During the 59th Super Bowl pre-game program yesterday on the FOX broadcast network, an interview with President Donald Trump was featured. It was recorded on Friday at Mar-a-Lago and conducted by FOX News’s chief anchor Bret Baier. The all-day coverage of the “big game” on FOX was expected to attract one of the largest audiences of viewers in U.S. television history, on the order of 100 million people or more. President Trump, like several of his predecessors (including Barack Obama), was therefore smart to participate.

Meanwhile, on game day, the president flew from Florida to New Orleans to be the first president in history to attend in-person a Super Bowl game. During the flight, the president, while sitting at his desk on Air Force One, met with a small gaggle of White House reporters for about 30 minutes and answered their questions.

A transcript of President Trump’s interview with Bret Baier is below, modified slightly for brevity and clarity. (Video link can be found here.)

BRET BAIER: I’m Bret Baier. We’ll send you back to the Fox team in New Orleans in just a few minutes. But now, welcome to Mar-A-Lago, the winter White House in Palm Beach, Florida. We’re pleased to be joined by the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. Mr. President, thanks for having us.

PRESIDENT DONALD PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Thank you very much.

BRET BAIER: Happy Super Bowl.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Thank you.

BRET BAIER: You know, you are going to be the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl. It’s a big day for America. Always is. What made you want to do it?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, first of all, I'm very surprised to hear that. I would have assumed many presidents came. But I think just the spirit of the country, the country has taken on a whole new life. I thought it would be a good thing for the country to have the president be at the game. 

BRET BAIER: It’s an iconic day.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. It’s an iconic day. It’s going to be a great game. Two great teams, and let’s see what happens.

BRET BAIER: It seems the first days of this administration are like a no-huddle offense. Plays going down the field one after another. There’s a long list of things you’ve already got done –

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Right.

BRET BAIER: – in three weeks. Big border policy changes, ICE crackdowns on criminals, taking biological men out of women and girls sports, big energy policy changes. So, what’s different with you and your administration? The difference between the 45th president and the 47th president?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, with the 45th, I had tremendous opposition. But I didn’t know people, and I didn’t have the kind of support that I needed. I put people in office. Some great, some really great ones, but I had some that I wouldn’t have put. I would have, you know, known better if it were a couple of years later, or if I had a little more experience in D.C.. I was a New York person, not a D.C. person. And I had a lot of opposition. I just noticed [as] I looked on the stage for the recent inauguration, and I’m looking at it’s like a who’s who of Washington. Well, if you look on the stage for the first one, it was just the opposite.

President Trump and Bret Baier during the interview broadcast on the FOX Network’s pre-Super Bowl coverage on February 9, 2025. Photo courtesy of FOX News Media.

Baier next turned the subject to DOGE, the attacks on Elon Musk, and the left’s use of the courts to stop many of President Trump’s actions.

BRET BAIER: So, some of your plays have raised some questions and had some push back. Nineteen states’ attorneys general filed a lawsuit and early Saturday a judge agreed with them to restrict Elon Musk and his government efficiency team, DOGE, from accessing Treasury Department payment and data systems. They said there was a risk of ‘irreparable harm.’ What do you make of that? And does that slow you down and what you want to do?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, I disagree with it 100%. I think it’s crazy. And we have to solve the efficiency problem. We have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse, all the things that have gone into the government. You take a look at the USAID, the kind of fraud in there.

BRET BAIER: And you have found significant things?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars of money that’s going to places where it shouldn’t be going. Where if I read a list, you’d say, this is ridiculous, and you’ve read the same list and there are many that you haven’t even seen. It’s crazy. It’s a big scam. Now there’s some good money and we can do that through, any one of a number [of departments]. I think I’d rather give it to Marco Rubio over at the State Department. Let him take care of the few good ones. So, I don’t know if it’s kickbacks or what’s going on, but the people. Look, I ran on this, and the people want me to find it. And I’ve had a great help with Elon Musk, who’s been terrific.

BRET BAIER: Bottom line, you say you trust him?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Trust Elon? Oh, he’s not gaining anything. In fact, I wonder how he can devote the time to it. He’s so into it. But I told him do that. Then I’m going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours, to go check the Department of Education. He’s going to find the same thing. Then I’m going to go to the military. Let’s check the military. We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse. But I campaigned on this, Bret.

