Donald Trump deflected responsibility for misleading Americans about the length of the Iran war, dismissed low poll ratings as “fake numbers” and refused to rule out the possibility of declaring a state of emergency before the midterms, in a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine.

When confronted with questions about the length of the Iran war, the US president blamed the media for reporting his remarks in which he said the conflict was projected to last “four to five weeks”, in March.

“… I think the press fed it to them,” Trump told Time when asked whether Americans misunderstood him.

At the end of March, Trump had told Americans he planned to wind down the Iran war over the next “two to three weeks”. In May, Trump insisted a peace deal with Iran was nearly finalized.

The US president insisted that he could have ended the Iran conflict whenever but chose to extend it “because I wanted to go further”.

For more than seven months, Americans have been grappling with higher everyday costs as a result of Trump’s war with Iran – from gas prices surpassing $4 per gallon to stubborn inflation hovering at 3.4%.

Economic concerns, fueled by Trump’s conflict, have angered voters, most of whom say they are unhappy with Trump’s handling of the economy and his job overall. Just 26% of adults said they approve of the economy under the Republican president, according to an Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.

Overall, just 31% of people said they approve of Trump’s handling of his job as president.

But when asked about his low approval rating during his interview with Time, Trump dismissed concerns.

“They’re fake numbers,” Trump said. “I would beat anybody running today by 20 points. Your numbers, that you have, are fake. The pollsters are corrupt. They’re almost as corrupt as the writers.”

The US president added: “See, I’m doing very well. I think I am. Look, we have the strongest economy.”

Despite Trump’s assertion, Americans do not feel the same way.

Approximately 74% of Americans told AP/NORC that the economy was leaning poorly. Another 65% of survey respondents said they blame Trump’s policies directly for higher costs.

Voters’ frustrations with Trump could effect Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections, particularly those closely aligned with the US president. Polls show many Democratic candidates making progress with voters, even in historically conservative states such as Texas.

Trump brushed aside the likelihood of Democrats winning, telling Time magazine that, so long as he campaigns with candidates, Republicans could perform well.

Some Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns that Trump will again make allegations of election fraud if Democratic candidates outperform Republicans in the November elections. Trump refused to concede the 2020 presidential election after losing to former US president Joe Biden.

In the months leading up to the midterms, Trump has claimed US elections are insecure and signed executive orders seeking to assert more control over voting methods – such as restricting mail-in ballot voting and requiring ID.

He has previously refused to rule out declaring a national emergency around elections to implement his desired regulations. Other administration leaders, such as FBI director Kash Patel, have not ruled out the possibility of deploying federal law enforcement officers to polling locations, which is against the law.

When asked whether he would declare a state of emergency before the midterms, Trump told Time magazine: “I don’t rule anything out or in. We’ll see.”

Trump further specified that while he’s never invoked the Insurrection Act, a 19th-century law that allows the president to deploy military troops domestically under specific circumstances, he “could use it”.

“A lot of people think I should use it sometimes,” Trump said.

Among other topics the US president discussed with Time magazine, he responded affirmatively when asked whether he regretted appointing supreme court justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

“What can I do? I put them in. They voted against me too often. I was very – I gave them the position of a lifetime, and they voted against me often,” Trump said.

The supreme court often votes in favor of the Trump administration but they have ruled against the president – such as in the case challenging his sweeping tariffs and his efforts to roll back birthright citizenship.