As it aired: the Trump pregame interview on FOX

the United States Donald J Trump Mr President thanks for having us thank you very much Happy Super Bowl thank you 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 well first of all I'm very surprised to hear that I would have assumed many president came but uh I think just the spirit of the country the country's 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 it's an iconic day it's an iconic day it's going to be a great game two great teams and uh let's see what happens you know it seems the first days of this Administration are like a no huddle offense you know plays going down the field one after another there's a long list of things you've already got done in three weeks big border policy changes ice crackdowns on criminals taking uh biological men out of women and girl Sports big energy policy changes so what's different with you and your Administration the

difference between the 45th president and the the 47th president 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 if I had a little more experience in DC I was a New York person not a DC person uh and I had a lot of opposition I just noticed that

I looked on the stage for the recent inauguration and I'm looking 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 so some of your your plays have raised some questions and had some push backs U 19 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 no I disagree with it 100% I think it's crazy and uh we have to solve the efficiency problem we have to solve the fraud waste abuse all the things that have gone in the government you take a look at the US Aid the kind of fraud in there where the going well 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

lists 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 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 bottom line you say you trust

him 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 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 Brett you announced uh tariffs on Canada and Mexico you immediately

got action from both of them on border security and Drug interdiction I did a lot of action expected good enough no it's not good enough so more needed in 30 days something has to happen it's not sustainable and I'm changing it you know the Prime Minister said this weekend to a group of Canadian businessmen he was a private meeting he said um that your wish for Canada to be the 51st state is a quote real thing is it a real thing yeah it is I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state

because we lose $200 billion doll 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 51st state I don't mind doing it you said the Tariff is a beautiful word there are some signs in the markets 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 no I think we're going to become a rich 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 300 we have a deficit with Mexico of $350 billion I'm not going to do that I'm not going to let that happen Sports has always been something that Americans rally around to come together they really do uh 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 I'd love to do it but uh I would say this we have to uh 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 you're a sports guy you're a football fan size up these two teams I'm a big fan of both teams they're sort of different uh in Philadelphia you have one of the greatest running backs saquan you know saquan 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 is a great great quarterback so game prediction I 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 mega fan so I happen to love her okay but she's a great person I watched her being interview I said well that's pretty good uh but she's great and he's great I guess you have to say that when a quarterback wins as much as is one I have to go with Kansas City I have to go with Kansas City at the same time uh Philadelphia has a fantastic it's going to

be just a great game finally listen you are the most recognized person in in the world likely the most imitated person in the world every comedian has Donald Trump imitation everyone but now you have UFC fighters winning fights NFL players doing the Trump dance yeah did you ever think that was going to be a thing 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 Mr President thanks for the time thank you very much enjoy the game 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 to the kickoff of Super Bowl 59