>>> IS THE MELT DOWN GETTING WORSE, DONALD TRUMP NOW
ENCOURAGING CHINA TO INVESTIGATE
JOE BIDEN.
JOE BIDEN. WE’LL GET INTO ALL OF THIS RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. SO FAR TRUMP STICKING IN A
ONE-MAN WAR ROOM, PROVIDING NO
GUIDANCE OR ASSISTANCE, NO
COORDINATION WITH LEGAL
ADVISERS.
ADVISERS. THE IDEA THAT TRUMP CAN FIX IT
IS ON DISPLAY IN THIS PAIR OF
RAMBLING APPEARANCES.
RAMBLING APPEARANCES. >> THE CONVERSATION WAS PERFECT
HE COULDN’T CARY HIS BLANK
STRAP, I WON’T SAY IT BUT THAT
GUY COULDN’T CARRY HIS BLANK
STRAP.
STRAP. PERFECT CONVERSATION.
PERFECT CONVERSATION. THE CALL WAS PERFECT.
NANCY PELOSI HANDS OUT SUBPOENAS
LIKE -- SHE HAS TO APPROVE IT.
SHE HANDS OUT SUBPOENAS LIKE
THEY’RE COOKIES.
THEY’RE COOKIES. YOU WANT A SUBPOENA, HERE YOU
GO, TAKE THEM.
LIKE THEY’RE COOKIES.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS, STATE OF
MIND, OUR REOCCURRING SERIES
WITH TONY SCHWARTZ, THE AUTHOR
OF THE WAY WE ARE WORKING ISN’T
WORKING, AND CO-AUTHOR OF "THE
ART OF THE DEAL".
THANK YOU FOR COMING IN.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> LET’S START WITH YOUR
OPINION, WHICH SOME PEOPLE CALL
YOUR BIAS.
YOUR BIAS. YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS,
YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING TO SEE
DONALD TRUMP ON THE RUN.
IS HE MORE ON THE RUN IN THIS
UKRAINE SCANDAL THAN ANY TIME
WE’VE SEEN HIM SINCE HE BECAME
PRESIDENT?
PRESIDENT? >> I THINK THE OBJECTIVE
EVIDENCE IS OBVIOUS THAT HE IS.
I THINK WHAT’S REALLY
INTERESTING IS TO OBSERVE A
LEVEL OF DE -- FALLING APART
THAT -- MELTING DOWN THAT IS SO
FAR BEYOND WHAT WE’VE SEEN IN
HIS PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY
TO WATCH HIM, ESPECIALLY IN THAT
MOMENT WHERE HE WAS GOING BACK
AND FORTH WITH THE REPORTER AND
SEE THAT HE ACTUALLY MOVED FROM
FIGHT, WHICH IS HIS NORMAL
PHYSIOLOGICAL PLACE, TO WHAT I
WOULD CALL FREEZE, WHICH IS AN
EXTREME VERSION OF FIGHT WHERE
HE LITERALLY WAS PARALYZED AND
FINALLY SAID, ASK THAT GUY A
QUESTION, ASK HIM A QUESTION.
>> THAT IS FASCINATING.
YOU’VE WORKED WITH HIM, YOU KNOW
HIM, YOU’VE STUDIED HIM.
WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IS SO
REVEALING IN THAT MOMENT.
THERE’S A DEBATE IN THIS
COUNTRY, DO YOU INTERVIEW THE
PRESIDENT ANYMORE AND SOME OF
HIS ENABLERS AND PEOPLE WHO
ADMIT TO LYING.
WE WANT TO SHOUT OUT TO ROUTER’S
JEFF MASON.
JEFF MASON. HE HELD THE LINE, WHICH LED TO
THE MOMENT YOU’RE CALLING THE
FREEZE.
FREEZE. >> THE QUESTION, SIR, WAS WHAT
DID YOU WANTED PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY TO DO ABOUT VICE
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HIS SON,
HUNTER?
HUNTER? >> ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
>> YEAH, I WAS JUST A FOLLOW-UP
OF WHAT I JUST ASKED YOU, SIR.
>> LISTEN, ARE YOU READY?
WE HAVE THE PRESIDENT OF
FINLAND, ASK HIM A QUESTION.
I’VE GIVEN YOU A LONG ANSWER.
