You’ve probably seen the headlines or caught the clips by now. Donald Trump’s pre Super Bowl interview with Bret Baier wasn’t just a casual chat about football and commercials. It was a high-stakes, rapid-fire session that basically laid out the roadmap for the next few months of his administration.
Honestly, people usually expect these pre-game sit-downs to be fluff. You know the drill: "Who do you think will win?" or "What's your favorite stadium snack?" But this was different. Taped at Mar-a-Lago and aired right before Super Bowl LIX, it felt more like a policy briefing than a sports segment.
The Annexation Talk: Canada as the 51st State?
The part that really set the internet on fire was Trump doubling down on his "Canada as the 51st state" comments. It sounds like a joke, right? But when Bret Baier asked him if it was a "real thing," Trump didn't blink. He said "Yeah, it is."
His logic? He’s focused on a $200 billion trade deficit that he claims is essentially a "subsidy" to our neighbors up north. Now, if you look at the actual trade numbers from agencies like the U.S. Census Bureau, the deficit is nowhere near that high—it was closer to $63 billion in 2024. But facts didn't seem to slow him down. He’s viewing Canada through a lens of natural resources and trade leverage.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had apparently warned about this earlier in the week, and Trump’s response was basically: "They'd be better off." It's a wild shift in North American diplomacy that nobody really had on their bingo card for 2026.
📖 Related: Whos Winning The Election Rn Polls: The January 2026 Reality Check
Elon Musk and the DOGE Mission
Another huge chunk of the Trump pre Super Bowl interview focused on Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump called Musk "terrific" and defended him against the recent wave of lawsuits from state attorneys general.
The President isn't just stopping with the agencies he's already targeted. He told Baier that within 24 hours, he’d be directing Musk to "check the Department of Education" and then "the military."
- Department of Education: Trump wants to shut it down and send power back to the states.
- The Pentagon: He’s predicting "billions, hundreds of billions" in fraud and abuse will be found there.
- USAID: He basically called it a "big scam" and wants to fold any remaining functions into the State Department under Marco Rubio.
It’s a massive overhaul. Trump’s argument is that he "campaigned on this," and he feels he has the mandate to let Musk take a chainsaw to the federal budget.
Tariffs, Steel, and the 2026 Economy
If you were hoping for a break from economic talk during the game, you didn't get it. Trump used the massive platform to announce that he’d be signing a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports. This wasn't just targeted at "adversaries"—it’s a blanket move including Canada and Mexico.
👉 See also: Who Has Trump Pardoned So Far: What Really Happened with the 47th President's List
He’s calling it "reciprocal" trade. Basically, if they charge us, we charge them. Period. He also mentioned that he doesn't think the current actions by Mexico and Canada to secure their borders are "good enough" to stop these tariffs from hitting.
Breaking the Presidential Tradition
It’s worth noting that Trump became the first sitting president to actually attend the Super Bowl in person in 2025. This interview marked a return to the "presidential pregame" tradition that Joe Biden had skipped in his final two years.
Critics, like those at Poynter, argued the interview was a missed opportunity for hard-hitting questions. Baier did ask about grocery prices and when families would feel relief, but Trump’s answer was a bit of a tangent about the national debt being $36 trillion. It’s that classic Trumpian style—answering the question he wants to answer rather than the one he was asked.
What This Means for You
So, why does this matter to the average person watching the Eagles vs. Chiefs? Because the "Trump pre Super Bowl interview" wasn't just noise. It signaled:
✨ Don't miss: Why the 2013 Moore Oklahoma Tornado Changed Everything We Knew About Survival
- Higher Prices on the Horizon: Steel and aluminum tariffs usually trickle down to consumer goods, from cars to canned sodas.
- Major Job Shifts: If you work for the federal government, specifically in Education or Defense, DOGE is coming for your department.
- Geopolitical Tension: The relationship with Canada is at an all-time low, which could affect travel, trade, and regional security.
Success, according to Trump, is the only thing that will bring a divided country together. But his path to that success involves breaking a lot of old mirrors.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re trying to keep up with how these policy shifts affect your wallet and your world, here’s what you should actually do:
- Track the Tariffs: Keep an eye on the specific list of steel and aluminum products. If you're planning a major purchase like a new vehicle or home renovation, you might want to lock in prices sooner rather than later.
- Watch the Education Transition: Since Trump plans to move education power to the states, start looking at your local state legislature. They’re about to become much more important in determining what your kids learn and how schools are funded.
- Follow the DOGE Reports: Elon Musk is nothing if not vocal. Follow the official DOGE updates to see which federal programs are being cut next, especially if you rely on any federal grants or services.
The Super Bowl interview proved one thing: the second term isn't going to be a "slow and steady" affair. It’s going to be fast, loud, and probably a little bit chaotic.