Joe Rogan podcast check it out The Joe Rogan Experience Train by day Joe Rogan podcast by night all day all right. We're rolling good to see you sir. Here we go um one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to play this but we decided we shouldn't play it because uh it could get copyright strike and we don't want to get the episode. We don't want anybody to have any sort of a way to get it down sure. But it was the episode of you when you're on The View and I think it was 2015 or6 like when you were running for president right and you sat you got introduced as our friend Donald Trump. That's right whoopy Goldberg gives you a big hug and a kiss. Joy bayar gives you a big hug. Barbara Walters gives you a big hug. They all loved you. They were all talking about how your uh you might be. You might be conservative in your financial positions but you're very liberal. Socially. They were they're talking about you in such a favorable light. The audience was cheering and then you actually started winning in the polls and then the machine started working towards you yeah. But it's there's probably no one in history that I've ever seen that's been attacked the way you've been attacked and the way they've done it so coord at and systematically when you see those same people in the past very favorable to you like Oprah. When you were on Oprah Show she was encouraging you last week. I did one of our last shows. I think maybe Thursday or Friday that was a big deal being on Oprah's show. The last one and I was like one of the last shows in that last that final week and I said boy. We've come a long way since since that what was it like uh well the concept it was really like two different lives you know. I had a a very wonderful life but I I wanted to do this. The Apprentice was still going very strong. We had 12 seasons and uh we had actually uh 14 Seasons 12 years over. They had a couple of well. They canceled the Apprentice when you were running for president correct. No they had Arnold SCH a do it. I was involved in that and I want I I had enough of it and we did great. It was doing great but they wanted me to stay. They all came to see me. They said we're going to give you a contract they wanted to extend. My contract Mark Bernett is a great guy and they wanted to extend the contract. Mark said you're crazy. Don't run don't run. No nobody gives up prime time. They said you know. It's one of those little things which is probably true. Nobody gives a prime time though for being president for for running well for running against 20. Some people you know turned out to be 18 18 professional people. You know mostly politicians they said who would do this. I mean it's a long shot. Actually the heads of NBC came over the uh Paul tgy all the all the top people came over to see me try and talk me out of it because they wanted to have me extend. The Apprentice was doing well so it was 14 Seasons. It was 12 years. We had one two seasons where we had a double which rarely happens. It was just a hot show and uh I said you know I want to do this. What happened is uh previously like three years four years before that they did a poll. They had Mitt Romney and somehow they put me in a poll and I blew everybody away. I blew him away which isn't that hard frankly. But I blew everybody away and I said that's interesting because I never really gave it that much real thought I thought about it but never real thought. But I saw these polls were very good and so I was thinking about doing it then. But I had a contract with the Apprentice plus I was building two big buildings at the time and I wanted to make sure they got finished up properly and it was one of those things the kids were just sort of getting involved. They're very capable kids but they were getting involved early on. So I did that I got them done. I had some very good successes and I came on and then I thought about it for the next one. After the Romney disaster and I ran and I won against Hillary. It was quite an experience but it was a different life because you're right the view I was on The View many many times and uh they loved me just the way people would talk I mean even if people had criticisms about you people that didn't like you. There was always feuds and stuff like that but the reality was the thing turned on you when they found out that you were going to be president. It was very coordinated and some people are catching on to that now. There's a lot of people that were longtime Democrats like Elon and Bill Amman and all these different very intelligent people and they support me. Now Bill supports me. He's been very supportive too. What this is what I wanted to ask you what was it like when you actually got in CU. Nobody really can prepare you for that when you're running for president. You don't really know what it's going to be like when you actually get into office. What was the what did you think it was going to be like in office or when I decided to run so no when you got in when I was in so when I was in and one and was in the White House. Essentially well first of all. It was very surreal oh you know it's very interesting. When I got shot it wasn't surreal that should have been surreal when I was laying on the ground. I knew exactly what was going on. I knew exactly where I was hit. They were saying you were hit all over the place because there was so much blood from the ear. You would know that better than anyone when they get the ear torn up ear bleed a lot bleed anyway so and and I was thinking the other day when when that happened I really knew where I was I knew exactly what happened. I said I wasn't hit