What's that prep process like? What are things we might not think about that you need to be thinking about as a press secretary?

Well, what's really going on inside the head is it's exploding.

[laughs] I, I mean, there's just so much that you have to be ready for.

Um, typically at a briefing, they last 30 to 45 minutes, at least when, when I was press secretary.

You would take 20 to 25 different topics.

You know, if there was a crisis, it was my easiest briefing 'cause I knew all the questions were gonna be on one topic.

If it's a slow news day, I could get questions on Medicare, Social Security, the situation in the Balkans, involved relations with China, tariffs with Canada, the president's health.

How many hours of work and memorization and prep would you say, uh, there was for every half-hour press briefing that you'd be doing?

What's that pr- process like? What are things we might not think about that you need to be thinking about as a press secretary?

Well, what's really going on inside the head is it's exploding.

[laughs] I mean, there is just so much that you have to be ready for.

Um, typically at a briefing, they last 30 to 45 minutes, at least when, when I was press secretary.

You would take 20 to 25 different topics.

You know, if there was a crisis, it was my easiest briefing, 'cause I knew all the questions were gonna be on one topic.

If it's a slow news day, I could get questions on Medicare, Social Security, the situation in the Balkans, involve relations with China, tariffs with Canada, the president's health.

How many hours of work and memorization and prep would you say uh, there was for every half-hour press briefing that you'd be doing?

Uh, this is such a tough time to be a White House Press Secretary, right? [laughs]

Well, it's a tough time to be the press secretary.

It's always tough to be the [laughs] press secretary.

But it's especially tough when you're an outsider coming into an administration in midterm.

I had the advantage of working for George W. Bush for one year on the presidential campaign from 1999 through 2000.

I came in on day one.

I knew every position Bush took.

Governor, uh, what are you expecting for tonight?

You know, this was a, you know, an alleged gang member

memberI think he's gotta make the case that nothing she does works.

The only people it works for are the New York State's most powerful people and the most liberal people, but if you're the average working-class person in New York, what has she done for you? How has she put more money in your pocket? How has she lowered your costs? How has she done any of the things you need to make your life less of a struggle? And then there's crime, and then there's her policies and the Democrat national policies on letting people take your job from you, people who came over the border illegally.

Thank goodness that's down, but under what they believe in, it'll come roaring right back.

These are the types of things, you've gotta drive the wedge between her and the blue-collar, working-class people of New York, who are the ones who really make the difference in elections.

Uh, this is such a tough time to be a White House press secretary, right? [laughs]

Well, it's a tough time to be the press secretary.

It's always tough to be the press secretary.

How much can you spend in three weeks in New York?

Well, and I heard it a little bit over the weekend.

She's got her sights set on the presidency as well.

She'll be one of maybe 30 Democrats who starts to look at running for president.

So she could use that money to run for president? Sure, of course you can.

It's not federal money.

Some of it you can.

This is such a tough time to be a White House press secretary, right?

I mean, what does that say? They're from Somalia.

Yeah.

This is what I was referring to earlier about France.

We have a growing internal problem, just like Europe does, where communities come here and they don't assimilate.

The beauty of America and the reason we're a religiously tolerant country is because people come to America and become like Americans.

They assimilate.

They want to live the values of our Bill of Rights.

I mean, does Europe have a plan to stop the invasion?

When are the American people going to wake up and understand that these people are a clear and present danger to the survival of Western civilization?

Well, shoot, it's not only Arabia, the Middle East, it's France.

It's increasingly Europe.

I mean, yeah, I wish people wake up, open their eyes, see what's going on.

And, you know, it's difficult for us Americans because we are a nation born in tolerance.

Our traditions are tolerant.

Our founding principle is welcoming to religion, and we need to and must be welcoming to religion.

Yep.

I mean, what does that say? They're from Somalia.

This is what I was referring to earlier about France.

We have a growing internal problem, just like Europe does, where communities come here and they don't assimilate.

