INTERVIEW THE CREATOR, AUTHOR OF
THE NEW BOOK, WIN BIGLY,
PERSUASION IN A WORLD WHERE
FACTS DON'T MATTER, SCOTT ADAMS
IS HERE WITH ME, RIGHT NOW,
SCOTT, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
MARIA: CONGRATULATIONS ON
SUCCESS.
YOU SAY THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
LEVEL OF PERSUASION BETWEEN ONLY
ONCE IN A GENERATION.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> IT'S NOT JUST A TECHNIQUE, HE
KNOWS HOW TO USE VISUAL
PERSUASION AND HE KNOWS HOW THE
USE FEAR WHEN HE NEEDS TO AND ON
TOP OF THAT HE HAS GIGANTIC
PERSONALITY AND ABILITY TO
WITHSTAND WEATHERING CRITICISM.
MARIA: WEATHERING CRITICISM IS A
GOOD WAY TO PUT IT.
HE TAKES THE BLOWS AS MAINSTREAM
MEDIA AND CRITICS KEEP ATTACKING
HIM.
>> HE SEEMS TO GET STRONGER, ONE
OF THE TRICKS IS HE WILL TAKE
ATTENTION FROM EVERYTHING ELSE
UNTIL HE'S THE MOST IMPORTANT
CONVERSATION POINT AND AS LONG
AS YOU'RE ONLY TALKING ABOUT HIM
OR ONLY TALKING ABOUT THE THINGS
THAT WILL HELP HIM, LET'S SAY
IMMIGRATION, FOR EXAMPLE, HE'S
GOT ADVANTAGE.
MARIA: BREAK IT DOWN, IN YOUR
BOOK YOU MENTION LINGUISTIC KILL
SHOTS WHERE HE USES NICKNAMES
AGAINST OPPONENTS, WE HAVE A FEW
OF THEM RIGHT HERE, WATCH.
>> MASSACHUSETTS IS REPRESENTED
BY POCAHONTAS.
LYING TED CRUZ, CRAZY BERNIE,
LIT OL MARCO, CROOKED HILLARY
CLINTON.
MARIA: HOW DOES THIS GIVE HIM A
LEG UP, YOU SAY?
>> THESE ARE CLEVERLY CREATED,
THE FIRST THING HE DOES IS USES
TERMS THAT YOU DON'T SEE IN
POLITICS, LOW ENERGY, LYIN,
POCAHONTAS YO, YOU CAN'T FORGET
IT BECAUSE IT'S DIFFERENT.
HE PLAYS TO PHYSICALITY,
SOMETHING HE WILL BE REMINDED TO
IN THE FUTURE SO CONFIRMATION
BIAS WILL HARDEN IT, EVERY TIME
YOU SAW JEB BUSH AFTER HE SAID
LOW ENERGY, I THOUGHT IT WAS A
CALM, COLLECTED EXECUTIVE BUT
NOW COMPARE TODAY PRESIDENT
TRUMP HE'S LOW ENERGY.
PART OF WHAT HE DOES TO BRANDING
AND OPPONENTS.
MARIA: WHAT DOES THE PRESIDENT'S
BOOK ART OF DEAL HAVE TO DO
BECOMING PRESIDENT?
>> HE'S ALWAYS THINKING IN TERMS
OF PERSUASION, BRANDING,
NEGOTIATING, THEY ARE PART OF
THIS WORLD.
HE ALSO HAD A PASTOR WHO WAS A
KID, FAMILY PASTOR WAS NORMAN
VINCENT, THE GREAT AUTHOR WHO
WROTE THE POWER OF POSITIVE
THINKING WHO WAS SO INFLUENTIAL
IN HIS DAY THAT HE WAS ACCUSED
BY HIS CRITICS OF BEING HIP
HIPNATIST AND I'M NOT SURE IT
WAS A RIGOROUS THOUGHT PROCESS
BUT HE HAS ALL THE TOOLS.
MARIA: VISUAL PERSUASION, WHEN
THE PRESIDENT TALKS ABOUT
BUILDING THE WALL, FOR EXAMPLE,
WATCH THIS.
>> WE ARE BUILDING A WALL ON THE
SOUTHERN BORDER WHICH IS
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
WE WILL BUILD THE WALL.
WE WILL BUILD A GREAT WALL ALONG
THE SOUTHERN BORDER.
BUILD THAT WALL N. BILL THAT
WALL!
BUILD THAT WALL.
THE PRESIDENT OF ME
THE PRESIDENT OF MÉXICO THEY
WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
WILL NOT PAY FOR THE WALL, THEY
SAID TO ME, WHAT IS YOUR
COMMENT, I JUST SAID THE WALL
GOT 10 FEET HIGHER.
AND WE HAVE TO START BY BUILDING
A WALL, A BIG BEAUTIFUL POWERFUL
WALL.
MARIA: SO THIS IS -- YOU SAY
THIS IS A BIGGER SIGNIFICANCE
THAN CAMPAIGN PROMISE.
>> YEAH, OH OUR VISUAL SENSE IS
SO STRONG IF YOU PUT SOMETHING
IN A VISUAL, YOU KNOW, FRAMEWORK
IT'S MORE POWERFUL, TAKE HEALTH
CARE, IT'S SORT OF A CONCEPT BUT
IMMIGRATION WAS SORT OF A
CONCEPT UNTIL HE SAID WALL,
WALL, WALL AND WHAT HE DOES THAT
PERSUASION PERFECT IS FIRST OF
ALL, HE MAKES YOU THINK PAST THE
DECISION TO WHO IS GOING TO PAY
FOR IT OR WHAT EXACTLY WILL BE
THE MODEL FOR THE WALL.
IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT THOSE
THINGS YOU HAVE ACCIDENTALLY
ACCEPTED THAT THERE'S SOMETHING
LIKE A WALL COMING, HE HAS THAT
GOING FOR HIM.
MARIA: FASCINATING.
HOW HAS YOUR WORK CHANGED, HAVE
YOU CHANGED WHAT YOU'RE WRITING
ABOUT?
>> SORRY FOR THE COMIC STRIP I
USUALLY TRY TO KEEP IT
NONPOLITICAL, OFFICE STUFF, I
GET A LOT OF STUFF FROM THE
PUBLIC FOR THAT BUT FOR POLITICS
IT'S NEW FOR ME AND I'M JUST
TRYING TO TALK ABOUT THE
PERSUASION ELEMENT, YOU KNOW, I
CONSIDER MYSELF LEFT OF BERNIE
SOCIALLY BUT I CAN'T IGNORE THE
FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS
TREMENDOUS PERSUASION TALENTS,
I'M A TRADE HYPNATIST AND TO SEE
THAT LEVEL WHATEVER YOU THINK
MORALITY BUT ON PURE TOOLS AND
TALENT NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKEI
TALENT NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE.
MARIA: ABLE TO KNOW AND PREDICT
THAT HE WOULD ACTUALLY WIN THE
PRESIDENCY, WAS THAT BECAUSE YOU
FELT THIS POWER OF PERSUASION
WAS SO STRONG OR DO YOU THINK
THAT YOU FELT THAT PEOPLE
FEELING LIKE THEY WANTED A
SHAKE-UP, THEY WE WANTED TO
CHANGE IN CONGRESS AND IN THE
WHITE HOUSE.
>> PART OF OF HIS KILL IS
KNOWING WHICH ISSUES TO
CHAMPION.
WHAT CAN SCARE YOU, WHAT WILL BE
THE VISUAL, SO HE'S PICKING THE
RIGHT STUFF, THAT REALLY HELPS.
BUT TECHNIQUE ON TOP OF THAT
THAT MAKES IT SPECIAL.
I SAID EARLY ON THAT HE WAS
BRINGING A FLAME-THROWER TO A
STICK FIGHT.
PEOPLE JUST WEREN'T EQUIPPED FOR
ANYTHING HE WAS BRINGING.
MARIA: THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU'RE RIGHT.
BUT TRANSLATE THIS INTO WHAT'S
YOU'RE EXPECTING FOR MIDTERM
ELECTIONS, YOU WERE ACCURATE ON
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, HOW DO
YOU FEEL ABOUT MIDTERMS 6 DAYS
AWAY.
>> MIDTERMS ARE HARDER TO
PREDICT, A FEW THINGS THAT ARE
UNDERAPPRECIATED, ONE IS THAT
NOBODY HAS AN EXPECTATION OF
PRIVACY IN 2018, SO IF A
POLLSTER CALLS YOU AND SAYS, YOU
KNOW, WHAT'S YOUR POLITICAL
PREFERENCE, DO YOU SAY TRUMP IF
THERE'S ANY CHANCE THAT SOMEBODY
IS GOING TO FIND OUT THAT YOU'RE
A TRUMP SUPPORTER.
MARIA: PROBABLY WILL.
>> MOST PEOPLE WILL, THEY WILL
PUT ON THE HAT IF THEY WANT, BUT
I THINK THERE'S A SOLID 2 TO 5%
WHO ARE JUST GOING TO LIE
BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO BE
CAUGHT AS TRUMP SUPPORTER SOME
DAY IN FUTURE.
MARIA: THEN YOU THINK MAYBE IT'S
UNDERESTIMATED HOW WELL THE
REPUBLICANS MAY DO.
>> YEAH, I THINK TURNOUT MAY
JAW-DROPPING ON THE REPUBLICAN
SIDE WHICH MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO
WIN BUT IF I'M GOING TO MAKE FUN
PREDICTION, IF IT'S LIKE
EVERYTHING ELSE ON ELECTION DAY,
WE WON'T BE SURE WHO WON,
THEY'LL BE -- THEY'LL BE SOME
DARN THING THAT SOMEBODY IS
SAYING, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY
CLOSE IN 3 ELECTIONS, WE ARE NOT
SURE THEY ARE VALID, IT WOULD BE
A PERFECT, PERFECT MOVIE RESULT
TO NOT HAVE A CLEAN ENDING.
MARIA: WHAT ABOUT AT THE END TO
HAVE DAY RESULTS VERSUS
RESISTANCE WHICH IS THE THEME
LINE THAT THE MAJORITY LEADER
KEVIN MCCARTHY AND THE
REPUBLICANS ARE GOING WITH, WHAT
IS THE MESSAGE ON THE LEFT, YOU
SAY YOU'RE LEFT OF BERNIE
SANDERS, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE
MESSAGE IS, WHAT ARE THEY TRYING
TO CAMPAIGN ON IN.
>> WELL, UNFORTUNATELY --
MARIA: OTHER THAN THEY RESIST.
>> ANTITRUMP AND HEALTH CARE, NO
VISUAL ELEMENT, IT'S HARD TO GET
YOUR HANDS AROUND THAT AND THEY
HAVE IMMIGRATION BUT THE VISUALS
ARE WORKING AGAINST BECAUSE OF
BIG SCARY CARAVAN OF MOSTLY MEN
COMING THIS WAY WHICH MAKES YOU
THINK MILITARY, MAKES YOU THINK
INVASION AND, OF COURSE, THE
PRESIDENT PLAYS ON THAT.