Trump Defends First 100 Days: Economy, Immigration, and Ukraine -

Read Time:2 Minute, 39 Second

Oval Office, White House | 30 April,2025

President Donald Trump spoke to ABC News about his first 100 days in office. He discussed the economy, immigration, his use of power, and foreign policy. In the Oval Office interview with anchor Terry Moran, Trump talked about his immigration plans and tried to calm people’s economic worries. He also admitted that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be stalling him in Ukraine peace talks and repeatedly criticized former President Joe Biden.

Trump praised officials like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency. When asked about voter concerns over rising prices due to tariffs, Trump claimed he had delivered on his campaign promise to lower costs. He said, “They did vote for this. I ran on this message. I said we were being taken advantage of by other countries. If I didn’t act, there would’ve been a major collapse. But I’ve been wanting to fix this for years.”

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He took credit for what he said were falling prices on gasoline and groceries, especially eggs. “People blamed me for high egg prices. But it wasn’t my fault — Biden caused it. Since I got involved, egg prices have gone down 87%. And there were enough eggs for Easter,” he said.

On immigration, Trump defended his policies and said deportations were carried out carefully. He said their methods were working to stop illegal border crossings. When Moran asked if even bad people deserve legal due process, Trump responded, “They get a process, yes. But if someone comes into our country illegally, the rules are different.” When Moran mentioned Joe Rogan’s concerns about losing humanity while fighting crime, Trump said he agreed and insisted they were being careful, adding, “This country is in bad shape.”

Trump also defended his use of executive power. When asked if he was acting like an authoritarian, Trump said he was simply trying to fix a failing country. He claimed the previous administration had made the U.S. a global laughingstock and said he was “making America great again.”

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On the war in Ukraine, Trump said Putin might be stalling peace talks and suggested new penalties like banking sanctions. He believed Putin would have taken all of Ukraine if Trump hadn’t been president and said, “When I was in charge, that never would’ve happened.”

Trump discussed the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, which cut spending on foreign food programs and medical research. When asked if the department had gone too far, Trump said it had saved the country billions. He confirmed that fraud cases uncovered by the department had been referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.

Moran also asked Trump whether he was using his presidential power for personal revenge, such as removing security details from opponents and targeting law firms. Trump denied this, saying no other president had been persecuted as much as he had. He described those who targeted him as dishonest and corrupt and insisted that his actions against Biden were due to Biden’s incompetence. “That’s not a man who should be looking at highly confidential matters,” Trump said.