The president’s plans for tariffs and relations with Canada and Mexico came up next.

BRET BAIER: You announced tariffs on Canada and Mexico. You immediately got action from both of them on border security and drug interdiction.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I did. A lot of action –

BRET BAIER: Is that good enough?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: – that nobody expected.

BRET BAIER: Is that good enough?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, it’s not good enough.

BRET BAIER: So more is needed in 30 days?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Something has to happen. It’s not sustainable. And I’m changing it.

BRET BAIER: You know, the [Canadian] prime Minister said this weekend to a group of Canadian businessmen. It was a private meeting. He said that your wish for Canada to be the 51st state is a, quote, ‘real thing.’ Is it a real thing?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, it is. I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada, and I’m not going to let that happen. It’s too much. Why are we paying $200 billion a year essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they’re our 51st state, I don’t mind doing it.

BRET BAIER: You said that tariff is a beautiful word. There are some signs in the market, consumer confidence that they’re a little jittery. So, if all goes to plan, when do you think families would be able to feel prices going down, groceries, energy? Or are you kind of saying to them, hang on, inflation may get worse until it gets better?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, I think we’re going to become a rich – and look, we’re not that rich right now. We owe $36 trillion. That's because we let all these nations take advantage of us. Same thing, like 200 billion with Canada. We have a deficit with Mexico of $350 billion. I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to let that happen.

The Super Bowl, sports, and bringing Americans together.

BRET BAIER: Sports has always been something that Americans rally around to come together.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah.

BRET BAIER: They really do. You won the popular vote. You won all the swing states. Have you thought about how to try to bring the country together, to reach out or to find common ground? Have you thought about that? Or how that might go?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I’d love to do it. But I would say this. We have to come together, but to come together, there’s only one thing that’s going to do it. And that’s massive success. Success will bring the country together. But it’s hard. And I say it’s hard. I just signed a bill allowing for women not to have to be punished by men in sports. In other words, men are not going to be allowed to play in sports against women. It’s ridiculous.

BRET BAIER:  You’re a sports guy, you're a football fan. Size up these two teams.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I’m a big fan of both teams. They’re sort of different. In Philadelphia, you have one of the greatest running backs. Saquon, you know Saquon had an uncle who was a great fighter. Great fighter. And Iran Barkley his name was. So, you have a great running back. You really have a great quarterback. The other team? The quarterback really knows how to win. He’s a great, great quarterback.

BRET BAIER: So, game prediction?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I hate to do it. I just say that I’ve watched this great quarterback who has, by the way, a phenomenal wife. Okay. She's a Trump fan. She’s a MAGA fan. So, I happen to love her okay? But she’s a great person. I watched her being interviewed. I said, well, boy pretty good. But she’s great and he’s great. I guess you have to say that when a quarterback wins as much as he’s won, I have to go with Kansas City. I have to go with Kansas City. At the same time, Philadelphia has a fantastic – it’s going to be just a great game.

BRET BAIER: Finally, listen, you are the most recognized person in the world, likely the most imitated person in the world. Every comedian has a Donald Trump imitation. Everyone. But now you have UFC fighters winning fights, NFL players doing the Trump dance.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah.

BRET BAIER: Did you ever think that was going to be a thing?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, I didn’t. I mean we do these rallies. They’ve always been great, but they got really great. And it’s just, I don’t know what it is. I try and walk off sometimes without dancing, and I can’t. I have to dance because it’s just got something special about it.

BRET BAIER: Mr. President, thanks for the time. Enjoy the game.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Thank you very much.

Before returning the FOX broadcast network’s coverage to the pre-game show, Baier announced that more of his interview with President Trump will run on Special Report, the hour long newscast he anchors tonight on the FOX News channel at 6 PM ET.

BRET BAIER: You can see the rest of the interview on a host of other topics on Special Report Monday on Fox News Channel. In the meantime, we'll send it back to our Fox team in New Orleans after a short break after a short break to the kickoff of Super Bowl 59.

Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran reporter and a long time contributor to American Thinker. His Web page is peter.media. His X/Twitter is @pchowka. His YouTube channel is youtube.com/@petercmedia.