anywhere else with the with the presidency. It was a very surreal experience okay and what's day one like you win you get inaugurated holy. I'm the president yeah. That's what happened so. I'm driving down Pennsylvania Avenue. I just built a building on pen. You know the hotel the old post office. It was we called it Trump National uh hotel and we sold it to the Waldorf Historia and it was a wonderful thing but I'm driving down I'm passing the hotel you've never seen so many motorcycles police military. You know it was a major thing. I got off really the first time I used Air Force. One landed and we're coming down and they were. It was very be I mean it was incredible and we're going down Pennsylvania Avenue in the opposite direction. You know normally you're used to going one way and all of a sudden you're going the other way. The street was loaded up and I wanted to go out and I wanted to wave to everybody but that wasn't smart you know that KS a little bit dangerous right.I mean when you watch like Kennedy and some others right. But I really felt I don't know the love was so crazy and so I did get out of the car for a brief. You know just for a very short walk. I thought it was very important to do and milania got out with her beautiful dress on that became sort of a staple. It was uh people loved it and Baron and we're walking down the street but where it really got amazing we get to the White House and now it's a little bit uh little bit before dark beautiful and we went up to the president's quarters. They call them the presidential quarters and I'm standing in this beautiful hallway. I you know it's funny nobody ever talks about the White House as being beautiful. Inside. You know you think it's going to be everything's going to be all metal doors and stuff. It's not it's so beautiful. I made my money largely on luxury. The hallway is like 25 ft wide. The ceiling Heights are you every. It's so beautiful. But I was standing there and I said to the guys I want to see the Lincoln bedroom. I had never seen the Lincoln bedroom. I'd heard about the Lincoln bedroom and I was standing with my wife. I said. Do you believe it this is the Lincoln bedroom. I mean it was like it was it was amazing because it's look if you love the country but here you are the Lincoln bedroom and the bed you know he was very tall. He was 6'6 which then would be like like Baron right would be like Baron Trump. He's 69 but 6'6. He was very tall then on top of that. He wore there it is. He wore that yeah there it is. It's a long bed elongated bed and because very you know people were shorter than you see. Some of the chairs are very very low to the ground actually but he had the long bed and they had uh. You had the Gettysburg. Address right on that right under that you can't see it here but right there the original version of the Gettysburg address and this is the original and I'm looking and I just looked around. I said Do you believe this because I was never a pol first of even if you were a politician. But I was never a politician. It just I sort of just started right and all of a sudden I'm standing in the White House and it was uh very very surreal that room was so beautiful to me much more beautiful than it actually is you know to me. When I looked at the bed and the bed you could see was a little bit. Longer had to be a little bit longer. Uh he lost his son and they suffered the two of them suffered from melancolia. They didn't call it depression. They called it melancolia and they suffered from it. He was a very depressed guy and she was a very depressed woman more so than him and on top of that they lost their son whose name was Tad Tad and uh it was uh just seeing it in the little picture. A little tiny picture I mean you can't see the details there. Little tiny. Everything. The W was a little tiny picture of Tad who he lost and it was devastating and he was you know. He was a look. He was in a war. He was he and he was having a hard time because he couldn't beat. Robert E Lee. Robert E Lee won like 13 battles in a row and he was getting like a phobia like a fighter. You know a lot about the fight stuff but like I went to a UFC fight and it was a champion who was 14- one about a year ago. You would know the names 14 and one and the only guy he lost to was this one guy. But the guy that he was fighting was like almost just an average. Fighter lost numerous times but he beat this one guy so I said okay. I really don't know who you're talking abouty. I I will figure it out okay but about a year ago. But the point is that he lost. He wasn't nearly the fighter as the but the one who was not nearly the fighter had beaten. He's the only guy that beat the the champ like five years before and I said I'll take the guy that won the other fight and that's what happened. He beat him a second time. Sometimes psychological advantage is this crazy thing uh Lincoln had a I don't know I've never read this I heard it from people in the way house who really understand what was going on with with the whole life of the White House. But Lincoln had uh The Yips about in a way as the golfers would say he had a phobia about Robert. El. Lee said I can't beat Robert because Robert E Lee won many battles in a row. He was just beating the hell out of you know. They tried to get Robert Elite to be on the north. But he said no I have to be with my state. You know the state was his whole thing and and he went to the South and he was uh. I've had generals tell me we have some great generals. The real generals not the ones you see on television the ones that beat Isis with me. We defeated Isis and record time. It was