by the Times. Their annotations follow.
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Russia investigation
Defining collusion: "There is no collusion, and even if there was, it's not a crime."
NPR's Ryan Lucas: When people say "collusion," they're generally using it in a colloquial sense to refer to secret coordination that would include criminal conduct. But Trump is right — collusion is not a crime. However, there's another C-word that comes into play here — "conspiracy" — and that is a crime. Now, it depends on how Mueller's investigation shakes out, but there are a few possible conspiracy charges that could come into play in the special counsel's probe. One is conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and another is a more general conspiracy charge: to defraud the United States.
Special counsel's fairness: "No, it doesn't bother me because I hope that he's going to be fair. I think that he's going to be fair. And based on that [inaudible]. There's been no collusion. But I think he's going to be fair. And if he's fair — because everybody knows the answer already, Michael. I want you to treat me fairly. O.K.?"
: President Trump's description of the investigation closely mirrors that of White House special counsel Ty Cobb's. "I think it's been highly professionally done," Cobb said of the investigation . "And I think they have moved.
