Following the qme, signing right here this table if youve not already purchased a book are plenty available the registers. So tonight, im very excited to. Close enough. sink in the swamp how trumps minions poisoned washington. The white house reported for the daily page, tirelessly covered in assorted goingson of the Trump Administration. Arnie angry annunciations from the small words. As they uncovered stories including omar, secret tapes. Giuliani, the russian investigation. And the connections among lauren sanchez, michael sanchez, and stone. The book continues this uncompromising work of exposing the financial and moral degradation of the capital. Taking the stories back to before trumps candidacy and tracing the unprecedented event that a follow through the lens of both the key figures and players and roles have not previously been seen. The conversation tonight, at Times NationalPolitical Correspondent previously she covered u. S. Politics for the atlantic and political. She is also an analyst for cnn. Please join me in welcoming them to politics and prose. [applause]. Thank you so much for that introduction. There are at least five mdcs down here. I see several of you in the back. Dont be shy. Please fill us out. If youre planning to stay, please come on and. This is a super fun book print superfund to talk about it and i want to start at the beginning where you start with how you were inspired to not just right this book but to take this approach of the book. It is a product of how the daily beast has approach white house coverage and actually sign on the daily beast in february of 2017 is a white house reporter. I sort of got roped into this. We look back on may of 2017 as sort of the december know, like a month from help in white house coverage. And james kobe being fired, the russian investigations were kicking into gear. You trump giving information to the Russian Foreign minister in the oval office. It was story after story is breaking a month anybody will live through it knows that there would be 56 00 p. M. Every day and there would be some New Washington post and New York Times story that would be like needing to be covered and im not ashamed to say that we were chasing a lot of these stories of the time. None of us and cover the white house before and wait sort of thunderhead together to try to figure out what value we can add to the legions of the reporters that were covering the stuff on a daily basis. And we sort of organically set on looking at the midlevel we like to call it the warm side view of that sort of function in the white house having to deal with fall out of every one of the left side and the political event. In terms of these people were more than happy to talk to us anonymously and give us very fun quotes. So we sort of unleashed ourselves and we took that folks to look try to get the midlevel white house staffers perspective on all of these things goings on. And when it came to 20182019, and were actually trying to get a book together, but we sort of correlate some of that building that from the ground up and came to a premise for a book was that we were initially approached to write it checkbook is a lot of white house resort for business particular era have been in one of the ideas that was originally pitched to us westward into guys do a book about the adults like the john and rex and jims and they were sort of, maintaining this stability against the totes and the champion access. In our flight response to that was were flattered that anybody would approach is one is to write anything for them especially a Nonfiction Book but the entire premise of the reporting at the point in up until this point, has been the adults in the room have either do not exist when the degree to which they do exist they do not matter. Asawin to appropriately cover the trump world and to show what donald j trump, the man who the president is, and is way more accurate to observe it through the lens of the raving lunatics the market should heads. The raving cable news ideologues. That is where breadandbutter was next how we really told the true story. In one of the inspirations, and in my trespassing on your time pretty okay. [laughter]. Thank you sir. When we were trying to figure out about this, god knows theres been so much ink spilled about trump era, they make it different. Years ago, long before trumps them came along the long before i was even a political reporter percent, i was living in some decrepit group house in washington dc living with this guy actually. I hate him. And just hung over with the fingertips one random saturday or sunday morning and a handful of this clip on youtube that was in many documentaries on the making of the movie bedfellows. Classic mob movie. Based on the book called why skype quickened by his great Crime Reporter cases in this any documentary to watch all those years ago on youtube, and whiteley paraphrasing here convincingly books written about the mafia, like your lucianas. He not want to do that. If you write a book about napoleon, would want to jump in a time machine rabbit foot soldier off of the battlefield plans army and taken the guys story. And through the lens of the footsoldier tell this story of napoleon from the ground up. He did not tell the story of napoleon through napoleons eyes. In the same way we do not want to tell the story of donald. J trump must through his trump eyes. That is been done to death. To diminish in certain respects. So we applied that template from gang language and we wanted to superimpose it onto the trump world. And it is highly did that. There was no meeting and we were comparing the white house to that. Asawin thats when was scribbled on a piece of paper. I had to concede to her that were there were some differences between gangsters like hardcore gangsters and donald trump. And she thanked us for conceding that. But my only to what was different white house and stronger mbas. So that kind