supposed to take years and we did it in a matter of weeks. He's are great generals. He's a tough guys. He's a not woke guys but their favorite General in terms of Genius was Robert El Le strategy strategy. Strategically. He took a war that should have been over in a few days and it was you know years of head hell a vicious war and um so here. I am standing there and again I had never really done this before you know I ran I ran a number of months before I won. I probably uh I guess. If you figured Max it out. It would be a year something like that. So I had never run for office and I did well. I mean I I went into debates. We had 18 people including me and then slowly but surely they started to disappear. We had debates good debates everyone's aware of all this stuff. But what I want to get to is like what was the experience once you got inside like what did you think it was going to be like in terms of like your ability to govern. Like this is your first experience governing anything you never been a govern. You never been a mayor private private stuff business but now all of a sudden you're inside the White House. The biggest thing was just that first moment of being in this hallowed. It was really a hallowed place to me. It was it was beyond to me. That's that was the experience it was a surreal experience and then with time that wears off with time. It becomes you know your place where you stay and right uh. I was doing a lot of I was I had two things that I really focused on governing the country and uh survival because from the moment I won before I got to office all of a sudden. It I mean they came down. I mean nobody has ever been treated that way and and you see that I mean you see we're in the Washington Post. Very early on. They said well now the impeachment stuff starts and it did. I mean it literally started from the beginning. So I had survival and run the nation. I had a a combination. Most people don't have the survival they get in uh. What did you expect though in terms of like once you got inside you had to appoint all these people like how many appointments did. You have to make you have you actually 10,000. Uh appointments now they're different you know you have big ones and then they appoint right 100 people and 200 people and but the president really is is involved with approximately 10,000 appointments. So you'll appoint a secretary of state and he will he or she will appoint a lot of people. So it's a lot but in terms of major ones you probably have like a h 100. But they're big ones uh treasury. State uh military and how did you know who to a point well. I I didn't. I had no experience you have to understand. I was there 17 times in Washington and I never stayed over according to the Press which I think is probably right over the years. I was only there 17 times I never stayed over so now I'm sitting there. I'm saying this place is gorgeous but you know I don't know anybody. It's like you you you know you go to certain areas and other areas they may be great. Washington was great Washington's not so great right now they're got to we got to fix it. We got to make it better very dangerous place. Very badly maintained place. We're going to make it great. We're going to make it better better. We're going to bring it back. But I wasn't a Washington guy. I was a New York guy I was a New York Builder and I I built buildings in New York and I knew that whole world. But I didn't know the Washington world too well and all of a sudden you're supposed to be appointing top people. So what did you think it was going to be like versus like did you have any ideas of what it was going to be like and what was different well. I was always involved in politics but usually from the standpoint of of a donor. I was a donor you know I was a big donor. I gave money to politicians. I enjoyed Poli rats right a de both really pretty. Much both. I have actually pictures of Ronald Reagan and me when I was very young. You were a Democrat until like what year uh. I was a Democrat um. I could get you the exact but the the early 90s the early 90s I I switched over eventually actually. Uh they had a reform party.I was thinking about doing that for a little while but then fortunately I didn't because it's very hard. You know. It's a two-party system and anytime you hear third party. I know you like RF K junr and so do I he's a fantastic gu I do but I thought that being an independent was nonsense. It doesn't work. It doesn't work because even if you do great you're not going to get Congress in other words. You need now to say okay now. I'll get half of Congress never going to vote for you so even if you got there which is very hard and but and I know how you feel about Bobby and I feel the same way and he's now with us. But it it doesn't it's real it's pure and simple. It's a two-party system right and uh somebody I won't mention his name but somebody spent $250 million trying to get the nomination as a Reform Party candidate or whatever and they got just nowhere you get eaten you just get eaten. The system eats you alive right so uh so it was. It was really somebody that Not only was new to Washington but was new to politics so in in the office of the presidency. Over the years all those presidents you've had 92 2% were politicians and 8% were Generals General Eisenhower General Washington right General George Washington. He had generals so it's 8% no Admirals 8% generals and 92% politicians. You know they're politicians and they go on so they never had a business guy or they never had a guy that wasn't elected to an office um they were all like Ronald Reagan was really he was a movie