Donald Trump Interview at The Federalist

 

Mollie Hemingway spent five hours interviewing Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida over a wide range of topics, including: Media bias, Covid and Fauci, Afghanistan (the interview predates the catastrophic Biden pull out), his opinion of Mitch McConnell and other Republicans, his abortion record, and, of course, the 2020 election. It’s one of the more balanced profiles of Trump, giving him a chance to speak for himself, while also acknowledging his idiosyncrasies and mistakes he made while in office.

On that last topic, Trump does not come across in the interview as the deranged embittered maniac who tried to overthrow Democracy the way he is portrayed in the mainstream media and NeverTrump outlets like The Dispatch and The Bulwark. Rather, he seems to have some legitimate complaints that states may have unconstitutionally changed election laws to help his opponent.

And, of course, there’s some discussion of those Trump feels wronged him. NeverTrump Senator Ben Sasse, in particular, comes across as a weasel and a scoundrel. After attacking Trump viciously in 2016, Sasse was facing a potential primary challenge in 2018. So, he made a show of mending fences with the president. As soon as the primary was over, he reverted to form.

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, in a private call with constituents, excoriated President Trump, saying he had mishandled the coronavirus response, ‘kisses dictators’ butts,’ ‘sells out our allies,’ spends ‘like a drunken sailor,’ mistreats women, and trash-talks evangelicals behind their backs. Trump has ‘flirted with white supremacists,’ according to Sasse, and his family ‘treated the presidency like a business opportunity.’

Before reading the article. I had no idea Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy and Democrat ex-Republican pollster Frank Luntz (who has made a career of steering Republicans to the left while denouncing conservatives) were roommates. Strange bedfellows, I guess.

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  1. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    HeavyWater (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):

    Got around to reading the article. Great opportunity for Mollie to speak with a former president. A person could learn a lot from that kind of conversation – about leadership, about how the world works, about policies, about the nature of government and liberty.

    So, what did I learn from the article? I learned that Trump thinks Mitch McConnell is a “stupid f*cker,” Ben Sasse is a disloyal “loser,” and Kevin McCarthy might be gay – the kind of conversation you might hear among adolescents in a middle school hallway, but taking place instead at an opulent resort between an ostensibly serious political writer and former president of the United States.

    Here’s a shocker – he believes the media was unfair to him.

    So, basically – whining, name-calling, and winks at Covid and election conspiracy theories. Stroking his fans, the same old complaints and controversies and belly-aches, and not much else.

    Oh, except that he also has strong opinions on how Mollie should pose in pictures with him, and she marvels at how right he is.

    What a leader. it’s a real mystery how this man’s presidency ended in his most ardent followers throwing an epic and humiliating temper tantrum, and with his party out of power.

    If we let this guy continue to dominate our side of the political aisle, if the primaries turn on loyalty to him and his grievances, there’s nothing good coming down the road. Talk about helping the enemy. It will be the greatest gift to the Dems if that happens. They’re blowing it with their overreach, and this would throw them a lifeline.

    We’ll be much better off, and the country will be better off, ignoring trump and his mess. Prop up DeSantis and other strong but sane and appealing Republicans instead. Please.

    We will have to wait until 2024 to find out if the grass roots want to join Trump on another political suicide mission.

    Depends on whether the alternative is just another GOPe loser. You know, somebody acceptable to NTs. In that case, a lot of us will just ignore the election entirely. 

    • #31
  2. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Django (View Comment):

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):

    I always believed Ben Sasse was one of the more insufferable politicians on the scene. This just confirms my suspicions.

    Aren’t you the one who called him a “pretentious decorum-scold” last year? I thought that was perfect. Like a lot of NTs, he is concerned about appearances, but with no substance at all.

    Could have been. I’m happy to take credit for it. ;-)

    • #32
  3. davenr321 Coolidge
    davenr321
    @davenr321

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):

     

    We’ll be much better off, and the country will be better off, ignoring trump and his mess. Prop up DeSantis and other strong but sane and appealing Republicans instead. Please.