of thing. Anyway, that is my line long answer to how we got to be the apprentice. Molly so the idea of good fellows is the warm side view, the more varnished, more accurate picture of your singles bigger pictures, you are saying the unvarnished truth, how people treat things that are so revealings. What you learned from this approach that you dont learn by just having sources at the top level. Lachlan this is not a policy book by any means. Were not going through the various like immigration or Foreign Policy decisions the white house made. It is really light, both a process book in its character study. So the idea started illustrate how the applications of it or that the workings of this white house, uniquely affect Health Policy or communications or any other aspect of what the white house just now. In our view, you cannot really get that story without talking to the people who are aware of where the rubber meets the road and actually talking to the press or members of congress. Or say, operating the present help teleprompter or anyone of the number of characters we go through the book. Asawin do to get into that the moment so they know what we are talking about. Lachlan i was referring to a character who would write about who really, we mentioned him a couple of years ago on the fly but beyond that he had never been mentioned in print ever as far as i can tell. He is trumps favorite teleprompter operator. A sort of came out of nowhere nobody ever heard of him. Please apparently just a wizard when it comes to scrolling words in front of the president. And if you have ever watching trump speech amino that he tends to meander and go off into these tangents and then after 15 minutes, will come right back to his prepared remarks. You can imagine its a difficult to do is itself telephone for operator. To keep up with the l. Rambling. At this guy could do it better than anyone and everyone we talked to said bus dude in the whole wizard when it comes to the teleprompter. You need would do scroll slowly and he knew exactly when the pickup when President Trump came back to his train of thought this was like a great example of of where to find these people and a lot of writers have never heard of that played these outside roles in and the last three years of american politics. That is my favorite example in the book. Molly the president should be gracious enough to care of the person somewhat is this guy, is larger or as real world influence rather than being just a service worker. Lachlan because he some damn good at his job right. Operating Donald Trumps teleprompter is not like operating brother thomas or george bushes teleprompter. And anyone who ever saw the sky work which is marvel and his ability to essentially read the president s train of thought. President trump train train of thought is not easy to read even for folks who cover him on a daily basis. So when you hear words coming out of the president s malcolm we can think dave for them to be coming out intelligently as they do. In the create a candy crush because that is what gave often played to warren buffett. The trump event. And we started reporting on the sky, theres a slight his protection racket in the trump world as we call it. Around the spot and we did not even know his last name. We just knew he was a guy named dave out there. And we would ask, sources in the white house and the rod of sort of fear of trump acquaintances and almost two a man, horror we would ever ask about the guy. He is in this like pretty tremendous influential role. And we were time to get warded off freeman inquiry about the guy. Molly want to ask you about your reporting process because so much of this book to me is tremendously fun behind the scenes look how you get the stories and hanging out the trump hotel and socializing with this bizarre cast of characters. So talk a little bit about how that works and. You guys dont pull any punches. Youre not very nice to mr. Trump. [laughter]. And yes, and yes, these people continue to talk to you. How does that exactly work. Lachlan for starters, we are very upfront. At the daily and also in this book. Anybody who spends five and half seconds or less on social media pages or talking to figure out where locklin and i stand politically. Asawin is very much coming from the a perspective right wing conservative intellectual position as a reporter. Jon and im ver. Lachlan we sort of discovered people would often time would be way nicer to me the guy that theyll believe who is the mark of this and locklin who the know is a guy who is a conservative because you forgive love the sinner but you despise the heartache. Maybe he can into that a little bit more. Lachlan i kind of hard to separate my political views for my reporting when it came to the trump era and really have secrets that i wasnt really big fan of his and is kind of liberating. When you are not kind of hope beholden to your own sort of opinions just looking for a good story. But it certainly like i joined the daily beast, they sort expected, the sky comes from the role of conservative journalism and he knows all the people and to the republican politics. He will be well sourced stuff. And it was like oh my goodness oh my gosh she joined the daily beast. They were definitely, they liked the fact that there was this raving left lunatic. They was not going to burn sources so the talk to him for you like you he was an evil plastic and it did not work out like our editors thought it would. Molly eight he was a member. Asawin what is that influence will benedict. And yet for all of that there is a point in the book when you almost get into a fist fight the Trump Administration official. Doing its own list . Asawin follett locklin start that pretty. Lachlan clear at museum for james comey release party actually. He wasnt making any news and is kind of boring but there was never far a masonic books. We had a few drinks and so when connie would be cute