actor and then but he became the governor of California for I think two terms and then he ran uh. So you'd never had a thing like this. But I you know in terms of me and some sometimes i' use it as an excuse and I don't like having excuses actually. But I'd use it as an excuse. I had to rely on people that I respected or liked but that I didn't know that well because I didn't know them that well. Some of those people I campaigned against because you know when you have 18 people. We had mostly politicians running in the election you know running in the primaries and they got knocked out one by one. But I got to like some of them. Some of them I didn't like at all and I don't like them now and I'd rely on them and I'd rely on other people. So all of a sudden people would come in I'd like to recommend so and so to be Secretary of State and I'd have three four people recomend. One thing I can tell you. Everybody wants the position of course. No no but sometimes I'll hear a lot of people don't want to work with Trump because Trump is tough to work with Etc. Let me tell you everybody wants to be any one of these positions they die for it. Of course now they don't want to be known. I mean there's a particular guy in uh New York primarily very big very big very successful. Very uh very strong very political. Although he's not a politician he'd give anything to be Secretary of State but if they ask him no I don't think I would do it but in the meantime begging for it okay begging they all I believe everybody look. Everybody wants it but my by the way no matter what you do every. But it's very dangerous to pick somebody outside of a politician because a politician's been basically vetted for years right you pick a business guy and they've never been vetted at all and they're you know the head of a big company or something. But they've never been vetted. You know nothing about his personal life. You know nothing about where he's been when you put him in. It's a little bit dangerous because all of a sudden they get checked up and you hear things that you're saying wow this is not going to work out too well. So it's very dangerous picking picking. People that are outside of politics is somewhat dangerous so you're kind of stuck. In a position we have to pick established people. Then the problem with established people is established. People are already indoctrinated into the system and they're stiffs in. Many cases stiffs they're survivors I find that you know what do you mean by stiffs when you say stiffs stiff. They don't they don't have nothing they have nothing or they're smart and survival one one little thing so there was a congressman years before I ran and I was very close to him and I needed a license on something and he was very important in getting the license. But it was a little bit controversial. The license this particular thing that was being licensed but I was close to this guy and helped him and everything else and I went to him. I said I'd like to have you help and he said uh let me take a look at it. I said oh that's not too good uh. But I really hope you're going to help and anyway he tapped me along for a long period of time and ultimately didn't do it. And I said you are a stiff. You could have done this thing so easy Etc. But it was controversial. He was in Congress for many years like 28 years and you. Know there's a reason when somebody's there for 28 years you got to be S of smart. You know you have all scals and I realized he was a Survivor and so they never do anything controversial. They never take any chances or speak their opinion that's outside of the yeah and yet I don't disrespect him for it. I actually respected the guy more than a in a certain way I said survive. You know what he's been there like for 28 years and he made it through a lot of people don't make it through. It's a good way for non-exceptional people to survive well. It is I mean it certainly is so you're you're in. There you have 10,000 appointments you have to make like so you're getting advice from people and it at one point in time.Did. You have a moment in time where you realize like these are bad choices. Like some of these people I shouldn't have had in there oh yeah. I think so the one question that you'll ask me that I think you'll ask me that see people seem to ask. And I always come up with the same answer uh. If I I the one mistake cuz I did I had a lot of success great economy great everything everything was great. We the military we rebuilt it biggest tax cuts in history. All this stuff we did. We had a great presidency uh three Supreme Court Justices most people get none. You know you pick them young this way. They're there for 50 years right. So you know even if a president is there. For eight years often times. They never have a chance I had three. It was sort of the luck of the draw but uh I I will say that it always comes back to the same answer. The biggest mistake I made was. I picked some people. I picked some great people you know but you don't think about that. I picked some people that I shouldn't have picked. I picked a few people that I shouldn't have picked and neocons yeah neocons or bad people or disloyal people or people that were just people that were into the got bad advice yeah. I mean look I mean you reading about them a little little bit today a guy like Kelly who is a bully a bully but a weak a weak person. You know you know more about bullies than anybody probably around cuz. You deal in a a certain sport where the bullies are exposed very quickly yeah. But you know uh he's bad. Uh Bolton was an idiot but he was great for me because I'd go in with a