After being set-up, then cancelled (Trump wanted it off the record, NYT refused), then being on again, a bunch of NYT big shots got together with Trump for an on-the-record interview. NYT has published the full transcript here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/23/us/po ... cript.htmlIt's lengthy, as you can imagine, and contained quite a few... what would we call them at this point...
shockers wow moments things we've come to expect from Trump.
The NYT has, as expected, generated a lot of content about it (Google news for New York Times Trump). Devious pro tip, if you hit your limit, go incognito (or, you know, pay, because The NYT is pretty good).
Here is an overview:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/po ... visit.htmlTrump is (maybe):
- Keeping an open mind about the Paris climate change agreement, while at the same time, bringing-up a long-debunked controversy about leaked emails between scientists
- Not as sure about the use of torture as he was
- Not going to pursue investigations against the Clintons (while he's not in a position to affect things, but the email thing is done, and word is investigations into the Clinton Foundation aren't going to go anywhere)
- He... and this is very troubling... indicated that the law is on the side of the President when it comes to conflict of interest (here's "
A semi-comprehensive list of the business concerns that may influence the president-elect as he prepares for the nation’s highest office" from The Atlantic)
When you scroll through the transcript, you'll find a lot of "we'll look into it", "we're looking into it", and other variations. It's obvious he hasn't spent the last couple weeks getting up to speed. He also leaves the door open for many, many things, whilst his actions (cabinet picks) don't quite gel with how he was trying to work the room.
But, I keep going back to his stance on conflict of interest. "When the president does it, that means it is not illegal." The laws around conflict of interest were built to insulate the POTUS so decisions can be made that are in the best interests of the country without fear of prosecution due to conflict of interest, not the other way around.
That's a famous quote from Nixon which, while seemingly straightforward, has a complicated context:
https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Nixon-say ... ot-illegalHere's The New Yorker keying off that same quote:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk ... dent-electCircling-back to Trump having a sit-down with the senior movers-and-shakers at The New York Times, one simple question comes to mind; why?
Trump spent plenty of time during the campaign, and even after his win, shitting on the media. The NYT and Washington Post were singled-out many times (or at least, more than others). The NYT is the big dog, and none too friendly. Meanwhile, Trump hasn't done a proper news conference,
as is traditional.
I would wager that Trump gambled, as he is wont to do, that heading into the lion's den, with some pretty sharp people, was a great way to manage things. He dumped on media folks days earlier, then negotiated this boardroom-style interaction with the biggest of the liberal-leaning media outlets out there. There were no video cameras (or at least, no video has been released) so his dithering, his working of the room, is apparent from only the transcript.
He figured he could control the situation by making it on his terms, address the media, and take-on The New York Times, all in one shot. I can imagine the negotiations; "Trump Tower", "Nope, our offices", "Off the record", "Nope, recorded", "No video", "Voice recording", and on and on. In the end, The NYT knew it was a big scoop, and so they accommodated, while for Trump, it was a controlled showcase.
You have to wonder what his advisers were going through as this played-out.
"Hey, the boss wants to sit-down with the top people from NYT."
"Like the 60 Minutes thing?"
"Nyah, kinda... like him, in a room, with them, riffing, he can handle it."
"Off the record, right?"
"Is The Apprentice off the record?"
"Shoot me now."
"Kellyanne, the boss wants what the boss wants, so either do it, or you're fired!"
"Fine... thanks for the heads-up, Ivanka. Can we talk about this Shinzo Abe thing?"
"I would love to, but I have a 5 o'clock with Argentina... I mean, we have..."
"I didn't get that invite."
"Yeah, k... gotta run."
A quantum state of signature may or may not be here... you just ruined it.