>>> JUST DAYS AFTER A 36-YEAR-OLD A AIDE TO THE VICE
PRESIDENT TURNED DOWN AN OFFER
TO BE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF
STAFF, PRESIDENT TRUMP CLAIMS TO
HAVE MORE CANDIDATES FOR THE JOB
THAN HE CAN HANDLE.
TELLING REUTERSS LAST NIGHT,
QUIET, I HAVE AT LEAST 10, 12,
12 PEOPLE THAT WANT IT BADLY.
I’M MAKING A DECISION.
GREAT PEOPLE.
GREAT PEOPLE. TRUMP SAID.
TRUMP SAID. I’M SORRY.
I’M SORRY. I CAN’T HELP --
>> IF BY NONE YOU MEAN 12, THEN
YEAH, 12 PEOPLE.
>> I COULD DO IT IMMEDIATELY.
I’M IN NO RUB.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT IT.
EVERYBODY WANTS IT.
WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BE ONE OF
THE TOP FEW PEOPLE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. YOU THREE GUYS WITH WOULD TAKE
IT.
IT. >> NO.
>> NO. >> NO?
>> NO? HE GOES ON, I HAVE SO MANY
PEOPLE, I CANNOT INTERVIEW THEM
ALL, I SAID.
MY GOD.
MY GOD. TURN TO GO BILL SHINE, TRUMP
ASKED, IS THAT A CORRECT
STATEMENT?
STATEMENT? AND HE NODDED.
WHAT ELSE IS HE GOING TO DO?
JOHN KELLY WILL REMAIN IN THE
JOB UNTIL AT LEAST JANUARY 2nd
OR PERHAPS LONGER BECAUSE THEY
MIGHT NOT FIND ANYONE.
BUT THAT POOR GUY, HE JUST WANTS
OUT.
OUT. >> FRESH OFF THAT WIDE RANGING
INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP,
JEFF, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
I UNDERSTAND RICK SANTORUM
TURNED IT TOWN ON TV LAST NIGHT.
EVERYBODY, IT’S JUST -- IT IS A
MISERABLE TIME TO BE INSIDE THAT
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. IT’S GOING TO BE A VERY TOUGH
POSITION FOR THE PRESIDENT TO
FIELD WITH EVERYBODY WHO IS
EFFECTIVE.
EFFECTIVE. TELL ME, WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE ON
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS MIND-SET
YESTERDAY WHEN YOU WERE TALKING
TO HIM?
TO HIM? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I GUESS I
CAN CONFIRM THE THREE REUTERS
REPORTERS, MYSELF, MY COLLEAGUES
STEVE AND ROBERTA ARE NOT TAKING
THE JOB OF CHIEF OF STAFF.
BUT HE WAS IN A GOOD MOOD,
HONESTLY.
HONESTLY. AND IT WAS JUST A COUPLE HOURS
AFTER THAT RAUCOUS MEETING WITH
THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP.
HE WAS PRETTY CALM.
HE ANSWERED OUR QUESTIONS ABOUT
A WHOLE RANGE OF ISSUES,
INCLUDING THE CHIEF OF STAFF,
BUT ABOUT CHINA AND IMPEACHMENT.
HE SEEMED LIKE HE WAS NOT IN
A -- HE WAS NOT IN A HARRIED
MOOD.
MOOD. HE WAS HAPPY TO CHAT.
>> SO LET ME ASK YOU WHAT’S
NEXT.
NEXT. WHAT IS THE FEELING AROUND THE
WHITE HOUSE?
WHITE HOUSE? WHAT’S THE FEELING AROUND THE
PRESS CORE ABOUT WHAT COMES NEXT
FOR THIS PRESIDENT?
>> WELL, THE CHIEF OF STAFF
PIECE OF THAT WILL BE HUGE.
HE’S COMING INTO A YEAR, 2019,
IN WHICH HE WILL BE FACED WITH
DEMOCRATS CONTROLLING THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTS.
OF REPRESENTS. HE’S FACED WITH ALL THESE LEGAL
CHALLENGES.
CHALLENGES. HE’S FACED WITH THESE POLITICAL
CHALLENGES.
CHALLENGES. SO IT WILL DEPEND A LOT ON WHO
ENDS UP LEADING THAT SHIP OR
STEERING THAT SHIP.
HE SAID AS YOU JUST MENTIONED,
HE HAS 10 TO 12 CANDIDATES FOR
THAT JOB.
THAT JOB. IT WILL DEPEND ON HOW CHINA
TRADE TALKS GO.
ONE OF THE THINGS HE TALKED TO
US YESTERDAY IS THAT HE’S
WILLING TO INTERVENE IN THE
THE HUAWEI CFO STORY.
I ASKED HIM SPECIFICALLY IF HE
WAS WORRIED ABOUT BEING
IMPEACHED AND HE SAID NO, I’M
NOT CONCERNED.
NOT CONCERNED. >> JEFF, SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY HAVE
CONCLUDED THE SAUDI CROWN PRINCE
PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE
ASSASSINATION OF KHASHOGGI.
WHEN THAT CAME UP YESTERDAY, THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
MAINTAINED THAT POSITION?
>> HE DIDN’T SAY HE DIDN’T CARE,
BUT WE ASKED HIM IF HE THOUGHT
THE MAN KNOWN AS MSB, STANDING
BY, THE CROWN PRINCE, HE HAS NOT
WAVERED AT ALL.
IT’S SOMETHING HE’S COME UNDER
QUITE A BIT OF CRITICISM FOR.
