♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Tonight... >> This country goes into 2020
as divided as it's ever been. >> NARRATOR: From "Frontline's"
award-winning political team-- part two of a special series. Years of reporting investigating
the conflicts and crossing the divide. >> People were angry. >> ...cascade of outrage. >> Outrage machine... >> Are they going to start
storming the gates? >> NARRATOR: The epic story of
how we got here continues. Donald Trump inherits
a deeply divided country. >> Trump didn't create this,
but he leaned into it and everything he has done has
deepened this trench. >> We didn't win an election
to bring the country together. >> You are fake news. >> It's time to take
on the elite, hit 'em with a blowtorch. >> There is blame on both sides,
and I have no doubt about it... >> It's probably the first time
where the country realizes this is going to get bad. >> A very bitterly divided
America... >> NARRATOR:
"America's Great Divide"... >> It's only going to get
nastier. >> NARRATOR: The dramatic
conclusion, tonight on "Frontline." ♪ ♪ >> For some people, the ultimate
goal in life has been becoming the president of the United
States. Would you like to be the
president of the United States? >> I really don't believe
I would, Rona. But I would like to see somebody
as the president who could do the job. >> Why wouldn't someone like
yourself run for political office? You have all the money
that you possibly need. You've accomplished a great deal
even though you are only 34. Why wouldn't you dedicate
yourself to public service? >> Because I think
it's a very mean life. I would love, and I would-- I
would dedicate my life to this country, but I see it
as being a mean life, and I also see it that somebody
with strong views, and somebody with the kind of
views that are maybe a little bit unpopular,
which may be right, but may be unpopular, wouldn't necessarily have a
chance of getting elected against somebody with no great
brain but a big smile. And that's a sad commentary
for the political process. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Over the decades, as Donald Trump watched and
waited, the prospect of becoming
president would grow. Just as the nation was becoming
more and more divided. >> It is time to heal America. >> Bill Clinton ran against
brain-dead politics in both parties. >> And a leader must be
a uniter, not a divider. >> George W. Bush said he was a
uniter, not a divider. >> We are and always will be the
United States of America. >> Barack Obama was introduced
to the country saying, "There is not a blue America
and a red America." And each of them, by the end of
their presidency, the country was more divided
than when they took office. >> NARRATOR: It was in that
division that Trump saw his moment. >> He was looking
for an opportunity and his opportunity was
division. His opportunity was mining
resentment, and weaponize race,
and that's what he did. ♪ ♪ >> This is a classic case
of the time being right for a Trump candidacy. Now you have a level of
dissatisfaction with the voters
that we've never seen before, and they want somebody with the
toughness and the independence, and nobody can bully him. He's viewed by voters
as his own man, who will tell it like it is, whether it's politically correct
or not. >> I am your voice. >> NARRATOR: An age of
unprecedented anger... >> Go (bleep) cook my burrito,
bitch! >> NARRATOR: Resentment... (crowd chanting "Shame") >> NARRATOR: Political
conflict... >> No bans, no walls!
>> NARRATOR: Polarization... >> You will not replace us.
>> NARRATOR: ...had arrived. >> Impeach Trump!
>> Impeach Trump! >> NARRATOR: And with it,
Donald Trump. >> Crazed lunatics,
the Democrats. >> NARRATOR: Ready and willing
to stoke America's great divide. (chanting "Drain the swamp!") (cheers and applause) >> The biggest event to date
in campaign 2016... >> Top ten candidates taking the
stage for a prime time showdown. >> Businessman Donald Trump. >> I had my research assistant
research all the candidates who were going to be on stage
that night. It is 9:00 p.m.
on the East Coast and the moment of truth
has arrived. And pull anything interesting or
controversial about them, right? Everybody had a binder like
this. (laughing): And Trump had a
binder like this, right? >> NARRATOR: At the time, Megyn
Kelly was a star on Fox News. >> Mr. Trump, one of the things
people love about you is you speak your mind. And you don't use a politician's
filter. However, that is not without its
downsides, in particular when it comes
to women. You've called women you don't
like "fat pigs," "dogs," "slobs,"
and "disgusting animals." Your Twitter account has...
>> Only Rosie O'Donnell. (cheers and applause) >> No, it wasn't. He knew I was going to hit him
on something, and he guessed it would be
women, and he got some line worked up. Fine. We forged forward. The convention center was
laughing. But I was going to get through
the rest of my question. For the record, it was well
beyond Rosie O'Donnell. >> Yes, I'm sure it was. >> Your Twitter account has
several disparaging comments about women's looks. You once told a contestant
on "Celebrity Apprentice" it would be a pretty picture
to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the
temperament of a man we should elect as president? >> What I say is what I say. And honestly, Megyn, if you
don't like it, I'm sorry. I've been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe
not be based on the way you have treated me,
but I wouldn't do that. >> The way Trump sees media,
the way he sees life, is all, "They like me
or they don't like me." >> We need strength. >> And in that moment,
I got moved from the "she likes me" category
into the "she doesn't like me." And I do believe, I believe
that night, the anger was real-- his anger at me
was real that night. Thank you all very much. And that will do it, for the
first Republican primary debate night of the 2016 Presidential
race. Our thanks to the candidates... >> NARRATOR:
In his clash with Kelly, Trump was creating conflict just as he'd done as a reality
TV star. And afterwards, in Spin Alley,
he would use the press to keep it going. >> Donald Trump shows up, as if
he needed this hit of adrenaline before he went home to New York. >> You guys okay? Don't hurt yourselves. >> It was like mosquitos to,
to a lantern on a summer night. I mean, the entire national
press corps descended. >> People were being trampled, and camera equipment was flying
all over the place, and I'd never seen a scene
like this. I mean, I've seen many media
stampedes, but nothing like that. >> What's your history
with Megyn? >> I think Megyn, I think Megyn
behaved very badly, personally. You didn't like that? >> No, I thought it was
an unfair question. They didn't ask those questions
of anybody else. And I thought it
was an unfair question. But you know what... >> NARRATOR: It was just
the beginning. >> Are you going to call Roger
Ailes about it? >> NARRATOR: At 3:40 in the
morning, he lit up Twitter. >> "Wow, @megynkelly really
bombed tonight. People are going wild on
Twitter! Funny to watch."
(tweets) >> NARRATOR: On the phone with
CNN, he went farther. >> What is it with you
and Megyn Kelly? >> She starts asking me all
sorts of ridiculous questions. And, you know, you could see
there was blood coming out of her eyes. Uh, blood coming out of her
wherever, but... >> Trump recognized that it was
a good storyline. And he kept fuel going under
that fire, because he knew some portion of
his audience loved to see him challenging,
you know, a powerful woman, never mind a woman at Fox. And so he accurately deduced
that this would drive his numbers up with some
segment of his base. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Trump had
a powerful ally on the attack on Kelly. The right-wing website Breitbart
and its leader, Steve Bannon. >> Fox has chosen a side. It's so evident in that debate
that they're there to kneecap Donald Trump, okay? They're there to take him out. And that's when we go, "Okay." We run... 20 stories
on Megyn Kelly. I get Tony Lee and Matt Boyle,
my two hammers. They go right after Megyn Kelly. We're going to Alinsky her,
right? We're going to cut her out
from the-- cull her out from the herd
and just hit her nonstop. That's when all war broke out. That's when Breitbart, that's
when you had to choose sides. >> NARRATOR: In taking on Fox,
Bannon and Trump were inciting the kind of conflict Breitbart's
readers thrived on. >> "She is a low life (bleep). Everyone stop watching Fox..." >> "We need to chop her off at
the knees. >> We looked at the comments
section, these things were getting 10,000 to 15,000,
20,000 comments. >> "Megyn's the type for a
quickie in the men's room." >> The whole Trump,
all the Pepes, all these Trump guys
were pounding in here. >> "Megyn Kelly needs to be put
in her place. Fast. And hard. By all of us." >> It was scary at times. >> And Breitbart kept lighting
the fire, over and over. And you know, I had-- and have-- three young kids,
really young kids. And the security threats
were escalating. And we were doing everything in
our power to convey to them
that they needed to stop. It was-- it was one debate
question, just one debate question. And he handled it fine. You know, he did. So get off of it. And they couldn't have
cared less. >> NARRATOR:
Roger Ailes ran Fox News. Ruthless and powerful, Ailes was
a force to be reckoned with. >> Ailes calls me up and says, "You've got to knock off these
stories. She's crying, she's all upset.
She's getting death threats." I go, "Sounds like
a personal problem." I said, "We're not backing off. We're going to put more stories
up tomorrow." >> "If Kelly can't take the
heat, go back to the kitchen." >> "Trump should commission a
statue of Ms. Kelly on her knees and place it in front
of Trump Tower." >> NARRATOR:
Under the onslaught, Ailes eventually backed down--
he needed Breitbart, Bannon, and Trump more than
he needed Kelly. >> Roger definitely felt
that he had to keep that sort of Breitbart wing
of the viewership onboard. That they were at risk, thanks
to Trump's attacks on me and Fox in the wake of that debate. And he definitely wasn't going
to lose 30% of the viewers, uh, as this man,
who by August of 2015, we knew was the likely
Republican nominee. He didn't want that guy to be
driving a division between Roger and the viewers. >> NARRATOR: Trump had won. And it was a sign of what was
to come-- brutal, divisive, anything goes. >> What Republican voters were
looking for was strength. And in that moment,
here's what voters saw. They saw a generation
of Republican politicians who kowtowed to Fox News,
who genuflected. Then they saw somebody take on
Fox News, and Trump won. He broke Fox News. In the steel cage death match of
Republican politics in that instant, Donald Trump
became king. (music playing) >> NARRATOR: But across the
political divide... (audience applauding) >> For comedians, Donald Trump
has been the gift that keeps giving,
but for everyone else, he's the gift that keeps on
giving women the creeps. >> NARRATOR: From the coastal
entertainment capitals... >> I know everyone's all up in
arms about the comments I made about Megyn Kelly. I was not referring to hormones
or menstruation-- period! >> NARRATOR: ...a kind of
resistance by ridicule. >> C'mon, Trump, if you're going
to say something offensive, just come out and say it. >> NARRATOR:
Trump as a punchline. >> Trump insults more women
by 6: 00 a.m. than most people do all year,
but... (audience cheering) The reason that he doesn't like
them... ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) >> Donald Trump is back on
the road campaigning in Iowa... >> NARRATOR: As Donald Trump
embarked on his presidential campaign, he doubled down on what his
opponents found offensive. He exploited simmering divisions
to fuel his political rise. >> Trump has told me
that he believes the country was already divided, that if he is just
confrontational and a fighter, that people who feel aggrieved
in the country will rally to him. It's an entirely unconventional
approach to the presidency, to to rally your own base, and then to not really try
to unite the country. (music playing) >> NARRATOR:
And in arena after arena, Trump cultivated his growing
populist base. (crowd chanting "Trump!") >> He loves the energy and he
loves the adoration that he gets from those rallies. (crowd chanting) It's a critical tool for him, these rallies,
to keep that connection. >> NARRATOR: He called them
"the forgotten." >> The iconic forgotten man or
the forgotten man and woman is somebody that's been left out
of the system. (cheers and applause) There's a rejection of elitists and a rejection of
intellectuals. And certainly,
a disdain for the media, uh-- because those people feel that
they're being looked down upon. >> Build that wall! >> NARRATOR: Trump sensed what
the crowds wanted. >> We're going to have such a
strong military that nobody, nobody is going to mess with us. Nobody! >> NARRATOR: Anger. >> We are led by very
stupid people. >> NARRATOR: Confrontation. >> "We can't beat ISIS"--
give me a break. >> He loves to arouse passion
and emotions; it's the thing he's best at, and he cares most about,
is sort of provoking emotion. And all the fire he was getting
from the crowds was about immigration. >> He's going to drive the cars
over the illegals! Build a wall! >> Build that wall!