    And give us a competent machine that wants to and can win big. Trump defeated a big Republican field, put that zeal behind DeSantis. Nevertheless, the ones who dismiss Trump’s accomplishments are traitors.

    • #33
  4. D.A. Venters Inactive
    D.A. Venters
    @DAVenters

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):

    ….

    Here’s a shocker – he believes the media was unfair to him.

    So, basically – whining, name-calling, and winks at Covid and election conspiracy theories. Stroking his fans, the same old complaints and controversies and belly-aches, and not much else.

    Your reaction doesn’t surprise me in the least. If you are someone who hates President Trump — and you do — you will find enough in this interview to justify your hatred. And you did.

    I thought the interview was great, and I agree with VTK that the President does not come across as an angry, bitter, malevolent force that you, your pal Gary, and the rest of the French Davidians at the Bulwank and the Dispatch depict him as. Not at all. He comes across as someone who fully accepted his loss and has moved on, while still questioning the process — as many of us do. If that makes him a villain, your soul is broken.

    Oh, I’m sorry.  Maybe my broken soul and my blind hatred caused me to overlook something really interesting and new that Trump said, some sharp analysis of national affairs, or some thoughtful reflection on leadership or fatherhood or golf or model trains or animal husbandry, or anything at all, or maybe just some well-considered comments on conservative policy.

    I’ll take another look at it, and see if I missed it……

    …Let’s see here…..palatial home….Mollie should angle her body differently….Brett Bair’s golf prowess…Biden’s fragile….press unfair…opulent mansion….McConnell’s a stupid f*cker…..he’s going to work the primaries….He would beat Washington and Lincoln …whining about the election…media unfair…..tweeting was a bit much….whining about election fraud – Mollie providing some filler for context….plugs her book (fair enough)….election rigged….brief reference to possible constitutional violations in PA…nothing new there…Ben Sasse is stupid….Ben Sasse is a sleazebag…LOTS of whining about Ben Sasse….Fauci doesn’t know much…Wuhan leaked coronavirus, but not on purpose, but maybe he’s wrong about that….whining about covid and the media….Kanye West is loony…he could do without speaking, but needs to for the country’s sake (thanks!)….McConnell’s gutless….you never know who might be a good leader (brilliant point!)….Are Kevin McCarthy and Frank Luntz gay lovers?….sad to see soldiers hurt – closest he gets to anything interesting, but within a paragraph or two it’s back to whining about the media…they eat dinner…something about Ted Cruz…and finally…the media is even unfair about the food at Mara Lago, good to know…

    So….Nope, I didn’t miss it.  Maybe all the interesting stuff’s in the book, I don’t know.

    But by all means, if it makes you feel better to change the subject to me, my soul and psychology, have at it.  I have no interest in that topic.

    • #34
  5. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Django (View Comment):

    HeavyWater (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):

    Got around to reading the article. Great opportunity for Mollie to speak with a former president. A person could learn a lot from that kind of conversation – about leadership, about how the world works, about policies, about the nature of government and liberty.

    So, what did I learn from the article? I learned that Trump thinks Mitch McConnell is a “stupid f*cker,” Ben Sasse is a disloyal “loser,” and Kevin McCarthy might be gay – the kind of conversation you might hear among adolescents in a middle school hallway, but taking place instead at an opulent resort between an ostensibly serious political writer and former president of the United States.

    Here’s a shocker – he believes the media was unfair to him.

    So, basically – whining, name-calling, and winks at Covid and election conspiracy theories. Stroking his fans, the same old complaints and controversies and belly-aches, and not much else.

    Oh, except that he also has strong opinions on how Mollie should pose in pictures with him, and she marvels at how right he is.

    What a leader. it’s a real mystery how this man’s presidency ended in his most ardent followers throwing an epic and humiliating temper tantrum, and with his party out of power.

