Donald Trump's BBC interview in full and the story behind it

12 snips

Jul 15, 2025

Former President Donald Trump discusses his surprising phone interview with Gary O'Donoghue from the BBC, both waking him up and stirring political conversations. Trump reveals his complicated feelings about Putin, exclaiming he trusts 'almost nobody.' He talks of sending weapons to Ukraine while warning about potential tariffs on Russia. The conversation also touches on his support for NATO and the impact of a recent assassination attempt on his perspective. Humorous anecdotes illustrate the unpredictable nature of interviewing a sitting president.

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ANECDOTE

Unexpected Early Interview Call

Gary O'Donoghue was asleep when the White House unexpectedly called him for a Trump interview.
He accidentally hung up on Trump but was quickly called back to complete the almost 20-minute conversation.

INSIGHT

Impact of Assassination Reporting

Reporting from the assassination attempt scene changed MAGA supporters' views on the BBC.
Gary's eyewitness interviews helped the BBC gain respect among a previously skeptical audience.

INSIGHT

Trump's Spontaneous Calls Strategy

Donald Trump uses surprise phone calls to journalists as part of his communication style.
This method helps him control his messaging effectively and act as a non-politician politician.

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Adam Fleming from Newscast speaks to the BBC's Chief North America Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue about his exclusive interview with Donald Trump. It happened by phone call, waking Gary up in his apartment as he was asleep.

Donald Trump told Gary that he is disappointed but not done with Vladimir Putin. The US president was pressed on whether he trusts the Russian leader, and replied: "I trust almost nobody." Trump was speaking hours after he announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned of severe tariffs on Russia if there was no ceasefire deal in 50 days. In an interview from the Oval Office, the president also endorsed Nato, having once described it as obsolete, and affirmed his support for the organisation's common defence principle.

The president made the phone call, which lasted 20 minutes, to the BBC after conversations about a potential interview to mark one year on since the attempt on his life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Asked about whether surviving the assassination attempt had changed him, Trump said he liked to think about it as little as possible.

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