Build that wall! ♪ ♪ >> It spoke to real worries and
frustrations that had been coaxed
and had caramelized over the course of a decade
across America, where white Americans
were truly convinced they were losing their country, and the only opportunity
they had to stop it was to elect this man who says
he was going to do something about it. >> Build that wall!
Build that wall! >> We are going to start
winning, big league. >> Trump sounded like them. There was an authenticity to him that I think they connected
with. He would drop an f-bomb. He said the p-word on the air
about Ted Cruz one time. I was in Iowa, like,
"Oh, my God, did he just say... it rhymes with wussy?" (laughs) I mean, this happened, right? And I think there's a swath of
the American public that, look, it's not like they
love vulgarity. But they just loved what they
felt was his authenticity and his willingness
to throw a punch, which they felt
was on their behalf. >> Build that wall! >> NARRATOR: He spoke directly
to their resentment-- at Washington, at the elites,
us versus them. >> He saw what that forgotten
man and woman was going through in the United States right now. "I'm the avatar of your anger. If you elect me, I'll literally
be an orange wrecking ball at the barricade
known as the swamp. And I'll knock that barricade
down for you." >> But I want the cameras
to span the room. Go ahead, fellas--
watch, they don't turn them. They don't turn them. They don't turn them! (crowd booing) Go ahead, turn them. Look, turn the camera, go ahead,
turn the camera, ma'am, turn the camera--
you with the blonde hair, turn the camera, show the room,
go ahead. They don't turn 'em. What about--
hey, you in the center, why don't you turn your camera? Show them how many people come
to these rallies. Turn 'em. Go ahead, turn 'em. Go ahead. (cheers and applause) >> Cable news was so fascinated
with Donald Trump that they were putting him on
the air almost every day. Every one of his rallies made
great television. And the news media
jumped on that and gave him a lot of airtime. >> And you know we're in, look
at all those live television feeds--
it's always tough, every time I speak,
they put me on live television, so I have to make
different speeches. These guys go around, they make
the same speech hundreds and hundreds and
hundreds of times, nobody cares-- it's true. >> He was looking out
at the camera bank. And he could see the red light
on the camera. And that meant
that he was live on CNN. >> You got CNN live,
you got them all, and... >> Or Fox or one of the other
networks. And he said that what he tried
to do in those rallies was say whatever it took
to keep the red light on. >> Now, if you like the media,
give them a big hand, and if you don't,
give them a big boo. (crowd booing) I had a feeling. >> Donald Trump running
for president is a plane that
crashes every day. There is news as long
as he's talking. Uh, there's news even if he
isn't talking, because who knows
what he might say? >> Once again, we're still
awaiting Donald Trump's arrival at his South Carolina rally. >> And so you have things like
CNN just showing the empty podium where he's
ready to get on stage. >> The breaking news, we are
awaiting Donald Trump-- he will speak live any moment. >> That empty podium
is now news. >> Stand by, you're going
to hear Donald Trump live. >> Because it tells you,
if you wait long enough, something crazy might happen
again. >> We are awaiting Donald Trump
to take the stage. This is out of Tampa, Florida... >> Breaking news, Donald Trump
about to rally thousands of supporters. >> Live pictures that we're
bringing to you. This is of a Donald Trump rally
about to get underway in Tampa. >> All right. We're awaiting the arrival of
Donald Trump at a rally in Virginia Beach. These are live pictures right
now as the crowd... >> NARRATOR: And as the months
wore on, Trump's message caught fire
with a more sinister crowd. >> The anger only increased as
it got farther along. >> It became completely
acceptable. It became okay to come
to a Trump rally and wear a shirt that says Hillary Clinton is a
C-(bleep)-(bleep)-T. >> The campaign is
continually dogged by a small and vocal number of
white supremacists, Klansmen, neo-Nazis. >> NARRATOR: Roger Stone was
a longtime political adviser to Donald Trump. He has since been convicted
of lying to Congress. >> This isn't a very large group
of people, but they're very vocal. And they attach themselves
to Trump. >> Trump, whenever there was a
moment to draw a line between himself and these
extreme parts of the voting bloc, he refused. I think without question, the
only way you can interpret that is that he was going to use
these groups to try to build this coalition. (crowd shouting) >> NARRATOR: As anti-Trump
protesters showed up at his rallies...
>> There's the guy. Totally disruptive,
throwing punches. >> NARRATOR:
Trump had no boundaries. >> I loved the old days. Do you know what they used to do
to guys like that when they were in a place
like this? They'd be carried out
on a stretcher, folks. I'd like to punch him
in the face, I'll tell ya. Ah, it's true. >> And you start seeing these
really ugly moments at the rallies, um, with...
protesters, some of whom are non-white
protesters, getting treated very violently
by, by his supporters. >> (shouting) >> Trump himself seeming to
incite his supporters to go after protesters. >> Knock the crap out of him,
would you? Just knock the hell out of him. I promise you I will pay for the
legal fees, I promise. I promise. >> NARRATOR: Trump was pouring
fuel on the flames of division. His brand of politics
and American anger were becoming one and the same. >> He did not create
this moment. He did not create the ugliness. He did not create the Twitter,
social media universe. He did not create the
xenophobia, the nationalism, the backlash against globalism
and global crusades. He did not create
entertainment politics, politics as a form
of realty show television. He created none of this. He is its pure manifestation. The absolute logical endpoint
of a bunch of trends in American life. He is its beneficiary. 100%. (laughter) >> A new poll has 87% of
Republicans supporting Trump. The other 13% are currently
standing on bridges looking vacantly
into the distance. (laughter) >> Critics say the poll was
unscientific, because even science can't
explain how Donald Trump is still in the lead. >> And six flags on stage-- he's like a president and an
amusement park all rolled up into one. (laughter) ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Donald Trump wasn't
the only one who seized the opportunity to
exploit the nation's division. Vladimir Putin did it, too,
using a cyber-attack to strike at the fault lines
of American democracy. >> The effectiveness of this
interference from Russia depends on a couple of things. (people speaking Russian) >> It depends on the
polarization of politics in America. There were divides, and Russia
was pushing out material that exploited those divides,
that broadened them, that called attention
to those divides. (phone chimes) >> NARRATOR:
Posts on black power... >> "Staying woke,
uplifting our people." >> "We are proud to be black
and stand..." >> NARRATOR: On Southern
pride... >> "The Confederate flag
represents heritage..." >> "Join our fight to save
Southern heritage!" >> NARRATOR: Russian attacks
played into deep-seated fears. >> "If I win, Clinton wins!" >> NARRATOR: Exploiting both
sides on the most divisive issues. >> "Stop police brutality!" >> "Blue lives matter!" >> NARRATOR: Immigration. >> "It's time to get rid of
parasites!" >> NARRATOR: Guns.
>> "I'll keep my guns ..." >> NARRATOR: Race. >> "White kids chant N-word in
school bus." >> And that's when I realized, "Uh-oh, things
have gone too far." There was a tipping point
that took place. And I think the Russians didn't
create that tipping point, but they exploited it. They saw the fissures of...
of division. They saw these, these...
these pivot points and they went right for them. >> NARRATOR: Trump, himself
sowing discord and chaos, encouraged the Russians to
continue their attack and target Hillary Clinton
and the Democrats. >> I will tell you this:
Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find
the 30,000 emails that are missing. >> I think they started their
operation to intervene in the election with the idea of
simply sowing discord, and, uh, weakening the United
States as a country by doing so. It only later became,
uh, a mission to actually specifically elect
Donald Trump. (man speaking Russian) >> NARRATOR: To help Trump,
the Russians spread fake news about Hillary Clinton. (reporters speaking Russian) >> Vladimir Putin certainly has
our number as a country. He understood how easily
Americans could be turned against each other with
Facebook. What Facebook does is obliterate
the ability to tell the lie from truth. Where what is real,
what is fake, is not discernible
and not knowable. And the consequences of that,
for a democratic republic, are frightening, at best,
to think about. >> NARRATOR: One particular
conspiracy theory was aired in America by a
Russian propaganda network, RT. >> ...theories about her health
caught on... >> NARRATOR: Exaggerated and
questionable stories about Clinton's health... >> Under a microscope
are Clinton's falls, coughs, and head motions. (reporters talking) (laughing) >> Have you talked about vice
presidential possibilities with Senator Warren? >> You guys have got to try
the cold chai. >> This video filmed
in June went viral and started a slew of rumors
that Clinton may have had a seizure. >> We were watching stories
about Hillary Clinton appearing on Russian propaganda websites
like Russia Today and Sputnik. >> A Democratic frontrunner has
been forced to refute rumors of her deteriorating health,
maybe. >> And then somehow ending up in
very similar form in the right-wing media
ecosystem of the United States-- Breitbart, InfoWars,
even Fox News. >> What was once a concern
voiced in whispers is now getting mainstream
attention. We're talking about Hillary
Clinton's health. >> Some have said it's like
a mini-seizure. What does it look like to you? >> It could be a post-concussion
syndrome. You know, your balance is off, you're-you're dizzy all the
time, your memory is off... >> NARRATOR: It was invented,
overblown, but it didn't matter. >> The fact is, she's out there
giving speeches every day and has to cancel them having
these coughing fits. >> New questions tonight about
Hillary Clinton's health. >> Good evening, it was a
dramatic moment that's already being watch
and re-watched. >> The episode this morning is
raising more questions about her health... (reporters speaking Russian) >> NARRATOR: And the candidate
made the most of it. >> And she can't make it 15 feet
to her car, give me a break. Give me a break. (cheers and applause) Give me a break! >> NARRATOR: As the fake news
spread, conservative talk radio host
Charlie Sykes saw how it hardened the divide. >> I'll tell you what my
experience was in 2016. That the flood of these
misleading or outright false stories
was increasing. In the past, I'd always been
able to push back on my audience and say, "Okay, you understand
this is not true. This is not the case." You know, "There are not bodies
stacked up in the Clinton Library, and here's the source
of all of that." By late 2016, though,
I was no longer able to do that. People were not willing
to accept the corrections. And Donald Trump is counting
on this, and this does fundamentally
change our politics. (laughter) >> Not sure why Trump would
openly ask Russia to spy on Americans, but I'm
sure he has his treasons... (laughter) >> Donald Trump is asking Russia
to hack our former secretary of state. >> A man running for president just asked Russia
to hack America. >> Donald, your party wants you
to appeal to the red states, not the Red State. (laughter and applause) >> NARRATOR:
Using conflict and outrage, Donald Trump had galvanized an
angry base and won over the reluctant Republican
establishment. But a tabloid crisis would test
how much they would take and how far he could go. >> That day, we're up in the
25th floor conference room, and it's Friday afternoon,
about 2:00. And all of a sudden, Hope Hicks
shows up outside the glass thing and she's giving me the signal. And so I step out. I go out and I read this thing. She's got this transcript. And she's, like, about to cry,
she goes, "Oh, this is terrible." >> NARRATOR: Breitbart's Steve
Bannon had signed on as the C.E.O. of Trump's
campaign. >> I said, "What are you so
upset about? What is this?" "'The Washington Post' is going
to publish a story in an hour." And I go,
"What's so bad about it?" And she goes,
"Well, look it, he says, 'I'm going to grab them
by the (bleep).'" And I go, "Oh, maybe I haven't
focused on it." So I look down, I go,
"Oh, okay, okay." >> I gotta use some Tic Tacs
just in case we start kissing. >> NARRATOR: Bannon, Hicks,
a top aide, and other members of the Trump
team watched it online. >> Whatever you want. >> (laughing): I'm, like, whoa! Boom, that thing hits. And we're sitting in the
conference room. And on video-- I didn't quite
realize it was audio and video-- in video, it's pretty powerful. So everything shuts down. >> Donald Trump caught on tape,
