>>> WE ARE NOW BACK WITH A SPECIAL GUEST, THE LEGENDARY "WASHINGTON POST" JOURNALIST FOR 50 YEARS. BOB WOODWARD HAS TWO PULL FUEL ITER PRIZES TO HIS NAME HE HAS RELEASED EIGHT HOURS OF JOURNALISTIC AUDIO DRAWING ON HIS 2020 TRUMP INTERVIEWS. WE HEAR BEHIND CLOSED DOORS OF WHAT WE KNOW NOW AS A CONTROVERSIAL PRESIDENCY. THERE'S THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD, THE MAYHEM OF THE PHOTO OP ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. DAYS LATER, BOB WOODWARD ASKED PRESIDENT TRUMP THIS. >> I MEAN, WE SHARE ONE THING IN COMMON. WE'RE WHITE, PRIVILEGED, AND MY FATHER WAS A LAWYER AND A JUDGE IN ILLINOIS, AND WE KNOW WHAT YOUR DAD DID. DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE THAT THAT PRIVILEGE IS ISOLATED AND PUT YOU IN A CAVE TO A CERTAIN EXTENT AS IT PUT ME AND I THINK LOTS OF WHITE PRIVILEGED PEOPLE IN A CAVE? AND THAT WE HAVE TO WORK OUR WAY OUT OF IT TO UNDERSTAND THE PAI THAT JOURNEYISM ALWAYS STARTS WITH SOURCES. GOU TO THE SOURCE, ENDEAVOR TO ASK AND LISTEN. WHAT COMES THROUGH AS IMPORTANT AS YOU LISTEN TO THE TAPES AND AUDIO THAT IS NOW PUBLIC? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, IT SHOWS THAT HE REALLY PUT THE PRESIDENCY IN MORAL FREE FALL. THE TAPE YOU JUST PLAYED HERE I'M JUST ASKING THE OBVIOUS QUESTION. THERE'S WHITE PRIVILEGE. TRUMP REPRESENTS IT. I REPRESENT IT. WE'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND THE PAIN AND ANGER OF OTHERS. BUT HE JUST COMES BACK, OH, YOU DRANK THE KOOL-AID. I MEAN, WHAT AN INSULTING STATEMENT TO ME AND TO BLACK PEOPLE AND PEOPLE WHO WANTED -- PEOPLE WHO WANT SOME SORT OF ENGAGEMENT ON RACIAL JUSTICE. >> YEAH. YEAH, AS YOU SAY, IT'S ALSO -- >> EXCUSE ME. >> SURE, BLESS YOU. >> IT'S ALSO STRIKING BECAUSE THERE IS A CANDOR THERE. EVERYONE CAN BE A PERFORMER. HE'S NOT THE ONLY POLITICIAN TO DO THAT, BUT YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT CANDOR BACK AND FORTH AT A TIME IT WAS SO RAW. BECAUSE YOU HAVE SO MUCH NEW STUFF I'M GOING TO ENDEAVOR TO GO THROUGH THAT WITH YOU. ONE QUESTION HE DIDN'T COMMENT ON THAT WAS PLAYING OUT HERE, JUST MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTION. >> WELL, WE'RE GOING INTO THE ELECTION. EVERYONE KEEPS ASKING, SUPPOSE IT'S A CLOSE ELECTION AND IT'S CONTESTED. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? EVERYONE SAYS TRUMP IS GOING TO STAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE IF IT'S CONTESTED. HAVE YOU HAUGHT -- >> WELL, I WON'T EVEN COMMENT ON THAT. I DON'T WANT TO COMMENT ON THAT AT THIS TIME. BOB, I GOT ALL THESE PEOPLE. I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER ON TONIGHT BECAUSE I HAVE TO GO. >> JUMPS RIGHT OFF THE PHONE THERE. YET HE'S KNOWN TO COMMENT ON A LOT. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT? >> WELL, THAT IS THE ONE THING IN EIGHT HOURS, 600 QUESTIONS I ASKED HIM. THAT WAS THE ONE TIME HE SAID I DON'T WANT TO COMMENT. AND I FAULT MYSELF FOR NOT FOLLOWING UP ON THAT, OBVIOUSLY. I WAS TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO SAID THEY'RE DEVELOPING A PLAN OR TRUMP IS THINKING ABOUT NOT LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE. OR CLAIM HE WON NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED. MY