1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: How do you see things right now in America? If 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: I if I woke up from a coma, and I 3 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: had and I had been lights out, uh for the election, 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: and and you just told me Trump's back in there, 5 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 1: and and obviously you gotta you gotta put a little 6 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: bit of perspective on the ball when you tell me 7 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 1: what happened here over the last nine months. But what 8 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: what what's going on? Where are we as a country 9 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: right now? 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 2: Well, if if you would woke up and came out, 11 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 2: I might ask you, you might say you might want to 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 2: go back to sleep for a while. I mean I 13 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 2: I I had thought we had reached as a country 14 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,279 Speaker 2: a low point in the first term. I didn't. I 15 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 2: didn't think we could go lower week on lower. And 16 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 2: my fear is that we could go lower still in 17 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 2: this both through a combination of acts of Donald Trump 18 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 2: and the Republican Party, but also an abdication of of 19 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 2: courage and truth telling by by a large part of 20 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,400 Speaker 2: the media. And that to me, Donald Trump is Donald Trump. 21 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 2: But the most concerning thing is the acquiescence to him 22 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 2: and and and the rather Republican threats to just sort 23 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 2: of abandon the First Amendment to abandon what you know 24 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 2: decency to abandon what we want. I would say to 25 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 2: you if you woke up like we're at the probably 26 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 2: the most obviously the most pivotal point in time in 27 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 2: my lifetime for our American democracy, I would also say 28 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 2: if you went to sleep thinking it could never happen here, 29 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 2: we've all been wrong about that. I mean, and you've 30 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 2: been in politics and probably've watched it ever since you 31 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 2: were young. Just like me, I understand history of America 32 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 2: as well as anybody, and the problems we've had and 33 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 2: the things we've gone through. I never thought this could happen. 34 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 2: I never thought this could happen in America. I never 35 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 2: thought that we would get to this point. I can 36 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 2: see a first term of Donald Trump, but I thought 37 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 2: we as Americans would learn our lesson and not do 38 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 2: it again. So it is surprising to me that a 39 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 2: modern democracy such as ours is put in this place. 40 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 2: We're no longer, in my view of leader of the 41 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 2: democracy in the free world. We're not the leader of 42 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 2: democracy in the free world as we've been since post 43 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 2: World War Two. We're not that nobody in other modern 44 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 2: democracies is trying to copy what we're doing. Anymore. They're 45 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 2: actually if they're actually you know, they ought to be 46 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 2: wearing bracelet says, that's say ww wwdtdo, which would be 47 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 2: what would Donald Trump do? Do the opposite. That's what 48 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 2: they're sort of looking at. So it's crucial moment. It's 49 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 2: a concerning moment. It's as I said, it's not a 50 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 2: moment that I envisioned we would be going through as Americans, 51 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 2: but we are. And the question becomes, what do. 52 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: We do when you assess this all strategically, If we 53 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: were sitting in a room and we are laying out 54 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: uh in a in a world that we hope comes 55 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: to to be the right way to approach Trump, to 56 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: engage Trump, to engage MAGA, to survey the landscape, I 57 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: think you have. The media is a major actor on 58 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: that on that battlefield. The Democratic Party is a major 59 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: actor on that battlefield. Obviously Trump is a major actor 60 00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: on that battlefield. His henchmen and women are major actors 61 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: on that battlefield. How do you see the totality of 62 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: the political battle space in the country right now? And 63 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:20,600 Speaker 1: as a person who wants to defeat MAGA, what are 64 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: the first things that has to happen in order to 65 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: succeed in doing that, comprehending of course, that we didn't 66 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: get here overnight, and we're not getting out of it overnight, 67 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: and nothing's getting fixed tonight. But where do you start? 68 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 2: So, I mean, I think these are great questions, and 69 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,160 Speaker 2: I think everybody that's thoughtful about this and is concerned 70 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 2: about this may have a slightly different answer in this. 71 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 2: I think the thing that you mentioned is we didn't 72 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,720 Speaker 2: get over here over here. We didn't get here overnight, 73 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 2: and it's not purely a function of Donald Trump that 74 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 2: of what's the problem here? I mean to me, I 75 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 2: think about American politics like tectonic plates that we have 76 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 2: too often just point to the earthquake and point to 77 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 2: the volcano and don't understand the tectonic plates have been 78 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 2: shifting for a while, that these things could have been 79 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 2: predictable if we had sort of really been attuned to 80 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 2: the shifting plates of America, both our economy and our 81 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,359 Speaker 2: politics and all everything that includes in this. And so 82 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:35,799 Speaker 2: I think understanding that, I think that how we arrived 83 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 2: here was I think that there is we never dealt 84 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 2: with race. We've never fundamentally dealt with race in America 85 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,840 Speaker 2: really in a full fledged way, in a really way, 86 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:51,360 Speaker 2: like a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa might 87 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,280 Speaker 2: deal with it. It's like, led, let's be honest about this, 88 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 2: let's all agree that this happened, and then what do 89 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,359 Speaker 2: we do, Who do we hold responsible? How do we 90 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 2: hold that responsible? The problem in American history is that 91 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 2: after the Civil War, when we thought, okay, we're moving 92 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 2: on the next chapter, then the reconstruction efforts started, which 93 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 2: we're going to be helpful, and then they got all 94 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 2: shut down through political compromise and political justification. And then 95 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 2: that we went on for decades, and then that led 96 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,919 Speaker 2: to civil rights, and then we thought, okay, we got 97 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 2: through civil rights, and then we still haven't dealt with it. 98 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 2: And so there's so many elements we haven't dealt with. 99 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 2: Our economy, which hasn't served for more than thirty years 100 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 2: sort of the average middle class, working class person in 101 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 2: the country. Agreements were made, rich people got wealthier, and 102 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 2: the working class, and I don't mean just white working class, 103 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 2: it's white, Hispanics, Asian, black whoever was left sort of 104 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:52,840 Speaker 2: out of the picture. Angry. I mean the average pay, 105 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 2: the average income hasn't risen at all for the middle 106 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 2: class in this country for forty years, basically, while the 107 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 2: millionaires and billionaires have seen a thousand percent increase in 108 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 2: their income. And I think all of those things get 109 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 2: us to the point of, Okay, we got to understand 110 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 2: that we've got to do that, and so what do 111 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 2: we do out of this? 112 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 3: Is? 113 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 2: I think we're in such a divisive period. It often 114 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 2: is difficult to have conversations with people of your opposite 115 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 2: about politics, or even people that you think are good 116 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 2: people that may have voted one way or the other. 117 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 2: And I know a lot of people I have family 118 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 2: members that voted for Donald Trump. Is you can't. In 119 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 2: my view, the way out of this is doesn't start 120 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 2: with politics. It starts with something bigger, starts with values 121 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 2: that they may agree upon that you can actually start 122 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 2: to bind with people and to achieve a gut level 123 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 2: heart bond with them. And then at some point you 124 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 2: can get to politics. But you're going to have to 125 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 2: create that bond with people first over things that they 126 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 2: that we all think would be obvious ideals and values 127 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 2: of our democracy in this and I think this is 128 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 2: not a We're going to fix this problem in the midterms. 129 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 2: Know the midterms are important and very important because I 130 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 2: think it's the only thing right in the near future 131 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 2: that can hold the Republicans and Donald Trump accountable in 132 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 2: some way and stop some of the madness. But it 133 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 2: won't be fixed in just by you know, Democrats succeeding 134 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 2: in the midterms, and it won't be fixed by electing 135 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 2: a Democrat president in twenty twenty eight. We really have 136 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 2: to think about this like a like a long I 137 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 2: mean again, like South Africa, And how do you emerge, 138 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 2: how do you take something emerge from a corrupt regime 139 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 2: and in a place where many citizens equiesced to it, 140 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 2: and how are you going to emerge from that? And 141 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 2: again my feeling is, yes, we need you to have 142 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 2: political conversations, and yes we need to speak truth to 143 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:56,960 Speaker 2: power and all of those those are important. And yes, 144 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 2: we have to hold not only Trump and the Republicans accountable, 145 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 2: we have to hold them media accountable in how they're 146 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,560 Speaker 2: doing that. I have a funny story I've never told anybody, Steve, 147 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 2: and I don't think i've told you actually this privately. 148 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 2: Right after Donald Trump took office in twenty seventeen, I 149 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 2: was sitting with all the senior management and the anchors 150 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,440 Speaker 2: at ABC when I was chief political analyst at ABC, 151 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 2: and I looked at this and that expectation of what 152 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 2: he might do and all that, and I said, I 153 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 2: think it would be really important to sort of have 154 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 2: somebody here or people here understand how the press should 155 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 2: cover a government in an emerging totalitarian state. How did 156 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 2: the press cover the governments in that? And when I 157 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 2: said that, everyone at the table looked like at me, 158 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 2: like I was from Mars, like they looked and I 159 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 2: was like, you know what, that's what could easily happen here. 160 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,439 Speaker 2: And they were like, no, we're you know. People were like, no, 161 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 2: We're just going to go on about our business, covering 162 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,680 Speaker 2: Republicans this and Democrats that and all in all the 163 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 2: ways they do that. And I think the media, yeah, 164 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 2: some members have been caught up, but I would say 165 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 2: the Democratic Party, the leaders of the Democratic Party and 166 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:13,000 Speaker 2: the leaders in the media have have have been in 167 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:15,560 Speaker 2: la la land about what's going on for too long. 168 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 2: They I think they thought, oh, you know, i'll find 169 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 2: reasonable Republicans and we'll get through this. And I think 170 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 2: they were, whether it's willfully ignorant or just ignorant of 171 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 2: the fact that the world had changed and they were 172 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,440 Speaker 2: really really slow in catching up to how much the 173 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 2: world had changed and how much our democracy was at risk. 174 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:41,520 Speaker 3: I'm Steve Schmidt. This is the warning. I invite you 175 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:44,840 Speaker 3: to join this community, where I promise to be honest, 176 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 3: blunt and direct about what is happening in this country. 177 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:53,320 Speaker 3: America is in crisis. Follow and subscribe to this channel 178 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:54,439 Speaker 3: and on substack. 179 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: Thank you.