in his own words, vulgar words, boasting about being able to
grab women by their genitals and get away with it because
he's a star. >> So after the "Access
Hollywood" tape, our poll numbers took a hit, and some national polls had us
down to 35% and her at 48%. That's with one month
to go exactly. >> In the audio, you can hear
Trump talk about a married woman he tried to have sex with and
how he behaves with women that he's attracted to. >> The Trump campaign is in full
damage control mode following a troubling story. I thought that was probably it
for Trump. It was stunning. I mean, it was stunning just
to hear, you know, a major party nominee talk
that way about any group, never mind my own, right? Women. Um... it was jarring. It was very jarring. >> The Trump camp has swiftly
launched into disaster mode. >> A big, big development in
this campaign as it comes to... >> This was the October
surprise. Had the ability to take down
a campaign. And the internal discussion
amongst the campaign... Some were, "You need to
apologize immediately," and some were, "You need to,
uh... double down." >> NARRATOR: A damage control
team gathered-- Rudy Giuliani, Chris Christie,
Kellyanne Conway, Bannon. >> You know,
it's Rudy and Christie and all the traditional
politicians are saying, "It's over and you gotta..." You know, Trump's going around
and saying, "Give me your percentage
and what do I do." And they're all, like, you know,
"Zero percent, 20%." I go, "It's 100%." And he goes... I said,
"Listen, they don't care. This is locker room talk. They don't care about vulgarity
or anything like that. They care about, they're losing
their jobs, they're losing their country, they see their country going
away from them." >> NARRATOR: The Republican
establishment began to defect. >> (laughing):
He's in a bad mood, okay? Now we've got a full revolt. Pence is nowhere to be found;
he's not out there saying-- he gives, we get a letter
from him. Paul Ryan's out of the campaign. McConnell's out. Because they thought they were
going to lose the Republican Party. They thought every woman in
America will never vote for a Republican again, right? Because this guy's a barbarian. >> This is a political disaster,
no doubt... >> Donald Trump's campaign--
its worst crisis ever... >> You see so many Republicans
denounce Trump, even though he
is the Republican nominee and there's not going to be
someone else to emerge. The Republicans are basically
saying, "'Whatever, give it
to the Democrats." >> NARRATOR: The traditional
rules of politics called for an abject apology. >> I've never said I'm a perfect
person, nor pretended to be someone
that I'm not. I've said and done things
I regret, and the words released today on this more-than-a-decade-old
video are one of them. >> NARRATOR: But then he would
reframe the crisis on his own terms:
"us versus them." >> Bill Clinton has actually
abused women, and Hillary has bullied,
attacked, shamed, and intimidated his victims. >> (chanting "Trump") >> NARRATOR: And soon, the base
let him know they had gotten the message. >> (chanting): We want Trump! >> There's literally this mob
down there. And he goes,
"Look, there's my people." Trump just walks out there. >> Here he is! Donald! Donald! Whoo! >> NARRATOR:
They were on his side. They liked the conflict.
The fight. >> He will never apologize. He punches and then he punches
harder and then he doubles down and he refigures
and then he punches again. He is never someone that's going
to say, "I made a mistake," or, "I apologize." He will never back down. >> NARRATOR:
And the very next day-- just before
the presidential debate... Bannon had a plan to keep
the conflict going. >> We didn't tell anybody. Trump didn't know about it. We're in the presidential suite
at the hotel. Walk up and Trump,
as often he would do, would kind of lean back and
almost close his eyes, and I said,
"Okay, here's what we got. We got Paula Jones
and all the women that... that Clinton assaulted, then you're going to sit
in the middle. We're going to open the door
and they're going to come in and we're going to (bleep)
hit them, okay?" And he... And I'm sitting there,
I'm making my pitch, right? He goes-- I go,
"What do you think?" He goes, "I love it." (laughs) >> NARRATOR: They spirited him
down the freight elevator, put him in a conference room,
and opened the doors to an unsuspecting press corps. >> Next thing, I know-- and no
one in the press knew this was happening-- there
was a press conference with all of Bill Clinton's
accusers right before the debate. >> These four very courageous
women have asked to be here and it was our honor
to help them. >> There was widespread shock--
nobody had it beforehand. >> Mr. Trump may have said some
bad words, but Bill Clinton raped me and
Hillary Clinton threatened me. I don't think
there's any comparison. >> NARRATOR:
They were allegations the Clintons had long denied. But it didn't matter to Bannon
and Trump. They were sowing more chaos. >> What's the point to all of
this? It doesn't make Donald Trump or
what he was caught on tape saying any better. But it just creates a lot
of confusion and chaos. >> Even though it felt dirty,
and you felt kind of gross when you watched the whole thing
unfold, it was effective. It reminded all of us that the
woman who would go into office if he lost was no saint, either. Not Hillary herself necessarily,
but her husband, and with her enabling, really,
it must be said. >> Okay.
Thank you all very much. We appreciate it. >> It was perfect. And it was-- that, that, that
got us momentum. That gave us the velocity, that
gave us the muzzle velocity to kind of drive home
in the last, you know, five, four or five weeks
of the campaign. >> It's-- it was a show. First of all, it took some of
the attention away from Trump. What he's really good at in a,
in a fight is muddying the,
muddying the waters, muddying the truth,
muddying the focus to the point where everybody just says,
"Ah, it's a wash ." He's done this with the media
for years. "They say this about me, it's
not, I say this, you know, people don't trust the media,
people don't trust Trump." He knows that in the end, they
kind of throw up their hands and and say,
"You deserve each other." And that's fine with him. (laughter) >> If the president thing
doesn't work out, I would love to see a reality
show where Donald Trump and Billy Bush just travel
around the country in a bus. >> Take a Tic Tac and grab them
by the (bleep) is the closest thing to a plan
Donald Trump has described this entire election. >> Yeah, I don't think that's
what Donald Trump's advisers meant when they told him
to reach out to women. (groans, applause) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) >> The decision desk has called
Pennsylvania for Donald Trump. >> NARRATOR: On election night,
Trump's divisive campaign paid off. >> This means that Donald Trump
will be the 45th president
of the United States. The most unreal... >> NARRATOR: The base,
energized, narrowly put him over the top. >> In an Electoral College
victory that virtually no one saw coming a year ago,
a few months ago-- even a month ago,
even yesterday... >> Whoa, everyone got this
wrong. I mean, one percent
of the pollsters and the prognosticators
called this. And everyone else was wrong. And this is a huge story. >> What Trump are we probably
going to see... >> Donald Trump has broken the
rules... >> There was a kind of prejudice
against Trump, a kind of incredulity
in the parlors of Washington and New York and Los Angeles. Somehow, this guy
who was so coarse and so blatantly exploiting race
and division could actually win. >> How unpredictable the new
terrain here in Washington is. >> It speaks to how deeply
divided our nation is, that you have two candidates receive tens of millions
of votes, a race that's separated
by just a handful of votes in a handful of states. They care about Donald Trump. They like that guy, they want
him to be the president. And they want to beat
the Democrats. Crooked Hillary. >> The creation of a new
reality... >> ...caught a political
earthquake and unraveling at a system,
where even a revolution... >> A President Trump is very
much a wild card. >> I don't think any of us
thought he was going to win. When he wins, if people are
being brutally honest, there was a level, in large
measure, of disbelief. >> Is this our new normal?
Is there reason for concern? >> The sheer unpredictability of
a President Donald Trump. >> Even for him, it was a little
of an overwhelming feeling to see yourself be elected
president of the United States and realize that you're going to
be the next commander-in-chief, the next leader of the free
world. It's a humbling, humbling thing. >> 2016 changed the face of
American politics forever. >> NARRATOR: After a polarizing
campaign, he would need an acceptance
speech to signal to the country, to an anxious Wall Street,
and the world... >> A case of disruption coming
to Washington. >> NARRATOR: ...what kind of
president he would be. >> I remember calling him on his
cell phone when the futures were down-- Bloomberg was reporting that
stock futures were down 600 as a result of his victory. And I remember saying to him,
"Hey, we got to put some stuff in there that are sensitizing
to the markets, to let people know things
are going to be okay." >> NARRATOR: But Steve Bannon
didn't want things to be okay. He went to work on a speech
that would emphasize division, give the base what it wanted. >> And I start working on it,
like at, you know, 1:00, 12:00, 1:00
in the morning. It was, "Go to Washington,
and we're going to burn out the permanent political class. We're going to take a torch
to the enemy." Okay? That...
it was fire-breathing. (crowd chanting "U.S.A.") >> NARRATOR: But having won,
Trump wavered. He would sound uncharacteristically
conciliatory. >> Now it's time for America to
bind the wounds of division; have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats
and independents across this nation, I say it is
time for us to come together as one united people. (cheers and applause) >> You never see the Trump
victory night speech ever replayed. Because it's just not Trump. It's not a-- it's kind of like,
"Let's have a group hug." (cheers and applause) >> For those who have chosen not
to support me in the past, of which there were
a few people... (laughter) I'm reaching out to you
for your guidance and your help so that we can
work together and unify our great country. (cheers and applause) >> I said, "No, no, no, no,
we didn't win an election to bring the country together. It's not time to bring
the country together, it's time to take on the elites
in this country, take the torch to them. Hit them with a blowtorch." >> I love this country. Thank you, thank you very much. (cheers and applause) >> I saw him, not only then, but
after he returned to Trump Tower that night. And the weight of the election,
the, the processing of recognizing what was about
to happen, was clearly going through his
mind at that time. You could-- you could see how
profound the moment was. >> I think there was a little
bit of shock, uh, there, a moment of
vulnerability. He said he was literally going
to act more presidential than Abraham Lincoln. I mean, we laughed,
but he meant it seriously. You know, he was going to dial
back on Twitter, dial up on presidential nature,
if you will. >> NARRATOR: In his next public
appearance, it was toned-down Trump again. In the Oval Office. No sign of the brutal
divisiveness that had gotten him there. >> Well, I just had the
opportunity to have an excellent
conversation with President-elect Trump. >> To see the two of them in the
Oval Office was kind of the, you know,
the final moment of, how in the world
did this happen? And what have we just gone
through? >> Been very encouraged by the,
I think, interest in President, President-elect Trump's. I believe that it is
important... >> Trump is totally
disinterested in the gravity of the job
he's walking into. Just doesn't care, you know. >> NARRATOR: Ben Rhodes was one
of Obama's closest aides. >> You know, I think for Obama,
it was like a gut punch. Obama's seeing this meeting as
an opportunity, "I need to tell him
about all these things, you know, how healthcare works
in this country, North Korean threat,
what's going on with Iran." And Trump is totally
disinterested in any of this. Didn't even care. >> NARRATOR: In front of the
cameras, the reality TV star smiled
and tried out his new role. >> We were just going to get to
know each other. We had never met each other. I have great respect. The meeting lasted for almost
an hour and a half. And it could have--
as far as I'm concerned, it could have gone on
for a lot longer. >> The Donald Trump who came to
the Oval Office on November 10, two days after Election Day, seemed like a very different
Donald Trump. He spoke very respectfully of
President Obama, who he had questioned whether he
was a legitimate president, to the birther issue. But here he was saying he
greatly admired President Obama. So for someone who's just heard
Trump talk on the campaign, it seemed like an out-of-body
experience. >> And I look forward to being
with you many, many more times in the future.