ASK THIS GENTLEMEN A QUESTION,
DON’T BE RUDE.
>> I DON’T WANT TO BE RUDE.
I WANT YOU TO HAVE A CHANCE TO
ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT I ASKED
YOU.
YOU. >> I ANSWERED IT.
IT’S A HOAX, YOU KNOW WHO’S
PLAYING INTO THE HOAX?
PEOPLE LIKE YOU.
>> THERE’S A PIECE OUT TODAY
CALLED UNFIT FOR OFFICE, BY
GEORGE CONWAY, KELLYANNE
CONWAY’S HUSBAND, ABOUT WHY
TRUMP IS UNFIT FOR OFFICE.
IT’S FIRST OF ALL, QUITE
EXTRAORDINARY.
EXTRAORDINARY. IT’S LIKE A PROSECUTION OF TRUMP
BUT PARTICULARLY AROUND THIS
IDEA THAT HE’S A FIDUCIARY.
THAT HE HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO
REPRESENT THE COUNTRY IN THIS
CASE, AND HE IS PUTTING HIS
PERSONAL INTERESTS AHEAD OF IT.
AND THAT IS IN VIOLENT
OPPOSITION TO WHAT THE
CONSTITUTION LAID OUT.
HE ALSO TALKS ABOUT THE
COMPONENTS OF PATHOLOGICAL
NARCISSISM.
NARCISSISM. THAT’S A PSYCHOLOGICAL
DIAGNOSIS, BUT HIS POINT IS THAT
IT DOESN’T TAKE A PSYCHIATRIST
TO RECOGNIZE, AS YOU JUST SAW IN
THAT PIECE, THAT THIS IS A MAN
WHO IS WAY, WAY OUT THERE.
HE’S WAY OFF IN THE BLUE YONDER.
TO WATCH THIS IS FRIGHTENING,
PARTICULARLY BECAUSE, ARI, IT’S
GOING TO GET WAY WORSE.
BECAUSE WHAT’S HAPPENED TO HIM
IS, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT
NARCISSISM, YOU’RE BASICALLY
TALKING ABOUT A GUY WHO’S
CONSTANTLY TRYING TO FILL
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF. I HEARD PETER TALK ABOUT THE
IDEA OF A BLACK HOLE.
THE BLACK HOLE IS REALLY, AT
BASE, ABOUT HIS OWN SENSE OF
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF. THERE’S AN EMPTINESS AND THERE’S
A TERROR THAT’S SETTING IN THAT
HE’S GOING TO LOSE THE
LEGITIMACY THAT THE PRESIDENCY
GAVE HIM.
GAVE HIM. >> THAT’S THE OTHER THING I WAS
GOING TO ASK.
I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THIS, I
DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU THAT
THE MUELLER PROBE, WHICH HE
TRIGGERED WITH HIS OWN BRASH
FIRING OF THE FBI DIRECTOR,
COMES TO AN END WITH MUELLER’S
TESTIMONY AND THE NEXT DAY HE
DOES THIS, IS THAT ALMOST A
POLITICAL DEATH WISH?
>> I THINK DONALD TRUMP IS
UNDENIABLY HIS OWN WORST ENEMY.
AND I THINK THAT WE SEE IT PLAY
OUT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND PSYCHIATRISTS TALK ABOUT THE
NOTION THAT WHEN YOU ARE
DEFENSIVE THE INEVITABLE OUTCOME
OF THE DEFENSE IS TO PULL UPON
YOURSELF PRECISELY WHAT YOU WERE
MEANT TO BE DEFENDING AGAINST.
SO HE GOES AND DOUBLES DOWN ON
THE VERY ILLEGAL ACT THAT HE’S
DONE, BECAUSE HE’S IN SUCH A
STATE OF DEFENSIVENESS AND LACK
OF GOOD COGNITION THAT ALL HE
CAN DO IS ATTACK.
AND THAT IS EVIDENCE OF WHAT HE
DOES TO HIMSELF EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. AND THAT WILL GET WORSE.
IT’LL GET WORSE FOR HIM.
AND IT’LL GET WORSE FOR US.
WE ARE A LONG WAY FROM OVER IN
WATCHING THIS UNFOLD.
>> IT LOOKS DIFFERENT, FEELS