MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT IS A VETERAN REPORTER WHO HAS WORKED
AS EDITOR IN CHIEF OF "FOREIGN POLICY," FOUNDED "POLITICO
MAGAZINE," AND SERVED AS THE MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF FOR "THE
WASHINGTON POST."
SHE NOW HAS A WEEKLY COLUMN AT "THE NEW YORKER."
PLEASE WELCOME SUSAN GLASSER!
♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> Stephen: I PERSONALLY REQUESTED TO HAVE YOU ON BECAUSE
I HAVE READ JUST ABOUT EVERY COLUMN YOU HAVE WRITTEN IN THE
LAST THREE YEARS FOR "THE NEW YORKER."
THEY'RE ALL CALLED "LETTER FROM WASHINGTON," RIGHT?
>> I'M SORRY, I KNOW IT'S A LOT TO TAKE IN.
>> Stephen: WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THEM IS I DON'T THINK
THERE IS ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO, "A", HAS THE BREADTH OF
JOURNALISTIC EXPERIENCE, WHO HAS TH KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT HAPPENS
UNDERNEATH A BURGEONING AUTOCRATIC REGIME, BECAUSE YOU
WERE ONE OF THE MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEFS FOR "THE WASHINGTON POST"
WHEN PUTIN WAS RISING TO POWER IN THE EARLY 2000s, AND WHO
UNDERSTANDS THE NORMS WE'RE LOSING IN OUR GOVERNMENT THAN
YOU.
I'M NOT GOING TO SAY IT'S A CHEERFUL COLUMN, YOU KNOW.
IT'S MILDLY REFRESHING.
IT'S 90% WATER, 10% HEMLOCK.
IT'S NOT TOO BAD.
BUT YOU SAID YOU NEEDED A TERM FOR THE TRUMP EFFECT, THE THING
WE'RE ALL FEELING BUT HAVE TROUBLE NAMING.
AND YOU ASKED A FRIEND TO HELP YOU-- WHO HELPED YOU COME UP
WITH THIS TERM?
>> OKAY, SO I HAVE THIS WONDERFUL FRIEND, CASANZA, WHO
IS GERMAN, AND YOU KNOW HOW PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS JOKING THERE
OUGHT TO BE A LONG GERMAN WORD FOR THAT.
I SAID, "IS THERE A LONG GERMAN WORD FOR THIS TRUMP SOUL
SICKNESS?" AND SHE SAID, "NO, BUT I'LL MAKE
ONE UP."
SO SHE MADE ONE UP.
( LAUGHTER )
THE SCHLAMASSLE.
>> Stephen: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
>> I THINK IT'S TECHNICALLY YIDDISH.
>> Stephen: IT'S A GOOD COMBO.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
>> AGAIN, I DON'T ACTUALLY SPEAK GERMAN.
TRUMP, YOU GOT THAT, REGNORRAN IS GOVERNMENT.
SCHLAMASSLE IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE, CRAZINESS.
AND SCHMIRTZ, IS SOUL SICKNESS.
IT'S LIKE TRUMP, CRAZINESS, SOUL SICKNESS.
>> Stephen: I GET A CONSTANT FEELING IN THE SORT OF GAS
LIGHTING OF AMERICA THAT THE PRESIDENT IS TAKING PLACE AND
THE PEOPLE AIDING AND ABETTING HIM, LIKE SOME SORT OF SPELL IS
TRYING TO BE CAST ON US, LIKE SOME SORT OF WEIRD-- SOMEWHAT
ABUSIVE SPELLS BEING CAST ON US SO WE DON'T SEE REALITY ANYMORE.
WE'RE BEING DRAGGED INTO HIS INSANITY.
WHEN YOU WERE SEEING THE RISE OF PUTIN FROM 2000-TO 2004, WAS
THIS HAPPENING THEN?
>> YOU WOULDN'T THINK THERE WOULD BE AN OVERLAPPING
EXPERTISE BETWEEN BEING IN RUSSIA AND BEING IN WASHINGTON,
AND THROW IN A CLINTON IMPEACHMENT-- THESE THINGS
AREN'T SUPPOSED TO GO TOGETHER IN THE SAME SENTENCE.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, THE FIRST FOUR YEARS, HE DID WHAT ALL ASPIRING
AUTHORITARIANS DO, WHAT ERDOGAN DID IN TURKEY, CONSOLIDATE
POWER.
FIRST YOU GO AFTER THE JOURNALISTS.
THEY TOOK OVER THE INDEPENDENT TELEVISION.
YOU GO AFTER THE PARLIAMENT, AND YOU MAKE SURE THAT IT'S A POCKET
PARLIAMENT.
YOU GO AFTER THIS-- AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME UNKANE
PARALLELS.
TRUMP SEEMS TO HAVE THE INSTINCTING OF A NATURAL-MINDED
AWE AUTHORITARIAN, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT HISTORY
AND INSTITUTIONS AND CULTURES, THANKS GOODNESS YOU.
>> Stephen: HAVE BEEN WRITING ABOUT THE NEW PHASE OF THE
PRESIDENCY SINCE THE SENATE ACQUITTAL.
WHO POST-IMPEACHMENT TRUMP?
IS IT REALLY DIFFERENT?
