>>> NOBODY KNOWS THE SYSTEM
BETTER THAN ME.
WHICH IS WHY I ALONE CAN FIX IT.
>> THOSE WORDS, NOW THE TITLE.
REVEALING TELL-ALL BOOK
DOCUMENTING THE FINAL YEAR OF
THE ADMINISTRATION OF DONALD
TRUMP.
TWO MONTHS AFTER BIDEN WAS SWORN
INTO OFFICE, PULITZER PRIZE
WINNING REPORTERS PHILLIP RUCKER
AND KRARL LEONNIG SAT DOWN WITH
DONALD TRUMP IN MAR-A-LAGO.
AMONG SEVERAL ALARMING
ADMISSIONS IN THE NEW BOOK, I
ALONE CAN FIX IT, THEY WRITE
THIS AND WE QUOTE.
TRUMP REGRETS HIS RESPONSE TO
PROTESTS LAST SUMMER IN
MINNEAPOLIS, PORTLAND, SEATTLE
AND OTHER CITIES.
QUOTE, I THINK IF I HAD TO DO IT
OVER AGAIN, I WOULD HAVE BROUGHT
IN THE MILITARY IMMEDIATELY, HE
SAID.
REMAINING WITH US, PHILLIP
RUCKER.
JOINING OUR CONVERSATION,
ANOTHER FRIEND OF OURS, CAROL
LEONNIG.
THE PAIR HAVE WRITTEN YET
ANOTHER BOOK, A NEW ONE ON THE
TRUMP PRESIDENCY.
I ALONE CAN FIX IT.
DONALD J. TRUMPS CATASTROPHIC
FINAL YEAR WHICH COMES OUT
TOMORROW WHEREVER FINE BOOKS ARE
SOLD.
GOOD EVENING TO YOU BOTH.
AND CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE
SMATTERING OF ADVANCE REVIEWS
THAT I READ THIS AFTERNOON.
AND TONIGHT, TELL US MORE ABOUT
THE LAST THING WE RAISED HERE.
TRUMPS REGRET OVER NOT CALLING
OUT THE MILITARY FOLLOWING THE
MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD, DURING
THE BLM PROTESTS.
AND A SUBSET OF THAT QUESTION.
WHO WOULD TELL HIM IF HE WANTED
THE SECOND MARINES OR THE 81st
TO TAKE POSITIONS IN SEATTLE?
>> WOW, BRIAN, THATS A TWO-PART
QUESTION THAT IS IMPORTANT.
LET ME DEAL WITH THE FIRST PART
FIRST.
YOU KNOW BECAUSE YOUVE COVERED
THIS ADMINISTRATION AND
CHRONICLED IT EVERY NIGHT AT
11:00, THAT THE PRESIDENT, THE
FORMER PRESIDENT, RARELY REGRETS
ANYTHING.
IN FACT, IN OUR INTERVIEW WE
LEARNED THAT HE REALLY DOESNT
REGRET ANYTHING ABOUT 2020
EXCEPT FOR ONE THING.
THOUGH IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST
CATASTROPHIC YEARS WEVE SEEN IN
OUR HISTORY, HIS BIG REGRET
SPEAK DIDNT UNLEASH ACTIVE DUTY
MILITARY TROOPS ON THE PEOPLE
WHO WERE EXERCISING THEIR FIRST
AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO PROTEST THE
DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD AND THE
CHRONIC, SYSTEMIC RACIST SYSTEM
IN WHICH MANY BLACK MEN AND
WOMEN HAVE BEEN KILLED AT THE
HANDS OF POLICE.
THAT WAS HIS BIG SADNESS.
NOW, FOR THE SECOND PART OF YOUR
QUESTION, WHAT WE LEARNED, AND
WHAT WAS SO CHILLING TO US WAS
THAT MANY INSIDERS IN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION FELT VERY
STRONGLY THAT THEY HAD TO
BASICALLY BAND TOGETHER TO KEEP
DONALD TRUMP FROM SICKING ACTIVE
DUTY TROOPS ON AMERICANS IN ALL
SORTS OF CITIES.
