Trump pressed in tense Fox News interview

[0:00] You won't exactly find Trump doing many sit-down interviews with hostile outlets, [0:03] and yet you're about to see even the friendly interviews go south pretty quickly. [0:08] Here are a few different instances from this latest sit-down with Brett Baer of Fox News [0:12] that doesn't exactly do Trump any favors. [0:14] Democrats and political pundits jumped all over this statement that you made the other day. [0:21] You were asked when you were leaving. [0:30] The only thing that matters that I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. [0:34] I don't think about American financial situation, I don't think about any, but I think about one thing, [0:41] we could not let Iran have a nuclear weapon, that's all. [0:44] That's right, that's a perfect statement to make it again. [0:47] You can imagine how many people stop the sound bite at, [0:51] I don't think about America's financial situation. So what's your response to that framework? [0:56] It's very simple. When people hear me say it, everybody agrees, short-term pain, [1:03] it's going to be short-term pain, but the pain is much less than people thought, [1:07] because people thought that the oil would go up to $250. You know, it was $99 yesterday, [1:12] $99 a barrel. I thought it might go up to $200. I was okay with that. Not that I wanted it, [1:19] but you cannot let them have a nuclear weapon. [1:21] So Trump was given the opportunity to amend his statement from yesterday suggesting that he doesn't [1:27] think about American's financial situation, and he took that opportunity to double down. [1:32] But his defense here in doubling down is that it's apparently not as bad as it could be, [1:37] and that with oil at only a mere $100 per barrel, it could be way worse at over $200 per barrel. [1:44] How's that for reassurance? Sure, you might have had your leg amputated, but you could have had [1:49] both legs amputated. So for all those people out there who are right now struggling to afford gas in [1:55] this political environment, the Republicans message to you is simple. That's life. And [2:00] I mean that verbatim. What about his promise in 2024 that if he was reelected, [2:05] gas would be under $2 a gallon because of his policies? [2:08] Well, gas prices were coming down until we had to deal with this situation. But that's life, [2:15] that's dealing with the world we live in. I think the country gets the fundamental fact, [2:23] and I know I understand this. President Trump makes decisions that are in the best interest of our [2:29] nation. 250 years, greatest country in history. He makes decisions that are going to help our country [2:36] and the long term security and safety of the people he has. And I think you want a commander in chief [2:41] like that. You want a commander in chief who's willing to do tough things that he knows are good for [2:46] us, all of us, all of your viewers, everyone in this country, and frankly, everyone around the world. [2:51] It is good if Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon. But if someone's listening to you and they were [2:55] paying $2.98 a gallon a gas before the war started, and now they're paying $4.53. I mean, [3:03] saying that's life might not make them feel better when they're filling up their car. [3:07] Those are your words, not mine. I'm saying- No, you said that's life just now. [3:11] This is the situation. Quote, that's life. I wonder what Fox News and the GOP, [3:16] including Jim Jordan himself, would have said if Joe Biden offered up that line to Americans. [3:22] You think they would preach patience the way that Republicans are preaching it right now? [3:25] In fact, we've already gotten the answer to that exact question. [3:28] I mean, I don't like to brag about all the expensive places I've been, but earlier today, [3:35] I went to the gas station. Gasoline and diesel fuel and oil is a product of the conflict in Iran. [3:40] How do you square that patience with impatience with gas prices under Biden when it at times is [3:46] 3.30, 3.40? I don't have to square anything with you. Okay. Politicians should not get a free pass [3:53] on the ridiculously high energy prices under the Biden administration. Do you think that the war [3:59] should stop because of this? How patient can you be? I'm talking about energy prices. Just because gas [4:04] prices have come down a little bit, they're still really high. 4.30 gas prices. Do you think the war [4:09] in Iran has gone on long enough? Isn't it funny how they suddenly found so much patience on this [4:13] issue? Guess it must be the yoga or something. Bret Baier goes on. Prices in America are still high, [4:21] painfully high. They're going to drop like a rock as soon as it's over. Painfully high though now, [4:26] and could be creeping higher before it's done. Lower than Biden, excuse me, lower than Biden, [4:31] and much lower than people thought they'd be. This inflation number is going up. You're right, [4:35] it's much lower than President Biden's was, but it's going up under you. [4:39] I wonder if the schtick will ever get old, where Donald Trump continuously blames Joe Biden for [4:44] everything. Isn't Trump supposed to be this strong man while Biden's a doddering old fool? And yet, [4:50] here's this tough guy president still pointing and crying about his predecessor, [4:54] who hasn't been in office for two years, as if Joe is some all-powerful, omnipotent being? [5:00] Has someone on the right reminded Donald Trump that he's the president? That he wanted [5:05] responsibility? He should probably take it? Maybe we should phrase it in the form of a [5:09] question on one of those dementia tests, since that's apparently the only thing that Trump [5:12] pays attention to. Here's another one from the interview. [5:15] And all good people. November is coming. The approval's upside down. [5:20] I think. You're not on the ballot, but do you think that this war and this moment is going to affect [5:25] your ability to hold the House and Senate? So yesterday they had 18 elections. I won