To call Donald Trump’s Time interview ‘word salad’ would be an insult to words …and salads – 19 stunned reactions

Donald Trump sat down with Time to give a wide-ranging interview, in which they asked him about AI, his alterations to the White House, the upcoming midterm elections, and the economy, to name just a few topics.

His responses were erratic, and he either didn’t hear or couldn’t understand some of the points put to him, leading people to question his fitness for office. So, just another Thursday, then.

For example, they asked him about Open AI’s Sam Altman. He told them he has a high IQ because his uncle was a professor at MIT.

TRUMP: Did you see the story about my uncle?

TIME: The one who taught at MIT?

TRUMP: I have the highest of IQs. I have the highest. pic.twitter.com/0x1NxEW2zQ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 1, 2026

Time wanted to talk about the Iran War. He responded by ranting about Kaitlin Collins.

Trump is asked about the war in Iran by Time magazine. His reply:

"What's the purpose of like this crazy Kaitlin Collins?" She's a very average person. She's the most unhappy young person I've ever seen."https://t.co/Xx5SWv5gNd

— Tim Miller (@Timodc) October 1, 2026

Trump practically spat venom at them for not asking him about Venezuela – shortly after they’d asked him about Venezuela.

Trump snaps at @TIME's reporters:

"You haven't asked me one fucking positive question."

(He then claims they never asked him about Venezuela, which they did.) pic.twitter.com/2CXSA41wTw

— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) October 1, 2026

Aaron Rupar advised people to read the full (and free) transcript of the interview, to understand how bad things have got with the man in charge of the most powerful (for now, at least) country in the world.

I recommend people read Time's interview with Trump to get a sense of the president's grave cognitive impairment. Trump is either unwilling or unable (or maybe both) to answer the questions he's actually asked, so he just rants and raves while the interviewers do their best to…

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 1, 2026

We doubt anyone was completely surprised by his incoherence, but they still had some thoughts on the matter.