President Donald Trump rejected the notion that Americans harbor concerns about the economy during a Monday night interview with Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham, calling polling data that suggests otherwise fraudulent.
When Ingraham asked why people report feeling anxious about the economic situation, Trump responded with skepticism.
“I don’t know that they are saying that,” the president stated. “I think the polls are fake.”
The president went on to tout the current state of the nation’s finances.
“We have the greatest economy we’ve ever had,” Trump added during the interview.
The conversation between Trump and the Ingraham Angle host touched on multiple contentious topics beyond economic indicators.
The exchange grew particularly tense when discussing foreign student policies and international relations.
Ingraham challenged Trump on his administration’s policy of allowing Chinese students to study in the United States. She questioned how permitting 600,000 Chinese students into the country aligned with what she called a “pro-MAGA position.”
Trump defended the policy by pointing to its broader implications for American education.
“You don’t want to cut half the people, half the students from all over the world that are coming into our country, destroy our entire university and college system,” Trump said.
“I don’t want to do that.”
The president then asserted his authority on defining his political movement.
“MAGA was my idea. I know what MAGA wants better than anybody else, and MAGA wants to see our country thrive,” he stated.
When Ingraham raised security concerns about Chinese students, noting that they “spy on us, they steal our intellectual property,” and contrasting them with students from France, Trump offered an unexpected comparison.
“You think the French are better?” Trump asked about America’s first ally. “Really? I’ll tell you, I’m not so sure.”
“We’ve had a lot of problems with the French, where we get taxed very unfairly on our technology.”
The president continued defending China when Ingraham mentioned a Chinese diplomat’s controversial statement about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi being beheaded over her comments regarding Taiwan.
“Well, a lot of our allies aren’t our friends either,” Trump said. “A lot of our allies took advantage of us on trade more than China did.”
The interview began with discussion of the ongoing government shutdown, which has stretched to six weeks as the Senate approaches a critical vote. Earlier that day, Trump had announced consequences for air traffic controllers who called in sick, per the Daily Mail, threatening docked pay while promising $10,000 bonuses to those who remained on duty.
“Look, life is not so easy for anybody,” Trump said. “We should not have had people leaving their jobs.”
When pressed about funding sources for the promised bonuses, the president offered a vague response. “I don’t know,” Trump answered. “I’ll get it from some place.”
The conversation also addressed MAGA criticism of Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte’s proposal to have government-owned Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back 50-year mortgages.
Trump downplayed the significance of the change while noting he “inherited” the housing crisis.
“It’s not even a big deal. I mean, you go from 40 to 50 years,” Trump said, prompting Ingraham to correct him that 30-year mortgages are the current standard.
“All it means is you pay less per month, you pay over a longer period of time. It’s not like a big factor. It might help a little bit,” the president explained.
Trump placed blame on the previous administration for current interest rate levels. He attributed the rate hikes to actions taken during the pandemic years under Biden’s watch.
Ingraham referenced recent Democratic victories in Virginia and New Jersey, where voters cited affordability as a primary concern. She asked what policy changes Republicans needed to make for voters to feel more confident about economic conditions.
Trump dismissed the electoral results and voter concerns as political manipulation. “More than anything else, it’s a con job by the Democrats,” the president said.
WATCH:
