WEBVTT - Limited Exposure.  Debra J. Saunders Talks to A&G

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<v Speaker 1>Wow, what does the White House press correspondent do when

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<v Speaker 1>the president has no press conferences? That's a pretty good question. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>the president is now at well into record territory for

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<v Speaker 1>being a new president without having a press conference. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I still got the Uh, the press brief is sure

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<v Speaker 1>there in the in the basement room. But one of

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<v Speaker 1>our favorite journalists and one of our favorite people in

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<v Speaker 1>the industry, Deborah J. Saunders, who have for recently has

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<v Speaker 1>been the Las Vegas Review Journals White House correspondent for

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<v Speaker 1>going on like five years. I guess uh is hanging

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<v Speaker 1>up for spurs. It's a curious accessory for a woman

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<v Speaker 1>reporter to wear spurs. But Debora J. Joins us. Now, Hi, Debora,

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<v Speaker 1>how are you fine? How are you doing? We're good.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, we've been meaning to chat with you, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's been too long. But I was kind of surprised

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<v Speaker 1>to hear that you're you're calling it good. You're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>stop being the White House correspondent? What gives? What's up?

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<v Speaker 1>It's a burnout job. I mean, there are not a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people in their sixties who cover the White House,

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<v Speaker 1>right and four years is a really long time. So, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>I just thought I'd try. I thought I'd try to

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<v Speaker 1>cover Joe Biden. People said it would be so much easier,

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<v Speaker 1>but you know that I still wasn't I still wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>done from the burnout of covering Trump, and I just

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't enjoying it. Well, that's perfectly good reason, and that

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<v Speaker 1>that can happen with any job. Yeah. So, um, but

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I mean, it's it's a it's a there's

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<v Speaker 1>no easy president to follow. Let me just say that. So, well,

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<v Speaker 1>there's less chaos involved with covering Joe Biden. It's still

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<v Speaker 1>he's still a president. He's still making a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>policy changes, He's doing a lot of things. He's got

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<v Speaker 1>a new team, breaking in a new uh team was

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<v Speaker 1>not high on my list. So well, so you're the

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<v Speaker 1>perfect person to ask this. So because I haven't been

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<v Speaker 1>real concerned about the fact that Joe Biden hasn't had

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<v Speaker 1>a press conference yet, because you know, just because that's

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<v Speaker 1>the way presidents did it for a long time doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>mean it will continue forever. Um. Times have changed. Trump

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<v Speaker 1>didn't have press conferences, but he'd stand there outside the

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<v Speaker 1>airplane and answer questions for two hours. Um, do do

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<v Speaker 1>you think this is a big deal or or not. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's it's it speaks to the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>everyone who watches this White House thinks that they're trying

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<v Speaker 1>to keep Joe Biden away from the press as much

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<v Speaker 1>as possible, because he's old, because he doesn't seem to

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<v Speaker 1>be really as sharp as he could see, because he

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<v Speaker 1>stumbles on his words, because he he just is. He's

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<v Speaker 1>not exuberant, and and it seems pretty clear to me

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<v Speaker 1>that they've figured out that it's just better to limit

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<v Speaker 1>his exposure. They'll do a press conference, let's say after

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<v Speaker 1>sixty they said they'll do him this month, right, and

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<v Speaker 1>then they'll extend it out longer, and they'll extend it

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<v Speaker 1>out longer again because he just, uh, there is And

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<v Speaker 1>as you were called, during the campaign, he would do

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<v Speaker 1>these press briefings and he would just call on four

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<v Speaker 1>or five people his staff told him who to call on.

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<v Speaker 1>It was just done in a way that show that

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<v Speaker 1>they really want to micromanage every uh exchange that they

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<v Speaker 1>have with the press. And that's just not you know,

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<v Speaker 1>that's totally the opposite of Donald Trump, where you never

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<v Speaker 1>knew when he was going to talk to the press,

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<v Speaker 1>and at times he would talk forever Cardi B managed

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<v Speaker 1>to wind an interview with the president. Are you quitting

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<v Speaker 1>just because you're jealous you wish you were a journalist?

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<v Speaker 1>As Cardi B that's true. She has had more access

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<v Speaker 1>to Joe Biden than I have slightly more serious question,

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<v Speaker 1>what do you think of Jen Saki is a White

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<v Speaker 1>House press secretary? So, um, when when you all reached

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<v Speaker 1>out to me, you wanted to know what, how are

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<v Speaker 1>they different? And uh, Donald Trump has high turnover. He

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<v Speaker 1>went through four press secretaries in four years, and none

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<v Speaker 1>of the people who are as press secretary. Could you

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<v Speaker 1>imagine being a press secretary for any other president? Jen Psaki,

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<v Speaker 1>you could imagine working for a lot of Democrats. And

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<v Speaker 1>this is sort of you know, this is this is

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<v Speaker 1>a much more organizational White House. Uh. And so she

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<v Speaker 1>she's obviously she feels her job is to manage information

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<v Speaker 1>in a way that is positive to Joe Biden, and

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<v Speaker 1>that's what she does well. So that gets to my

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<v Speaker 1>the ultimate question about whether this matters or not. So

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<v Speaker 1>Joe Biden is not having press conferences because it's so

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<v Speaker 1>old and they're afraid you'll have an old moment. I

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<v Speaker 1>get that completely, But in terms of the nation getting

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<v Speaker 1>information it needs from the head of the executive branch?

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<v Speaker 1>Are are we just getting it through Jen Saki? And

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<v Speaker 1>so everything is fine in terms of finding out what

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<v Speaker 1>we need to know. I mean, I'm sure that that's

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<v Speaker 1>the way they would argue with and there's some truth

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<v Speaker 1>to that. I mean, if you want to know what

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<v Speaker 1>the policies are going to be now. Famously, one time,

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<v Speaker 1>um the president talking about how he wanted to have

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<v Speaker 1>schools that co operational, and then she said that then

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<v Speaker 1>that could mean you know, the most schools being open

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<v Speaker 1>one day a week, and then Joe Biden had to

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<v Speaker 1>take that back. Uh So you're going to see things

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<v Speaker 1>like that happening. But I think, you know, policies can

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<v Speaker 1>come out other ways of Kamala Harris is out there

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<v Speaker 1>talking a lot, and I think that you're just going

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<v Speaker 1>to see. Uh I think I think they've decided that.

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<v Speaker 1>Uh Joe Biden is just somebody who comes across the

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<v Speaker 1>best the more he's managed and choreographed, and that's what

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<v Speaker 1>they're gonna do. And by the way, the way he

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<v Speaker 1>appears in public doesn't necessarily mean that he's not behind

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<v Speaker 1>the scenes, you know, leading everything. Uh So, so I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I I know a lot of people are highly skeptical

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<v Speaker 1>about him, but you know, it could be that. I remember, um,

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<v Speaker 1>he came to the San Francisco Chronical when I worked there.

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<v Speaker 1>It was two thousand seven, and the whole hour he

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<v Speaker 1>kept saying a run when he met a rock. He's

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<v Speaker 1>always had these little language which is where he says

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<v Speaker 1>things wrong. Two thousand seven is fourteen years ago. That's right,

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<v Speaker 1>he's got he has issues and how we communicates, and

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<v Speaker 1>he always has. And Uh. One thing I thought about

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<v Speaker 1>getting older is often things that are issues for you

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<v Speaker 1>become bigger issues as you age. So I think that

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<v Speaker 1>they're you know, they figured out that there they just

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<v Speaker 1>have they don't They don't have to explain as much

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<v Speaker 1>the less they have them out there doing that, so

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<v Speaker 1>they'll do it at some point. The question really won't

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<v Speaker 1>be when does he do the press conference? The question

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<v Speaker 1>is how many people does he call them? Deborah Jay

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<v Speaker 1>Sanders at Las Vegas Review Journal on the line, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>to Jack's question, which I think is a really good question,

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<v Speaker 1>I think it does matter because your press secretary is

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<v Speaker 1>a shameless spinmeister, says all sorts of stuff, or I'll

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<v Speaker 1>have to get back to your and and then then

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<v Speaker 1>it's it's a bull crap fest. Whereas the president, if

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<v Speaker 1>the president answers the question, makes a statement. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the president speaking. It's like if I sent my

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<v Speaker 1>is to ask my wife why she's mad at me.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just different. That's not a bad idea. I might

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<v Speaker 1>start doing that. Yeah, anyway, so devil, we just we

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<v Speaker 1>just have another minute or so. Uh, you have any

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<v Speaker 1>idea what you're gonna do now? Sports pages, classified ads

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<v Speaker 1>still exist. I'm really just trying to catch up on

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<v Speaker 1>my sleep. Um, I just haven't slept well in four years.

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<v Speaker 1>So I'm just trying to relax and then I'll come

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<v Speaker 1>back and look at things. But um, I just really

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<v Speaker 1>get a point where I just needed to take a break.

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<v Speaker 1>Debor J. Saunder is one of the good ones. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a shame to see you hanging up your pen there

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<v Speaker 1>your typewriter, keyboard, but it's great to talk to you.

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<v Speaker 1>We wish you well, thank you, thank you. So. I've

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<v Speaker 1>always loved doing the show, and I hear from people

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<v Speaker 1>all the time who love you, know, love your show

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<v Speaker 1>so much, and I get why, thank you. So you

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<v Speaker 1>hang around dumb people that's nice, that's great. I can't.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't. Well, we'll talk best wishes. I'm kidding. I

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<v Speaker 1>would not insult the audience like that. That would be

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<v Speaker 1>career suicide to do that. I would not do that.

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<v Speaker 1>We're talking on Friday about Matt Tybee, Rolling Stone and

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<v Speaker 1>sub Stack, liberal journalist who says the journalists now are

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<v Speaker 1>doing suff such a softball treatment of President Biden. I

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<v Speaker 1>mean just he compared it to the Soviet Union, where

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<v Speaker 1>all the headlines are just so ridiculous, and I just

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<v Speaker 1>you know, as we get more of our old school

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<v Speaker 1>journalists headed out and more young people headed in, I

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<v Speaker 1>think we're gonna get more of that not less yummy,

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<v Speaker 1>yummy boot licking, and get