>>> A LEAKER INSIDE TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE JUST REVEALED TONS
OF NEW DETAILS ABOUT TRUMP’S
WORK DAY, AND HOW IT DOESN’T
INVOLVE MUCH TRADITIONAL WORK.
THREE MONTHS OF TRUMP’S
SCHEDULES NOW SPLASHED ACROSS
THE NEWS SITE AXIOS WHICH
REPORTS OVER 60% OF TRUMP’S DAY
CONSISTS OF WHAT’S GENERALLY NOT
CONSIDERED WORK IN THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. OPEN TIME WHERE TRUMP WATCHES TV
OR LOUNGES AROUND.
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS FAMOUSLY
DUBBED THIS EXECUTIVE TIME.
OTHER INSIDERS HAVE JOKED ABOUT
HOW E-TIME IS WATCHING TV,
READING THE PAPER AND RESPONDING
TO THINGS ON TV.
WE DOCUMENTED HOW TRUMP WORKS
LESS THAN OTHER PRESIDENTS,
GOLFS MORE AND LET YEARS PASS
WITHOUT EVEN FILLING FEDERAL
VACANCIES THAT ONLY A PRESIDENT
CAN APPOINT.
CAN APPOINT. WHAT’S NEW TONIGHT BEYOND THOSE
REPORTS IS THE SHEER DETAIL OF
THESE INTERNAL CALENDARS.
THE TRUMP NEVER WANTED THE
PUBLIC TO SEE THEM, AND THIS MAY
BE WHY.
BE WHY. THE PRIVATE SCHEDULE REVEALS
THAT ON DAYS WHEN HE’S NOT
TRAVELING, TRUMP KICKS OFF HIS
DAY WITH THREE HOURS OF
EXECUTIVE TIME.
EXECUTIVE TIME. THE FIRST ACTUAL MEETING WITH
ANOTHER PERSON WILL COME IN THE
11:00 A.M. HOUR, TYPICALLY
FOLLOWED BY EXECUTIVE TIME,
FOLLOWED BY LUNCH, AND THEN MORE
EXECUTIVE TIME.
EXECUTIVE TIME. NOW YOU MIGHT BE THINKING ALL
THIS UNSTRUCTURED ALONE TIME
MUST BE EXHAUSTING.
HOW LONG CAN HE KEEP IT UP?
THE ANSWER IS NOT LONG, BECAUSE
MOST OF THE TIME 67%, TRUMP
CALLS IT QUITS BEFORE OR BY 5:00
P.M.
P.M. THE SHORTER HOURS CONTRAST TO
PAST PRESIDENT, BUSH WAS IN THE
OFFICE BY 7:00 A.M.
OBAMA CAME IN AROUND 9:00
COMPARED TO TRUMP’S LEISURELY
11:00 A.M.
11:00 A.M. AND IT’S NOT ABOUT WHETHER
YOU’RE AN EARLY RICESER OR NIGHT
OWL, BUSH SHOWED A TEN HOUR
PLUS, OBAMA SHOWED NINE HOURS
PLUS A HABIT FOR LATE NIGHT
MEMOS IN THE RESIDENCE.
TRUMP CLOCKING IN AT A COOL SIX
HOURS A DAY IN THE OVAL.
CRITICS SAY THIS YOU WERE TO
DISCOUNT EVEN PART OF THE
EXECUTIVE TIME, THAT WOULD LEAVE
TRUMP LITERALLY TREATING THE
PRESIDENCY AS A PART-TIME 20
HOUR A WEEK JOB.
TRUMP AIDES PUSH BACK ON ALL
THIS.
THIS. THEY INSIST HE DOES A RANGE OF
MEETING, EVENTS AND CALLS, THAT
E-TIME IS PART OF THE MORE
CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT HE NEEDS TO
FLOURISH, AND THAT AS AN
UNSTRUCTURED LEADER HE IS ALSO,
QUOTE, THE MOST PRODUCTIVE
PRESIDENT IN MODERN HISTORY.
WHILE REPORTING OUT THIS STORY,
WE DID CALL SOME FORMER
COWORKERS OF TRUMP, AND THEY DID
SAY HE USED TO BE KNOWN FOR
WORKING LONGER HOURS.
IT DOES LOOK LIKE SOMETHING HAS
CHANGED.
CHANGED. MAYBE HE IS LESS INTERESTED IN
THIS PARTICULAR JOB OR MAYBE HE
HAS SLOWED DOWN IN GENERAL.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR
THE REST OF US WHEN THE
PRESIDENT IS EFFECTIVELY PART
TIME.
TIME. I’M JOINED NOW BY CHRIS LOU WHO
SERVED A AS TOP AIDE TO OBAMA
FOR YEARS, WHO HAS AN EXPERTISE
IN U.S. LABOR.
FOR COMPARISON’S SAKE, AND
SOMEONE I HAPPEN TO KNOW WORKS A
FULL WEEK.
FULL WEEK. >> FULL TIME.