Thank you. (reporters clamoring) >> Thank you, everybody. We're not--
we are not going to... >> And there was an idea,
for a brief moment, that he was about to pivot, that he was about to be
"presidential." He would show us all that he was
capable of uniting America and speaking to everybody
at once. >> NARRATOR: But before long,
the anger, resentment, conflict that had put Donald Trump in
power would return. It erupted after one decisive
meeting. >> ...between the president-
elect and top intelligence... >> President-elect Trump is
about to get all of the details from U.S. intelligence chiefs. >> NARRATOR: That day,
the powerful leaders of the intelligence community
arrived at Trump Tower. They came, evidence in hand,
to convince the president-elect the Russians really had
interfered in the election. >> ... for what could be a day
of fireworks here at Trump Tower. >> He came to identify
the question of the Russian intervention
in the election as a questioning of his own
election as president. And so he, from the very
beginning, refused to treat this in a way that I think any other
president would have-- which is as a serious attack on the U.S. and its election
integrity-- but chose to view it in very
personalized terms. >> The officials say they'll
present him with classified material... >> NARRATOR: And it only got
more personal. After the briefing,
FBI director James Comey spoke to Trump privately. >> Comey pulls the president
aside, and he tells him, "Hey, listen, uh, I need you
to know that there's this"-- what we now call the "dossier." >> NARRATOR: The dossier: unverified and sensational
allegations prepared by a former
British spy-- partially paid for
by the Democrats. It was political dynamite. >> "Russian regime has been
cultivating, supporting, and assisting Trump
for at least five years." >> It's full of things that may
be able to allow the Russians
to blackmail him. It has information about him involved in perverted
sexual acts. >> "To exploit Trump's personal
obsessions and sexual perversion in order
to obtain suitable kompromat, compromising
material, on him." >> NARRATOR: After the meeting,
the president-elect was furious. >> Trump is talking
to his top aides and he views this as blackmail. "It's a shakedown,"
he tells them. His assumption is that Comey is
giving this to him to show him that he's got something on him. >> NARRATOR: Then news
of the briefing leaked. >> This is CNN breaking news. >> CNN has learned that the
nation's top intelligence officials provided
information to President-elect Donald... >> There's the controversial
move by Buzzfeed last night, publishing a dossier... >> NARRATOR: Before long, the
entire dossier was online. >> But they have been detailed
by numerous media outlets, including Buzzfeed... >> NARRATOR: Trump's chief
strategist, Steve Bannon, told the president-elect
he knew what was going on. Bannon himself had used
Breitbart to wage harsh
right-wing attacks. Now, Bannon said, the mainstream
media was going after Trump. >> This is what scumbags
the mainstream media are. And how gutless they are. Buzzfeed... Buzzfeed, the standard of
excellence in journalism in our country,
prints the dossier, with a link. And I said, "Here it goes." Because then the "New York
Times," the "Washington Post," so on, it's all bang, bang,
bang, bang, they're reporting this was given
to the president, right? >> NARRATOR:
He wasn't even president and already Trump
was under siege. >> The president-elect
must have concluded that the press was going to be
an adversarial, confrontational force, this is
even before he took office, and that the press had sources
that could undermine him, sources that knew what he was
doing, even if he was privately meeting
with the FBI director. I think that set the tone for
what was to follow. (applause) >> NARRATOR: Now, it was back to
what Trump did best. At a press conference
the very next day, he gave his base what they had
come to expect: he attacked. >> I think it was disgraceful--
disgraceful-- that the intelligence agencies
allowed any information, that turned out to be so false
and fake, out. >> He expresses frustration. He knows it's a set-up. He knows it's a plot to destroy
him, and people around him. >> And that's something that
Nazi Germany would have done and did do. I think it's a disgrace. >> Trump, I think because of the
dossier and the leak of the dossier,
was so furious that he just came out
and lashed out at everybody. And I think that sort
of set the tone for the entire administration,
to be honest. >> That information that was
false and fake and never happened got released
to the public... >> I think that was a signal
to everybody, certainly to me and the rest
of the media, that this was the Trump
we were going to get in the White House--
that it wasn't going to be any sort of a reset. It was going to be the angry, same, the same Trump that was
out there on the campaign, campaign trail. >> Can you give us a question?
>> Go ahead. >> NARRATOR: Trump made it
clear: the press was the enemy. >> No, not you.
Not you. >> Can you give us a chance? >> Your organization is
terrible. >> You're attacking our news
organization. Can you give us a chance to ask
a question, sir? >> Go ahead.
Quiet. Quiet. Go ahead-- she's asking
a question, don't be rude. >> Mr. President-elect. Can you give us a question?
You're attacking us. >> NARRATOR: He then deployed
a weapon designed to undermine
the media-- a catchphrase. >> Can you state
categorically... >> You are fake news.
Go ahead. >> It was really extraordinary
watching Donald Trump take "fake news,"
the term "fake news," and adopt it as his own critique
of the media. He has created this alternative
reality that allows him to dismiss or discredit anything
that is negative while pushing his own narrative. >> But I will tell you,
some of the media outlets that I deal with are fake news,
more so than anybody. I could name them,
but I won't bother, but you have a few sitting
right in front of us. So they're very, very dishonest
people. >> He used it as a way, again,
to divide the country, to energize his supporters,
and to cast himself as somebody who is under siege by,
you know, an establishment or an elite whose interests are
counter to the people who elected Donald Trump. And, frankly,
very effectively done. >> It's all fake news. It's phony stuff. It didn't happen. >> He's a brilliant marketer. And he knew that with the drop
in credibility of the media, and the increase in skepticism
and cynicism from the public, that he was able to get away
with much more. He was able to say things that
no other president had said, and to be able to challenge
the press directly. >> This fake news was indeed
fake news. >> Sir, you did not answer... Sir, you did not answer whether
any of your associates were in contact
with the Russians. Sir, you did not answer,
you did not answer whether any of your associates
were in contact with the Russians. Can you categorically deny
that did not happen, sir? Can you categorically deny that
that did not happen, sir? (cheers and applause) ("Hail to the Chief" playing) >> The world is watching
our country today. >> Trump is set to become
America's 45th president today. >> NARRATOR: As he took the oath
of office, Donald Trump made no pretense
of seeking unity or healing. He spoke directly to his base. >> The forgotten men and women
of our country will be forgotten no longer. (cheers and applause) >> NARRATOR: He framed the
conflict "us versus them." >> Their victories have not been
your victories; their triumphs have not been
your triumphs. (cheers and applause) >> He very much made
accentuating the divide part of his campaign strategy,
and even more incredibly, part of his governing
strategies. I think he is the first
president who arrived explicitly understanding,
and even seeking to speak only to his base. (crowd chanting) >> NARRATOR: But that very day,
he would be confronted by the other side of the divide. >> ...and they got their moment,
and I have to tell you, we are just passing Trump Hotel,
we did pass protesters, so you could hear the din
of the people... >> We are next, right across the
street from the hotel-- there's a huge group
of protesters combined with supporters,
and they've been very vocal, and we've seen a few flare-ups. >> It looks like they're going
back to the car. >> So, Lester, there is a change
of plans now, I believe. He is back in his vehicle. >> NARRATOR: It was a sign of
the anger also deepening on the left. The mood that day went
from peaceful protests... >> Trump and Pence are fascists!
>> What? >> Trump and Pence are...
>> Illegitimate! >> Trump and Pence are fascists! >> NARRATOR: To stand-offs... (people shouting) (tear gas canisters popping) (officers shouting) >> NARRATOR: To violent
provocation. (shouting, cheering) (sirens blaring) (people shouting) ♪ ♪ (sirens blaring) >> NARRATOR: By the next day, hundreds of thousands of
peaceful protesters overwhelmed Washington. >> The resistance will be
televised. Live from Washington, D.C... >> One of the largest single-day
protests in American history, speaking out against Donald
Trump just one day after he took office. >> We want a leader!
Not a tweeter! We want a leader! >> The day after
the inauguration... >> (chanting) >> There were more people who
showed up on the National Mall in Washington
for the Women's March than there had been
the day before, when a new president
was inaugurated. >> Pence sucks, too! Pence sucks, too! >> When you had the Women's
March and the hundreds of thousands
of people out in the streets... >> Donald Trump has got to go! >> In Washington,
in cities around the country, in places around the world... There was an energy created
by his election. That energy began to course
through the political system. And you could see that
with the Women's March. >> There will be a debate about
the size of the crowd, these protesters saying that
they're going to have a bigger crowd here today than
Donald Trump had of his supporters
at his inaugural yesterday. We'll let that debate play out. >> NARRATOR: The protests, the
women, then the breaking point: the news about the size of the
crowd at his inauguration. >> Former President Obama on the
left, and Trump's inauguration, we're there on the right,
with far fewer spectators. >> Literally from the exact same
vantage point showing a big difference
in the size of the crowd. >> There were big holes
in the crowd, so those are the comparisons
right there. >> Paling in comparison to
President Obama's. >> Take a look at that exact
same image from today. I was, we saw a lot fewer,
we saw fewer people. >> Visually at least?