MY SUSPICION BEFORE IT HAPPENED, "IF HE ISN'T ACQUITTED, THE
GUARDRAILS WILL BE OFF."
I DON'T SEE THAT THE GUARDRAILS HAVE EVER BEEN ON.
IS HE THE SAME PERSON POST-ACQUITTAL?
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I SAW THAT YOU SAID THAT BEFORE.
>> AND THOUGHT HE'S GOING TO CHALLENGE ME ON THIS.
WHAT'S THE ANSWER?
I WENT BACK AND LOOKED.
AND WE ARE ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, THE FROG BEING SLOWLY BOILED.
YOU KNOW THAT?
>> Stephen: YEAH.
>> I THINK WE'RE KIND OF BOILED ALREADY.
BECAUSE I THINK WE ARE SLOWLY GETTING USED TO TRUMP DOING
THINGS NOW THAT HE NEVER WOULD HAVE TRIED TO DO THREE YEARS AGO
WHEN HE FIRST CAME INTO OFFICE TWO, YEARS AGO.
SINCE HE'S BEEN ACQUITTED, HE'S ATTACKED SUPREME COURT JUSTICES,
GONE AFTER NOT ONLY A FEDERAL JUDGE IN THE ROGER STONE CASE
BUT THE FOUR W FORWOMAN OF THE J THE PROSECUTORS WHO RECOMMENDED
THE SENTENCE AND THEN QUIT.
HE HAS NOT ONLY FIRED THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE BECAUSE A BRIEFING ABOUT RUSSIA WAS GIVEN TO
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, PUT IN SOMEONE VERY UNQUALIFIED FOR THE
JOB IN AN ACTING CAPACITY.
AND THEN JUST THIS WEEK, HE'S NAMED AS THE NEW DIRECTOR OF
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, THE CONGRESSMAN WHO WAS DISQUALIFIED
BY REPUBLICANS JUST AIFY MONTHS AGO BECAUSE HE WAS LYING ON HIS
RESUME.
SO THE HEAD OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS GOING TO BE
SOMEONE WHO CAN'T TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS OWN RECORD.
SO WE'RE USED TO SOMETHING-- REPUBLICANS ARE NOW ENDORSING
HIM FOR THE JOB THAT THEY REFUSEDLY TO PUT HIM IN JUST SIX
MONTHS AGO.
>> Stephen: IT'S ALMOST AS IF THEY DON'T WANT TO KNOW THINGS.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK YOU NEED TO SPEAK TO MOTIVES.
I THINK THAT'S ONE THING I'VE LEARNED IN SORT OF THREE YEARS
OF TRUMPOLOGY.
IT'S LIKE KREMLINOLOGY.
YOU DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO GET INSIDE THEIR HEAD TO KNOW DOES
DONALD TRUMP LOVE VLADIMIR PUTIN?
JUST LOOK AT THE CRAZY STUFF THAT THEY'RE SAYING AND DOING.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'VE TRIED TO DO IS TO WRITE IT DOWN ON THE
THEORY THAT 20 YEARS FROM NOW, WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE SAYING,
"DID THIS REALLY HAPPEN?" >> Stephen: I HOPE SO.
I HOPE 20 YEARS FROM NOW WE HAVE THAT ATTITUDE.
THAT WE'RE NOT JUST IN SCUBA GEAR IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN.
( LAUGHTER )
POINT, RAISE A GOOD POINT THAT WE ARE THE FROGS SLOWLY BEING
BOILED AND WE'VE BECOME INURED OF SOME OF THE SHOCKING THINGS
THAT HAPPENS.
HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR FRESH SHOCK.
METAPHORICALLY I HAVE TO PULL THE CAR OVER, VOMIT INTO A
DITCH, SLAP MYSELF ON THE FACE AND GET BACK IN SO I CAN STAY
WEAK ON AT THE WHEEL.
HOW DO YOU STAY FRESHLY SHOCKED AT IT?
>> IT IS KIND OF LOOKING AT THE ECLIPSE OF THE SUN BUT WITHOUT
THE GLASSES ON EVERY WEEK.
IT'S A REALLY TOUGH JOB.
I KNOW MOST PEOPLE HAVE TUNED IT OUT.
I UNDERSTAND THAT.
IF YOUR JOB IS TO STARE STRAIGHT AT IT.
WE FORGET ALL THE CRAZY STUFF, RIGHT.
EVEN THE PEOPLE WHOSE JOB IT IS TO PAY ATTENTION.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN DONALD TRUMP SAID HE WAS GOING TO BUY
GREENLAND?
>> Stephen: YEAH.
>> HE GOES ON HIS RALLIES ALL THE TIME AND HE ATTACKS
WINDMILLS AND HE ATTACKS -- >> Stephen: FOR CAUTION
CANCER?
>> AND TOILETS.
HE DOESN'T LIKE MODERN TOILET.
>> Stephen: RIGHT.
>> AND YOU FORGET THESE THINGS BECAUSE IT'S TOO MUCH TO SAY I
SHOULD WRITE ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.
OFTEN THAT IS WHAT I DO TO GET MYSELF PSYCHED UP TO WRITE A
COLUMN, I GO BACK THROUGH THE TWITTER FEED, AND WITHIN A
SECOND I'M READY TO GO.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: SUSAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
LOVELY TO HAVE YOU ON.
PLEASE KEEP IT UP.