President Donald Trump’s rambling on Fox News appeared so erratic that he was abruptly cut off during an appearance on his favored network.
During an appearance on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Trump, 79, ricocheted across topics, including his newly announced blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, renaming the Gulf of Mexico “The Gulf of Trump,” election fraud claims, and fresh attacks on NATO allies.
As Trump launched into a tirade against countries—including the United Kingdom and Germany—for “not being there” for the United States after it launched a surprise war on Iran in coordination with Israel, Bartiromo appeared to step in.
“Mr. President we want to respect your time,” said Bartiromo, cutting the president off mid-rant as he gloated that Venezuela is making “more money” than it ever has after his surprise kidnapping of the country’s leader in January.
“I know how busy you are this morning, and I know that we will have part two of this interview this week at the White House. So I want to thank you so much for calling in and breaking all of this news this morning, sir,” Bartiromo continued.
“I will see you this upcoming week in the Oval Office, sir, for part two of our interview, when we discuss the broader issues and the impact on the economy…Thank you, Mr. President.”
Bartiromo also appeared taken aback at other points in the interview, including when she asked whether oil and gas prices would fall ahead of the midterm elections, which are expected to produce dire results for Republicans.
“I hope so, I mean, I think so. It could be, it could be or the same or maybe a little bit higher,” Trump responded, as Bartiromo’s eyes widened in apparent surprise. Trump’s war in Iran has already driven up prices across the country and, in turn, rattled the global economy. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for additional insight.
Still, the Fox host readily agreed when Trump turned to election conspiracies, one of his favorite subjects.
“Under Biden, who was an incompetent president, he was grossly incompetent,” Trump began. “Look, the election was rigged. You know that. I know that. Everybody knows that now, and it’s all come out and it’s coming out,” to which Bartiromo, 58, appeared to respond, “yup.” The Daily Beast has reached out to Fox News for comment.
After being falsely accused of rigging the 2020 election, Dominion, a voting technology company, settled a defamation lawsuit with Fox News for $787.5 million in 2023.
Bartiromo also pressed Trump on a Truth Social post earlier in the week in which he warned that “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran did not reopen the Strait—a threat that did not materialize as ceasefire talks ultimately collapsed on Saturday.
“Mr. President, you were criticized for this tweet because you said a whole civilization will die tonight. What do you want to say about that?” Bartiromo asked.
“I’m fine with it,” he replied.