It was smaller... >> I think it's safe to say
there was light turnout. >> Donald Trump is, is a TV guy. He has always been concerned
with his ratings, and with numeric values
of winning versus losing. So the notion of having
a, a smaller crowd than somebody else,
uh, just eats at him. >> NARRATOR: On their first day
in the White House, press aide Cliff Sims saw
Trump's frustration up close. >> Within the first, you know,
five minutes that I'm in the building, there's this kind
of crisis moment. There was a lot of reporting
that the inaugural crowds for him were not as big as
the inaugural crowds for Obama. That is the equivalent
for Donald Trump of a schoolyard fight, so they were really
coming after him, hitting him where it hurts. >> And he starts insisting,
"That's not true. We have the biggest crowd ever." He tells Sean Spicer, his press
secretary, "You go out there
and tell them that." And it sets the tone. It sets the tone
from the beginning. You know, this is not about
healing, this is not about bringing
people together. >> Sean, first day on the job,
is thinking to himself, "Here's my chance to kind of
show I'm tough. I'm going to punch back ten
times harder than they hit us. Let's figure out
how to do that." I grab a computer, start, you
know, pecking out a statement. >> NARRATOR: This was the
statement they drafted. Almost every fact about
the crowd size was wrong. >> We were so caught up in the
moment, and Sean's trying to impress
the president. And I'm being told facts
that end up not being true, which we didn't vet properly. Sean was basically like marching
out to his own death there. >> Good evening.
Thank you guys for coming. >> At least,
his credibility's death. >> Photographs of the inaugural
proceedings were intentionally framed in a
way, in one particular tweet, to minimize the enormous support
that had gathered on the National Mall. >> And only a fool would have
gone out there kind of half-cocked the way
that we did. And we were those fools. >> This was the largest audience
to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person
and around the globe. Even "The New York Times"... >> When he goes out and says, "This is the biggest crowd size
ever"... >> A misrepresentation of the
crowd... >> What he's saying,
in essence, is, "What's true is what the leader
says is true." The obliteration of the line
between truth and the lie is fundamental to grasp because it's so elemental
to a functioning democracy. And the degradation of those
institutions is a weakening of our system. >> Did you lie on his behalf? >> No. >> Never? >> No. There were plenty of times
when... Look, your, your job... You may not go, go full-on,
but I don't think that that's... You're... I think I... The job of the press secretary
is to articulate what the principal
wants articulated. Not what you want-- you're not
there to call balls and strikes and interpret. That's what you guys should be
writing and covering, instead of sowing division about
tweets and false narratives. I will see you on Monday. (reporters clamoring) >> Sean?
>> Women's March. >> How about the Obamacare
changes? >> What we learned in those
first days of the Trump presidency was the
degree to which Donald Trump was going to insist on trying
to write the history of his presidency
the way he wanted to. That if you spoke
for Donald Trump, you had a constituency of one,
and that was Donald Trump. >> What it... you're saying it's
a falsehood, and they're giving-- Sean
Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that. But the point remains... >> Wait a minute--
alternative facts? Alternative facts-- four of the
five facts he uttered... >> Hey, Chuck, why...
Hey, Chuck... >> The one thing he got right
was Zeke Miller. Four of the five facts he
uttered were just not true. Look, "alternative facts" are
not facts-- they're falsehoods. >> I mean, the obvious impact
is that it's created a tremendously dangerous,
unstable force in American life, where people
don't know what to believe. People have been told they're
right not to believe the things they are told by credible
sources. The president of the United
States has contributed mightily to an environment
where people believe what they want to believe, and that is going to have
long-term repercussions. >> NARRATOR:
Trump didn't let it go. The fight over crowd size
resonated with his base and the "us versus them" war he
was waging. >> Just before we leave, the
president tells us he wants to show us just one more image. >> One thing this shows is how
far over they go here. Look. Look how far this is. This goes all the way down here,
all the way down. Nobody sees that. You don't see that in the
pictures. But when you look at this
tremendous sea of love-- I call it a sea of love--
it's really something special. >> It really did become
emblematic of what the Trump presidency
was to, to be, in that nothing was accepted
at face value. It was kind of a warning sign that, not to take your eye off
this ball, because it's going to be
different from now on. And it has been. (audience laughing) >> He's focused on the size
of his crowds, the size of his ratings, the
size of his hands, the size of, well, everything
and... (audience laughs) >> Either that's a lot
of empty space, or that crowd is even whiter
than I thought. (audience laughs) >> You just couldn't see Trump's
crowd because they were wearing
polar bear skins. (audience laughs) >> NARRATOR: Trump's first acts
as president were also meant to stoke
conflict. >> Next is an executive order
minimizing the economic burden of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act pending repeal. >> NARRATOR: He signed a raft of
executive orders on some of the most
divisive issues in American life and politics. >> ...have teed up more than
200 possible executive orders for the new president... NARRATOR: On Obamacare. >> ...associated with
Obamacare... >> NARRATOR: The environment. >> ...speeding up environmental
reviews... NARRATOR: Immigration. >> Signing an executive order... >> NARRATOR: And the border
wall. >> I do think that they wanted
to have a flurry of activity at the beginning to demonstrate
that Trump is what he said he was. He's not going to wait, he's not
going to take his time. He knows what to do and he's
going to fix everything-- he's going to set the world
right immediately. >> The message is,
"It's a crisis, we're at work." And we're driving this. Donald Trump's president
of the United States. Now comes the hour of action--
there's been enough talk. >> NARRATOR: Steve Bannon kept
a list on his office wall of the promises
that the president was trying to deliver on. >> The people talk all the time
about everything that Trump does politically is a base play. Since Steve Bannon
being the example of the one who encourages him
to, you know, "Let's play to the base.
Let's play to the base. Let's play to the base." They feel vindicated that 2016
showed that if you energize a sliver
of the country, that that can be more powerful
than kind of having this, you know, more even-keel message
that we're going to appeal to a little bit of everyone. Steve Bannon, I think,
rejects that premise. And he says that "I'm all about
energizing this sliver. And that that's the way to win." >> NARRATOR: The most explosive
executive order-- crafted to create
shock and awe-- was aimed at blocking people from seven predominantly
Muslim countries from entering the United States. >> Everybody understood what
the travel ban was designed, in fact, to do. They understood the symbolism,
they understood the message that it sent to his base. And what they were saying was,
"Promise made, promise kept." >> "Protection of the nation
from foreign terrorists entering into
the United States." It's big stuff. >> NARRATOR: The reaction from
the other side was immediate: more outrage.
(protesters chanting) >> A scene of outrage at JFK
Airport in New York, where... >> Protests all across
the country, reaction from around the world,
after the president... >> As a symbolic issue to his
base and to his opponents, as a marker in American life and in the American
political debate, I mean, we moved into an
entirely different dark kind of period. And I think its, its
significance is hard to overstate. >> Swift reaction from around
the country... >> Now protests, outrage,
and backlash from President... >> These actions that Trump does
to appease his base and to excite his base have incited the resistance
against him. >> No ban! No wall! >> The travel ban is one of the
most important days in the Trump presidency. Not just because
of the policy itself and what it says about us
as Americans-- much less the people themselves
who are now imperiled, unclear if they could come to
the United States... >> (chanting) >> But it was the thousands of
people rushing the airports. >> In Seattle, police actually
dispersed some crowds with pepper spray. It was a day of high drama... >> It was the day when it felt
like democracy may be crumbling at its seams... >> No bans! No walls! >> And what might still be here
when we wake up in the morning? There's going to be 7,000 people
at LaGuardia and at DCA and at Dulles? Are they going to start
storming the gates and seizing refugees
from TSA agents? >> Let them go!
>> Right now! >> Let them go! >> It, it struck me that this
administration was going to be a lot different
than any other we had seen. That they were simply not going
to abide by any type of process, that there was a certain amount
of spontaneity and impulsiveness about
the way this administration was going to operate. >> The people united
will never be divided! The people united
will never be divided! >> The president will meet with
more Republicans in Congress... >> President Trump will meet
with conservative leaders to talk about healthcare
today... >> NARRATOR: He had incited
conflict with the travel ban, and now he would move on to another polarizing issue:
Obamacare. >> The Republican Party had for
three elections in a row run on the repeal of Obamacare. Which, I think there was
a sense that, "Hey, we owe our electorate-- they put us here
for this reason." >> NARRATOR: To get it done,
Trump would rely on Speaker Paul Ryan and
the Republican establishment. >> In the sequencing,
repeal and replace, and that's where the
establishment, and Ryan says, "I got this." We've voted 50 times. 50 times to repeal this. This is something we own. We know this better
than anybody. >> President Trump met earlier
this evening with members of the Freedom
Caucus to discuss... >> NARRATOR:
But like the travel ban, Trump's effort was immediately
mired in angry opposition. >> There's still half
of America, which is a significant
percentage, that did not vote for Trump,
did not vote for Republicans in Congress, and
did want to repair Obamacare, but didn't want to dump it. And when you start with the most
contentious issue, what are you going to get? (crowd clamoring) >> All around the country, you had these, these hugely
energized town halls, and legislators would go home
and get screamed at... >> (yelling) >> ...by constituents who were
terrified they were going to take away
their healthcare. >> (chanting) >> Things like--
had the Resist movement and the protesters around the
building. >> The problem is Obamacare has
just collapsed. (crowd yelling and booing) >> There's just a huge reaction. I had town halls with people in
churches swearing and lobbing f-bombs
at the pastor, if that helps set the tone... (crowd yelling angrily) I'd try to finish sentences on
healthcare, et cetera. Whatever, folks were just... (growling in imitation) >> (chanting): Read our
questions! >> That's what we were facing,
right? People were saying "You're going
to take away healthcare for millions," and, like... (growls): "Boo," you know? So it was hard to have a
rational dialogue-- still is. (crowd yelling) >> (chanting): Shame on you! >> They were kicking a hornets'
nest of millions of Americans who were now terrified
that they could lose their health insurance coverage. >> And take the billionaires'
money and give it to... >> It just created an
environment that I also don't think
Republicans were really politically ready for. >> Single-payer,
run by the government? Oh, yeah, it's got problems,
but it's also got elections, and you're going to find that
out in 2018! >> What Trump has done is made
Obamacare popular. >> The reality is that Obamacare
is... >> NARRATOR: Trump's frustration
grew as the legislation became bogged down. >> New legislation that
is twice as popular as the president... >> The vagaries of the
legislative process are lost on him. On "The Apprentice," you just
simply say, "You're fired," and that's the end of it. The idea of working with a
legislature is kind of, it's a mystery to him. And so, "How is it these
Republicans can't get this done? What is it you're doing,
Paul Ryan? You told me you were going
to get this done." >> Repeal and replace
becomes a fiasco. They're totally and completely
incompetent. They're not ready to govern. They're just not ready
to govern. >> The Senate is scheduled to
vote on the latest version of the bill to replace
Obamacare... >> NARRATOR: Trump watched as
the Senate prepared for a crucial vote
on healthcare reform. >> A vote on healthcare, a vote
that's too close to call at this point... >> NARRATOR: The key vote--
Republican Senator John McCain, a long-time Trump adversary. >> He is expected to show up
at Capitol Hill today to cast what is expected to be
a yes vote on healthcare... >> The clerk will call the roll. >> It was the most dramatic
night on the Senate floor I had seen in all my years
up there. >> Mr. Barrasso. >> The vote's ticking away, the
vote's ticking away. And McCain's on the floor,
but he's not voting. >> Mr. Blunt. Mr. Booker. >> You saw Mitch McConnell
looking more and more unhappy, his arms were closed. And you could tell from the body
language on the Republican side that they were very worried. >> Mr. Durbin. >> John McCain walks up to where
the vote clerks are and he lifts his hand very
dramatically. >> NARRATOR: McCain,
with a thumbs-down gesture, shocked the chamber. (people gasping) >> You could hear audible gasps
in the chamber. And those gasps of surprise came
from both sides of the aisle. >> No. (people gasping) >> In the Senate chambers,
you could hear the shock-- first gasps... >> Another devastating blow to
Republican senators as an Obamacare repeal fails... >> Nobody was expecting John
McCain to vote no, and the way that he did
obviously had ramifications not just in the Senate
or in Congress, but in the White House as well. And how-- it would make
everything more difficult because members are fighting
with each other now. >> Breaking news right now. The Republicans' Obamacare
repeal failed in the Senate tonight, the vote 49 to 51... >> The dramatic collapse of the
healthcare effort... >> NARRATOR: The president had
been watching on television. >> We were in the dining room
off the Oval Office. There was profound
disappointment that we were that close, and that had spent
a lot of effort really believing that we could
finally do something when it comes to healthcare. >> Republicans tried and have
failed again... >> And so it was just huge
disappointment. >> We are continuing to follow
breaking news on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers dealt a serious
blow to the president's... >> NARRATOR: His first major
legislative effort went down in defeat. >> Trump was angry. He was angry because he was
failing as a president. All he had to do was
click on cable news to see that he wasn't being
portrayed as, as the winning,
swashbuckling, powerful president
he wanted to be. >> NARRATOR:
It was a decisive moment. He would have to unleash
his attack politics onto the Republican
establishment itself. >> He goes with the corrupt,
feckless Republican establishment instincts for the
first couple of months of his presidency,
and it backfires. What other conclusion
could he draw other than, "Now it's time to try
some stuff on my own"? >> NARRATOR: This time,
he turned to the base. Spoke to them directly. >> "You can thank Congress, the
same people that can't even give us Hcare!"
