>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY. WELCOME BACK.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST HAS BEEN A MAINSTAY OF
DEMOCRATIC POLICYMAKING FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND JUST SERVED AS THE
WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF. PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE
LATE SHOW," RON KLAIN. HELLO, RON.
LISTEN, NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN. WE MET BRIEFLY BEFORE.
HE FIRST STARTED WORKING WITH JOE BIDEN 36 YEARS AGO.
UNTIL RECENTLY YOU WERE THE CHIEF OF STAFF.
THERE YOU ARE IN THE OVAL OFFICE RIGHT THERE.
THAT'S NICE. THE BLACK AND WHITE GIVES IT
GRAVITAS, LIKE YOU ARE JACK AND BOBBY.
BEFORE WE START, ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU TOOK NO
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS FROM WHEN YOU LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE?
>> Ron: STEPHEN, I AM ABSOLUTELY SURE I TOOK NO
DOCUMENTS AT ALL WHEN I LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> Stephen: GOOD. WELL, ONLY TIME WILL TELL, RON
KLAIN. OKAY.
CHIEF OF STAFF IS THE GUY WHO GETS THE CALL.
BEFORE EVEN THE PRESIDENT, TO GO, WHAT IS THIS THING THAT'S
INCOMING TO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH THAT WE NEED TO DEAL WITH RIGHT
NOW? NOW THAT YOU'RE NO LONGER THAT
GUY, DO YOU GET TO SLEEP AT NIGHT?
>> Ron: I'VE BEEN OUT FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND YES, I AM
SLEEPING MUCH BETTER, THAT'S FOR SURE.
YOU ARE THE PERSON. WHEN YOU'RE THE CHIEF OF STAFF
COMING OF THE PERSON THEY CALL TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT WE
SHOULD WAKE-UP THE PRESIDENT. I USED TO SLEEP WITH MY PHONE BY
THE BED WITH A SPECIAL RINGTONE FROM THE SITUATION ROOM SO I
WOULD BE SURE TO WAKE UP. >> Stephen: WHEN THAT SOUND
HAPPENS. >> Ron: YOU GET OUT.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS THE SOUND?
>> Ron: IT WAS A CHIMING CHIMING SOUND.
WE WENT THROUGH A WEEK LAST SUMMER THE PHONE RANG EVERY
NIGHT AND I KEPT ON GETTING UP. THERE WAS NO ONE THERE.
I KEPT ON CALLING BACK THE SITUATION ROOM.
DID YOU CALL ME? NO, WE DIDN'T CALL YOU.
NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK I GOT OUT THE
NEXT DAY AND LOOKED OUT AND REALIZED MY NEIGHBORS HAD
INSTALLED A NEW WIND CHIME WITH THE EXACT SAME SOUND AS MY
SPECIAL RING. SO I HAD TO CHANGE THE RING.
NOW I SLEEP. >> Stephen: EXCELLENT,
EXCELLENT. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON
WITH ALL OF THESE UFOs? BECAUSE THERE UNIDENTIFIED
FLYING OBJECTS, YOU ADMIT THAT? >> Ron: I WILL ADMIT.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE SWORN IN BEFORE YOU COME ON ANY LATE
NIGHT SHOW. >> Ron: ABSOLUTELY.
I WILL ADMIT THEY ARE AS YET UNIDENTIFIED.
I WAS THERE WHEN WE DID IDENTIFY A CHINESE SPY BALLOON COMING
INTO OUR AIRSPACE. THE PRESIDENT MADE THE RIGHT
DECISION TO SHOOT IT DOWN ONCE IT SAFELY HAD EXITED OVERLAND
CHEMICALLY SHOT DOWN SAFELY OVER WATER.
>> Stephen: MY OVERWATER? THERE'S A LOT OF THE
UNITED STATES PROVISIONAL PEOPLE OUT THERE.
>> Ron: WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO DROP A COUPLE THOUSAND POUNDS OF
METAL AND SHRAPNEL YOU WANT TO BE EXTRA SURE IT DOESN'T FALL ON
THE SCHOOL OR CHURCH OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
>> Stephen: YEAR THE CHIEF OF STAFF.
>> Ron: THAT'S ONE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF RULES.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE THERE WHEN THEY TOOK THAT DOWN.
WHAT ABOUT THE ONE IN ALASKA OR CANADA OR THE ONE IN LAKE HURON?
WERE YOU GONE FOR THAT? >> Ron: I WAS GONE FOR THOSE
WHEN I CAN TELL YOU I KNOW OUR MILITARY, THEY ARE RECOVERING
THE REMAINS. THEY ARE GOING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IT WAS BARELY OF THE BEST PEOPLE ON IT.
>> Stephen: WILL THEY TELL US? >> Ron: THEY WILL TELL US WHAT
IT WAS BUT I CAN TELL YOU THERE'S NO EVIDENCE AT ALL, I'M
SORRY, THAT IT IS ALIENS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
>> Stephen: ARE YOU SAYING THESE AREN'T ALIENS OR THERE IS
NO EVIDENCE AT ALL OF ANY ALIENS OUT THERE?
REMEMBER YOU ARE SWORN IN. >> Ron: THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF
ALIEN LIFE ON EARTH OTHER THAN TED CRUZ.
>> [CHEERING] >> Stephen: ALL RIGHT.
WHAT DO PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE JOB OF CHIEF OF STAFF?
>> Ron: I THINK PEOPLE DON'T REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT AN
AMAZING TEAM GET TO LEAD AS CHIEF OF STAFF.
THERE ARE ABOUT 400 PEOPLE WHO WORK AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
WE WERE VERY LUCKY IN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
WE WORKED VERY HARD TO HAVE THE MOST DIVERSE WHITE HOUSE STAFF
AND HISTORY THE MAJORITY WAS FEMALE, FIRST TIME EVER.