and he asked comey if he would like to come to the trump and the fireball shots with us. At the hope trump hotel. Coco he was not interested. [laughter]. So we went alone we came out with some various ambassador germany was there and at one point, cliff, we may know is the author of vipers, his tellall book but is two years at the white house. He still of the west wing into time and he showed up and we had written a story a few months earlier about his involvement with would be the what russia war room in the white house. Basically the Rapid Response unit to deal with that cascading series of scandals. He had called me up like hours after the story published this was on the friday night and just like real bombing. He screamed at me about this whole fake news. So i had not talked to him. And it was not pretty is inaccurate story. He showed up to the trump hotel they sort of came over to her table stormed and someone decided theyre going to stir shut up to and that story. And it resulted in him and Asawin Suebsaeng standing up and they were insisting it was fake and Asawin Suebsaeng said not take. Asawin attendant upon myself to set up for not only my but your honor. And what is this idiot doing. Asawin thank you for doing that on my favorite thing. So mean the sky, and you are too kind. So this then senior white house official and i spend the timeconsuming at each other in the lobby of the chomsky hotel. In with people around us, sort of egging us on and trying to break things up pretty so at some point, he said enough extends his hand to shake mine. And i scream at least twice. Im not shaking his f and because he just got in my face. They dont just f do that. So he threw up his hands at some point and started walking away with one of his principal when we got to the middle of the lobby, i think he also felt like he was cute. So i turned around and made eye contact. At that point, i think its a good idea to pursue it and if he wants to step outside, we can do that, why not. Simply somebody puts a hand on my shoulder and i think i shut that person harder than i thought and the security was called and people started screaming at me, rick, bless his heart with us one tiny specific things start doing this and telling security that they can go away. And we spent the rest of the night drinking in the lobby of the trump hotel. And this is a microcosm for a lot of the trump era. A lot of threats and noise but nothing really gets done or accomplished. And i remember distinctly even before you night were working on the book together, back in the respective, apartments and you say to me, i think my favorite new memory about the covering trump altogether as you must getting into with a fist fight with a senior official. And i said we ought to work of book if we ever write a book together, we should put that in there. Molly it also raises another question about so much has been said about the difficulty of truth in the trump era. In the sort of mirror effect created by the president s relationships. Hello stories in this book or people attack or question your reporting. And it takes a lot of confidence to know that something youve reported is true. How do you deal with that. Especially when you know that all of these people the white house are trying to plant fake stories. Theres a great story in the book where one of you sort of have this attempt. Jonah tell a story. Asawin one youre talking about we started getting synonymous tips from a guy the claim to be a Senior Administration official. Eventually found out later, multiple people operating this one email account from the white house. [laughter]. And was, hustle bdc insider yahoo. Com. Hotmail. Com. And they would send us these ridiculous things in the best when they were so this was they claim thats some of you might know stephen chung, before tony the trump promoter, they claim that he was doing under ground boxinboxing fights and we shoulo this. Really hot story. So just like ridiculous tips like that. Lachlan it was an amazing attempt to get us to do other things like outsources and you saw him talking to soandso. But yes, it was like sort of the fact that we were lied to and at least in the early days of the white house. Its very factual at the time. So the start of the method we developed was well this fact is telling meet this and is bs. In this other one is telling me this crops reference and we try to triangulate one like tool kernel of truth between when everybody is telling us and then we might actually be onto something. Molly so everybody, i will throw out questions in a minute. But before i do that, you talk about this book being about the infants in the room, the toddlers at least. But one of these kind of scary things about it is that these people being quite significant. In one of the really interesting passages in the book concerns a couple of guys that we have no allout about quite a bit. But you came to know him long before they were mixed up in this building. Asawin weve never really actually met by him deep connection to him. Molly are you facebook friends or what. Asawin maybe. It was before they were ever associated with Rudy Giuliani this whole ukraine dustup. There were a big republican and they seemed very shady. They were from florida thank god and floridas really easy to look up public records on people. I love that state for that very reason. It was like digging these guys past and realizing they were part of this very sketchy Eastern EuropeanFlorida Community that was involved in all sorts of white penny stock deals and very sketchy real estate transactions and things like that. I had a lot of fun writing about it. But after like a year, my editors were sort of running at me telling me that i need to move on to Something Better then we both got indicted. For the role of the giuliani ukraine saga. And suddenly they become these gigantic brick in the road trump actually getting something. As the wildest