guy like a John Bolton. You know John Bolton. A friend of mine called called me up. I was picking Bolton and he's a very smart guy. His name is Phil Ruff and he's a very rich guy from Las Vegas. One of the he a great card player he doesn't play cards but he's a great play you know he's just a natural got poker sense right. You know the good old poker sense and Phil Ruffin is is a very very wise kind of a guy and very one of the richest people around and has had great success and understands people. So it was in that I was picking Bolton or I picked Bolton. He called up. He said don't pick him well. He's a bad guy. I've now he wasn't in politics at all he in various businesses. He said he's a bad guy. He's just it always works out bad with that guy. I said oh man I wish you told me this two weeks ago. I already hired him. You know he's here and and he was right but but he was good in a certain way. He's a nut job and every time I had to deal with the country when they saw this wack job. Standing behind me. They said oh man Trump's going to go to war with him. This he was with Bush when they went stupidly into the Middle East. They should have never done it. I used to say it as a civilian so I always got more publicity than other people and I didn't. It wasn't like I was trying. In fact. I don't know exactly why maybe you can tell me when I could definitely tell you. He said a lot of wild maybe maybe. He said a lot of wild and then CNN in their all their brilliance by highlighting your wild made you much more popular yeah and they boosted you in the PO cuz. People were tired of someone talking in this pre-prepared politician lingo and even if they didn't agree with you they at least knew whoever that guy is that's him that's really him when you see certain people talk certain people in the public. Eye. You don't know who they are. You have no idea who they are. It's very difficult to know you see them in conversations. They have these pre-planned answers. They say everything it's very rehearsed. You never get to the meat of it. What the one of the beautiful things about you is that you free ball like you get out and you do these huge events and you're just talking and you're making we. We've highlighted you on the show many times where when you did this Biden impression where he's walking around he doesn't know what he's doing. It's funny. It's it's standup. It's funny stuff. But it's like you and you were making fun of Elon one time you doing an Elon impression. It's great you you have like comedic instincts like when you said to Hillary. You'd be in jail like that's great timing yeah. But it's like that kind of stuff was unheard of as a politician. Like no one had done that and I think you know what's funny. You need at least the attitude of a comedian when you're doing this business. This is a very dangerous business first of so. It's a very tough business when it's the most dangerous business. The most well for for a job. Yes I mean other than going to war and being a firefighter or being a cop. It's the most dangerous business. The most dangerous being president is the most dangerous. Especially you. I mean you haven't even got to the election. There's been two assassinations attempts and they've brushed those out of the news like it was nothing yeah. They'd rather not talk about them imagine if there was assassination attempts on Biden how hard people would be attacking the right how they would be trying to get guns taken away from people. They would try to ramp up gun laws. They would try to figure out some way to blame you if there was a tax on. If Biden got shot in the ear. We would have never heard the end of it. But I think he's in good shape because it's only consequential presidents. If you take a look at what's happened look I'm for having countries pay us billions and billions and trillions. Even dollars. I took in hundreds of billions of dollars from China. Nobody took in 10 cents. Not one other president. I do things that make it. I mean that don't necessarily make me so popular I just do what's right and when you do that you know you're more look at look at Iran Iran. We would have never had the attack on Israel at all Iran was broke. I told China if you buy you can't do business in the United States under any cir I was going to we going to go cold turkey with China. Some people think that would have been a good idea anyway. But if you buy any oil one barrel of oil from them you're not doing business. I said that to many countries Iran was broke. They had no money for Hezbollah. They had no money for Hamas. They had no but I make myself you know I mean I understand what I'm doing you make yourself a Target and it's a very dangerous business.But if you just look it statistically. So I I said I saw thing I don't know if it's right but 1/10th of 1% for a race car driver yeah. It's pretty dangerous business right yeah. Uh one1 of 1% for a bull rider I I tell you to me talk. These guys that ride the Bulls is worse than UFC is worse. These guys you see these big monster bulls and you see it in slow motion where the the foot is like you know an inch away from the head if it hits him the guy's gun. But they die you know. They die so one/ tenth of 1% die. What you're saying yeah. One tenth of 1% die right and they certainly get hurt badly really mean. They can't walk after a certain period of time but but with the president if you look at the amount of assassination and attempts too and attempts. No. It's a very dangerous position. I never thought of that by the way when I did it I you know you don't you don't tend to. I did you just assume because people loved you