    If we let this guy continue to dominate our side of the political aisle, if the primaries turn on loyalty to him and his grievances, there’s nothing good coming down the road. Talk about helping the enemy. It will be the greatest gift to the Dems if that happens. They’re blowing it with their overreach, and this would throw them a lifeline.

    We’ll be much better off, and the country will be better off, ignoring trump and his mess. Prop up DeSantis and other strong but sane and appealing Republicans instead. Please.

    We will have to wait until 2024 to find out if the grass roots want to join Trump on another political suicide mission.

    Depends on whether the alternative is just another GOPe loser. You know, somebody acceptable to NTs. In that case, a lot of us will just ignore the election entirely.

    Yes. Romney 2024.  McGuffin for VP.

    • #35
  6. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Victor Tango Kilo (View Comment):

    philo (View Comment):
    An the pomposity of their enablers in neighborhoods like this to this day is telling…

    I’m struck by the need of the TDS people to constantly remind us that they hate Trump, which we are already well aware of. I often wonder if any Never-Trumper has ever considered that many of us hate the Establishment GOP just as much, and then try and understand why that is.

    Most of them don’t seem to believe there IS an Establishment GOP.

    • #36
  7. iWe Coolidge
    iWe
    @iWe

    All the criticisms of Trump’s character are pretty much on target.

    And it still does not matter.

    What he actually did in office was more aligned with my goals for this country than the actions of any other president in my lifetime, including Reagan. The list of actual accomplishments is fantastic, including, and especially, in the Middle East.

    I have often said that I would not have a beer with the man. I would certainly never do business with him. But I absolutely wanted him to be President for a second term, and would have walked barefoot over broken glass if it would have made it happen.

    • #37
  8. DrewInWisconsin, Oaf Member
    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf
    @DrewInWisconsin

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    But by all means, if it makes you feel better to change the subject to me, my soul and psychology, have at it.  I have no interest in that topic.

    You should have an interest in it. Self-examination is worth it.

    • #38
  9. DrewInWisconsin, Oaf Member
    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf
    @DrewInWisconsin

    iWe (View Comment):
    All the criticisms of Trump’s character are pretty much on target.

    All of them? Some of them? A few of them? I’ve found most of them to be woefully missing the mark. They’re based more on what the press says about the man than about what you can deduce if you just spend some time watching him unfiltered.

    Sure, I believed it, too. Then I started watching his speeches and public appearances for myself and came away with a completely different view.

     

    • #39
  10. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    But by all means, if it makes you feel better to change the subject to me, my soul and psychology, have at it. I have no interest in that topic.

    You should have an interest in it. Self-examination is worth it.

    It seems you touched a nerve. 

    • #40
  11. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    Maybe my broken soul and my blind hatred caused me to overlook something

    This is an odd statement.  What does this refer to?

    • #41
  12. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    iWe (View Comment):
    All the criticisms of Trump’s character are pretty much on target.

    All of them? Some of them? A few of them? I’ve found most of them to be woefully missing the mark. They’re based more on what the press says about the man than about what you can deduce if you just spend some time watching him unfiltered.

    Sure, I believed it, too. Then I started watching his speeches and public appearances for myself and came away with a completely different view.

     

    https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/576037-most-senate-republicans-dont-want-to-see-trump-run-again

    What a surprise. Looks like I might as well stay home in 2024 if the GOPe jerks get their way.

    • #42
  13. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Flicker (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    Maybe my broken soul and my blind hatred caused me to overlook something

    This is an odd statement. What does this refer to?

     

    It’s sarcasm in response to this:

    He comes across as someone who fully accepted his loss and has moved on, while still questioning the process — as many of us do. If that makes him a villain, your soul is broken.

    I’m not going to listen to the speech.  I can’t stand to listen to any president, much less Trump.  I’ll vote for some of them, but it’s too much to ask me to listen to them.  I sometimes do find it interesting to read the summaries and commentaries on this and other speeches, especially when they contain direct quotes in context.

    • #43
  14. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    But by all means, if it makes you feel better to change the subject to me, my soul and psychology, have at it. I have no interest in that topic.