(tweets) >> NARRATOR: He targeted
Congressional Republicans, especially leader
Mitch McConnell. >> "Senator Mitch McConnell said
I had 'excessive expectations,' but I don't think so. After seven years of hearing
Repeal & Replace, why not done?"
(tweets) >> The president's frustration
was not subtle, right? Particularly towards
Mitch McConnell. I think he just saw him
as a failure. >> "Can you believe
that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed
Repeal & Replace for seven years,
couldn't get it done." (tweets) >> Trump is using the most
powerful weapon he has, which is Twitter,
to humiliate him repeatedly, to rake him over the coals. To let his followers know, "This is Mitch McConnell's
fault. He's failed you, not me." >> "Mitch, get back to work and
put Repeal & Replace, Tax Reform & Cuts and a great
Infrastructure Bill on my desk for signing."
(tweets) >> He's feeding it. Trump is feeding hostility
towards Congress. And that tweet storm galvanized
Trump voters to turn against Congress in a
way that I've never seen a governing party's supporters
engage in. >> NARRATOR: He had exploited
division, separated the country
into us versus them, and now he would target
a new enemy: the government itself, tapping
into conspiratorial fears he called "the deep state." >> There is a permanent class
of federal employees that don't necessarily agree or
voted for this president and aren't thrilled to see him
in power. They're working internally
against the president. >> NARRATOR: Trump's war
with the deep state began with FBI director James Comey,
the man who had delivered the dossier
and was investigating Russian election interference. Unable to get him to back down,
Trump fired him. >> Breaking news-- James Comey
has been removed from heading the FBI. This is a statement... >> NARRATOR: TV news helicopters
were waiting as Comey left the FBI field
office in Los Angeles. >> This is a very closely kept
secret here at the White House. I am told only a handful of... >> Trump has finally fired FBI
director Comey-- this guy... >> When the president
fired Jim Comey, there was an explosion,
a huge eruption, in the media and the country. You started hearing Donald Trump
compared to Richard Nixon. This was another
Saturday Night Massacre. This was another Watergate. >> Firing Comey, though, has
drawn comparisons to President Richard Nixon's
Saturday Night Massacre... >> This is a moment where you
really understand the feedback loop that Trump
kind of thrives on. "I make a decision, and then I'm
able to immediately go and watch the reaction." >> Stunning news, even for
President Trump, who has been known to shock
people. >> This is a president using his
power to prevent himself falling under the justice system
that we all have to deal with. >> The bombshell announcement, something that was completely
unexpected to anyone... >> What are the talking heads
saying about this? How is it being framed? How is it being covered
by the media? (crowd cheering) >> NARRATOR: Trump would
escalate the conflict. >> In a campaign-style rally,
a defiant President Trump... >> NARRATOR: Rallying his base
against the media... >> Back in his happy place... >> NARRATOR: The Justice
Department, and the FBI. >> I did you a great favor
when I fired this guy, I tell you--
I did you a great favor. (crowd cheering) Look at what's happened,
look at how these politicians have fallen for this junk. Russian collusion,
give me a break! >> It's basically a kind of
divide-and-conquer kind of strategy. And so as long as the country is
sort of divided and he has his defenders,
he can undermine those who are attacking him. >> People, take a look at the
intelligence agencies. Honestly, folks, let me tell
you, let me tell you, it's a disgrace. We gotta get back down to
business, it's a disgrace... >> I was surprised, and... Unsettled that we have
a new president who is attacking institutions
of his own government. His own intelligence community, his own law enforcement
community. These are people who work
for him, and are sworn to uphold the
Constitution of the United States, so... This was an unprecedented,
historic situation. >> NARRATOR: To his supporters,
he cast himself as a victim. >> "This is the single greatest
witch hunt of a politician
in American history!" (tweets) "There is no collusion
and no obstruction. I should be given apology!"
(tweets) "You are witnessing the single
greatest witch hunt in American political history, led by some very bad
and conflicted people!" (tweets) >> NARRATOR: His tweets provided
the script for Fox News. >> "Fox and Friends" starts
right now. ♪ ♪ >> The president is really mad. >> He tweeted this out: "As the phony Russian Witch Hunt
continues ..." >> This is a very dangerous
witch hunt. >> It's only because I think
this is a witch hunt. >> And put an end to the
political witch hunt against President Trump. >> If you turn on Fox News,
if you click on Breitbart, he is this hero victimized
by forces who are unfairly attacking him. >> This is CNN breaking news... >> If you turn on CNN, if you open up
"The New York Times..." >> It really looks a lot like
obstruction of justice... >> Trump is a failing president
who's very unpopular. >> ...President has no one to
blame but himself... >> And increasingly, those two
worlds pulled apart. The partisan divide became even
deeper than it was in the election--
it became a chasm. And in many ways,
it's an unbridgeable chasm. >> But he thinks he's still on
"The Celebrity Apprentice." It was between James Comey
and Meatloaf and, well, the Loaf won again. (laughter, applause) >> President Vladimir Putin said
today that Russia had nothing to do with the firing
of FBI director James Comey. (laughter) James Comey thought it was
a prank and started laughing. (laughter) But to be fair, that's also how
Trump reacted when he won the election... (laughter and applause) >> (chanting): You will not
replace us! You will not replace us! You will not
replace us! >> NARRATOR:
Then, the starkest example of just how ugly
it was all becoming. >> Charlottesville. In many ways, it was the worst
moment of the first year
of his presidency. Because it was so--
it was so obvious what a president should do
in a situation like that. >> We have breaking news tonight
with that alt-right white nationalist rally. Take a look at this. >> ...university, the
torch-wielding white nationalists coming face
to face... >> A demonstration by white
nationalists at the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville... >> What you had in
Charlottesville was the alt-right people, many of
them marching in Trump's name. >> We could see them marching
with torches, and it looked like something out
of Nazi Germany. (drums pounding,
whistles blowing) >> NARRATOR: Neo-Nazis and white
nationalist protesters were forming, protesting plans
to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee. >> Hi, how're y'all doin'? >> NARRATOR: Former Ku Klux Klan
leader David Duke praised President Trump. >> We are determined to take
our country back. We're going to fulfill the
promises of Donald Trump. That's what we believed in, that's why we voted
for Donald Trump. >> NARRATOR: Also arriving--
counter-protesters, determined to confront
the white nationalists. >> This is what they represent. >> Charlottesville was a clash
between these forces. (protesters shouting) The forces of these
far-right groups and then counter-protesters
of them. Folks who say, "Why are there
Nazis in our streets? We're going to get them out." >> NARRATOR: Armed right-wing
militia arrived. Hour by hour, the tensions grew. >> Violent clashes between white
supremacists and counter-protesters broke out
earlier today ... (protesters shouting) >> We see, time and time again,
videos of far-right protesters beating black attendees
of the counter-protest. >> Charlottesville under
siege... >> As police in riot gear
try to restore calm... >> NARRATOR: And then,
the unthinkable. (protesters chanting) (crowd screams) (people screaming) >> Holy (bleep)! Holy (bleep)! >> A man drives his vehicle
into the crowd, killing Heather Heyer
and wounding others. (people yelling) This was an incident that was
clearly the tale of these far-right, white
supremacist powers emboldened and out of control. >> Panic and horror in
Charlottesville-- a car slams into a crowd
of counter-protesters at a white supremacy protest... >> A woman was killed when a man
drove his car into a crowd, injuring 19 others... >> NARRATOR: Trump watched
the violence. >> Killing a young woman... >> NARRATOR: His response at
this explosive moment would be crucial to both sides
of the divide. >> When this happens, the
instinct of most presidents would be, "Heal, unify, mourn." But that's not what he wants to
do. It's not his impulse. But, he has to say,
say something. >> But we're closely following
the terrible events unfolding in Charlottesville,
Virginia. >> He had prepared remarks that
he was going to read, um... You know, condemning the
violence in Charlottesville. >> We condemn, in the strongest
possible terms, this egregious display
of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides--
on many sides. >> The words "many sides" were
ad-libbed and added by Trump. They were not
in his prepared remarks. >> Thank you very much,
thank you. >> NARRATOR: The ad lib
immediately provoked an uproar. >> Struggled to shore up the
president's equivocal response to Charlottesville... >> That didn't go over very
well, that it was clear that one side seemed to,
you know, initiate this altercation. It was the nationalists, these
white nationalists. They were largely responsible
for the violence. >> NARRATOR:
Arriving in New York City, the president faced a firestorm. >> When the president won't
stand with you against Klansmen who showed up with guns... >> ...he didn't respond
explicitly condemning right-wing... >> That's how neo-Nazis see
President Trump-- they are clapping for him. >> I think he is making very
clear who and what he is. >> Talks like a white
supremacist, is likely a white... >> NARRATOR: Some advisers
wanted Trump to apologize, but not Steve Bannon. >> Not a tough call for most
politicians, and so if you can't... >> This is where various
elements in the White House, in the West Wing, get in his ear about trying to get him to do
something that is not in his wheelhouse,
not in the way he rolls. You can't do that. Let Trump be Trump. The nation voted for it. It is what it is. It's just not--
if you try to do it, it'll be phony and everybody
can smell the phoniness. >> NARRATOR: Trump kept it
going. >> Excuse me, what about the
alt-left that came charging at the, as you say,
the alt-right? Do they have any semblance
of guilt? (reporters clamoring) >> He's so fiery, and he's so
angry, and he's really getting in
personal back-and-forth with members of the press. >> So, you know,
as far as I'm concerned, that was a horrible,
horrible day. Wait a minute!
I'm not finished! I'm not finished, fake news. >> We saw Trump completely
unbound from convention, tradition, even democratic
norms, I would say... And just fully speaking his mind
in an unfiltered, and I think, to a lot of people,
unnerving way. >> I think there's blame on both
sides. And I have no doubt about it, and you don't have any doubt
about it, either. (reporters clamoring) And, and, and if you reported
it accurately, you would say. >> Excuse me, they didn't put
themselves down as... And you had some very bad people
in that group. You also had people that were
very fine people on both sides. You had people... >> I'm a reporter who has
reported on race for a long time, and I never
would have imagined the person in the office
of the president calling people who go to a Nazi
rally "very fine people." >> But you had many people in
that group other than Neo-Nazis and white nationalists, okay? Thank you all very much. Thank you. >> What about the Nazis
who support you? >> It's probably the first time where the country realizes
this is going to get bad. And it is the beginning
of a time in America where people realize that
America is not just a place where racist ideals can exist, but it's a place where racist
ideals can be fueled by the White House. >> Tremendously positive impact
on race... >> He is about division. His presidency is predicated
on that. He wants division.
He craves it. He enjoys finding seams and...
and driving right into them, you know. There's no fight he doesn't
want to be part of, and there are plenty of fights
he'd like to start. The fight is the goal. It's... there's no reward, from his point of view,
in unity. There's a reward in fighting. >> President Trump is being
criticized by fellow Republicans
for being too... >> NARRATOR: Some Republicans
broke ranks and came out against him. >> "White supremacy, bigotry &
racism have absolutely no place
in our society & no one-- especially POTUS--
should ever tolerate it." (tweets) >> "Mr. President, you can't
allow #WhiteSupremacists to share
only part of blame." (tweets) >> "There's no moral equivalency
between racists & Americans standing up
to defy hate & bigotry." (tweets) >> I reacted in a way that most of my colleagues did,
as well, that this was not where
a president should be. This was a lay-up. This was easy, you know? If there's white supremacy in
any form, you condemn it. I mean, that's--
that's the easy thing to do. And he-- and he didn't. And I thought, "Oh, man. That's really drilling down
on the base." >> With that statement,
it sent a signal to some of the most intolerant
elements in the country, in our country, American
citizens who... are racist. That he was listening to them, that he respected
that point of view. That he wasn't going to walk
away from them. And, um, and that's,
that's been a lasting message that's been out there. >> President Trump is holding a Make America Great Again
rally in... >> NARRATOR: President Trump had
been compiling an enemies list. >> Campaign-style event
tonight... >> NARRATOR: The media, the FBI,
and now, Republicans who weren't sufficiently loyal. >> If you're an elected
Republican, Donald Trump has made it clear
that if you go against him, he's going to go against you, and you will pay a price for
that. And we saw it in any number of
individual cases, and it doesn't take very many
of those. I mean, all it takes is two or
three of those cases for people to get the message
that... That there is enormous risk if
you go against the president. >> NARRATOR: One example:
Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake, who had emerged
as a Trump critic. >> Well, I'm thrilled to be back
in Phoenix, in the great state of Arizona. (crowd cheers) >> NARRATOR: As always,
Trump would attack, rallying his base against Flake. >> They all said,
"Please, Mr. President, don't mention any names." (crowd laughs and boos) So I won't. I won't! (crowd cheering) >> It's about going back
to the base, to demonstrate how popular it is
to be with the president, particularly in Jeff's
own state. >> And nobody wants me to talk
about your senator, who's weak on borders,
weak on crime, so I won't talk about him. (crowd boos) No, I will not mention
any names. Very presidential, isn't it? Very presidential. >> When the president of the
United States rolls in, and you have a rally that has
thousands of people in it, Jeff pays attention. >> (chanting): Drain the swamp!
Drain the swamp! Drain the swamp... >> For Donald Trump,
everything's about Donald Trump. You're either for Donald Trump
or you are against Donald Trump. And he wants to-- he wants to
encourage everybody to see it his way, so he steps in to all
of these and makes his voice heard and makes his muscle felt. >> NARRATOR: It was effective. Flake's own voters
turned on him. >> I think he knew at that time
that I was out of step with a lot of the Republican
base, that-- that he represented more of
their feelings than I did. >> We will make America great
again. Thank you, Arizona,
God bless you. Thank you, thank you. >> NARRATOR: Flake understood
what it meant: his Senate career was over. >> The senator from Arizona. >> I decided to pull the pin. None of my colleagues knew it,
at that point. But I told a few of them, "You
may want to come to the floor." But anger and resentment are not
a governing philosophy. The impulse to scapegoat and
belittle threatens to turn us into a fearful,
backward-looking people. In the case
of the Republican Party, those things also threaten
to turn us into a fearful, backward-looking
minority party. >> I think there was relief
among a lot of, of members of the Republican Party that
finally, somebody was coming out in the open and saying this,
because on some level, this is what most of them felt. And they'd been afraid to say
it. They'd been afraid because they
were afraid of Donald Trump. They'd been afraid because they
were afraid that his base would defeat them in the party primary
the next time they were up for the election. (camera shutters clicking) >> NARRATOR: As Flake walked off
the floor, he left the other Republicans
with a choice. >> He's basically drawing
a line. "If we are going to be a
successful conservative party, we have got to turn away
from what Donald Trump is doing to us, and the way
he is leading us." It's kind of a moment of truth
for the Republican Party. What kind of a party is this
going to be? Who's going to lead this party? >> NARRATOR: But Flake soon
discovered there would be no Republican
insurrection. >> There isn't a rush to stick
up for Jeff Flake or side with him. Everyone just kind of stays on
the sidelines and wants to stay out of it. A lot of-- when you would talk
to someone, "What did you think
about Jeff Flake?" "Oh, I didn't see what he said,"
you know? "I missed it,
I was in a meeting." Like, there wasn't... much ruminating on his decision. >> We have a guts and courage
crisis in American politics. We have politicians who go to
great effort to get elected to go to Washington,
not to fight for great principles or causes, but to see who can be the best
bootlicker. >> NARRATOR:
The president had won. >> Jeff Flake thought he was
going to raise his profile to the point where he would have
an opportunity to be something bigger
than what he is. And what happened?
He made a terrible calculation. He went against Donald Trump,
who's a proven winner, and now Jeff is a guy who also
used to be a U.S. senator. >> Breaking news-- two more
G.O.P. congressmen announcing that they will not seek
reelection in the 2018... >> ...President Trump from two
Republican senators calling it quits... >> NARRATOR: In time, more than
40 other Republicans would leave. >> Of more than a dozen
Republicans who... >> In the Trump era, there's no
room for disagreement. The era where the senators, the members of Congress asserted
their prerogatives, their power, would stand up to a president, seems largely to be over
in the United States today. >> It looks like President Trump
is going to get his Christmas wish. >> The most sweeping rewrite of
our tax code... >> The first legislative win... >> NARRATOR: Trump's dominance
would culminate in front of the cameras
in the Rose Garden. >> The most sweeping tax
overhaul in three decades. >> NARRATOR: It was a ceremony
for the passage of his first major piece
of legislation-- a tax cut. >> A major victory
for President Donald Trump... >> It's really... I guess it's very simple. When you think-- you haven't
heard this expression-- but we are making America great
again. You haven't heard that,
have you? >> NARRATOR: One by one,
congressional leaders-- some he'd previously
ridiculed... >> Mitch, how about
you start it? >> NARRATOR: Came forward to
praise President Trump. >> Yes. Well, let me just say,
Mr. President, you made the case
for the tax bill, but this has been a year of
extraordinary accomplishment for the Trump administration. We've cemented the Supreme Court right of center
for a generation. You've ended the overregulation
of the American economy. Thank you, Mr. President,
for all you're doing. >> What the Republican
establishment now know is, Donald Trump is unequivocally
the leader of the Republican Party. He is the one who sets the tone of what takes place in
Washington. He is the leader of our country, both politically and from
a legislative side of things. >> Something this big could not
have not been done without exquisite
presidential leadership. Mr. President, thank you for
getting us over the finish line. Thank you for getting us
where we are, really. >> Donald Trump has conflated
Republican party loyalty with loyalty to himself to an
extreme degree, and has been remarkably
successful over the last several years
in what amounts to really a hostile takeover
of a Republican Party that was actually quite united
against him in 2016. >> Orrin, say a few words,
please. >> Mr. President, I have to say
that you're living up to every-- everything I thought you would. You're one heck of a leader and
we're all benefiting from it. And we're going to make this the
greatest presidency that we've seen not only in
generations, but maybe ever. God bless all of you. (applause) >> Whoa! Paul Ryan just said,
"How good was that?" >> In essence, this became
Trump's Republican Party. The testimony that people gave
there is hard to take back. Orrin Hatch, for example. But McConnell and Ryan and
others who gave Trump an enormous amount of credit... That, that created a unity
within the Republican Party that had not existed. (applause) >> This was a fight for the soul
of the Republican Party, and Trump won. There's no question about it. And it's not so much that Trump
took over the Republican Party, it's that the Republican Party
completely capitulated to him. They're all united in believing
that in order to survive politically,
and not lose in a primary, they have to stick as close
to him as possible. Even when he puts out
racist tweets, you cannot criticize him
in public. Even when he engages
in the most reckless behavior, you cannot break with him
in public. (crowd applauding) ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: Trump had brought
divisive politics to the presidency, the Congress, and it would even extend
to the Supreme Court. >> It is my honor
and privilege to announce that I will nominate
Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States
Supreme Court. >> Supreme Court showdown as
Democrats are promising to fight President Trump...
>> The battle is on. Supreme Court nominee Brett
Kavanaugh made the rounds... >> Now is the time to fight. >> Now, some Democrats have
already come out in total opposition... >> You don't belong in this
building as a justice. >> Pay attention to this, guys.
Pay attention. >> If he's confirmed, he'll be
on the court for 25 to 30 years. That's six presidential terms. That is a key vote. (people talking in background) >> Trump sees courts as just
another political body. You know, he refers to judges,
he refers to an Obama judge or a Bush judge
or a Trump judge. You know, you might as well put
a D or an R after their names. He doesn't see judges
as being independent figures. He sees them as just
an extension of the political battles. >> NARRATOR: The nomination was
immediately polarizing-- igniting partisan warfare
in the Judiciary Committee. >> Good morning. I welcome everyone to this
confirmation hearing on the nomination of Judge...
>> Mr. Chairman. >> ...Brett Kavanaugh...
>> Mr. Chairman. >> ...to serve as associate
justice... >> NARRATOR: Cable news coverage
packaged and projected to each side
of the divide. >> You are out, you are out
of order-- I'll proceed. >> We cannot possibly move
forward, Mr. Chairman, with this hearing... >> I extend a very warm welcome
to Judge Kavanaugh... >> We have not been given
the opportunity... >> Mr. Chairman, I appeal to the
chair to recognize myself or one of my colleagues... (gavel rapping)
>> You're out of order. >> Mr. Chairman,
I appeal to be recognized on your sense of decency
and integrity... >> Mr. Chairman, if we cannot be
recognized, I move to adjourn. >> The American people... >> Mr. Chairman, I move to
adjourn. >> This is a mockery and a
travesty of justice! This is a travesty of justice! We will not go back. Cancel Brett Kavanaugh,
adjourn the hearing. >> You should have been a hero!