FIRST AND NEVER MAJORITY OF THE SENIOR WHITE HOUSE STAFF WAS
FEMALE. RECORD NUMBERS OF PEOPLE OF
COLOR WORKING ON THE STAFF. THE PEOPLE, I WOULD GET THERE
VERY EARLY. I WOULD STAY VERY LATE.
PEOPLE WERE THERE WITH I GOT THERE.
THEY WERE THERE WHEN I LEFT. PEOPLE COME INTO THAT BUILDING
EVERYDAY TO WORK SO HARD FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO TRY TO MAKE
THIS COUNTRY A BETTER PLACE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING, IT'S AN
UNBELIEVABLE HONOR TO BE ABLE TO LEAD THAT TEAM.
>> Stephen: A RECENT POLL... [APPLAUSE]
A RECENT POLL, AP POLL RECENTLY SAYS 37% DEMOCRATS WANT
PRESIDENT BIDEN TO SEEK A SECOND TERM WITH MANY CITING HIS AGE IS
THE REASON PRESENTATION. WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO PEOPLE
WHO THINK THAT HE IS TOO OLD TO BE RUNNING AT 82 AND SERVED
UNTIL HE'S 86? HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT A
FORMULA? >> Ron: I ASK PEOPLE TO LOOK
AT THE RECORD. THIS PRESIDENT HAS PASSED THE
MOST SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC PLAN SINCE FDR WHILE MANAGING THE
LARGEST LAND WAR IN EUROPE SINCE TRUMAN.
HE PASSED THE LARGEST INFO STRUCTURE BILL SINCE EISENHOWER,
MOST SIGNIFICANT GUN-CONTROL BILL SINCE CLINTON AND PASS THE
MOST SIGNIFICANT CLIMATE CHANGE BILL IN ANY COUNTRY, ANY PLACE
ON EARTH AT ANY TIME. I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THAT
RECORD. I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THAT
RECORD AND THEN YOU JUST SAW, YOU SAW HIM LAST WEEK GO
TOE-TO-TOE WITH THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS AT THE STATE OF THE
UNION HOLDING HIS OWN, MORE THAN HOLDING HIS OWN, AGAINST A KIND
OF A RAUCOUS CROWD. I THINK THAT'S A PERSON IS DOING
A GREAT JOB AS PRESIDENT AND SHOULD GO FOR FOUR MORE YEARS.
>> Stephen: I KNOW THE STATE OF THE UNION IS PROBABLY THE
HARDEST SPEECH TO WRITE. THERE ARE MORE HANDS, MORE
THUMBS GET INTO THAT PIE THEN PROBABLY SHOULD.
EVERYONE WANTS THEIR ISSUE TO BE ADDRESSED.
EVERY DEPARTMENT IN THE ADMINISTRATION.
IT'S GONE OVER WITH A FINE-TOOTH COMB.
I ASSUME YOU'RE INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS?
>> Ron: I WAS BUT THE PRESIDENT HAS TWO GREAT PEOPLE
WHO LEAD THAT PROCESS AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
I CERTAINLY HAD MY TWO CENTS IN THERE.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE WATCHING IT.
ARE YOU WATCHING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE OR ARE YOU IN THE
GALLERY? >> Ron: I WATCHED IT FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE TO LEAD OUR CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT EFFORTS
IN CASE ANYTHING, GOD FORBID, HAPPENED DURING THE STATE OF THE
UNION. >> Stephen: YOU IN THE
SECRETARY OF LABOR. >> Ron: HE WAS IN A DIFFERENT
LOCATION.& SPIN ON THE PERSON GETS CHOSEN
AS THE DESIGNATED SURVIVOR, WHEN THEY FIND OUT THEY ARE THE
PERSON. THEY GO OH, [BLEEP].
I AM THE ONE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT.
>> Ron: NO, THIS IS THE PRESIDENT TO HAVE THE WORST
HAPPEN WOULD BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
IT'S A GREAT HONOR TO BE THE DESIGNATED SURVIVOR.
>> Stephen: THE SECRETARY OF LABOR.
>> Ron: MARTY WALSH. >> Stephen: I JUST WANTED TO
KNOW IF YOU KNEW. I TOTALLY KNEW.
WHEN THE CRUELLA DE VILS OUT THEY ARE SAYING "BOO, BAD, YOU
STINK." WHEN THEY WERE DOING THAT WHEN
HE DESCRIBED THE POSITION OF SOME OF THE MEMBERS IN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE,
MULTIPLE TIMES STATED THEY WANTED TO CUT IT, LORI ARE YOU?
>> Ron: WE DID PLAN A LITTLE BIT.
WE WERE EXCITED. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ACCUSED
OF TRYING TO CUT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE MAY BE YOU
SHOULDN'T TRY TO CUT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE.
HARRY TRUMAN, "GIVE 'EM HELL, HARRY."
HE SAID I DON'T GIVE THEM HELL. I JUST TELL THEM THE TRUTH.
>> Stephen: WHEN IS THE PRESIDENT GOING TO ANNOUNCE?
>> Ron: THAT'S UP TO HIM AND HIS FAMILY TO PICK THE RIGHT
TIME. I HOPE IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT
FUTURE. >> Stephen: SO HE IS
ANNOUNCING? >> Ron: AGAIN, I'M NOT HERE TO
ANNOUNCE THAT HE'S ANNOUNCING. >> Stephen: IT SOUNDS LIKE --
>> Ron: I'M HERE TO ANNOUNCE THAT I HOPE HE ANNOUNCES.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
RON KLAIN, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
THANKS. THAT WAS A TON OF FUN.