    You should have an interest in it. Self-examination is worth it.

    How is that working for you Drew?

    • #44
  15. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Django (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    iWe (View Comment):
    All the criticisms of Trump’s character are pretty much on target.

    All of them? Some of them? A few of them? I’ve found most of them to be woefully missing the mark. They’re based more on what the press says about the man than about what you can deduce if you just spend some time watching him unfiltered.

    Sure, I believed it, too. Then I started watching his speeches and public appearances for myself and came away with a completely different view.

     

    https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/576037-most-senate-republicans-dont-want-to-see-trump-run-again

    What a surprise. Looks like I might as well stay home in 2024 if the GOPe jerks get their way.

    You could do like I have done when they nominate yet another GOPe droid: Vote for whatever fruitcake the libertarians nominate (assuming the person has zero chance of winning). I do go the polls, but I don’t vote for those GOPe types.

    • #45
  16. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    But by all means, if it makes you feel better to change the subject to me, my soul and psychology, have at it. I have no interest in that topic.

    You should have an interest in it. Self-examination is worth it.

    How is that working for you Drew?

    It is amazing just how blind you are. 

    • #46
  17. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Django (View Comment):

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):

    I always believed Ben Sasse was one of the more insufferable politicians on the scene. This just confirms my suspicions.

    Aren’t you the one who called him a “pretentious decorum-scold” last year? I thought that was perfect. Like a lot of NTs, he is concerned about appearances, but with no substance at all.

    This is exactly what I think. He complains and he writes books. I don’t think he has a decent assessment of the state of world or any policies to improve it. 

    I thought he absolutely bombed in one of his interviews with Jonah Goldberg when being questioned about policies. I wasn’t the only one that noticed this. 

    • #47
  18. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    iWe (View Comment):
    All the criticisms of Trump’s character are pretty much on target.

    All of them? Some of them? A few of them? I’ve found most of them to be woefully missing the mark. They’re based more on what the press says about the man than about what you can deduce if you just spend some time watching him unfiltered.

    Sure, I believed it, too. Then I started watching his speeches and public appearances for myself and came away with a completely different view.

     

    https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/576037-most-senate-republicans-dont-want-to-see-trump-run-again

    What a surprise. Looks like I might as well stay home in 2024 if the GOPe jerks get their way.

    You could do like I have done when they nominate yet another GOPe droid: Vote for whatever fruitcake the libertarians nominate (assuming the person has zero chance of winning). I do go the polls, but I don’t vote for those GOPe types.

    Out here in CA I’ve voted for the Constitution Party candidate since 2000. In 2016, I didn’t bother, but voted for Trump in 2020. I’ll vote for him again in 2024 if I get the chance. Probably would vote for DeSantis. The GOPe and their supporters can go fornicate themselves. 

    • #48
  19. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    But by all means, if it makes you feel better to change the subject to me, my soul and psychology, have at it. I have no interest in that topic.

    You should have an interest in it. Self-examination is worth it.

    How is that working for you Drew?

    Coming from you that is rich. Now that you’re here, I know how the thread will go, so I’ll unfollow now. 

    • #49
  20. DrewInWisconsin, Oaf Member
    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    But by all means, if it makes you feel better to change the subject to me, my soul and psychology, have at it. I have no interest in that topic.

    You should have an interest in it. Self-examination is worth it.

    How is that working for you Drew?

    My soul is calm within me.

    The Reticulator (View Comment):
    I sometimes do find it interesting to read the summaries and commentaries on this and other speeches, especially when they contain direct quotes in context.

    It was an interview rather than a speech. But anyone who relies on the media to tell them about President Trump — including their edited and chopped version of his speeches — is getting a hugely distorted picture. I used to believe what the media told me about him. Then I listened to him for myself. The difference is striking. I wish some of our fellow Ricocheteers would have gone directly to the source, but alas, they still think the legacy media outlets are valid.

    • #50
  21. iWe Coolidge
    iWe
    @iWe

    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf (View Comment):

    iWe (View Comment):
    All the criticisms of Trump’s character are pretty much on target.

