You know how every day we think to ourselves,
there's no way this presidency could get any crazier?
Well, today, once again, we were proven wrong.
-ANNOUNCER: Breaking news. -WOLF BLITZER: We're following
major breaking news.
A senior Trump administration official admits
to being part of a battle inside The White House
to frustrate the president's a agenda
and his worst impulses until he leaves office.
The New York Times publishing
the unprecedented op ed anonymously.
The author delivering a blistering assessment
of the president.
Holy shit.
(laughter)
There's a secret group of people
within The White House
actively working to curb President Trump,
which is wild because this means
this whole time we've been dealing
with a watered-down version of Trump?
(laughter)
You're telling me that this is the better version?
Like, I thought this was with the peak of crazy.
This is diet Trump? That's what you're saying?
Yo, that's like finding out
"two girls, one cup" was the PG version of the clip.
-(audience groaning) -Yeah.
Like, what was the R-rated version? There was no cup?
What the hell are you telling me?
And this anonymous official talks a lot
about how bad things are. So bad, in fact,
that Trump's cabinet even considered a drastic move
that has never been done before.
MAN: This official goes on to say that...
"Given the instability many witnessed,
"there were early whispers within the cabinet
"of evoking the 25th Amendment,
"which would start a complex process
"for removing the president.
"But no one wanted
"to precipitate a constitutional crisis.
"So we will do what we can to steer the administration
"in the right direction until--
one way or another-- it is over."
-Okay, wait. What? -MAN: Wow.
So Trump is such a danger to America
that his cabinet thought about using the 25th Amendment
to remove him from office, but then
they decided not to use it because it would be too messy?
The 25th Amendment is there so that you can use it.
It's like, there's a sign that says,
"In case of emergency, break glass,"
but then these guy are like,
"I mean, we could break the glass,
"but then there'd be glass everywhere.
"I mean, maybe we can just try
"to steer the fire in a different direction?
"It's less dramatic.
Yeah, let's talk to it."
And now people are wondering why
this anonymous official revealed all of this in the first place,
but apparently, it's to make us all feel better.
WOMAN: The official writes,
"It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era,
"but Americans should know that there are adults in the room.
"We fully recognize what is happening.
"And we are trying to do what's right
even when Donald Trump won't."
Okay, that doesn't make me feel any better,
because before this, I knew there was turbulence,
but now, someone just came on the P.A. system, and was like,
"Uh, ladies and gentlemen, the pilot is actively trying
"to crash the plane, but don't be alarmed.
"We're doing everything we can to stop him.
"Mikey's got a pretty good choke hold,
"and I've said some pretty harsh words.
"So please keep your seat belts fastened
and enjoy your peanuts and tax cuts."
-(laughter) -This is wild.
(applause and cheering)
And now... and now,
Trump is already calling the whole thing fake news.
That was predictable, but the crisis...
The crisis atmosphere inside The White House
was already being corroborated this week
by legendary journalist Bob Woodward, right?
He's written about presidents for the past 50 years.
And he's one of the reporters who broke Watergate
and forced Nixon to resign, so he's as legit as they get.
Bob Woodward's bombshell book
is rocking the White House this morning.
NEWSWOMAN: Bob Woodward describes
the Trump presidency in the midst of a nervous breakdown.
The book also a remarkable portrait
of aides taking extreme measures to block their boss.
Former economic advisor Gary Cohn
reportedly preventing the president
from withdrawing from a trade agreement
with South Korea by swiping a letter off his desk.
Yes, you heard that correctly.
Donald Trump can be made to forget
about a major policy decision
the same way a baby forgets about its parents
when they play peekaboo.
Just like, "Well, I can't see your face anymore
"so I guess you're gone forever.
"I'm an orphan now. Very sad, folks. Very tragic.
He's gone."
And Woodward's book also gives us a glimpse
into how Trump's legal team is preparing him
to be interviewed by Robert Mueller.
And unfortunately, it's not as simple
as stealing papers off of his desk.
NEWSWOMAN: Woodward describing the president's
one-time lead attorney John Dowd:
So convinced the president would commit perjury,
he staged a practice interview last January.
That session so rocky, Woodward reports Mr. Dowd
later told Mr. Trump: Don't testify.
It's either that or an orange jumpsuit.
(laughter)
Don't testify, or you'll end up in an orange jumpsuit.
How badly did Trump have to lie, in a "fake interview"
for his lawyer to tell him that?
It was like, "Okay, Mr. President, let's practice.
Uh, please state your name."
"Michael Pence." "Damn it!"
(laughter)
And by the way, by the way, "orange jumpsuit"
is also what Melania calls Trump's naked body. Yeah.
(laughter, shouting, applause)
And look, and look,
I know it can be fun to hear all this dirt on Trump
coming from his lawyers or his economic advisor,
but what's not as much fun
is when it's coming from the guy who's in charge of the bombs.
NEWSWOMAN: And after the president
told Defense Secretary James Mattis
he wanted to assassinate Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad
for a chemical attack on civilians,
Mattis reportedly told the president on the phone
he would do it, but then telling a senior aide,
"We're not going to do any of that."
(laughter)
This is incredible, man.
The commander in chief ordered an assassination
of a foreign leader, and his secretary of defense
just ignored him like he was an Amber Alert.
That was it. And apparently, under Trump,
military operations now work like Bumble.
Like, Trump can't initiate it.
He has to wait for the military to swipe,
and then, if they're both into it,
they can assassinate someone together; that's how it works.
So look, obviously all of this stuff is crazy,
but at some point, I think we've got to stop saying
that it's a "bombshell." Right?
I mean, Trump is just doing a lot more Trump
than we thought he would, but it's not a bombshell.
Like, the day it comes out that Trump secretly works out
and reads Shakespeare and teaches kids how to code,
that's when we can call it a bombshell.
Right? Right now, these (bleep) just need to break the glass.