On May 30, President Donald Trump sat down for an interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump. This, on its own, would be enough to raise questions, but the jarring imagery decorating the wall behind them made the whole setup seem even worse. As they spoke about the Iran war and other topics, the president and Lara sat in front of a portrait of the president, which critics on social media found deeply disturbing.
The interview has prompted people to compare Trump to a dictator. Journalist Aaron Rupar shared a clip from the Fox News interview on X. Rupar captioned it with, “Trump’s Fox News interview with his daughter in law is taking place in front of a giant portrait of himself. Kim Jong Un would blush.”
And people had a lot to say about it.
Trump's Fox News interview with his daughter in law is taking place in front of a giant portrait of himself. Kim Jong Un would blush. pic.twitter.com/lItBQkR05g
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 31, 2026
Of course, a lot of critics found the whole thing pretty self-obsessed, narcissistic, or even just outright weird. “His ego knows no bounds,” one critic wrote in response.
However, it also raised larger concerns. Because instead of sitting down with a reporter who might ask him questions that he doesn’t like and challenge him, he spoke to his own daughter-in-law. “Is it really an interview if it’s your daughter in law?” someone questioned on X. “Isn’t that just family time?”
And another person wrote, “Instead of talking to a journalist, talk to a family member who will not ask you any uncomfortable questions!! Why not have a recording at the breakfast table??”
The “North Korean vibes” were hard for Trump critics to miss.
Some critics think he’s clearly desperate at this point.
Is it possible that Trump is currently crashing out because of his approval ratings? Some critics seem to think so, and they see this interview as Trump desperately trying to control his image. Or, as another critic put it: “Having to be interviewed by family because you are that much of a lying snowflake a– little b—-.”
On multiple occasions, Trump has lashed out at reporters and called them “stupid” for fact-checking him or asking him questions he doesn’t like.
Trump used the conversation with Lara as an opportunity to brag about his ballroom.
At one point, he referred to his controversial ballroom project as a “gift to America,” The Independent reported. He clarified that this supposed gift is “from me, and from Apple, and from lots of great people and companies.”
He emphasized that he won’t have much time to use it himself, but claimed that other presidents will be using it for “200 years.”
Trump also spoke to his daughter-in-law about the Iran war. He said he’s in “no hurry” to make a peace deal. “Slowly but surely, we’re getting, I think, what we want,” he said. “I’d like to say I’m in a hurry, because you know what, gasoline prices are going to come tumbling down, but if you’re going to be in a hurry, you’re not going to make a good deal.”
Previously, Trump sparked backlash when he said he’s not thinking about how the conflict affects people’s financial situations. On May 12, he said, “The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran — they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
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