    All of them? Some of them? A few of them? I’ve found most of them to be woefully missing the mark. They’re based more on what the press says about the man than about what you can deduce if you just spend some time watching him unfiltered.

    My point is simpler: I don’t care if they are all true.

    Measured by his performance, not his character, Donald Trump was a sensational president.

     

    • #51
  22. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment):

    D.A. Venters (View Comment):
    Maybe my broken soul and my blind hatred caused me to overlook something

    This is an odd statement. What does this refer to?

     

    It’s sarcasm in response to this:

    He comes across as someone who fully accepted his loss and has moved on, while still questioning the process — as many of us do. If that makes him a villain, your soul is broken.

    I’m not going to listen to the speech. I can’t stand to listen to any president, much less Trump. I’ll vote for some of them, but it’s too much to ask me to listen to them. I sometimes do find it interesting to read the summaries and commentaries on this and other speeches, especially when they contain direct quotes in context.

    Thanks for the clarification.

    • #52
  23. Roderic Coolidge
    Roderic
    @rhfabian

    It seems pretty clear that Trump thought that his opponents were preparing the battle space against him with voting law changes and so on and in a number of ways were angling to steal the election for the Democrats.  When he lost he seems to have sincerely thought that he’d been cheated and wanted the situation investigated and corrected.

    My question is at what point does an effort to get the election investigated, votes recounted, etc. amount to an attempt to steal the election?  Because that’s what Democrats and the Never Trumpers are insisting that Trump was really up to.  They say that Trump was deliberately trying to steal the election, and all his rhetoric in that regard was a false pretext to steal the election, and so on.  

    What I gather from Never Trump land is that it’s not possible to distinguish a sincere belief that Trump had the election stolen from him from the nefarious and evil intent on Trump’s part to steal a legitimate election and overthrow the rightful government.  It seems to hinge entirely on the ability of Trump’s opponents to read Trump’s mind and discern his intent, and I don’t think that they can read  Trump’s mind.

    Was there any other body of evidence that justifies the assertion that Trump intended to unjustly steal the election?  Is there some deeper level of analysis that I’m not aware of, or is it merely a matter of making a politically convenient assumption on the part of Trump’s opponents.

    • #53
  24. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Roderic (View Comment):

    It seems pretty clear that Trump thought that his opponents were preparing the battle space against him with voting law changes and so on and in a number of ways were angling to steal the election for the Democrats. When he lost he seems to have sincerely thought that he’d been cheated and wanted the situation investigated and corrected.

    My question is at what point does an effort to get the election investigated, votes recounted, etc. amount to an attempt to steal the election? Because that’s what Democrats and the Never Trumpers are insisting that Trump was really up to. They say that Trump was deliberately trying to steal the election, and all his rhetoric in that regard was a false pretext to steal the election, and so on.

    What I gather from Never Trump land is that it’s not possible to distinguish a sincere belief that Trump had the election stolen from him from the nefarious and evil intent on Trump’s part to steal a legitimate election and overthrow the rightful government. It seems to hinge entirely on the ability of Trump’s opponents to read Trump’s mind and discern his intent, and I don’t think that they can read Trump’s mind.

    Was there any other body of evidence that justifies the assertion that Trump intended to unjustly steal the election? Is there some deeper level of analysis that I’m not aware of, or is it merely a matter of making a politically convenient assumption on the part of Trump’s opponents.

    It seems pretty clear to me that the ones trying to block audits etc, are the ones trying to get away with something.

    • #54
  25. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    Phil Turmel (View Comment):

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    Phil Turmel (View Comment):

    My copy of “Rigged” was delivered today. (:

    Can you do a book review once you read it?

    Probably. Won’t be too soon–working a startup that is running long.

    Ok, it was sooner than expected.  I did no real work over the weekend. (:

    https://ricochet.com/1070564/rigged-how-the-media-big-tech-and-the-democrats-seized-our-elections/

    • #55
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