Be a hero! Cancel this hearing! >> NARRATOR:
Then, a shocking allegation that would feed the conflict. ♪ ♪ >> Christine Blasey-Ford,
a research psychologist... >> The woman's name
is Christine Blasey-Ford... >> NARRATOR: They told him his
nominee was in trouble. >> Worst-case scenario for
Kavanaugh and his defenders... >> NARRATOR: The allegations
consumed the nation. >> Christine Blasey-Ford
described Kavanaugh as stumbling drunk
at a Maryland house party... >> Both say they're willing
to testify before the Senate Judiciary
Committee, but that... >> NARRATOR: The Trump strategy:
make it TV drama. Play to the base. >> Tonight, Supreme Court
nominee Brett Kavanaugh breaks his silence for the first time. >> NARRATOR: The network-- Fox. >> I did not have sexual
intercourse or anything close to sexual intercourse
in high school or for many years thereafter. And the girls from the schools
I went to, and I... >> NARRATOR: The performance,
however, was not vintage Trump. >> Trump's idea is,
if somebody ever hits you, hit them back twice as hard. And instead, he's got Brett
Kavanaugh talking about how long he stayed a virgin
after he was in college. And it was-- it was embarrassing
and not especially effective. >> Through all these years
that are in question, you were a virgin.
>> That's correct. >> And it's through what years
in college, since we're probing into your
personal life there? >> Many years, many years after.
I'll leave it at that. Many years after. >> When you look at how all
of this-- where all this generated from... >> NARRATOR: Kavanaugh decided
to hold back. >> Where's this all coming from? >> I just want a fair process
where I can be heard. >> You don't have
any thoughts on what's, where this is coming from? >> I just want an opportunity
of fair process where I can defend my integrity. >> You were a virgin.
>> That's correct. >> Trump wanted him to get out
there and fight back. He wanted him to be outraged. He wanted him to show anger
and, and resolve, and this was communicated
to Judge Kavanaugh. >> To say that everything that
could have gone wrong for Brett Kavanaugh has is an... >> The impetus
is on Judge Kavanaugh. They did not have the votes in
the Senate... >> NARRATOR: By the time
Kavanaugh testified, he had received Trump's message:
launch an us versus them attack. >> There was only one person
that mattered. It wasn't the committee. It wasn't the American people. It was the president
of the United States watching to see whether that
nomination would be pulled. President Trump even
noted he was going to be watching the testimony. >> Your coordinated
and well-funded effort to destroy my good name
will not drive me out. You may defeat me
in the final vote, but you'll never get me to quit. Never. >> He gives a performance
in front of the Senate Judiciary
Committee that is basically a Donald Trump impression. >> This confirmation process has
become a national disgrace. But you have replaced advice and
consent with search and destroy. >> NARRATOR: Right out
of Trump's playbook, Kavanaugh made it political. >> This whole two-week effort
has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit. >> NARRATOR: Dredging up a name
sure to enflame-- the Clintons. >> Revenge on behalf of the
Clintons and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing
opposition groups. >> It has become this completely
politicized drama. He turned it into a huge fight between Democrats
and Republicans. He's trying to rally all the
Republicans to his side. >> This is a circus. The consequences will extend
long past my nomination. The consequences will be with us
for decades. >> The president appreciates
people who stand up for themselves and for what they
believe, and don't allow the politically
correct police-- or in this case, accusers-- stop them or thwart them
or impede them. And the president would tell you he knows a thing or two about
that. >> "His testimony was powerful,
honest, and riveting. Democrats' search and destroy
strategy is disgraceful." (tweets) >> We've taken the idea
of judicial independence, judicial neutrality,
and we've discredited that in the eyes
of the American people. What are the American people
supposed to think if they watched four days
of reality theater, where people are giving speeches
and pounding-- pounding the table... and
throwing down pieces of paper, and saying things like that? It's, it's-- it's very damaging
to an institution that I have great respect for. And I hate to see this happen. >> I have to say that I fear
for the future. >> #MeToo. (audience shouts and cheers) >> It's never okay to try to
rape somebody, not even in high school, not even if you're totally going
to be a Supreme Court justice. >> Many experts think he
has a shot, to which Kavanaugh replied, "A
shot? Yeah, I'll take a shot!" >> It feels like they're doing
this just to deliver a "(bleep) you" to Democrats,
and even more directly, a "(bleep) you" to women,
because when this, when this... (audience applauds and cheers) (siren blaring) >> NARRATOR: Soon, across the
divide, a gathering storm-- Democrats roaring back, taking over the House of
Representatives, intensifying the partisanship
in Washington. >> Quite a dramatic night.
Voters have decided on... >> House of Representatives... >> Even after Democrats flipped
the House... >> House Democrats are already
preparing for battle... >> You have a Democratic Party
that is as dominant as it's ever been in metro
America, a Republican Party
that is as dominant as it has ever been
in non-metro America. And what this produces is two
Americas that are separate not only in their partisan
affiliation, but in pretty much everything. Trump didn't create this. We've been heading in this
direction for years. But he leaned into it. And everything he has done has
deepened this trench. >> NARRATOR: Now, a new level
of confrontation. Up close and in full view
of the television cameras. >> Okay, thank you very much. It's a great honor to have Nancy
Pelosi with us, and Chuck Schumer with us. And we've...
>> Trump loves an enemy. So the advantage of the House
flipping is, now he has one. He has somebody to blame other
than Republicans, you know,
if things don't get done. Wall not being built? That's because of the Democrats. You know, immigrants coming over
the border? That's because of the Democrats. >> 60 people of the Republican
Party have lost their-- are losing their offices... >> He's now got this foil that
he likes to use in public. >> We gained in the Senate. Nancy, we've gained in the
Senate. Excuse me, did we win the
Senate? We won the Senate. >> When the president brags that
he won North Dakota and Indiana, he's in real trouble.
>> I did. >> Let me say this. >> We did win North Dakota
and Indiana. >> This is the most unfortunate
thing. We came in here in good faith, and... and we're entering into
this kind of a discussion in the public view.
>> But it's not bad, Nancy. >> Let-- let us... no, no...
>> It's called transparency. >> I know, but it's not... >> He's carrying on, and Pelosi
keeps trying to sort of get it to stop, like, "Do we need to do
this in front of the cameras?" >> Let's call a halt to this. We've come in here in good
faith... >> I thought that moment
demonstrated for me what he understood
about his presidency and the modern presidency
that a lot of Democrats and that a lot of Republicans
do not. I mean, this is where Trump
understands entertainment. He understands television. >> Nancy's in a situation where
it's not easy for her to talk right now,
and I understand that. >> The best moments for him of
his presidency are when he is breaking through
the artifice of Washington. >> But we have to have border
security. >> Mr. President, please don't
characterize the strength that I bring to this meeting as the leader
of the House Democrats, who just won a big victory... >> To Pelosi or to Schumer,
yelling at each other in front of cameras and the
American public is seeing you behave
like children... That's just... it's humiliating and it's beneath the dignity of
the office and their offices. But to him, that's winning. Because that's--
that is showing people, "I'm not standing for
this stagecraft here." >> Thank you very much,
everybody. >> Thanks, guys.
>> Thank you. >> NARRATOR: In the months
that followed, the political conflict
would escalate. >> He pressured Ukraine's
government to assist Trump's reelection campaign... >> The President pressured
Ukraine's leader about eight times,
eight times... >> Today, I'm announcing the House of Representatives
moving forward with an official
impeachment inquiry. >> NARRATOR: Democrats,
activated and angry. >> The president must be
held accountable. No one is above the law. >> ...are zeroing in on a
framework for their impeachment case
against... >> A deeply divided moment
playing out in American history
as we come... >> What we know is that our
nation has two mobilized movements, that
there remains a fundamental fault line in our populace
and in our population. We're not going back
to politics as usual. >> An impeachment
is the only option. >> President Trump continues
to attack top Democrats... >> NARRATOR: Trump amplifying
"us versus them." >> The absolutely crazed
lunatics, the Democrats, radical left, and their media
partners standing right back there... (crowd booing) Are pushing the deranged
impeachment witch hunt for doing nothing wrong. >> President Trump
is firing back and drawing widespread criticism
for likening himself to the victim of a lynching. >> (chanting): Hey, hey, ho, ho! Donald Trump has got to go! >> Today there's just a lack of
respect and a willingness to ascribe the worst motives,
to assume the other side is not just the opponent--
political opponent-- but the enemy. The guy who needs to be not
just vanquished, but eliminated. >> Our radical Democrat
opponents are driven by hatred, prejudice, and rage. They want to destroy our country
as we know it. Not acceptable,
it's not going to happen. >> The damage of this is going
to be long-term, and I think it's going to be
very, very deep. What have we been willing
to accept that we weren't willing
to accept before? How do we think about each
other, how do we think about being an
American, how do we treat one another,
what are our standards? And that's-- and I think the
damage is potentially going to be very deep. >> President Trump sending
a scathing letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, demanding she "immediately cease
this impeachment fantasy." >> NARRATOR: An historic vote:
impeachment. >> Those in favor say "Aye." >> (in unison): Aye. >> Those opposed, "Nay." >> (in unison): No! >> The ayes have it. >> We just saw what is a very
bitterly divided America on display, virtually every
Democrat voting for impeachment... >> NARRATOR: A standoff. >> Every Republican voting
against it... >> NARRATOR: Feeding the anger,
the outrage... the division. >> (in unison): Aye. >> We were far more divided in
the Civil War. Far more divided during
the Great Depression. But we've always had hope
in the future. And that hope... We're losing it,
with this division. >> And all of the debates and
all of the hearings hasn't seemed to budge anybody
very much... >> President Donald Trump is
impeached, the vote in the House of
Representatives... >> NARRATOR:
And soon, the election. >> This country goes into 2020
as divided as it's ever been. It will go through 2020 with one
of the most divisive campaigns we've probably ever seen. And it is likely to come out at
the end of 2020 still divided. And whether the next president,
whether it's Donald Trump for a second term or whoever
is the Democratic nominee, whether they can move us past
that, I think, is, you know, the biggest single question
for the next presidency. And I think based on everything
we've seen, not just over the last few
years, but over the last decade
or more, tells us how enormously
difficult that's going to be. >> Go to pbs.org/frontline for the latest "Frontline"
Transparency Project. See key quotes from the film in
context. >> He was able to say things that no other president
had said. >> Nothing was accepted
at face value. >> We have a new president
who is attacking institutions of his own government. >> It's time to take on the
elites in this country. >> Connect to the "Frontline"
community on Facebook and Twitter, and watch anytime
on the PBS Video App or pbs.org/frontline. ♪ ♪ >> For more on this and other
"Frontline" programs, visit our website at
pbs.org/frontline. ♪ ♪ "Frontline's"
"America's Great Divide" is available
on Amazon Prime Video. ♪ ♪