SEATTLE, PORTLAND, WASHINGTON,
D.C., PHILADELPHIA, NEW YORK.
IT FELT SO FREQUENT A DEMAND AND
A REQUEST FROM THE PRESIDENT
THAT BILL BARR TOLD AIDES HE WAS
TIRED OF GOING TO THE WHITE
HOUSE BECAUSE HE KNEW WHAT THE
CONVERSATION WAS GOING TO BE.
LETS SEND TROOPS IN.
THE PRESIDENT WANTED TO BURNISH
HIS IMAGE AND LOOK LIKE A TOUGH
LAW AND ORDER GUY BECAUSE HE
WANTED TO WIN RE-ELECTION.
AND ALL THOSE PEOPLE INSIDE THE
ADMINISTRATION SAW RIGHT THROUGH
IT.
AND THEY WORKED TO STOP HIM.
>> OF COURSE, THEY MADE UP FOR A
LOT OF THAT IN LAFAYETTE PARK
ALONE.
PHIL, AS I READ IT, YOUR
SCHEDULED INTERVIEW AT
MAR-A-LAGO WAS FOR AN HOUR.
IT WENT FOR TWO AND A HALF, OR
THERE ABOUTS.
FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL NEVER GET
THAT DISTINCT PLEASURE OF
SITTING DOWN FOR THAT LONG, WHAT
IS IT LIKE?
B, WHAT SHOCKED YOU THE MOST
DURING THAT CONVERSATION?
>> WELL, BRIAN, IT WAS AN
ENTIRELY BIZARRE SEASON FOR
CAROL AND ME.
WE CAME TO THE INTERVIEW AND
TRUMP WANTED TO HOLD IT IN WHAT
IS EFFECTIVELY THE LOBBY AT
MAR-A-LAGO AT THE DINNER HOUR SO
SCORES OF HIS DINNER GUESTS WERE
PARADING PAST US AS WE WERE
TRYING ON INTERVIEW HIM ABOUT
THE SERIOUS SUBSTANTIVE MATTERS
OF HIS PRESIDENCY.
HE IS SO FIXATED ON THE 2020
ELECTION.
HE KEPT REVERTING BACK AGAIN AND
AGAIN AND AGAIN TO THE ELECTION
AND TO THE CONSPIRACY THATS WE
ALL KNOW ARE NOT TRUE.
THE FALSE HOODS THAT HE WON
ARIZONA, THE FALSEHOODS THAT
THERE WAS FRAUD IN FULTON
COUNTY, GEORGIA.
IN TRUMPS MIND IT IS SO REAL.
AND HE WOULD TELL IT TO US WITH
REAL ANIMATED CADENCE.
HE THOUGHT PEOPLE WOULD FINALLY
FIGURE IT OUT.
HE KEPT SAYING, IM TRYING TO
GET THE WORD OUT HERE ABOUT THE
FRAUD THAT SIMPLY DOESNT EXIST.
WHAT YOU HAD AT MAR-A-LAGO, WHEN
WE WERE THERE AT THE END OF
MARCH, IS A KING OF REPUBLICAN
POLITICS SORT OF IN HIS BRINGING
BRIGGADOON THAT DOESNT STACK UP
TO THE FACTS.
AND BY THE WAY, HES ALSO FILLED
WITH GRIEVANCE.
HE BROUGHT UP PEOPLE LIKE BILL
BARR, MITCH McCONNELL, PAUL
RYAN, HE EVEN INSTROKED LATE
SENATOR JOHN McCAIN.
ALL PEOPLE THAT HE MADE FUN OF,
HE BLAMED THEM FOR THINGS THAT
HAD GONE WRONG AND HE ALSO
BLAMED MIKE PENCE.
HIS LOYAL VICE PRESIDENT FOR NOT
DOING WHAT TRUMP CONSIDERED TO