1 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: Steve Schmidt has advised presidents run game changing campaigns and 2 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: become an eloquent defender of democracy. His writings in the 3 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,119 Speaker 1: Warning newsletter have marked him as a singular voice of 4 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: moral clarity in his generation. And I'm thrilled he's joining 5 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 1: us tonight our narrative to discuss the trial and the 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: upcoming election. And we welcome Steve Schmidt to the show today. 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 2: How are you, Steve, I'm good, Jeff. It's a real 8 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 2: pleasure to be with you. Thank you for having me. 9 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: It's great to have you here. You know, based on 10 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: the current swing state polling, if the election were held today, 11 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: it does seem to me that Donald Trump could win 12 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: that election. In most of these swing states. He's still 13 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 1: six points ahead of Joe Biden. Are we looking at 14 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: a likely second administration for Donald Trump? 15 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 2: I wouldn't say likely, but he could win, no question 16 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 2: about it. And in fact, if you elect for were tomorrow, 17 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 2: he probably would win. You know, reality is that his 18 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 2: calculus going into this election is that there's enough indifference 19 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 2: out there, plus the fanaticism of his base to get 20 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 2: him over the top. Chris Sanunu was utterly humiliated exposed 21 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 2: for really level of cynicism that's hard to articulate. With 22 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 2: George Stephanopolis on Sunday, one of the things the New 23 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 2: Hampshire governor said is that you know, Trump is supported 24 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 2: by fifty one percent of the country. That has never 25 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 2: been the case. It will never be the case. There 26 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 2: will never be a majority of Americans that support This 27 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 2: question is can it take power with a minority over 28 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 2: a majority will And the answer to that question is yes, 29 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 2: that could happen. And you know, Biden is a weak 30 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 2: candidate in this race. He has enormous liabilities in the 31 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 2: campaign because this is a communication business and it's going 32 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 2: to be a campaign where you know, in the end, 33 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:09,359 Speaker 2: the American people are going to have to evaluate a 34 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 2: staggeringly easy choice to make in the context of considerations 35 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 2: around the destiny of the country. Where we're going, what's happening? 36 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 2: You know, what is Trump? What is his movement, what 37 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 2: does it stand for, what does it believe in? Is 38 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 2: it dangerous? You know, all these questions are now in 39 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 2: front of the in front of the country who's had 40 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 2: a rather a naive view about it, you know, for 41 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 2: much of the last decade, which you know will be 42 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 2: remembered historically as really the trump eraror. Incredibly, it's gone 43 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 2: on for almost ten years in America. 44 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: Now, I know it is stunning that amount of time. 45 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: I just think about how long I've been doing this podcast. 46 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: When you think about eight years of your life, and 47 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: it's like eight years of how much time it's to 48 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: deal with Donald Trump. It's just unbelievable. But we talk 49 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: about this evaluation that you point you didn't talk about 50 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: the trials Donald Trump may or may not have to 51 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: deal with. Certainly the hush money cases sort of begun. 52 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:12,639 Speaker 1: Now the Democrats have a lot of weight invested in 53 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 1: some sort of criminal outcome changing what Americans decide in November. 54 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: Do you view that kind of optimism that some Democrats have, 55 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: that aviction in this case, the hush money case are 56 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: enough to really push Biden over Donald Trump. 57 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 2: I've done consulting work on political campaigns all over the world, 58 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 2: and you go into a different country and they hire 59 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 2: American consultants, and there's this belief embedded in that hire 60 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 2: that the American consultant is going to bring some sort 61 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 2: of magic bullet, right, some sort of elixir into the race, 62 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 2: some alchemy that just because through presence they're going to win, 63 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 2: and it doesn't work like that. These criminal cases have 64 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 2: been at a debacle for the cause of defeating Donald Trump. 65 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 2: Now there's only one of them that is going to 66 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 2: trial before the election, and that's the one we're in 67 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 2: right now. There's no question in my mind that the 68 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:22,359 Speaker 2: lead up to it has benefited Trump enormously. That being said, 69 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 2: watching him come into the courtroom is a diminishing event. 70 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 2: You know, this is somebody who is stripped of his trappings, 71 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 2: is a coutremont. The fact is that he is now 72 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 2: outside of his rarium, like a fish outside of the tank. 73 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 2: There is no crowd assembled as in the Mar A 74 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 2: Lago dining room to stand in a plaud when he appears. 75 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 2: He is being subjected to the same rules like everybody else. 76 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 2: And I think he appears a lot like the Wizard 77 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 2: of Oz, right, you know, unmasked from behind and the screen. 78 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 2: So we'll see what the accumulation of that is over 79 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 2: over eight weeks time. I do believe this, and I 80 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 2: wrote about it today. Presidential campaign, in my view, is 81 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 2: the greatest non lethal competition in the world period and 82 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 2: it's a contact sport. The contact that the pebot manifested 83 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 2: a psychological level. And so you put a picture of 84 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 2: Donald Trump up on the screen, and the one that 85 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 2: I gravitated to from yesterday is the image coming through 86 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 2: the doors. Does he look happy? 87 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: He does not look happy. 88 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 2: This. Does he look like he's going home with a 89 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 2: spring in his step to bound through the door at 90 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,839 Speaker 2: Trump Tower to make love to his beautiful Millennia in 91 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 2: the late afternoon. 92 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: That is not what he appears to be doing, though. 93 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 2: I'm gonna tell you exactly what he does. He leaves enraged, 94 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,359 Speaker 2: and he goes home and he puts the television on 95 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 2: and he surveils it, all of it. He watches all 96 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:16,479 Speaker 2: the jokes made about him for his enemies list, he 97 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 2: evaluates all of the sycophants that are auditioning to be 98 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 2: vice president. He's available for flattery from the detritus that 99 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 2: surrounds him. This is a time where you know where 100 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:32,919 Speaker 2: he is, what he's watching, And this is when he 101 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 2: should be visited by the campaign taunting him, mocking him, 102 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:43,599 Speaker 2: diminishing him, destabilizing him and his team to put him 103 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 2: off balance. In the end, whoever the person is that 104 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 2: wins the race is going to be the candidate that 105 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 2: is able to make the race about the other person. 106 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:59,919 Speaker 2: In other words, if the race is about you, you 107 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:03,359 Speaker 2: will be the losing candidate. The race has to be 108 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 2: about Trump. Incredibly, this massive propaganda apparatus that surrounds Maga, 109 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 2: manifested in Fox newsmax an all this bullshit has been 110 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 2: able to destroy Biden's reputation for competence, for probity, for 111 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 2: rectitude after a lifetime of getting to know the guy. 112 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 2: It's incredible to watch. It's a huge failure on the 113 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 2: part of the White House. But this is a Rocky 114 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 2: Apollo Creed fight. Middle of the ring. The President has 115 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 2: to debate him, has to face them, and has to 116 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 2: do the equivalent of knocking this disgraceful, disgusting bully on 117 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 2: his ass. That's the job that at age eighty two 118 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 2: Biden has demanded did he gets to do again, and 119 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 2: so he needs to do it, and we have two 120 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 2: hundred and two days left form to be able to 121 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 2: do it in a time of growing momentous crisis in 122 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 2: the world. 123 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: Let's as fallow up on some of this stuff, because 124 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: if we have a trial here that ends up in 125 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: a conviction for Donald Trump, what does that do to 126 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: the race versus let's say a hung jury in this. 127 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 2: Case, I think it shrinks him to nothingness. He will 128 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 2: be revealed over the course of the trial to be 129 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 2: what I believe him to be, which is a low 130 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 2: life criminal. That being said, and I've said this right 131 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 2: through all of this, is that the American people have 132 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,400 Speaker 2: to believe in their institutions here right, and have to 133 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 2: have faith in them. What Donald Trump did, and I 134 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 2: say this is someone who plays a concession phone call 135 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:58,960 Speaker 2: I placed it for John McCain to Barack Obama is 136 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:05,719 Speaker 2: break his oath and assault in the most dastardly way possible, 137 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 2: the cornerstone of American civilization, the peaceful transition of power 138 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:14,560 Speaker 2: and the apportionment of political power through the outcome of 139 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 2: an election. Now his fate rests in the hands of 140 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 2: a jury of his peers. It make no mistake, right, 141 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 2: this Manhattan jury is a jury of his peers. Donald 142 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 2: Trump is of this place, are in Seoul, and so 143 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 2: even his most ferocious critics like me have to be 144 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 2: the people who are the most steadfast and demanding that 145 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 2: those jurors, those citizens, follow their oath and give him 146 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 2: a fair trial. But if he's found guilty, then it's 147 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 2: going to hurt him, is what all of the Poland 148 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 2: seems to suggest. And I just don't believe that there 149 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 2: is a movement of Americans out there that will rally 150 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 2: to the jail house and surround it to break their 151 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 2: guy out. You have a couple hundred people at the 152 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 2: most on the streets. This is a TV show, and Trump, 153 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,719 Speaker 2: at the end of the day, is a philosopher of 154 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 2: fuck youism. That's his appeal. If you obliterate trust in 155 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 2: every institution in the country, and your average person out 156 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 2: there looks at government, they're not expecting a result. They 157 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 2: just want to deliver a little bit of agitation back 158 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:41,320 Speaker 2: towards the people that have been for the last ten 159 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:48,800 Speaker 2: years completely destabilized by Trump. The banks, the tech companies, 160 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 2: whatever it may be, the elite of the country. Trump 161 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 2: is their vessel, not to make their lives better, but 162 00:10:57,160 --> 00:10:59,839 Speaker 2: to deliver a type of sugar high a fuck you, 163 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 2: because sometimes that fuck you feels good, right, whether you're 164 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:04,400 Speaker 2: driving down the. 165 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 1: Road, sure yeah, and. 166 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 2: Anytime, any day of the week might be time for 167 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:16,960 Speaker 2: a delicious fuck you. Someone years we have this situation 168 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,080 Speaker 2: and that's what this guy is. And in order to 169 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 2: beat and put it away. You have to offer better. 170 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 2: And the reality is right, this is true. There's five 171 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 2: hundred background quotes to back it up. The Biden team 172 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 2: wanted Trump, they did it, wanted them in the race, 173 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 2: right because he was the patchy right, He was the 174 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 2: easiest opponent. He was the guy that justified the rationale 175 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:46,080 Speaker 2: for Biden to run for a second term. Only Biden 176 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 2: can beat Trump, beat him again, and'll lock him on 177 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:51,960 Speaker 2: his ass again. But hey, uh, somewhere along the way 178 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 2: right now, Biden's the incumbent. Trump's the challenger. Right, what 179 00:11:57,440 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 2: was up is down, and down is up, and red 180 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 2: is blue when blue is red. And while I all 181 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 2: of a sudden, Trump looks like he's the only guy 182 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 2: right that any Democrat right could conceivably be beaten by. Right, 183 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 2: he is Biden, and so say so. But at any rate, 184 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:19,960 Speaker 2: wherever we are right now in this moment, the choice 185 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,320 Speaker 2: is the choice, and the choice is Biden versus Trump, 186 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:27,200 Speaker 2: and it's close race. I'm Steve Schmidt. This is the warning, 187 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 2: and I invite you to join. Subscribe on our sub stack, 188 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 2: on our YouTube channel, follow us. Welcome to the community.