Trump’s First Non-Fox News TV Interview in 2 Months Could Not Have Been Softer

“I want you to know there are thousands of thousands of people praying for you all the time.”

Steve Helber/AP

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

In his first televised interview since May not on Fox News, President Trump sat down with the controversial televangelist Pat Robertson. For a little context, in the past Robertson has said same-sex marriage “doesn’t bring forth anything except disease, apparently, and suffering,” and he has described the “feminist agenda” as something that “encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” 

So as soon as the interview with the host of The 700 Club begins, it’s clear that Robertson is going to give the commander in chief one of his toughest grillings. “I’m so proud of everything you’re doing,” Robertson gushes at the start of the segment, which aired Thursday. 

The 25-minute-long interview with Robertson is one of less than a handful that Trump has given since news broke that his son, Donald Trump Jr., knowingly met with a Russian lawyer who was offering to share incriminating information on his father’s opponent Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr. was told the lawyer was acting on behalf of the Russian government, which was offering the information as part of its support for his father’s campaign. Robertson, though, doesn’t even mention the bombshell news.

Here’s a quick look at some of the lowlights that came out of the televangelist’s mouth:

  1. “It looks like to me lowering the corporate tax to get us in line with the rest of the world is, again, a no brainer. Can you get that one through?”
  2. “I’d like to make a prediction. If you get healthcare and tax reform, you’re guaranteed another 4 years in office if you want it.”
  3. “I appreciate so much what you’re doing. By the way, the evangelicals of America voted 83 percent in the last election for you. I want you to know there are thousands of thousands of people praying for you all the time and holding you up.”
  4. “You met for the first time face to face with Vladimir Putin. George Bush had once said he stared into his soul and came away satisfied. What do you think, can we trust him?”
  5. “There seems to be a visceral hatred of you in the part on the left, and they won’t quit. Does it bother you?”

You can watch the hard-hitting interview below.

DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate