1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:04,480 Speaker 1: International correspondence with ends and eye insurance, peace of mind 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:09,879 Speaker 1: for New Zealand business. Mitch mccanner's are US correspondent homemtch Hey, Heather, 3 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:10,399 Speaker 1: how are you? 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 2: I'm very well? Thank you? So why is Trump standing 5 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: by Pete haig Seth. 6 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: There are a couple of reasons for this. Donald Trump 7 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,479 Speaker 1: is really reluctant to fire hig Seth. One reason is 8 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,920 Speaker 1: he doesn't want to give the media, I guess, a 9 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: scalp or a victory at least how that's how Donald 10 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: Trump is reported to see it. He doesn't want the 11 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: media to get a win. And the second reason here 12 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: is he doesn't want the chaos in firings that plagued 13 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: his first term. If you remember Donald Trump's first term 14 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: in office, which is hard to forget, it seemed like 15 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: a cabinet secretary or a top official was fired every 16 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: second day. In fact, in his first term he fired 17 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 1: a national security advisor a top cabinet official after twenty 18 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: two days. So by first term standards, pet Higseth is 19 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: kind of doing pretty well. 20 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 2: Would Trump not want to get rid of him just 21 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 2: by having a quiet chat to him and asking him 22 00:00:57,760 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 2: to quit? 23 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: It's difficult at this point, because Donald Trump has said 24 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: from the start that he would not want to get 25 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 1: rid of him, or is refusing to get rid of him. 26 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: In fact, reporters were in the Oval office yesterday talking 27 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: to Donald Trump and he really dunk his heels in 28 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: and said he's not going anywhere. In fact, he said, 29 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: ask the houthis how he's doing. In fact, it's the 30 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: hoofy rebels that he fired those missiles. 31 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 2: And I mean he was discussed in the signing, you 32 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 2: know what I mean, Mitch, Like, It's one thing to 33 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 2: fire somebody and for it to be seen as a scalp, 34 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 2: but it's quite another thing for Pete Higsseeth to you know, 35 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 2: be talked around to saying, look this I'm becoming a 36 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 2: distraction to the administration, and I am going to stand 37 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 2: down because clearly this guy is a liability. 38 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, he does seem very much like liability. The 39 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: problem is that if he asked Higgsseeth to resign, it 40 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: would be obvious that Donald Trump has asked him to 41 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: do so, because he's dug his heels in so hard. 42 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, And so he's gone and booked himself in Fox 43 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 2: News hoping to kind of, you know, get a soft 44 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 2: interview obviously, and get rid of this problem. It's only 45 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 2: made it worse, isn't it. 46 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right. He was on Fox and Friends this morning, 47 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: which is actually what his previous job was before he 48 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: was over seeing three million people the Department of Defense. 49 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: He thought he was going to get an easy interview, 50 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: but it was quite difficult, and the reporting here suggests 51 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: that many people are not feeling good about it. They 52 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: aren't feeling that he did a good job. In fact, 53 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: he really dug in on that interview. It lasted quite 54 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: some time, and he says this is a media smear 55 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: campaign and that no war plans were shared. But I 56 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: think the story isn't going to go anywhere, although the 57 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: presidency is as I say that he's not going to 58 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: sack him. 59 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 2: Hey, listen, how is this Harvard thing going for Trump? 60 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, this is developing pretty quickly. Harvard University has decided 61 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: it's going to sue the Trump administration. It actually sets 62 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: the stage for a major court battle between America's oldest 63 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: and richest university and the White House. This is because 64 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 1: the government decided to freeze a couple of billion dollars 65 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: in funding when Harvard refused to comply with a list 66 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: of demands from the White House. What were the demands, Well, 67 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: the White House asked Harvard to reduce the power of 68 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: students and staff. We'd asked it to report foreign students 69 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: who violate the Code of Conduct, and it also asked 70 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: Harvard to bring it auditors to ensure that Harvard is 71 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: quote viewpoint diverse. I think there the administration is worried 72 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: that many of these institutions are too liberal, too left leaning, 73 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: and they want to be assured that there are conservatives 74 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 1: on campus. Harvard refused, and now it faces two billion 75 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: dollars in funding freezers and it's taking them to court. 76 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it sounds like, I mean, you tell me 77 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 2: if this is how you read it. But it sounds 78 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 2: like the Trump administration realizes this is problematic because they 79 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 2: want to talk to Harvard and negotiate, but Harvard is 80 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 2: refusing to negotiate, suggesting that they feel pretty pretty keen 81 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:41,839 Speaker 2: and pretty strongly that they can win. 82 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right. Harvard sees the government is trying to 83 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: gain leverage over the university. It says this is part 84 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: of a pressure campaign. And I think to your point, 85 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: the government thought they might have been in for a 86 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: win here because so many other universities, high standard universities, folded. 87 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: And one of the questions people have is can't Harvard 88 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: They'll be fine, one't they because they have so much money. Yes, 89 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: they have a lot of money. They've got fifty three 90 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: billion dollars in an endowment. That's when the money gets given. Sorry, 91 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: the university gets given money from all sorts of places philanthropy. 92 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: But the problem there is that more than eighty percent 93 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: of that money is restricted to specific uses, So Harvard 94 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: can't just go out and spend fifty million dollars. It's 95 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: limited to things like scholarships, libraries, and construction programs pro projects. 96 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: So Harvard really does have to fight this. 97 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, Mitch Listen, thanks very much for talking us through 98 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,280 Speaker 2: that so much. 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