THE LAST QUESTION.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
I DON’T KNOW, KINDER AND GENTLER
IS THE WORD, CERTAINLY NOT A
TYPICAL PRESS CONFERENCE WHEN
YOU SEE THE KIND OF QUESTIONS
PRESIDENT TRUMP GETS.
NOT THAT THAT IS BAD, SHOULDN’T
IT BE CONSISTENT?
MICHAEL GOODWIN THINKS SO.
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
COLUMNIST, MUCH, MUCH MORE.
JOINS US NOW.
VERY STARK CONTRAST, I ALWAYS
TELL PEOPLE, WHETHER WHAT YOU
THINK CONSISTENCY IS IN ORDER
AND IT WASN’T IN ORDER THERE.
>> HELLO, NEIL.
YOU GET THE SENSE THIS IS A
PRESS CORPS THAT IS ON
JOE BIDEN’S SIDE.
I THINK WE KNOW THAT’S THE CASE,
THAT THEY DON’T LIKE
DONALD TRUMP.
THEY DON’T LIKE HIM POLITICALLY
BUT MANY OF THEM DON’T LIKE HIM
PERSONALLY.
I THINK THAT, FOR THEM, GETTING
A REPLACEMENT WOULD BE
EVERYTHING AND BIDEN OF COURSE,
PART OF THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION, TREATED GENTLY,
ALL THROUGH HIS EIGHT YEARS AS
VICE PRESIDENT.
I SAW A STORY THE OTHER DAY, FOR
EXAMPLE, ON FOX NEWS, THAT I HAD
INSEEN ANYWHERE ELSE, I HAVEN’T
SEEN IT SINCE, THAT THE
EXORBITANT AMOUNTS THAT BIDEN
PAID TO THE EXECUTIVES OF HIS
CANCER CHARITY, THAT BASICALLY
GAVE AWAY NO MONEY, BUT PAID
ASTRONOMICAL SALARIES BY CHARITY
STANDARDS TO ITS EXECUTIVES.
THAT IS THE KIND OF THING IF
DONALD TRUMP DID THAT, WE KNOW
HOW HIS CHARITY WAS TREATED BY
THE MEDIA.
THAT IS SORT OF THE THING THAT
IS THE DOUBLE STANDARD THAT HAS
BEEN GOING ON SINCE TRUMP CAME
DOWN THE ELEVATOR, ESCALATOR.
AND THE MEDIA CLEARLY WANTS
JOE BIDEN TO BE THE NEXT
PRESIDENT.
NEIL: WELL YOU KNOW, I WOULD
SAY, YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT
WILL GET A LOT OF WHAT COMES AT
HIM FROM THE WAY HE RESPONDS AND
MAYBE AGITATION HE DELIVERS BUT
FAIR IS FAIR.
IF YOU’RE GOING TO GO AFTER THE
PRESIDENT, AS YOU SAY ON
CHARITIES AND OTHER RELATED
ISSUES YOU SHOULD AT LEAST APPLY
THE SAME STANDARDS OF
VICE PRESIDENT.
COVERAGE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT,
I SAW THE SAME EXCHANGE WITH THE
PRESS AS EVERYONE ELSE, I DIDN’T
COME AWAY WITH HEROIC IMAGE HE
DID A GREAT JOB.
I FIND HIM STAMMERING A LOT,
TRUST ME, I’M YOUNGER THAN THE
VICE PRESIDENT.
THAT IS ME EVERY DAY.
DON’T GET ME WRONG.
THAT WAS FAIR CRITICISM TO SAY,
HE LOST HIS PLACE.
HE SEEMED TO STUMBLE.
HE SEEMED TO LOOK OUT OF TOUCH.
POINT IT OUT BUT, NO, I’M
READING MEDIA REACTION, I
THOUGHT IT WAS FDR.
BUT I, THAT IS WHERE I THINK YOU
DO A DISSERVICE IN THE MEDIA
WHEN IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE TOUGH
AND AN SOB ON ONE, AND APPLY THE
SAME TOUGH STANDARDS ON THE
OTHER.
I DON’T SEE THAT.
>> YOU KNOW, NEIL, SEEING THE
BIAS IN THE MEDIA IS A LOT LIKE
SEEING A LOT OF UGLY THINGS.
YOU CAN’T UNSEE IT.
AND SEW ONCE YOU SEE THAT BIAS,
ONCE YOU RECOGNIZE IT’S THERE,
THEN YOU TAKE A FAIRLY ROUTINE
EVENT LIKE YESTERDAY’S PRESS
CONFERENCE, AND YOU REALIZE WHAT
SOFTBALL QUESTIONS THEY ARE,
WHAT A GENTLE APPROACH TO IT.
NOW DONALD TRUMP IS PROBABLY
MORE ACCESSIBLE THAN ANY
PRESIDENT IN MODERN TIMES.
BIDEN HAS BEEN HIDING.
ONE REPORTER WE HEARD YOU SAY I
HOPE YOU WILL DO THIS MORE
OFTEN?
DONALD TRUMP DOES IT ROUTINELY
AND YET HE GETS NO CREDIT FOR
THAT BUT THE MEDIA, BY THE SAME
TOKEN DOES NOT BLAME BIDEN FOR
NOT DOING IT.
SO THE DOUBLE STANDARD IS FROM
THE WORD GO.
IT IS IN EVERY QUESTION THAT IS
ASKED VIRTUALLY, IT IS IN HOW
THE STORIES ARE PLAYED.
WHAT STORIES ARE SELECTED.
WHAT THE LEAD IS.
HOW IT IS DISPLAYED IN
NEWSPAPERS.
WHERE IT FALLS IN THE ROTATION
OF TELEVISION.
THE BIAS, IT JUST REICHS.
REEKS.
I AGREE WITH YOU.
ALL WE’RE ASKING FOR IS A SINGLE
STANDARD.
THAT IS WHAT AMERICAN LIFE IS
REALLY ABOUT.
WE ALL PLAY BY THE SAME RULES.
THERE IS ONE STANDARD FOR
EVERYBODY.
AND THE MEDIA IN MANY WAYS
HISTORICALLY HELPED TO
PROMULGATE THAT IDEA, HAS
TOTALLY PRONE DOWN IN THE AGE OF
TRUMP BECAUSE IT SO LOATHES HIM,
IT WILL BREAK ITS OWN RULES.
THE FBI BROKE IT THE OWN RULES
TO TRY TO STOP DONALD TRUMP.
THE CIA DID, THE MEDIA DOES.
THAT IS, THAT IS WHAT WE’RE
WITNESSING THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTRY IS THIS SENSE OF DOUBLE
STANDARDS THAT DONALD TRUMP IS
SO BAD THAT NO RULE, NO LAW, NO
STANDARD CAN WITH STAND IT.
WE HAVE TO BREAK THEM ALL.
WE HAVE TO DO THAT TO DEFEAT
DONALD TRUMP.
THAT IS THE MESSAGE THAT WE SEE
LOUD AND CLEAR EVERY DAY IN THE
AMERICAN MEDIA.
NEIL: I KNOW PEOPLE SEE THINGS
THROUGH THEIR OWN PRISM.
IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE GUY, YOU
WILL BE NEGATIVE ABOUT THE GUY.
THE PRESIDENT IS NO FAN OF MINE.
I GET THAT BUT MY POINT IS,
WHATEVER STANDARDS WE’RE APPLIED
CALLING BALLS AND STRIKES TO GET
IT RIGHT, THE SAME SHOULD BE
APPLIED TO THE FORMER
VICE PRESIDENT.
SEEMS LIKE A FINE HUMAN BEING,
DON’T GET ME WRONG.
BUT THAT WAS NOT A CHURCHHILLIAN
PERFORMANCE YESTERDAY.
I DON’T THINK YOU’RE BEING
UNFAIR TO POINT IT OUT, TO USE
SOME EXAMPLES TO HAVE IT OUT AND
DISCUSS IT.
IT DOESN’T WORK THE OTHER WAY.
BUT LET ME SWITCH GEARS A LITTLE
BIT.
>> RIGHT.
NEIL: SOME THOUGHTS GOT TO A
"NEW YORK POST" COVER TODAY
THANKS TO YOUR REALLY FOCUSING
ON THIS POLICE FUNDING CUTBACK
THAT THEY WANT TO GET DONE IN
NEW YORK CITY.
YOU MADE IT VERY, VERY CLEAR,
YOU TALK ABOUT, STABBING HIM IN
THE BACK.
STABBING HIM IN THE FRONT.
YOU DON’T LIKE THIS.
>> NEIL IT THIS YOUNG MOVEMENT,
PROTESTERS, DEMONSTRATORS,
DEFUND THE POLICE, PEOPLE DON’T
UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF CRIME
IN NEW YORK.
THEY WANT TO BLAME THE COPS FOR
EVERYTHING BAD THAT IS HAPPENED
BUT IN FACT THE POLICE HELPED TO
SAVE NEW YORK.
THEY WERE THE, THEY WERE THE
SAVING GRACE OF THIS CITY, OVER
50 YEARS WE HAVE SEEN TWO
TREMENDOUS TRENDS IN CRIME.
STARTING IN THE MID-1960s,
CRIME SHOT UP IN NEW YORK AND
MOST URBAN AREAS.
AND STARTING WITH THE, IN LASTED
UNTIL THE 1990s, UNTIL THE
ELECTION OF RUDY GIULIANI IN
1993 AND BEGINNING IN 1994 WE
SEE CRIME GOING THE OTHER
DIRECTION.
WE NOW SEEM TO BE AT ANOTHER
TURNING POINT.
IN THIS ATMOSPHERE, TO CUT THE
POLICE IS CRAZY.
YOU’VE GOT MURDERS ARE UP BY 25%
IN NEW YORK IN THE FIRST SIX
MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
25%.
THAT IS A HUGE INCREASE.
IT IS NOT A SPIKE.
IT IS A REAL TREND NOW.
AND, TO CUT THE POLICE FORCE, TO
SAY WE’RE NOT GOING TO REPLACE
OFFICERS.
WE’RE GOING TO CANCEL THE NEXT
RECRUITING CLASS, THAT IS A SIGN
THAT SAYS WE ARE NOT GOING TO
ENFORCE THE LAW AS VIGOROUSLY AS
WE DID IN THE PAST.
YOU COUPLE THAT WITH
DECRIMINALIZING, A LOT OF PUBLIC
DISORDER ISSUES.
AND THE BAIL, SO-CALLED REFORM
LAWS, THAT MAKE BASICALLY LET
EVERYBODY OUT AS SOON AS THEY’RE
ARRESTED, AND YOU HAVE A REAL
RECIPE FOR A NEW ERA OF HIGH
CRIME AND VIOLENT CRIME THAT I
BELIEVE IS BEING USHERED IN
INTENTIONALLY BY POLITICIANS WHO
KNOW BETTER, WHO SEE WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN THE POLICE CAN’T
ANSWER OR DON’T ANSWER 911
CALLS.
WHEN THEY GET THERE, THEY’RE NOT
ALLOWED TO MAKE ARRESTS.
IF THEY MAKE AN ARREST, THE
PERSON IS RELEASED.
THIS IS, REALLY A FORMULA FOR