Trump speaks to New York Times in Oval Office on Venezuela, NATO and arms control

President Trump spoke with four New York Times reporters for nearly two hours in an Oval Office interview on Jan. 11, 2026, addressing his view of presidential power and a range of foreign policy topics including Venezuela, NATO, Greenland and the future of U.S.-Russia arms agreements.

The Times said the reporters were with the president for roughly four hours in total, which included a roughly 55-minute off-the-record call with Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro and a walk-through of parts of the West Wing. Several others were present in the room during the on-the-record interview, which the paper published as a lightly edited transcript.

Mr. Trump defended the U.S. operation in Venezuela as a response to what he described as threats from drugs and migration and denied that oil was the primary motive, while acknowledging that barrels of oil were taken. He said the only personal check on his willingness to use force would be his own morality and repeatedly framed his actions as aimed at keeping the United States safe; he also said he rebuilt the military and pressed NATO allies to increase spending.

On arms control, he said the last U.S.-Russia treaty is set to expire in about four weeks and that he would prefer a new agreement possibly involving China, while differing with reporters on whether China had ruled out joining an extension. Several matters remain unresolved in the transcript: Mr.

Key Topics

Politics, Donald Trump, Venezuela, Nato, Gustavo Petro, Delcy Rodríguez