wildest thing because i remember this because i didnt have a lot of involvement in this reporting but i remember part a month, ths was sort of a passing project. I could not really understand why youre like a dog with a bone in obsessed with this all of a sudden, i was like i guess that paid off. But giuliani himself was just such a ridiculous character. And these were sort of the third order folks. The name on the totem pole. Just write it in a social cast. Very sort of postsoviet like drafty corrupt students stooge and they go off that error from the very beginning. So we have a chapter at the end about them and it was a very late edition in this. Because thes impeachment stuff started unfolding. Oh my gosh you guys are perfect examples of everything were talking about in this book. Molly all right, i want to open this up to questions. The guy in the yellow sweater. Political staffers at the white house come and go but there is also contingent of career Civil Servants who work at the White House Office of work three or four or five administrations and i was wondering if you interviewed any of these career staffers either first. Lachlan there a lot less leaky, the career staffers they are professionals. It wouldve been a good perspective but it is not one that is in there. We are focused mostly on the folks who are the sub specs themselves. It is certainly a valuable perspective. But its not one that we were sort of going for. I feel like career staff really, theyre much more upstanding people. Asawin they are career, the book is about, technically theyre not a part of that earliest not part of the trump world proper. So do you mind if we may be still the book idea. Thats not a bad idea. Molly they have many of them are left. Someone and these departures including the Civil Service and so many of the socalled deep state to make their exit. Is there really a layer of this career Civil Service to risk everything being run by trump. Speech of the bureaucracy is large enough that it functions solo political appointees. One thing that we do sort of get out in the book is very apparent in recent Political Development is the the degree to which the idiosyncrasies of especially trump and his allies get a taste of that bureaucracy the people in it that the deep state has enabled people to essentially guideline government officials. They dont like by portraying them as part of the sort of malicious evolve career employees. I think thats a really interesting sort of, mostly an told story. We try to get a little bit. But i think the divisions there, are stronger stronger than they have been in the administration that i can think of. Molly another question. Guest back in starting in october of 2016, with my then daily beast colleagues, was doing a lot of digging into trumps terror at the apprentice and celebrity. We especially with his prisoner we ended up reporting a lot of stories they hadnt permeated to before that i thought really did paint and department of what it would be like if you gave trump the keys to the oval office. Make him leader of the free world. And one of them involved then Celebrity Apprentice contestant gary busey. Oscar nominated oscar something actor. I think a lot of you know who he is. On the show and while there are setting up for one of their stupid apprentice segments, he is outside and sort of gets next to a young female stuffer on trumps show. Assaulted her. He starts groping her according to her account. To us. Against her will and creates the sort of germanic scandal among the apprentice staff who are friends and coworkers and they are freaking out about it. This guy needs to be tested and what he just did, was at the very least bad. So this ripples of the chain of command makes enough noise to get to donald trump himself who is the time really like to involve himself in the initial of what was going on with the apprentice stars and staff and the crew would have you. So is twopoint abusive is back into the boardroom at the trump tower set. With donald j trump. They basically start stepping it up with your beauty thing you did a very bad thing, keep your hands to yourselves and smiling and laughing about it any did the opposite of what is loyal staffers the time wanted to do. He keeps fuzeon into the guys organically fired to the show. And just cannot seem to even pretend to give a ship about this young female stuffer who came to them with serious donations. Against Donald Trumps friend in the the apprentice contestant. So as he pointed this out, they would make this point in the story. Okay, is 12 people along with Hillary Clinton with the current come become leader of the free world in just a few months. What happens is that is a major assault scandal in his myths in the west wing of the military something. What is it going to do. Well with donald trump, we already have an idea of how he works with scandals like that. And it is to cover up, accuse the alleged assault her. And he showed himself to be of that very character. When on one moore capito of order, we can go down the list. I felt exactly the same way gun pointing that out on stupid gary busey. As i do all of these years later with where the current state of the trump area where it is. I hope that was, well that was real. Molly is definitely one of the insights of the book that in this particular white house heart more than a normal one character, so much of it goes from think i can say objectively unusual personality of the president of the United States and observing episodes like this sort observing the interesting characters around him actually tells you who he is. Asawin the bottom line of the book is in effect today date decisionmaking at the white house. Be part of the book is is media focused. I actually said in an interview the other day i cant believe it in think about like Something Like this on the book which was an entertainment reporter is almost is qualified to cover this white house