Was in reply to someone who said: It was an interview. I doubt he volunteered this in a vacuum. In fact, the story reads as though he was asked what he would do (if he had the power). Kind of like, “If you rubbed a lamp and a genie appeared, what wishes would you make?”
maybe... this being the new york times they would not be rolling him out a red carpet anyhow, unless they planned somehow to yank it out from under him.