all 18. [5:32] Everybody I endorsed won. Two weeks ago in a very big event, Indiana had like eight people that had [5:41] never lost an election. Some were in for 25 years. They had a 40-point lead, but they didn't want to do [5:48] our, they didn't want to give some additional people in Congress. Very simple. Redistricting. [5:53] And I said, you know what? If they don't want to redistrict, they're really, they're not for us. [6:00] And I ran candidates that nobody ever heard of, but good people. And everyone won, other than one [6:05] because two or three people ran. Actually it was very smart. But I won every, every one of them. CNN did a [6:12] poll recently that said I'm 100% approval on the Republican Party with MAGA, which is most of the [6:20] Republican Party. So I think it's almost all of it now, actually. I'm at 100% and Harry, whatever his [6:27] name is, nice guy, Harry Enden, was jumping up and down. But you think you're going to win the midterms? [6:33] I don't know. I don't know. I can't tell you because a couple of factors. They got to pass the [6:38] Save America Act. I really believe that's important because the Democrats cheat. This will keep them from [6:44] cheating. It'll make it much harder for them to cheat. Without cheating, they can't win. [6:49] Because they have things like open borders where criminals can pour into your country. [6:54] Men playing in women's sports are ridiculous. These are 98% issues. You know, the fake news says, [6:59] oh, these are 80-20. They're not 80-20. Transgender mutilization of your child. [7:05] So to correct the most egregious lie right off the bat, Republicans are going to get trounced in [7:11] midterms. And that is a direct referendum on Trump himself, just like they've been getting [7:15] trounced across the country in special election after special election, including in red states [7:20] and red districts. Mar-a-Lago is now represented by a Democrat. So Trump may brag that 100% of the [7:27] most far-right voters in America are behind him. But saying 100% of your most dedicated hacks are still [7:33] hacks, even as you're losing non-MAGA Republicans, independents and Democrats, is not the flex you think it [7:40] is. When Trump was asked about the length of the Iran war, here's what he said. [7:44] Yeah, look, Vietnam lasted 19 years. Iraq was like 10 years. Korea was seven years. [7:52] Another one was 14 years. Another one was 12 years. Another one was nine years. [7:57] We're in there for two and a half months. The other thing they talk about, so we lost tens of thousands [8:06] of soldiers in Vietnam. We lost tens of thousands of soldiers in practically every war. [8:12] I've lost, and I wish we'd lost none, because I know those parents. I spoke to them. We lost 13 [8:21] soldiers in two wars. China got three tankers out this week, uh, filled with Iranian oil. [8:26] Because we allowed that to happen. You did? [8:28] Pressure on all of the people. I want to do the job right. If it takes an extra four weeks, [8:34] but think of it. We're in Vietnam for 19 years. I'm here, I'm doing this for two, two and a half months. [8:39] So, despite Trump saying that his presidency would mean no new wars, now apparently the new bar is [8:46] that we can totally stay at war as long as it's not as long as Vietnam. Is that the new standard? [8:53] And if more Americans die, then Trump can just point to the fact that the Civil War had 750,000 [8:58] deaths, so as long as we don't hit that number, we're still in the clear. If gas prices rise, [9:03] Trump will just point to the fact that there were gas lines in 1975 as a way to prove that we're still [9:07] good by comparison. And this is supposed to be the golden age? Because it doesn't feel much like [9:12] the golden age when Trump's only defense against his piss poor performance is to say, [9:17] well, we're not as bad as when something was the worst it ever was. [9:21] Also, notice how he casually breezes over 13 dead American soldiers. Republicans dined off of 13 [9:28] dead soldiers in Afghanistan for years, literal years, which proves something pretty insidious to me, [9:35] pretty disgusting to me. Either they stopped caring about dead Americans now that Donald Trump is [9:40] president or they never cared about dead Americans and just used their deaths to score political points [9:46] on Joe Biden. Take all the time you need with that one. So look, the reality is that this probably was [9:52] intended to be a friendly interview, but Donald Trump has no leg to stand on here. He is a failing [9:56] president who hasn't fulfilled a single campaign promise. He vowed that costs would go down, they went [10:01] up. He said he'd protect health care. He cut it. He swore no new wars. We are in one right now. [10:07] He promised transparency and yet he's hiding the Epstein files. He vowed to be an America first [10:12] president. And yet this country is poorer, sicker and less safe than it's ever been. And it's all [10:17] thanks to him. So Fox may try and polish this turd as much as possible, but when push comes to shove, [10:24] we can all see that it's shit. Before you go, I'm very excited to announce that I've written a new [10:33] book titled the day after how to wield power in a post Trump world. The book explores what is, [10:38] in my opinion, the single most important theme that we're dealing with in politics today and moving [10:42] forward power, specifically how Republicans abuse it and how Democrats refuse to wield it. [10:48] This book explains how we got here and more importantly, how we should finally wield power [10:52] if we're fortunate enough to get it back. It is the blueprint for progressives who want to do [10:56] far more than just restore the status quo. Please preorder today by visiting the link [11:01] in the episode description or go to Brian Tyler Cohen dot com slash book. You can grab yours from [11:06] any of the major retailers like Amazon or Barnes and Noble or find an independent bookstore closest to you [11:11] that's also listed on that website. Thanks so much for supporting independent media.