as another reporter is because those elements both trumps personality and the influence of the Decision Making are uniquely powerful and i am reminded that theres a part in the book word the president assembling a believe it was an immigration policy meeting in the oval office and is god senior staff and their. He patches in the dobbs, the foxbusiness postponed speakerphone. He brings them in salute we need your thoughts on this immigration proposal were talking about here. This like direct impact on policymaking. But you know what coverage you know the presidencies on the little box in his living room on a daily basis can have dramatic impact on not just communication coming out of the white house public statements with the direction the policy and goes. And we are trying to get at sort of how traditional lines of communication and policymaking and decisionmaking in the white house a broken down in favor of the very idiosyncrasy way that President Trumps mind works in the way it works pretty. Lachlan lazy corny sapphire completely supplanted reality at this point. So many months through the Looking Glass at this point. It is sort of, and we write about it and its really, just hard to overstate the abject stupidity of the political moment we are looking in. And to me as a reporter, that is objectively true. His son and opinion. Its hard to get around it if youre going to cover it up. Molly more questions. Guest something you send an interview with the really struck me, when you talked about how i think a lot of reporters are being accused of loving this. Like this is great for you. You write to folks, this all very exciting. In the beginning of november of 2016 late october, i couldve just kept going that way. To her can you talk a little bit about how you try to keep yourselves like ahead of above the water over this not get sucked into this is entertaining because i think for some people maybe it is but a lot of people, it is mindbending fleet terrifying. Lachlan were pretty upfront in the book. We get complicit and a lot of this and we describe ourselves as to little piglets, like at the trough. Asawin like the opening scene of the book, at the trump hotel by virtue of being at the trump hotel, their patronizing the president s business and we actually got laying down by a protester rated. She was right. So part of it is the black humor i guess you might call it and it has become sort of an anesthetic. And we found that it doesnt make us a more effective reported to be sort of aaron fire outraged about every outrageous thing that the white house did because if you did that, its just not an effective way to sort of convey what is happening. I do agree, we try to take pain in the book to make clear that we understand there is a real human cost to a lot of things we are writing about. Lachlan those human cost and that as much as we may be nasty and unfair to mr. Trump throughout the book, i think we both sort of understand the appeal of the president s as well. To folks who support him. So i would be lying if i said that this is, you will read it and feel like it is just chock full of nicotine and tears to her about the folklore suffering suffering from the Trump Administration but i think we do try to the point from to time to fact and appreciate that this isnt Just Entertainment and there actually are real world impacts from the things that we are writing about. Asawin how do we keep things in perspective. I think its not just realizing, the big bad man, mr. Trump is in the white house doing x, y, and z read thats easy. This like one plus one equals two. Molly you had to think about that one right. Asawin yes really bad. The from me, i think it really keep me centered is being as selfcritical as humanly possible. Particularly as a political reporter. This is probably broader philosophical argument for another time but i think i can read represent dependable, probably disagrees with me on this point. For me, i still think the trump era as a way to go until it is past the george w. Bush error. These are more destructive president with a higher product. George w. Bush not trump. When donald trump goes around hollering about like take news it is of the enemy of the people. I have no interest in taking any of his bad faith or bull ship these doing from his or anything worth listening to to integrate. But taking them vacuum, i think is detrimental especially if your political reporter and trying to do it well. To blend this widespread distress on media on donald j trump. It is not his fault and start his stupid minions. Theyre just exploited an incredibly to where so many people by the Mainstream Media whatever that means. Like when i was growing up, it was not the daily caller or infra wars who molested my trust in the National Political press. Those in terms of the map of the iraq war of the regurgitating him critically on all of this it Bush Administration that help get hundred thousand people killed. That was the Washington Post the New York Times, it was the paper of record. So when i think about not take news of what everyone a college, that reporting in which there is always been in every president ial administration. That is the first thing i think about. It was done by the most respectable people in the profession. That does not mean that we should take donald trump the unexciting as the word of god or anything that should be respected to any degree but it does mean that we should look inward at least as much as i look outward if that makes sense. Just so it doesnt seem like that i am hoping all over the New York Times, one of the best reporters, i returned because she is quite. I dont focus on her because she happens to have the New York Times buffer. Molly part of the case you make for your approaches not because its gonzo, but its actually more accurate to this white house into this moment right. There is a genre of political reporting it is very much about complex if ie