-Today, today was Donald Trump's
last full day as president
of the United States and he spent it stewing
in private, mulling pardons
for well-connected allies and releasing a meaningless,
lie-filled farewell message. For more on this,
it's time for "A Closer Look." ♪♪ Today, Trump released
a pretaped farewell message filled, as usual, with the
soaring oratory he's known for. -My fellow Am--
-[Bleep] off. You don't get to do that. You don't want to do any
of the hard parts of leaving, like gracefully
admitting you lost and attending
your successor's inauguration, but you want us to watch
your lie-filled 20-minute farewell speech, which, I am certain, you're reading
for the first time, like a tourist reading a menu
in a foreign language. [ As Trump ]
I'll -- I'll have the --
Oh, boy. Oh, how do you say this? Oh, man! Oh. Hamburger? [ Laughter ] Although, I will briefly touch
on the overarching message because of how absurd it is. -Four years ago, we launched
a great national effort to rebuild our country,
to renew its spirit, and to restore the allegiance of this government
to its citizens. We did what we came here
to do, and so much more. -[ As Trump ]
And, yet, sadly,
my presidency ends one week
before Infrastructure Week. Are you insane?
You left the nation in ruins. What did you come here to do,
wreck the economy; spread disease; and take selfies
with cans of beans, where you smile like you just
ate ice cream with a cavity? This time, four years ago, virtually the entire
federal government was being mobilized in service
of an incredibly stupid lie -- Trump's insistence
that his inauguration crowd was the largest ever,
even though we could all see that it had more white space than the back
of a Hallmark card. Sean Spicer was screaming
from the podium in a giant suit cut from the sail
of a mighty clipper ship. Trump was whining in front
of the CIA Memorial Wall. Kellyanne Conway was trying
to Jedi mind trick Chuck Todd into accepting alternate facts. And that episode ended up
being a telling preamble to the rest of Trump's
four years. It's not just
that Trump inhabits an unhinged fantasy world,
which he does, or that he and his aides lie
as easily as they breathe, which they do. It's that the entire
federal bureaucracy was dragged into defending a narcissistic
president's delusion and anyone who refused
to support the lie was punished. -Newly released documents
obtained by The Guardian reveal a government photographer
intentionally cropped the images to remove spaces and, in turn,
make the crowd look larger. The unnamed photographer says
that he tampered with the photos from the president's
inauguration in 2017 after receiving multiple calls
from the White House, including one from the president
on his first full day in office. -The president, here,
reportedly asking for additional pictures
of the inauguration. He was obviously concerned about the crowd size
of the inauguration. The request appeared to have
trickled down to other members, other staffers
at the Park Service, one unnamed official
telling investigators with the
Inspector General's Office that she got the impression
that the president wanted to see pictures that appeared to depict
more spectators in the crowd. -That's right. Trump bullied
the National Park Service. First of all,
if you're going to make the National Park Service
edit photographs, at least make it something fun,
like Old Faithful spewing lava or a moose
with Angelina Jolie's eyes. Good-looking moose! And, as we've learned
over the last four years, if you're willing to lie
about inconsequential things, like crowd size
or a weather map, you're also willing to lie
about far more important things, like the coronavirus pandemic, which has now passed a grim
new death toll of 400,000 on Trump's final day in office. Trump insisted that COVID
would magically disappear, that it could be easily cured, and, much like
the inauguration lie, everyone around him,
from his closest aides to government scientists,
was ordered to fall in line
or face consequences. And, while some stood up to him,
his closest sycophants decided to take part in the lie
and deny reality. -You have 15 people and the 15,
within a couple of days, is going to be
down to close to zero. It's going to disappear one day. It's like a miracle.
It will disappear. -We've actually contained
the spread of this virus. It is being contained. And -- Do you not think
it's being contained? -So far, it looks
relatively contained and we don't think
most people -- I mean, the vast majority
of Americans are not at risk
for this virus. -People don't die
of this disease anymore. -I went through the CDC data because I kept hearing
about new infections, but I was like, "Well, why
aren't they talking about this? Oh, oh, because the number
is almost nothing." -Oh, you went
through the CDC data? I have a hard time imagining
Don Jr. staying up all night, sifting through graphs
and charts, although he does have the manic
energy of a guy with a head mic selling time-shares
in Boca Raton. [ As Don Jr. ]
I went through all the data and you can vacation,
anytime you want, for a fraction of the price,
and, plus, you'll be long dead
before global warming sinks your condo like a castle
in an aquarium. Whoo! And then, of course, there were
Trump's poisonous lies about the election,
indulged and echoed by the vast majority
of the Republican Party and right-wing media apparatus, which led to the deadly
insurrection at the Capitol. Anyone who has watched Trump
for the last four years should not have been shocked
and, today, Mitch McConnell, in his last day
as Senate majority leader, finally laid the blame
at Trump's feet. -The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people. -First of all,
some of those powerful people are in your caucus. If you really mean
what you're saying, then you can start
by expelling them. Hawley can go back to starring in his Patrick Bateman
miniseries and Cruz can be remembered
as Bigfoot Danny Zuko. Second, I'm glad
you're finally coming around, but it's four years too late. You made your bargain
with the devil, to get your judges and tax cuts, and, now, much like
a Stephen King character who hits a drifter with your car
and buries him in the wood, you will be cursed forever
with a frog's voice. Well, for you, you know,
obviously, it will have to be
a different curse, but, you know, you get the idea. [ As McConnell ]
Oh, tough break, drifter. I already got that. [ Laughter ] So this is the legacy
Trump will leave behind, one of insurrection,
corruption, cruelty, and chaos, and, as a result, he'll leave
as the most unpopular president in modern American history. Now, when Trump entered office
four years ago, he was already the most disliked
incoming president in the history of polling. He lost the popular vote
by three million; he never cracked 50% approval; and, in a bit of foreshadowing,
the stands at his inauguration were emptier than the D Train
at 3:00 am during a pandemic. And, yet, as he's preparing to leave office
four years later, he's somehow even more unpopular
than when he first started. The last Gallup poll
of his presidency put his approval at 34%, and the last Pew poll
put it at 29%, both the lowest numbers he's ever recorded
in either one of those polls. Usually, presidents' approval
ratings tick up when they leave, and, yet, Trump is leaving with the lowest ratings
of his presidency and the lowest ratings
to end any first term in the history of polling,
but I found this number to be the most damning... Not only do people hate him
and want him out, but a full two-thirds
of Americans want him gone forever. Basically,
the entire country has turned into Trump's guidance counselor. "Now, it says here
you want a future in politics, but, have you considered yelling at birds in the park? So Trump won't get
a stately retirement filled with events and honors. He won't even get
a quiet retirement. He'll have to deal
with an impeachment trial in the Senate
that could disqualify him from holding office ever again. His neighbors don't want him
to move to Mar-a-Lago. New York City canceled all
of its contracts with Trump. The D.A. in Atlanta is
considering investigating Trump for his phone call
to Georgia election officials. The Manhattan district attorney
just subpoenaed more records in his investigation of Trump,
and his advisors and warned him that he could
face potential civil liability for his role
in the insurrection. Trump is also spending
the last few hours of his disastrous presidency weighing pardons
for well-connected criminals, which has created a lucrative
market for access to Trump and lined the pockets
of his allies. -The New York Times
reports that some of Trump's friends and advisors
are collecting tens of thousands of dollars
from people seeking pardons. Those who have access
to the president, his longtime aides, as well as some former attorneys
who have worked for him, have essentially been peddling
their access to the president to try to bring in money from convicted felons
who want a pardon. Associates of the president, allies as well as attorneys who
have worked for him in the past, have been collecting
these lucrative fees from people trying
to seek these pardons, involving, at least in one case, a report to the FBI