>> HOW DOES THIS COMPARE TO
OTHER PRESIDENTS’ SCHEDULES AND
TWO, HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO MOST
EMPLOYED FULL-TIME LABORERS IN
THE UNITED STATES?
>> LET ME SAY THIS.
THE AVERAGE U.S. WORKER PUTS IN
ABOUT 44 HOURS ON THE JOB.
IN JUST NINE DAYS, THE AVERAGE
WORKER IS MORE TIME ON THE JOB
THAN THE NUMBER OF MEETINGS, THE
TIME OF MEETINGS THAT THIS
PRESIDENT HAS DONE OVER A
THREE-MONTH PERIOD OF TIME.
SO NOW LET ME GIVE YOU THE
CONTEXT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA.
I WORKED FOR OBAMA FOR 11 YEARS.
I SAW HIS SCHEDULE WHEN HE WAS A
SENATOR, A PRESIDENT-ELECT AND A
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. YOU’RE RIGHT.
YOU’RE RIGHT. HE GOT IN ABOUT 9:00 A.M.
HE WORKED CONTINUOUSLY THROUGH
THE DAY UNTIL ABOUT 6:00 OR
6:30.
6:30. HE WENT AND HAD DINNER WITH HIS
WIFE AND KIDS, AND THEN HE WAS
BACK WORKING LATE INTO THE
EVENING OR EARLY INTO THE
MORNING.
MORNING. HE OFTEN HAD EVENING EVENTS.
HE HAD WEEKEND EVENTS.
WE HAD WEEKEND SENIOR STAFF
MEETINGS.
MEETINGS. IT DOESN’T COMPARE AT ALL TO
WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DOING.
>> LIZ?
>> LIZ? >> I’VE MET UBER DRIVER,
PART-TIME UBER DRIVERS WHO HAVE
LESS FLEXIBILITY THAN THE
PRESIDENT DOES IN HIS SCHEDULE.
YOUR PRODUCER ACTUALLY HANDED ME
A COWBOY OF YOUR SORT OF
STANDARD WEDNESDAY.
STANDARD WEDNESDAY. >> THAT’S A REAL SCHEDULE FROM
THE AXIOS LEAK.
>> YES.
>> YES. AND IT IS -- I MEAN, IN HIS
DEFENSE, IT’S HUMP DAY.
WEDNESDAYS CAN BE DIFFERENT.
>> IT IS HUMP DAY.
WHAT DO YOU SEE THERE?
>> I DON’T SEE -- THERE IS A LOT
OF EXECUTIVE TIME, TO YOUR
POINT, FROM 8:00 TO 11:00.
AT 11:00 HE HAD A HALF-HOUR
MEETING.
MEETING. AND BACK TO EXECUTIVE TIME.
AND THEN AN HOUR LUNCH.
AND THEN MORE EXECUTIVE TIME.
AND THEN THAT’S IT.
THAT’S A BIG DAY.
YEAH, TWO-THIRDS OF HIS TIME IS
BASICALLY UNACCOUNTED FOR.
WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE
PRESIDENT IS DOING 60% OF THE
TIME.
TIME. AND, YOU KNOW, THE -- IT’S EASY
TO CHALK THAT UP TO BEING LAZY,
BUT IT’S ALSO THE SECRECY.
IT’S KIND OF STRANGE THAT YOUR
OWN STAFF DOESN’T KNOW WHAT
YOU’RE DOING.
YOU’RE DOING. THAT IS NOT THE STANDARD.
>> OR THE CLOSE STAFF.
BECAUSE I’VE BEEN AROUND AS A
REPORTER, I’VE BEEN IN THERE
SOMETIMES IN THE OVAL.
THE CLOSE STAFF KNOWS EXACTLY
WHETHER YOU’RE IN THE OVAL OR
NOT.
NOT. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AND IF YOU’RE NOT DOING
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. AND SO YOU HAVE TO WONDER THE
PERSON WHO LEAKED THIS, IF
THEY’RE JUST LEAKING IT BECAUSE
THEY’RE -- THEY WANT THE
PRESIDENT TO GET TO WORK OR IF
THEY’RE WORRIED SOME OF THE
THINGS HE IS DOING WHILE
UNACCOUNTED FOR.
UNACCOUNTED FOR. >> WHICH WISCONSIN IS SOMETHING
THAT EVEN THE TRUMP SUPPORTERS
WOULD SAY WAIT, WE ELECTED
SOMEONE.
SOMEONE. WE WANT THEM TO GET THE AGENDA
DONE.
DONE. IT’S HARD TO DO THAT IF YOU
NEVER GO TO WORK.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> OR IT COULD JUST BE SOMEONE
BEING MESSY.
BEING MESSY. >> PERHAPS.
>> PERHAPS. >> CHRIS, I WANT TO CONTRAST
THIS IN OWL SERIOUS REPORTING
HERE, WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAYS HE
IS DOING.
IS DOING. IN NOVEMBER THE PRESIDENT WAS
HEADING TO MAR-A-LAGO FOR FIVE
DAYS WHICH HE CLAIMED WAS A
WORKING DA I TO THE PRESS.
