Donald Trump Claims He 'Could Have Banned Fishing' in Odd Remark at Rose Garden Dinner: 'The Power of This Office Is Crazy'

President Donald Trump went off on an odd tangent about banning fishing as an example of his enormous presidential power.

Trump hosted a Rose Garden dinner for outdoor enthusiasts and industry executives on Thursday, September 17, where he signed executive orders to expand hunting and fishing access.

While discussing the executive branch's vast authority, he used a hypothetical scenario involving his friend Johnny Morris, the billionaire founder of Bass Pro Shops, who was in attendance.

"I’ll tell you what. The power of this office is crazy. I could have banned fishing and driven Johnny right the h--- out of business. Okay. I think I'm going to do that. Just maybe just a quick order, just for a day or two, till he calls me and he says, 'Please, President, please, you're putting me out of business, sir,’” the president said.

While some critics and social media pages characterized the remarks as an alarming brag about authoritarian power, news outlets covering the event noted that he explicitly framed them as a joke to highlight his characteristic use of humor when discussing executive decisions.

Journalist Alex Cole criticized the speech, writing that it was "embarrassing" and jokingly posting that it made Republicans look like Democrats were paying them to look foolish.

"For anyone who doesn't know what drunk with power means, this here is a great example," blasted another commenter.

Someone else added: "Seriously, America? This is the best you've got? He is beyond drunk on power."

The actual policy signed at the dinner was intended to reduce Biden-era restrictions and increase public access for anglers and hunters.

Former President Joe Biden’s policies centered on environmental conservation and federal land management, which sportsmen organizations argued restricted their access.

The most prominent policy targeted was a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule finalized in 2023, setting a deadline to phase out and completely ban traditional lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle by the fall of 2026 across several specific National Wildlife Refuges.

The Biden administration also heavily prioritized conservation, which conservative lawmakers and outdoor groups argued unnecessarily locked away public acreage.

Trump countered this by ordering the Department of the Interior to open millions of acres of federal public lands and coastal waters for recreational use.

The previous administration's regulatory approach kept tight controls on catch limits and federal permitting processes to prevent overfishing.

Trump's new actions aim to ease these rules by lengthening specific fishing seasons, raising catch quotas and replacing mail-in catch surveys with a mobile reporting system.