about allegations that Rudy Giuliani
might have been trying to essentially sell a pardon for what The New York Times reports
was a $2 million fee. -That's right,
Rudy Giuliani reportedly tried to sell a pardon for $2 million. Even worse,
he did it via bus stop ad. [ Laughter ]
Honestly, though, that's the only thing
that makes me even slightly suspicious
of this story -- Rudy didn't advertise. You think he'd be
going door to door, asking people
if they committed a crime or he'd be on Fox News, selling pardons like it was QVC. Of course, this is how
the Trump era ends, with the faux populist president
mulling pardons for wealthy,
well-connected allies. He's already used his pardon
and clemency powers to help out accomplices
and close friends, like Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn,
and Jared Kushner's dad. In one of his most heinous acts, he pardoned four
Blackwater mercenaries convicted of murdering
innocent Iraqis. And, yet, even with Trump
considering up to 100 pardons, there's one guy
in his inner circle who reportedly
can't get a pardon, and he sounds
a little peeved about it. [ Laughter ]
That was Rudy's radio show. Or, at least, I think it was. It could just as easily
have been at the drive-through
at McDonald's. [ Laughter ] So Rudy spent five years
debasing himself in service of Trump,
a man with no proven loyalty, who is reportedly considering
a pardon of Lil Wayne, which I'm assuming cost a milli, and, yet,
Rudy can't get a pardon. Rudy, I hate to even ask,
but have you considered rapping? [ As Giuliani ]
♪ My name is Rudy
and I'm here to say ♪ ♪ I totally forgot
what I'm here to say ♪ [ Laughter ] Honestly, there's a better
chance, at this point, that Trump turns him in. [ As Trump ]
Hello, FBI? Yeah, I want to report
a guy who incited a riot. Yeah, he's also one
of those dead voters I've been hearing about. Just stay over there, Rudy. Have some tea. [ Laughter ] In fact, Rudy,
a loyal Trump ally who has stood by him
through everything, can't get a pardon and, yet, Trump is reportedly considering
a pardon for a former ally who left his administration
in disgrace and got arrested for trying
to con Trump's own supporters. -CNN has learned the president
was back in touch with his former strategist
Steve Bannon, discussing Trump's
election conspiracy theories. Sources say Bannon, who's facing
federal fraud charges, is seeking a pardon from Trump. -That's right, Bannon wants
a pardon, for, I'm guessing, bursting
out of that dude's chest. And, if you think Kuato's
too fringe a reference, take it up with Andy Samberg, who fully played him
in a sketch. Chill, Quaid.
You'll get your Smint. So Bannon wants a pardon for scamming
Trump's own supporters by raising money
for a private border wall that allegedly skimmed
about a million bucks for his own personal expenses. In fact, if you'll recall, Bannon,
the self-proclaimed populist... Was he on the yacht or did they find him
getting dragged behind it? I mean, look at him.
He looks like a waterlogged baked potato. He looks like Jimmy Buffett
two weeks after he drowned. "We found the body wasting away in Margaritaville." [ Laughter ] But we have to remember that, even as disgraced
and unpopular as Trump is today, there are still powerful forces
in the Republican Party and the right-wing
media ecosystem who will try to memory-hole what happened
these last four years, and they'll go to absurd,
humiliating lengths to do it. Lindsey Graham said this weekend he wants Trump
to keep his movement alive and remain the leader
of the Republican Party. And then there's
the Fox & Friends, who insisted today that,
despite Trump spending more time and taxpayer money
at his private properties than any president in history,
actually worked super hard. -They'll criticize
President Trump, but no one can argue
he is a worker. You know,
he doesn't drink alcohol. He stays up late at night. He watches every show. He's working.
He got to work immediately. -Your evidence
that he's a hard worker is that he watches every show? Is he the president
or the editor of TV Guide? You sound like a spouse
defending her deadbeat husband who refuses to look for work. "Just because he's not
updating his résumé doesn't mean
he's not working hard. He watches every show! 'Price Is Right,' 'Maury.' All the soap operas,
which counts as research because he's applying
to be an evil twin. He just got the eyepatch." The toxic right-wing
media apparatus and most of the institutional
Republican Party spent the last four years
colluding with a monstrous and irredeemable man who has
been thoroughly repudiated by the American electorate,
over and over and over again. He lost the popular vote
in 2016; lost the House
by a record margin in 2018; got impeached;
lost the presidency by 7 million votes in 2020; lost the Senate in 2021, including two seats
in a longtime red state; and then got impeached again. You know what? I take it back.
Maybe he is a worker, because you have to work pretty
hard to be this unpopular. If Trump had spent
four years golfing, ranting about low-flush toilets, and letting the experts
do their job, there'd be a good chance
he'd be setting off for a retirement
of paid speeches and toilet endorsement deals. [ As Trump ]
Introducing the super flusher. This baby roars
like a jet engine and it sucks down anything
you put in it -- number one, number two, subpoenas, tax returns,
you name it. Here, let's give it a whirl. [ Creak, toilet flushes,
jet engine whines ] Oh, God! Oh, God. Mel?! [ Laughter ]
Mel! Did you get flu-- Oh! Oh, there you are, Mel. [ As Melania ]
I'm right here, Donald. [ As Trump ]
Oh, I was so worried, Mel. Worried sick. After all we've been through, if I lost you like that, Mel, oh, I couldn't have beared it. I mean, I would've married
pretty quickly. Have my eye
on a couple of candidates, but I would've been sad, Mel. So sad.
No crying sad. But I wouldn't have smiled, even though,
"sucked down a toilet," it's a pretty funny way to go,
you have to admit that, Mel. Now, show me
that million-dollar smile I've never seen once. Instead, Trump will go
down in history as a disgraced,
sadistic con artist who left the nation in ruins. He's less popular than Bush, he's broken more laws
than Nixon, he's got a worse jobs record
than Hoover, and he leans like a house
blown over in a storm that Jimmy Carter
would have to fix. [ As Carter ]
We're going to do our best, but the problems
in the foundation. See?
We're going to be fine. I got Carter. [ Laughter ] And, as he leaves,
he'll be remembered, not for standing by the people
he pretended he would help. Our economy is in tatters,
hospitals are overrun, and the vaccine rollout
is a disaster. He'll be remembered for standing
by people like Charles Kushner, Paul Manafort; Steve Bannon; murderous
Blackwater mercenaries; and the MyPillow guy,
who, it should be noted, is now facing a possible lawsuit
for his election lies and whose products are being
dropped by major retailers. -Lindell has repeatedly claimed
the 2020 election was a fraud. Last week, he was seen
leaving the White House with some notes and documents, with all kinds of conspiracies
along those lines. Dominion Voting Systems has also sent a cease
and desist letter to Lindell over his spread of lies
related to the election. -MyPillow products
will no longer be sold by some big-name retailers. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says that several companies
are dropping his products because he is a supporter
of President Trump. Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl's, and Wayfair are
among the companies that have cut ties with Lindell. -[ Laughs ]
He was too beyond on for Bed Bath & Beyond. That's like when Rudy found out
he was too nuts for Chock full o' Nuts.
Hey-o! [ Laughter ] You get it.
Shoemaker likes it. And, yet, the president
repeatedly invited him into the White House,
anyway, to share his deranged election lies
and scam coronavirus cures. And, by the way,
even in the face of a lawsuit and lost business,
Lindell still can't offer any proof
for his conspiracy theories. For example, in an email
to NBC News, Lindell said... We've all pulled that move, when
you're behind on a work project and your boss wants
to see a draft, so you pretend
your email isn't working. Here it is.
"Hm, that's weird. The attachment
didn't go through. Can you try again?"
Sure! Look at this! "That's just a picture
of your thumb." Oh, no, my laptop. I must've flushed it
down the toilet. [ Creak, toilet flushes,
jet engine whines ] [ As Trump ]
Mel! Oh, there you are. [ Laughter ] The Trump presidency
may be drawing to a close, but the dysfunction,
the corruption, the authoritarianism,
an the moral rot Trump exposed within the GOP
and in our system will remain, and we can't just let it go.
We've got to fix it. We have to hold accountable
the people responsible for it, from the top
all the way down. Otherwise,
this four-year-long nightmare we've all lived through
could very well happen again. And, as for Trump,
when historians count his accomplishments,
they'll find that... -The number is almost nothing. -This has been
"A Closer Look." ♪♪ God's Love We Deliver
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