“My name is Donald.”

President Donald Trump, arguably the most well-known person on the planet, rarely needs to introduce himself, especially to guests in the Oval Office. Yet the brash businessman turned conservative populist who has upended both political parties in America for the past decade can still surprise.

I was in the Oval Office last week to interview Trump one year after he won his second term. The focus of our talk on Nov. 13 was to be Pennsylvania and the Midwest — and how Trump has begun to remake industries, particularly steel and auto, through unconventional deals and tariffs.

I was briefly joined by my four grandchildren, whose ages range from 3 to 9, and my daughter, Shannon Venditti, a photojournalist who’s their mother. Trump, sitting at the Resolute Desk and smiling broadly, handed out treats to the kids before the 3-year-old asked him, “What’s your name?”

Trump’s answer drew giggles from the children — who had plans to come to D.C. with their mother and me before I requested the interview.

Trump has approached his second term with a gusto not seen in his first term — an unpredictable approach that leaves critics and supporters unable to gauge what comes next, what new policy he might adopt and what long-held positions he could drop. It has been several months since Trump reversed his initial disapproval of Nippon Steel’s planned purchase of U.S. Steel. The eventual deal was so important to the president, steelworkers and communities surrounding the three mills that make up U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works near Pittsburgh that it was marked by a rally in May. Nippon had promised billions of dollars of investment in the iconic American manufacturing company.

Trump arrived at the Irvin Works mill to celebrate the policy change that would enable the Japanese firm to reach an agreement with U.S. Steel, headquartered in Pennsylvania, a critical state in the president’s 2024 election victory.

If there ever was a hallmark moment for Trump and the working-class voters who took a chance on him, it was this. Despite months of Trump insisting he would block the deal, Pennsylvania voters knew they had one thing going for them: Trump has no problem changing his mind when presented new details.

United Steelworkers Local 2227 Vice President Jason Zugai, who has clocked in nearly three decades of work at Mon Valley Works, said he always had hope. He voted for Trump after attending his 2024

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