>> WE’RE GOING DOWN TO THE
SOUTHERN WHITE HOUSE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK WE’RE
GOING TO BE DOING.
IN FLORIDA.
IN FLORIDA. >> BUT NOW WE HAVE TRUMP’S
CALENDAR SHOWING WHILE HE IS IN
MAR-A-LAGO, ONE SCHEDULED EVENT,
A BLOCK OF TIME ON THANKSGIVING
THANKING MILITARY FAMILIES.
A PRIVATE SCHEDULE FOR THE NEXT
DAY REVEALS NINE HOURS OF
EXECUTIVE TIME WITH NOTHING ELSE
ON THE PRIVATE SCHEDULE.
WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN, CHRIS?
IN YOUR VIEW, IT’S A PRIVATE DAY
OFF, IS THAT CORRECT?
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. LOOK, IF YOU LOOK THROUGH ALL
THREE MONTHS OF THE SCHEDULES AS
I DID, THERE ARE POLICY
BRIEFINGS IN THERE.
THERE ARE PERSONNEL MEETINGS.
THERE IS TIME WITH THE CABINET.
SO WE CAN STIPULATE THAT SOME OF
THIS EXECUTIVE TIME MAY BE
LEGIT.
LEGIT. BUT REALLY, THE PRESUMPTION IS
THAT THE PRESIDENT REALLY IS NOT
WORKING.
WORKING. AND YOU BASED IT ON ALL OF THE
ACCOUNTS THAT HE IS ON THE
PHONE, SEE GABBING WITH HIS
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. BELIEVE ME, HE IS CERTAINLY NOT
READING HIS POLICY MEMOS,
BECAUSE IF YOU BELIEVE THE
REPORTING, HE LIKES ONE OR
TWO-PAGE MEMOS.
TWO-PAGE MEMOS. HE LIKES A LOT OF PICTURES IN
THERE.
THERE. HOW LONG CAN YOU REALLY SPEND
LOOKING AT A ONE-PAGE MEMO WITH
A BUNCH OF PICTURES?
>> AND SOMETIMES, LIZ, THE JOKE
BECOMES BASICALLY TRUE.
HERE IS AN OLDER SOUND BITE OF
COLBERT.
COLBERT. TAKE A LOOK.
>> IT’S THE END OF THE WORKWEEK.
OF COURSE DONALD TRUMP’S
WORKWEEK NEVER REALLY BEGINS.
PERSONALLY, I THINK THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
SHOULD WORK AT LEAST AS MANY
HOURS AS A 15-YEAR-OLD SAVING UP
FOR AN XBOX.
>> I MEAN, MY FAVORITE PART IS
THE RESPONSE WHICH YOU TALKED
ABOUT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
SEGMENT.
SEGMENT. THE RESPONSE FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE SAYING THAT THIS IS -- HE
NEEDS A CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT SO
THAT HE CAN WORK, AND OBVIOUSLY,
I’M SURE --
>> LIKE A DJ OR SOMETHING.
>> OR A TODDLER.
I FEEL LIKE THAT’S -- YEAH, WE
WOULD NORMALLY REFER TO THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
BUT WE HAVE TWITTER.
WE HAVE ACCESS TO TWITTER.
WE SEE THAT HE IS TWEETING.
WE SEE THAT HE IS TWEETING AND
RESPONDING TO "FOX & FRIENDS"
AND TO OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE
ON TELEVISION.
ON TELEVISION. SO IT’S VERY CLEAR AND VERY EASY
TO CONCLUDE THAT A LOT OF THIS
TIME IS NOT SPENT, YOU KNOW,
TALKING TO FOREIGN LEADERS AND
PLANNING HIS PRESIDENCY.
BUT THAT IT ACTUALLY IS PLANNED
IN FRONT OF A SCREEN OR MANY
SCREENS.
SCREENS. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. IF YOU ARE A BIG TRUMP
SUPPORTER, THIS MAY CONCERN YOU
BECAUSE IT SHOWS A LACK OF
FOCUS, EFFICACY AND
PRODUCTIVITY.
PRODUCTIVITY. IN OTHER WORDS, SO MANY THINGS
IN THIS ERA BECOME IDEOLOGICAL
BECAUSE THIS SOUNDS NEGATIVE,
THE IDEA THAT HE RAN FOR
PRESIDENT BUT ISN’T WORKING.
PEOPLE CAN INTERPRET THAT AS
THEY SEE FIT.
BUT IF YOU’RE A BIG SUPPORTER,
YOU WOULD WANT THE PERSON USING
THAT POWERFUL OFFICE AND NOT
APPEARING TO WASTE SO MANY
HOURS.
HOURS. PRESIDENTIAL TIME ONE OF THE
MOST VALUABLE THINGS.
AND IT MAY EXPLAIN WHY THERE ARE
SO MANY VACANCIES, BECAUSE NO
ONE CAN PICK UP THAT PART OF THE
JOB FOR HIM.
HE HAS TO PICK THOSE APPOINTEES.
WE HAD HERE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT,
41%.
41%. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, 41%.