>>> THIS HISTORIC IMPEACHMENT OF DONALD TRUMP COMES AMID MUCH
TALK ABOUT HOW AMERICANS ARE
DIVIDED.
DIVIDED. BUT THERE IS STRIKING AGREEMENT
AMONG THE WRITERS AND EDITORS
WHO REPORT ON GOVERNMENT FOR A
LIVING.
LIVING. WELL, THEY’RE INDEPENDENT
ARRIVING AT THE SAME ONE.
LOOK AT "THE NEW YORK TIMES" AND
HOW THEY PUT IT.
OR TAKE THE NEWSPAPER THAT
LAUNCHED THE MODERN TRADITION OF
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN
WATERGATE, "THE WASHINGTON POST"
NOW ENDORSING THE IMPEACHMENT OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THIS HISTORIC
FULL PAGE EDITORIAL, NOTING HIS
OBSTRUCTION THREATENS U.S.
DEMOCRACY.
DEMOCRACY. IT IS A DEPARTURE FROM THE LAST
IMPEACHMENT IN OUR HISTORY WHERE
NEWSPAPERS OFTEN CONDEMNED
CLINTON’S PERSONAL CONDUCT BUT
LARGELY OPPOSED THE REPUBLICAN
PUSH FOR IMPEACHMENT AS LEGALLY
UNWARRANTED.
UNWARRANTED. TODAY SEVERAL NEWSPAPERS SAY
THEY SHIFTED AGAINST TRUMP WITH
RELUCTANCE AND ONLY RECENTLY AS
UKRAINE TIPPED THE SCALE.
QUOTE, VIRTUALLY NOTHING DOES.
NOW, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS.
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL," A
CONSERVATIVE EDITORIAL PAGE,
OPPOSES THE IMPEACHMENT CASE AS,
QUOTE, WEAK.
QUOTE, WEAK. BUT THE DAILY NEWS SAYS INSTEAD
OF ONE SMOKING GUN, THERE IS
ACRID BLACK STUFF RISING FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE.
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRY
LABELING TRUMP A THREAT TO THE
NATIONAL SECURITY.
NATIONAL SECURITY. OR THE "ORLANDO SENTINAL" SAYING
BASICALLY ONLY THE MOST CYNICAL
PARTISAN COULD MINIMIZE THE
PUBLIC EVIDENCE AGAINST TRUMP.
SHOULD AMERICANS CARE ABOUT THIS
ON IMPEACHMENT EVE?
WE TURN TO THOMAS FRIEDMAN
MAKING HIS DEBUT ON THE BEAT.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> ARI, GREAT TO BE HERE WITH
YOU.
YOU. >> WHAT DOES IT SAY TO
AMERICANS, AND SHOULD IT MATTER
THAT SO MANY EDITORS AND LEADERS
IN JOURNALISM ARE TAKING THIS
POSITION?
POSITION? >> I THINK IT REALLY COMES DOWN
TO THE FACT THAT THERE ARE TWO
SIMPLE ISSUES HERE.
ONE IS THAT IF WE LET A
PRESIDENT USE CONGRESSIONALLY
APPROPRIATED DEFENSE FUNDS FOR
UKRAINE IN ORDER TO INTIMIDATE
THE PRESIDENT OF THAT COUNTRY TO
TAKE HIS RIVAL IN THE NEXT
ELECTION, WE ARE BASICALLY
SAYING IT IS OKAY FOR ALL FUTURE
PRESIDENTS TO ENLIST FOREIGN
POWERS.
POWERS. CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW MUCH MONEY
SOMEONE COULD RAISE FROM ENLIST
OR FROM IRAN?
WE WOULD NEVER AGAIN HAVE A
LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT.
LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT. SOMEONE WHO YOU SAID WELL, I
LIKE OR DON’T LIKE HIM OR HER
BUT THEY’RE LEGITIMATE.
WE WOULD NEVER AGAIN HAVE A
LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT.
LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT. AND THAT WOULD BE A PRESCRIPTION
FOR POLITICAL CHAOS.
