Remembering a friend
Trump opened by talking about Graham, and it wasn’t the usual polished political tribute. The two men famously clashed during the 2016 Republican primary, when Graham was one of the loudest Republican voices arguing against a Trump nomination. But somewhere along the way, that rivalry turned into one of the tighter working relationships in Washington.
“He was a great guy, a great politician,” Trump said. “People don’t understand he was able to bring people together. If I needed a Democrat, he could usually produce that Democrat… It ended up being a great friendship, he was like a member of the family.”
Trump talked about the two of them driving around golf courses together — Graham’s favorite way to unwind — using the time to hash out foreign policy and defense strategy away from the cameras. He credited Graham with playing a key legislative role during his first term, particularly in securing funding to rebuild the military, capability the administration is now leaning on heavily in dealing with Iran.
Eyes on Pickaxe Mountain
From there, the conversation shifted to the Middle East. Trump confirmed that both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were in Washington — both there for Graham’s memorial, but also for meetings at the White House. Asked about reports of Israeli intelligence tracking underground construction at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain site near Natanz, Trump sounded unbothered.
“We have the greatest cameras in the world and know what is going on,” he said, adding that Space Force assets are tracking activity there in real time. “I know what’s going on at Pickaxe Mountain, not a big problem. We took out their nuclear sites and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe Mountain if they don’t make a deal.”
He also touched on the broader picture in the Gulf, saying American naval presence has effectively cut off illicit shipping routes Iran has relied on. His bottom line on negotiations hasn’t changed: Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon, and talks move fast or they don’t happen at all.
“You can’t bribe them, you have to beat them — and we’re beating the hell out of them,” Trump said, arguing that Iran’s air defenses, radar systems, and manufacturing capacity have all been significantly degraded. He added that he’d prefer not to hit civilian infrastructure like bridges and power plants, but that option stays on the table if Tehran won’t commit to giving up its nuclear program.
Fauci’s diaries surface
The interview also touched on newly surfaced private journal entries from former NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci, now getting attention ahead of congressional hearings. Trump pointed to what he described as a gap between Fauci’s public messaging during COVID and what was reportedly written in private.
He circled back to his own approach during the pandemic — leaving decisions to governors instead of imposing a single federal mandate, while pushing Operation Warp Speed to move vaccines, ventilators, and treatments out the door quickly. States that kept their economies open through that period, he argued, came out the other side in better shape.
A strong economy, by his account
Trump closed on the economy, pointing to record highs in the stock market and 401(k) balances as signs his tariff strategy is paying off. He cited new semiconductor manufacturing investment in Arizona and Toyota shifting more production onto U.S. soil as direct results of the pressure those tariffs have put on foreign manufacturers.
“These tariffs have made this country a fortune, made the country rich,” Trump said, framing domestic production as the real path to economic independence rather than relying on trade deals with other countries. “We have the hottest car business, we’re building more car plants… When this gets done, there’s nothing to compete.”
It was a lot of ground covered in one interview — grief, geopolitics, and economics all in the same conversation. But the throughline, at least from Trump’s telling, was consistent: strength abroad, independence at home, and loyalty to the people who helped build it.
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