things and explaining things that are very strategic and interested and complicated and then just like this book really makes the case is more accurate in this error to portray the white house correctly is a weird dude acting on impulse, constantly. Speech of the approach we took, i dont think we took because we thought it was a better or more way to cover the white house. His. Molly but you did take a shot at woodward. Asawin mother names are on it you also took shot in him. Lachlan i dont think it is necessarily better. Nothing is beyond this approach, has not been taken over the last few years. And we are looking for a way to write about this white house. It was just a way that nobody had really done before. And i think it illuminates an aspect of how this white house functions that had not been eliminated to before. It does mean that i think that woodward or white house reporter, is like wrong in the way theyre going about it. This is what everybody is doing and i would rather we would rather take the unique approach to the tell the story that is accurate and also well done. Like whether president obama or bush or clinton trump, i have always well for a long time and just like that there there was dignity. According to the office of the president in the west wing that reporters seem to find fault view their reporting as if these are people and institutions to be respected. I think whoever the president of the United States is them i think dennis bad for you reporting an event respective to have as a political reporter, i think it is especially indicted when the burglar is president of the United States. Respectability is gone. There is no point to approach any of these people with a default default respect respectability. Why would we cover the white house that. What is the point had a readers anything from it. Molly every white house has is here of people working there who are probably a little in over their heads and got there through connections pretty you could write a novel about them. In any white house, and this one, they are kind of running the show. And they are making policy. Its the sort of terrifying thing is that these people are playing with real money. It is not fun and games. Asawin certain amount of both parties will still exist and will still win this president is gone and the new source of class that has sort of written the president hotels to like in fifth position and influence. Essentially trades on his most defining like idiosyncrasies loyalty to himself, alignment with his policy agenda etc. In this people and made quite a living in the media or wherever. Based on the fact that they are in good with or how the president s mind sort of operates. I dont know if that answers your question at all my point is that there is a very Distinct Group of people that i think have or are running the show and will complete unlike previous administrations where light draws from and then this permanent Political Class receives back sort of into its pre administration state, i think there is a very specific trump contingent they came up with this president and will stay with us. I presidency. Molly power. Asawin i had a bet with my editor. He thinks he will run for a third term. Molly are there any more questions in this audience. Before when you were writing the book, who is your audience. Did you think about that in the beginning and have evolved throughout throughout the process of writing. Guest i assumed. Im getting at the point of whether someone who opposes the president , as part of that audience. Asawin i would hope so, im not going to lie and we dont take shots of the guy. But i think there is like a lesson to be drawn in their lessons to be drawn about the way that washington works right now from this book. It is a little cheeky and sarcastic at times but i think and i would hope that with respect, without blame supporters of the president deciding it is not for them after looking at the title. Molly what was the original title. Lachlan another belief storm bleep bleep. Thats not actually the title. It. Molly but i imagine that you get credits size from both ends unfair to mr. Trump. Some people might not be super fond of the stake. But then you probably also have a lot of very serious compassionate liberal critics who say that i dont think you could be accused of normalizing anything that but you are somehow legitimate rising or not taking serious and enough of the horns of the presidency. It is that a critique that you have dealt with. Present just obvious that youre approaching this with a particular lens. Lachlan i think based on review of our amazon page that there are people who feel we are being a little too lighthearted with it. Ive not looked. [laughter]. Is not good. Asawin we tried to make it entertaining. We do not want to write a boring quote. People dont want to read boring books. Im in the position of like having putting my political views aside and the views that are right and consume. I know thats not something a lot of people do. I find it liberating and i tried to read things that i disagree with a lot to find them enlightening. But if you find yourself getting enraged at the book, just put down pretty software that. [laughter]. Molly another question. Great. Guest to think your approach to reporting on this white house would work with another president. And two, how much of your bar tab is kicked up by the daily beast. Lachlan the cocktail prices at the trump hotel are exorbitant. I think i wouldve chalked it covering any of the white house. I was fortunate enough to a frame of reference that if not covered it before and did not know about it and didnt have a routine. I feel like if you or bush or obama veteran and you came into the Trump White House, youd kinda be caught off guard. At least thats the impression i get. And certainly, when you cover these days, the crowds are just way bigger, they are clamoring for soundbite and things