SECONDLY, IF WE’D LET A
PRESIDENT IN THE FACE OF THESE
CHARGES NOT ALLOW THE KEY
WITNESSES TO TESTIFY, THOSE
CLOSEST TO THE PROCESS,
GIULIANI, POMPEO, MICK MULVANEY,
IF WE DON’T LET -- IF WE LET HIM
GET AWAY WITH NOT LETTING THEM
TESTIFY AND NOT TURNING OVER ANY
DOCUMENTS, WE ARE BASICALLY
SAYING WE NO LONGER HAVE A
SERPTHS OF
SERPTHS OF SEPARATION OF POWERS, WE
ACTUALLY HAVE A MONARCHY.
AND IF WE LET BOTH OF THOSE
THINGS HAPPEN, THE AMERICA THAT
YOU AND I KNEW, GREW UP AND
LOVED, THE AMERICA THAT IS SO
WIDELY RESPECTED AROUND THE
GLOBE WILL BE NO MORE, AND WE
WILL MISS IT WHEN IT’S GONE.
>> IT’S STRIKING WHEN YOU LAY IT
OUT LIKE THAT.
YOU’VE COVERED MANY PRESIDENTS.
YOU’VE BEEN AROUND THE WORLD.
YOU’RE A HIGH-LEVEL GUY, TOM, IF
YOU DON’T MIND ME SAYING.
AND YOU MADE THE OBSERVATION
THAT IN A WEIRD WAY DONALD
TRUMP, WHO STYLES HIMSELF A
COMMUNICATIONS GURU, HAS
DISARMED FROM THE BULLY PULPIT
OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS ROOM.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
>> IT’S INTERESTING BECAUSE I
COVERED THE SECRETARY OF STATE
AND I COVERED THE FIRST YEAR OF
BILL CLINTON.
BILL CLINTON. SO I’VE BEEN IN KIND OF BOTH
THOSE PRESS ROOMS.
AND I ALWAYS NOTICED HOW MUCH
THE BEST SPOKESPEOPLE FOR
THOSE -- FOR THOSE OFFICIALS
WOULD USE THE QUESTIONS THEY GOT
FROM THE PRESS AS REAL EARLY
WARNING SIGNS, WHAT’S OUT THERE,
WHAT ARE THE ISSUES WE NEED TO
BE AWARE OF AND WHERE IS THIS
STORY GOING.
STORY GOING. THE FACT THAT TRUMP HAS NOT
ALLOWED A WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING
SINCE I DON’T KNOW, NINE MONTHS,
TWELVE MONTHS, I DON’T EVEN KNOW
HOW LONG IT’S BEEN ANYMORE, THE
FACT THAT HIS SPOKESMAN ONLY
GOES ON FOX NEWS, THE FACT THAT
HE ONLY GOES ON FOX NEWS,
THEY’VE BEEN IN SUCH A BUBBLE
THAT I THINK, A, THEY DON’T
REALIZE THE DANGER THAT THEY ARE
IN.
IN. THEY DON’T REALIZE HOW SERIOUS
THIS IS VIEWED BY THE COUNTRY.
THEY DON’T REALIZE HOW TRUMP
EARLY ON SAID, HEY, I MADE A
MISTAKE, I REALLY WENT A LITTLE
BIT TOO FAR.
HAD HE ACCEPTED CENSURE, AND
THAT WAS WHAT THE DEMOCRATS
WOULD HAVE MUCH PREFERRED I
THINK, HE COULD HAVE GOTTEN AWAY
WITH CENSURE AND NOT
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. IN THE HISTORY BOOKS NO ONE
REALLY REMEMBERS A PRESIDENT WHO
WAS CENSURED.
WAS CENSURED. NO ONE WILL EVER FORGET A
PRESIDENT WHO’S BEEN IMPEACHED.
>> GIVEN YOUR VIEW ON THE ENTIRE
WORLD, YOU’VE MENTIONED THAT
THERE ARE OTHER COUNTRIES THAT
ARE INCREASINGLY ROOTING FOR
TRUMP.
TRUMP. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
>> I THINK BOTH RUSSIA AND CHINA
WILL BE VOTING TRUMP IN 2020.
I’M NOT SAYING THEY’LL
NECESSARILY INT SCREEN.ERVENE.
I’M SURE THE RUSSIANS WILL.
I CAN’T SPEAK FOR THE CHINESE.
IT’S FOR TWO REASONS.
ONE IS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT AS
LONG AS TRUMP IS PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES AMERICA’S IN
TURMOIL.