>> JOHN HEILMAN, I’M JUST
WONDERING, AND YOU CAN TAKE IT
TO JEFF, BUT IF THE DISPLAY
YESTERDAY HAS ANY HOPE OF
SHOWING THOSE WHO THINK HAD THIS
PRESIDENT MIGHT EVEN BE ABLE TO
HANDLE OUR ALLIES OR OUR ENEMIES
AT THESE FOREIGN MEETINGS THAT
HE GOES TO, THAT HE CLEARLY
DOESN’T HAVE THE SKILLS LET
ALOENG LOAN THE SUPPORT, THE
SKILLED TO HANDLE A CONVERSATION
WITH ANY TYPE OF SENSE OF HOW TO
ACTUALLY GET A GOAL COMPLETED, I
THINK YESTERDAY MIGHT HAVE BEEN
DEVASTATING.
DEVASTATING. I’M NOT SURE THE PRESIDENT
UNDERSTANDS THAT, BUT PERHAPS
REPUBLICANS DO?
REPUBLICANS DO? >> MIKA, I DON’T THINK THAT IF
YOU LOOK BACK OVER THE COURSE OF
THE COUPLE OF YEARS, THERE HAVE
BEEN FEW DELL ADMINISTRATIONS OF
TRUMP’S WEAKNESS AS A
NEGOTIATOR.
NEGOTIATOR. >> THIS WAS BIG.
>> I WOULD SAY AS MUCH AS
ANYTHING, NOT ONLY DID IT
DEMONSTRATE THE DEFICITS THAT HE
HAS HAS A NEGOTIATOR WITH
FOREIGN ADVERSARIES, BUT IT
WOULD MAKE ME WORRIED IF I WAS
ON HIS LEGAL TEAM.
IT WOULD DEMONSTRATE, WELL, I
DON’T WANT THAT MAN IN A ROOM
WITH BOB MUELLER BECAUSE
IF CHUCK SCHUMER AND NANCY
PELOSI CAN BAIT HIM AND GET HIM
BACK INTO A CORNER AND CAUSE HIM
TO LIE AND CORNER HIMSELF THAT
WAY, CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT WOULD
HAPPEN IF DONALD TRUMP ACTUALLY
TESTIFIED IN FRONT OF BOB
MUELLER AND HIS TEAM.
THAT LEADS ME TO THE QUESTIONS
YOU ASKED HIM YEN, THE
PRESIDENT AT THIS STAGE, EVEN
BEFORE DEMOCRATS TAKE CONTROL OF
CONGRESS, OPENLY ADDRESSING THE
QUESTION OF IMPEACHMENT STRUCK
ME AS RATHER REMARKABLE.
BUT GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT HIS
BODY LANGUAGE WAS AND WHAT HE
DISCUSSED WITH YOU AND SOME OF
WHAT HE SAID AS YOU ASKED THE
QUESTION.
QUESTION. >> IT IS A REALITY FOR THE
PRESIDENT GOING INTO 20 1D.
HIS BODY LANGUAGE AND HIS
DEMEANOR WAS CONFIDENCE.
HE BELIEVES HE HAS DONE A GREAT
JOB AS PRESIDENT.
GETTING OTHER JUDGES APPOINTED
AND APPROVED, REGULATION, THE
ECONOMY BROADLY, SO HE SAYS IT
WOULD BE PRETTY HARD TO IMPEACH
SOMEBODY WHOS HAS DONE SUCH A
GREAT JOB AND WHO HAS DONE
NOTHING WRONG.
NOTHING WRONG. >> ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, JEFF MASON,
GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING
WITH US.
WITH US. SO, WILLIE, YOU KNOW, IT’S VERY
INTERESTING, YESTERDAY WHEN YOU
LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY,
MIKA WAS TALKING ABOUT THE WORLD
STAGE.
STAGE. I WAS WATCHING THE SHOW
YESTERDAY, WATCHING YOU GUYS
TALK TO RICHARD HAASS.
>> YOU MEAN WORLD IN DISARRAY?
>> HE HAS A RECIPE FOR EVERY
SEASON.
SEASON. >> CAN I CORRECT YOU?
UNTIL RICHARD’S SEGMENT
YESTERDAY, NOBODY USED TO THINK
ABOUT THAT AROUND THE HOLIDAYS.
NOW EVERYBODY DOES.
BUT, ANYWAY, YOU LOOK AT YOUR
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CHAOS
WORLDWIDE, THERESA MAY HAD A
VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE TODAY, SHE
COULDN’T GET HER CAR DOOR OPEN
YESTERDAY TO MEET ANGELA MERKEL.
YOU LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN
FRANCE, FACING RIOTS IN THE
STREETS OF PARIS.
OUR ALLIES ARE GOING THROUGH
TERRIBLE TIMES AND THEY HAVE
DONALD TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
THE TIMING COULD NOT HAVE BEEN
WORSE WITH THE PROBLEMS OUR
DEMOCRATIC ALLIES ARE HAVING
ACROSS EUROPE.
ACROSS EUROPE. >> WHEN YOU GO ACROSS FROM
GERMANY AND ITALY AND YOU GO UP
TO FRANCE WHICH IS LITERALLY ON
FIRE, AND THEN TODAY, A HUGE NO
CONFIDENCE VOTE FOR THE PRIME
MINISTER, THERESA MAY, SHE COULD
BE OUT OF OFFICE, SHE COULD BE
OUT OF A JOB.
SO YOU PUT ALL THAT TOGETHER
WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE AND
I THINK RICHARD IS RIGHT WHEN HE
SAYS THE WORLD IS IN DISARACE,
MIKA.
MIKA. >> YES, IT IS.
>>> COMING UP, MICHAEL COHEN IS
SET TO LEARN HIS FATE TODAY IN A
MANHATTAN COURTROOM.
MANHATTAN COURTROOM. WE’LL BRING IN EMILY FOX WHO HAS