like that that just make it worth it. We just kind of got used to that real early. I dont think, so back in 2013 at 2014, remember reading a story about how the white house was just sort of a boring, for veteran reporters to go. Not much work maybe ask if you questions. Mingle with the powerful people. That is very much not when it is right now are better or worse. So i really would not have had much fun with it. And not im not really good got my job with not having fun with it. So i would not be very good. Molly i do want to give you guys time to tell her fun stories in the book. Sort of inexhaustible, even if we give you spoilers from the passages. Theres like so much more. Much more great stuff in the book. Do you want to tell more stories. Lachlan okay, the claimed oscarwinning, after john boyd, he is 2692016, he became a celebrity hollywood based. And it is john voigt. So why a pick it up and said something to the effect, i am paraphrasing but do you have a second to talk . And so confused of of how dismissive usually so and then to have some ideas of upcoming fundraiser event and then to see where this goes. Continue. And then john voigt cut himself off. Is this steve nguyen . He thought he had but now the treasury secretary. And journalistic ethics kept me from telling him yes because i really wanted to come next but fortunately i said no and the Daily News Reporter you talk to me a couple hours ago. Okay by. So because of trump running for president john voigt mistaken me for future treasury secretary and producer. We are out of time to eat want to tell a story from the book . This was december 2018. And running out the clock. And then my phone starts to being and then it is relieved giuliani. And again to paraphrase that the bazaar Text Messages like jfk or a new york airport and was convinced that Robert Mueller is doing this to him. I am no rat and sends are rats of og. Inserts to liberate the plane that mueller tries to bust mueller from parking just to one tickets in the seventies so i thought maybe giuliani got his phone stolen and somebody was screwing with me or somebody was trying to have some fun and i said is this supposed to be a bizarre tweet that he asked the what texted and they said no this is a secret text. Im trying to loop them in two crushed the Robert Mueller. So i try to push out my mind and stop walking away from my laptop to my phone rings and it is really julie on Rudy Giuliani. So again now my eyebrow is so raised it up into my four head then he breaks character and says im just messing with you i am stuck on the tarmac in the plane and im just bored. So i pulled up ten contacts. And then to see how they would respond and then to tweet out that Rudy Giuliani was trying to liberate a plane. Basically the reporter with actual fake news. And due to highstakes russia investigation and to hold them hostage on an airline. And we have a good laugh and many months later very recently the documents released by House Democrats are discovered because he wouldnt tell me at the time because they released a bunch of Text Messages at the exact same time in the exact same rent of og. So another server real the experience so americas mayor for literally no reason. You could read this at the daily beast today i should mention. And colleagues office in the west wing and 2018 with Strategic Communications with a highpowered lobbyist and then to shut the door with a highpowered defense lobbyist. As you may know they have an idea for the idea of a reality show and with historical events and to break the meeting up and i cant figure out why hes doing it. And then to Rick Harrison and then on the board so bringing in her husbands Business Associates to pitch on making a reality show for the president of the United States. It was just a weird example of low stakes grafting. So much swamp drain. [laughter] thats the truncated version go to daily beast. Com. We should end of this but. [laughter] this is the other one. He can take this one. Back in the early days of the Trump White House when writes previous was still chief of staff. There was there were multiple occasions when they were having actual white house policy discussions the president abruptly derailed those discussions Reince Priebus to talk about badgers they are fairly common animal in wisconsin and the leader of the free world donald j. Trump wanted to know more about these critters. Are they mean to people . Are they friendly . What do they eat . How do they work . Do they hurt people with their claws . What do they do . Fascinated with the element of wildlife these cute or not so cute badgers so the chief of staff is grilling about badgers. What is his level of knowledge about badgers . I dont think very high. He has to know something so Reince Priebus is deer in the headlights trying to figure out what to do with policy discussions and this president has had is brain rotted by fox news and fast food just questioning about badgers. It one of those excerpts said nobody will care about this detail. And it went viral. People went nuts. Other publications stole our traffic. So i am the idiot. I see a lot of friendly familiar faces people we obviously never met before. It really is surprising that anybody would care to buy a book of anything i have written. They on i cant thank you enough. Thank you so much the senator of gravity out of brussels and london. Because of dysfunction . All the weaknesses disinterest. Against all the strings you see local with the media and impact fall. So we have been here before what is interesting about this moment but local government now is taking a more real estate. Real estate or slack . Local government leading the charge local governments are leading the charge on immigration. Coming home welcome to the program is a program. But we thought it would be interesting to take a look at how black americans become democrats by overwhelmingly support the gop over 71 years. And youa