TURMOIL. THE OTHER THING THEY KNOW IS
THAT AS LONG AS TRUMP IS
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
HE CAN NEVER GALVANIZE A GLOBAL
COALITION AGAINST THEM.
HE CAN NEVER GALVANIZE THE
EUROPEANS IN A COALITION AGAINST
RUSSIA AND HE CAN NEVER GAVEL
GALVANIZE THE ASIANS AGAINST
CHINA.
CHINA. AND FOR BOTH THOSE COUNTRIES
THAT IS CRITICAL.
THEY KNOW AS LONG AS TRUMP IS
THERE THEY WILL NEVER FACE A
GLOBAL COALITION AGAINST THEM.
>> THE OTHER THING I WANT TO ASK
YOU ABOUT SOMETHING WE’VE BEEN
FOLLOWING CLOSELY HERE WITH OUR
EXPERTS, AND THAT IS THE DECLINE
OF COMMON FACTS, WHICH IS NOT TO
SAY THERE HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN
RICH AND HUGE DEBATES IN THIS
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. THERE HAS BEEN PARTISAN PRESS IN
THE FOUNDING ERA.
THERE’S BEEN A LOT.
SO IT’S NOT TO OVERSIMPLIFY.
BUT I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING
YOU KNOW ABOUT AND OUR VIEWERS
KNOW ABOUT, WHICH IS LOOK AT THE
DECLINE OF NIXON’S APPROVAL
ACROSS PARTIES.
ACROSS PARTIES. IF YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT HERE.
AS WATERGATE EVIDENCE CAME OUT,
IT WAS A NET DROP THAT WAS VERY
SIMILAR AMONG DEMS, INDIES, AND
Rs.
Rs. ALL AROUND 40 OR 40-PLUS
PERCENT.
PERCENT. IT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
DO YOU THINK THAT WAS BECAUSE OF
THE WAY THAT PEOPLE CONSUMED
INFORMATION THEN, AND DO YOU
EVER GET BACK TO THAT WORLD
WHERE THERE ARE SOME COMMON
FACTS IN AMERICA?
>> YEAH, WE HAVE -- DAVE ROBERTS
WROTE ABOUT THIS VERY WELL IN
VOX RECENTLY.
VOX RECENTLY. WE BASICALLY HAVE TODAY THE
ABILITY TO CREATE AN ALTERNATIVE
ENTIRE EPISODEERRE EPISTEMOLOGIC
WHERE YOU COMPLETELY LIVE IN A
DIFFERENT SET OF FACTS BECAUSE
IF YOU GET MOST OF YOUR
INFORMATION ONLINE FROM FACEBOOK
AND THAT’S TARGETED TO REINFORCE
YOUR BIASES.
YOUR BIASES. AND IF YOU WATCH ONLY ONE
PARTICULAR NETWORK AND YOU PUT
ALL THOSE TOGETHER.
THERE’S NO WALTER CRONKITE OUT
THERE WHO EVERYONE IS SHARKING
THE SAME INFORMATION FROM.
AND I THINK IT’S ONE OF THE MOST
FRIGHTENING THINGS BECAUSE OUR
DEMOCRACY, ARI, IS BASED ON TWO
PILLARS -- TRUTH AND TRUST.
OKAY?
OKAY? IF WE DON’T SHARE TRUTH, WE
CAN’T POSSIBLY GET THE BIG -- WE
CAN’T POSSIBLY FACE THE BIG
CHALLENGES, CLIMATE CHANGE,
CYBER WAR, EDUCATION.
WE CAN’T POSSIBLY AGREE TO DO
ANYTHING AT SCALE IF WE DON’T
SHARE THE SAME TRUTH AND IF WE
DON’T TRUST EACH OTHER WE CAN’T
POSSIBLY DO ANYTHING BIG AND
HARD TOGETHER.
HARD TOGETHER. IF YOU DON’T HAVE TRUTH AND
TRUST, YOU CANNOT DO ANYTHING
BIG AND HARD.
AND ALL THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE
COMING AT US RIGHT NOW ARE BIG
AND HARD.
AND HARD. >> ON A HISTORIC TIME AS WE TAKE
ALL THIS IN IT’S REALLY GREAT TO
GET YOUR INSIGHTS.
TOM, I HOPE YOU COME BACK AND