on The Apprentice. They were going to love you as a president think it would be so easy you know. It's probably would have been if the media didn't attack you the way they did if they didn't conflate you with Hitler. I mean even today like K was talking about you and Hitler you're. They're going to take what you said about Robert E Lee oh Donald Trump Wishes the South. One. That's right he loves Robert. They love to take things out of context and distort things but well they they don't even have to take them out. They make them up entirely okay they but you know it's interesting when you mentioned the uh. The I was very popular and and all those people love me. I mean this uh some of these these women they're. So they're so stupid and joy. She would every time. She'd see me like I'd be in the theater or something and she you have to be on the show again come on come on. Let's go. We have to she loved you she Lov me that episode where people should watch that episode just to see what we're talking about like. I said we don't want to get a copyright strike. So we're not going to put it up. But if you watch the episode it's bananas. It's like an alternative universe and it's only who n years ago whoopy loved loved. You gives you a hug and a kiss and how about that other one the new one on there the uh the one from my Administration. She writes me a letter the greatest president she leaves you know she worked as like an assistant press secretary. I hardly knew her but she leaves and she writes me this gorgeous letter. What's her name she was. Uh. I don't even know you know she anyway she was in the administration. She's on now currently sits on the far right hand side whatever the hell her name is and and she writes a letter the most beautiful letter. She's quoted in the paper. He's a consequential. He was the greatest president blah blah blah. Then all of a sudden. She goes to view and she said hitting the hell out of me because they won't hire unless I've had many people go on CNN and they call said I don't know what to do what they want to pay me a lot. But I have to be negative and knew I said be negative. That's okay there are guys on like CNN. They won't hire them. Shawn Duffy is a you know congressman and he retired. He got a good job with CNN but he was only positive about Trump so they kept him but they would never put him on. I mean I respect what he did. He could have gone you know negative. I tell people go negative. You know let my friends make the money well. It's so crooked. The Press is so crooked CR. It's crooked but it's also they're diminishing themselves. They're they they are they're killing all their credibility and it's opening up the credibility to New Media. It's opening up the credibility to Independent Media. All these the worst I've ever seen though and I've seen the worst I mean I've been a part of it. I've been I've seen the worst. Kamla goes on 60 Minutes gave an answer that a child wouldn't give. It was so bad in 60 minutes took the answer out. They took the whole and they put another answer in. They edited it deceptively which didn't make sense either. But it was better they took the well it wasn't editing. It was fraud yeah. This was not editing you know editing is where I'll give an answer and they'll take a couple of words and change them around or they might even take a sentence or two off which is very bad. But that's it's sort of bad. You know I'd give an answer which was a very good answer. I always talk about you know I like to give long. The Weave you know I like to you like to weave things in yeah. But when you do the weaves and you have to be very smart to do weaves when you do the weave look at this. Just in this one thing we're talking about little pieces here but always ends up no no. It comes back home for the right people for the wrong people. It doesn't come back home when they end up in the wilderness right but but they can take my answer and you know what they may take a little piece of it out or something and they use the term yes we want to save time well. It's not but I've never heard.I think it's the biggest scandal in broadcast history what happened to C CBS. So you have CBS 60 minutes. That's a news program. It's not an entertainment program. It's under their news. It's the head of their news thing. She gives an answer that was that shows that she's essentially incompetent and they took the answer could you imagine them. Doing that for me we can show it if you want people to see. It can. We show it. No we get in trouble. We'll get copyright strike okay. I'll listen anyone can find it. But it's it's drastic. But what was interesting was the other full version was available. Initially it was like a preview. They somebody made a big mistake somebody put that preview out there put the preview out and then the bosses did this or that and then all of a sudden. They said. We got a problem ex exactly and then they got caught by mistake well you but don't you think that's a bit to me and don't forget. This is election interference and fraud and it's 60 minutes. It's their news division. So they it's a big deal. They give those licenses out Joe for free. They should pay for Fortune. They're worth a fortune. They give them out for free because they're using the public. Airwaves with cable. You don't have that Cable's different but you know it. It's just a different deal but with the networks they give those license. They're worth billions of dollars. They give them out free but you have to be honest and all that was bad. I think that David mure and that woman that was aside I never even heard of her but they kept interrupting me.