FAULT. BUT -- OF WHAT HAPPENED IN HIS COMPLETELY UNSUPPORTED CLAIM THAT THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN FROM HIM. BOB COSTA AND I IN OUR BOOK "PERIL" WERE ABLE TO INVESTIGATE THAT AND HAD ALL THESE MEMOS THAT RUDY GIULIANI, TRUMP'S LAWYER SENT TO LINDSEY GRAHAM WHEN HE WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. AND GRAHAM HAD HIS CHIEF COUNSEL INVESTIGATE AND FOUND ZERO EVIDENCE, AND COSTA AND I WERE ABLE TO GO THROUGH THAT. IN FACT, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE. AND LINDSEY GRAHAM WENT TO THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE AND SAID, COUNT ME OUT. HE WAS NOT GOING TO SUPPORT TRUMP ON THIS UNSUPPORTED CLAIM. >> YEAH, AND THAT GOES TO SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY ATTENTION RIGHT NOW AS WE HEAD INTO THIS MOMENT, THE MIDTERMS. IT'S SOMETHING YOUR WORK EXPLORED, WHICH IS WHETHER WE CAN REMAIN A NATION BOUND BY THE LAW WITH THE IMPERFECTIONS THAT EXIST, OR WHETHER WE DESCEND INTO SOMETHING ELSE. AND IT'S STRIKING THAT TRUMP, WHO'S BEEN KNOWN TO ECHO AND SOMETIMES PLAGIARIZE ASPECTS OF PAST CAMPAIGNS, HE CERTAINLY GOT THE MESSAGE ABOUT LAW AND ORDER. MANY PEOPLE ARGUE HE WAS NOT A UNIFORMLY EGALITARIAN COMMANDER IN CHIEF IN THAT SENSE OF DEALING EQUALLY WITH EVERYONE. BUT HERE'S AN EXCHANGE ABOUT LAW AND ORDER. >> DID SOMEBODY HELP YOU? >> YEAH, YEAH, I GET PEOPLE, THEY COME UP WITH IDEAS BECOME YOU THE IDEAS ARE MINE, BOB. WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING? EVERYTHING'S MINE. >> WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. >> WELL, TOO MUCH. I MEAN, THERE HE IS SAYING IN THAT -- YOU HEAR IT, AND AGAIN, THIS IS THE POWER OF AUDIO. YOU KNOW, KIND OF CONFIDENTIALLY. YOU WANT TO KNOW? EVERYTHING IS MINE. I HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYBODY IN THE PRESIDENCY EVEN TALK ABOUT THAT AND THINK THAT SOMEHOW THERE IS OWNERSHIP IN THIS. AND THE TRAGEDY IN ALL OF THIS, WHEN YOU GO THROUGH ALL THOSE AUDIO TAPES AND THE DISCOVERY, HOW HE COVERED UP THE WARNING, HE GOT IN JANUARY ABOUT THE VIRUS COMING -- TRUMP DOES AND DID NOT -- THIS IS NINE MONTHS WHEN HE'S IN OFFICE WHEN I'M HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM. DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE PRESIDENCY AND THE OBLIGATIONS TO THE PEOPLE. YOU HAVE TO -- THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOURSELF, BUT YOU SEE, WHEN HE SAYS, EVERYTHING IS MINE, IT KIND OF ECHOES THIS IDEA OF THE PRESIDENCY IS HIS. AND WE NOW EVEN SEE HIM CLAIMING THAT HE WON WHEN THERE'S NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THAT. >> YEAH, IT'S SO INTERESTING, YOU PUT IT VERY FRANKLY, BOB, THAT'S WHAT SEPARATES A KINGDOM OR ANY CORRUPT KLEPTOCRACY FROM A CIVILIZED DEMOCRACY. THERE'S AN UNDERSTANDING IT'S THE PEOPLE'S POWER, THE PEOPLE'S MONEY AND TACKS. IT'S THE PEOPLE'S COURAGE IN WAR THAT CREATES THE STATE, AND THE STATE IS NOT THE PEOPLE WHO HAPPEN TO COME IN AND OUT OF RUNNING IT. IT'S SOMETHING THAT I GUESS GET LOST WITH TRUMP. PUT ASIDE HIS IDEOLOGIES HE'S ASSOCIATED WITH, WHO HE PUT ON THE COURT, FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE THINGS, THAT SORT OF CORRUPTION SEEMS TO BE DEEP SEATED FOR HIM, BOB. AND MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS, DO YOU SEE THAT THEN PLAYING OUT IN HIS APPROACH TO CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS OR THESE OTHER ISSUES WHERE HE SEEMS TO THINK, NO, IT'S MINE? BECAUSE HE DOESN'T RECOGNIZE THE VALIDITY OF THE STATE IN A WAY. >> THAT'S VERY WELL PUT. THERE'S GOVERNMENT, AND HE'S PRESIDENT, AND HE'S GOT ALL THIS POWER. THERE'S A CONCENTRATION OF POWER IN THE GOVERNMENT THAT SOME DAY AS A COUNTRY -- SORRY, CONCENTRATION OF POWER IN THE PRESIDENCY THAT SOME DAY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT AND NOT CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION. THE PRESIDENT'S STILL THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE. BUT WE NEED TO KNOW WHEN SOMEBODY LIKE TRUMP COMES IN AND JUST THE SWEEPING DISREGARD FOR OTHER PEOPLE, OTHER IDEAS. IT'S NOT JUST EVERYTHING'S MINE. IN THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH NORTH KOREAN THUGGISH LEADER KIM JONG-UN, AND CIA SAYS HE'S STUPID. TRUMP SAYS, NO, HE'S SMART. HE'S VERY SMART. HE SAYS, I ASKED, WHY YOU DO SAY THIS? THE CIA SAYS HE'S STUPID. AND THEN IF YOU HEAR THE AUDIO OF THIS, TRUMP SAYS, ONLY I KNOW. I'VE DONE WORK ON TEN PRESIDENTS GOING BACK TO NIXON AND NEVER HEARD ANY KIND OF NOTION THAT A PRESIDENT IS GOING TO SAY, ONLY I KNOW. YOU'VE GOT TO LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE. YEAH, YOU CAN DECIDE. YOU'RE THE CHIEF DECIDER. BUT YOU CAN'T TUNE OUT THE UNDERSTANDING THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE, WHETHER THEY'RE EXPERTS OR ADVISERS. THIS IS A TRAGIC STORY, AND TRUMP'S ON THE BALLOT NOW IN THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS THOUGH HIS NAME IS NOT THERE. >> INTERESTING YOU MENTION THE BALLOT AND THE CHOICE PEOPLE FACE. THE PEOPLE MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS. MY FINAL QUESTION FOR YOU, BOB, IS, YOU KEEP DOING THIS WORK, AND MANY JOURNALISTS KNOW YOU TO BE ALSO A GENEROUS FIGURE IN THIS FIELD THAT'S EVOLVING WITH NEW MEDIUMS, DIGITAL, INTERNET. YOU ARE OUT HERE DOING THE WORK, PUBLISHING IT. DO YOU HAVE THE CONFIDENCE THAT THE FACTS AND JOURNALISM CAN MATTER, BE A DEMOCRACY? DO YOU WORRY WE ARE ENTERING TRULY A POST FACT ENVIRONMENT THAT MAKES THE NEXT WATERGATE HARDER TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE HALF OR MORE OF THE COUNTRY WON'T SEE THE FACTS OF IT? I GIVE YOU THE FLOOR FOR YOUR FINAL THOUGHT. >> WELL, MY THOUGHT IS I THINK WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP WORKING. WE'RE ON THE SIDELINES. WE'RE PRESENTING CREDIBLE EVIDENCE. AND IN THIS CASE, IT'S TRUMP'S OWN VOICE SAYING ALL OF THESE THINGS. AND I LIKE BEING ON THE SIDELINES. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. I THINK IT TELLS PEOPLE THINGS. AND I HAVE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE LISTEN TO THIS AUDIO BOOK AND SAY, EVEN IF YOU'RE A TRUMP SUPPORTER, YOU MAY SAY THERE IS A LEVEL OF THE DEFIANT PRESIDENT, AND THE DEFIANCE IS AGAINST REALITY, AGAINST FACTS, AND AGAINST THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE. WHICH WHEN I ASKED HIM, WHAT'S THE JOB OF THE PRESIDENT? HE SAID TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE. AND HE FAILED. HE DID NOT INCLUDE THE PEOPLE.
