Axios reporter breaks down interview with Trump on lessons from Iran war, Israel relations and more

[0:00] President Trump sat down with Axios reporter and CBS News contributor Mark Caputo after [0:04] returning from the G7 summit. I spoke with Mark about his conversation with the president. Please [0:08] listen. You asked the president an important question about power and whether any limits [0:13] he perceives. Let's play it. What have you learned about not just the exercise of power, [0:19] but the limits on your power as a result of the conflict? There are no limits. No limits. No, not [0:24] I haven't learned that lesson yet. I know there are, but you know, there are no limits. Was he [0:30] serious in your evaluation with the answer? I think he was, you know, just it's typical Trump, [0:36] right? In fact, you can almost see my shoulder giggle a little thinking like, [0:41] well, that's actually kind of funny because I did not expect him to say, [0:45] not only are there no limits are like, I'm sure they're out there. I just haven't encountered them. [0:49] And yeah, he surely believes that. Now he has encountered his limits though in the Iran war. [0:54] That's just beyond a doubt, but he's just not going to admit it. He's not going to admit it. [0:57] Yeah. You also asked him about the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel writ large, [1:05] and what may or may not happen that is possibly uncomfortable between the two nations in the [1:11] not too distant future. Let's listen to that. If it weren't for Donald Trump and Bibi Netanyahu [1:16] worked well with me, but he will tell you, we're the ones with the guns. We're the ones with the whole [1:21] deal. We're the ones with the B-2 bombers, et cetera. If it weren't for Donald Trump, Israel [1:28] would have been eviscerated. Your relationship with Netanyahu's... [1:33] It's good, but we have to keep them a little bit sane. [1:38] Are you going to be able to control Israel from attacking Lebanon? [1:43] Yeah. I will be. I mean, I wonder. They have a lot of respect for me, [1:48] and they do as I say. Mark, you know what I do. There are three things in there [1:55] that the president said that are pretty important and will resonate in Israel for quite some time. [2:02] Essentially, the implication that without America and without him leading America, [2:06] Israel's sovereignty and existence may not be guaranteed, which I think the Israelis would [2:10] take as a possible affront. Second, Bibi Netanyahu without President Trump can be insane, too. Last, [2:21] they will do as I say. Whoa. That's a lot, man. [2:26] It's a lot. I detect and I have gotten indications, I'm being very cautious and careful with my words, [2:36] from advisors to Trump who say that, while they haven't asked him this because they wouldn't dare, [2:42] they suspect that if Donald Trump had a time machine or if back on February 28th he had the [2:49] ability of foresight, he would not have gone into war the way he did against Iran. Now, [2:55] this is just their suspicion, their guess, their feeling. And my feeling is that deep inside of [3:02] Trump there's a little bit of resentment to Netanyahu, who was a leading proponent for this [3:07] action. So leading. Yeah. Don't get me wrong. I think it's wrong to say that if Netanyahu didn't [3:13] exist, Trump would have never done this. I think Trump probably would have. But Netanyahu was a major [3:20] proponent of this war, a major marketer of selling how easy it's going to be. In the opening days of [3:27] the conflict, according to my colleague, Barack Ravid, who writes extensively both stateside and [3:35] from Israeli politics side, that Netanyahu thought that this would be over very quickly. [3:41] And that was sold to the president. Now, the CIA had its own assessments that the president bought. [3:48] But deep inside, I think what you're hearing from Trump is a sense of like, [3:52] I got sold a bill of goods here. Would you go so far as to say buyer's remorse? [3:58] I think he wouldn't admit it. But again, in my conversations with people who know his thinking, [4:04] that's probably deeply buried in there. Anything else from the interview that struck [4:08] you that we did not play? Just the general sense of relief that Trump had. And understand that when [4:14] I talked to Trump, he had just flown back from Europe. He had only two hours of sleep tops. He's 80. [4:22] Like I would have just been a mess. He, he nevertheless has carried this positive sense [4:30] that the sense of relief that he's found a way out. And that's, I, and that's evidenced by the [4:36] fact that in the interview, you'll see, we have the full interview at Axios.com. He talks about [4:43] stock markets up, right? Oil is down. And then he says at one point, this great line, he says, [4:48] he's like, it's a gusher as if he's discovered an oil field. Right. And, and I think that sort of [4:53] gusher symbolism or imagery sort of symbolizes how he feels about this, like this sort of release. [5:00] One man's gusher is another man's off ramp. Mark Caputo, Axios. Great stuff as always. [5:05] Thank you. I appreciate it.