The beauty of America and the reason we're a religiously tolerant country is because people come to America and become like Americans.

They assimilate.

They want to live the values of our Bill of Rights.

They want to live the values of our Constitution.

I mean, does Europe have a plan to stop the invasion? No.

I mean, what does that say? They're from Somalia.

This is what I was referring to earlier about France.

We have a growing internal problem, just like Europe does, where communities come here and they don't assimilate.

The beauty of America and the reason we're a religiously tolerant country is because people come to America and become like Americans.

They assimilate.

They want to live the values of our Bill of Rights.

They want to live the values of our Constitution.

Grainger, for the ones who get it done.

Am I right?

This is why the Democrats take crazy positions to begin with.

This is why they're for men playing against women in sports.

This is why they're for an open border.

It is because the entire passion and energy of the Democratic Party comes from the far, far left as espoused by people like Hassan Piker.

And so therefore, if you're a Democrat in a primary or a Democrat trying to avoid a primary, you will not alienate the energy in the left-wing base.

So you sound like the left-wing base.

Yeah, we have our gender scoring judge who's going to correct you.

But he's been very effective at saying, do you want communism? Do you want people like an El Sayed? Do you want Chevalier who washed her hands with the American flag in New York? Is that a compelling argument? And if they can turn the tide with some of these things, like you said, if Iran can fall apart, some of these other things, do you think that that's effective enough because the other side is crazy?

This is where we're now in the trenches.

That's why I said it's going to be a wild October.

Good campaigns can use the Democrat craziness on their issues, the socialism on their issues, woke 2.0 on their issues.

Good Republican candidates can use that to win individual races and fight the national tide.

So there are those good options out there, and Lord knows the Democrats are nominating the craziest candidates you can imagine everywhere, from a defender of Al-Qaeda in New Jersey, additional socialists throughout the United States, a fake physician in Michigan with Abdul Al-Said, all kinds of opportunities for Republicans.

And now it's up to the individual campaigns to make those cases.

And if we don't get that messaging out, we're not going to be successful in the midterms.

But he's been very effective at saying, do you want communism? Do you want people like an El Sayed? Do you want Chevalier who washed her hands with the American flag in New York? Is that a compelling argument? And if they can turn the tide with some of these things, like you said, if Iran can fall apart, some of these other things, do you think that that's effective enough because the other side is crazy?

This is where we're now in the trenches.

That's why I said it's going to be a wild October.

Good campaigns can use the Democrat craziness on their issues, the socialism on their issues, woke 2.0 on their issues.

Good Republican candidates can use that to win individual races and fight the national tide.

So there are those good options out there, and Lord knows the Democrats are nominating the craziest candidates you can imagine everywhere, from a defender of Al-Qaeda in New Jersey, additional socialists throughout the United States, a fake physician in Michigan with Abdul Al-Said, all kinds of opportunities for Republicans.

And now it's up to the individual campaigns to make those cases.

And if we don't get that messaging out, we're not going to be successful in the midterms.

But he's been very effective at saying, do you want communism? Do you want people like an El Sayed? Do you want Chevalier who washed her hands with the American flag in New York? Is that a compelling argument? And if they can turn the tide with some of these things, like you said, if Iran can fall apart, some of these other things, do you think that that's effective enough because the other side is crazy?

This is where we're now in the trenches.

That's why I said it's going to be a wild October.

Good campaigns can use the Democrat craziness on their issues, the socialism on their issues, woke 2.0 on their issues.

Good Republican candidates can use that to win individual races and fight the national tide.

So there are those good options out there, and Lord knows the Democrats are nominating the craziest candidates you can imagine everywhere, from a defender of al-Qaeda in New Jersey, additional socialists throughout the United States, a fake physician in Michigan with Abdul Al-Said, all kinds of opportunities for Republicans.

And now it's up to the individual campaigns to make those cases.

And if we don't get that messaging out, we're not going to be successful in the midterms.

I'm on pins and needles.

That's worth watching.

And this goes back to your first question.

It's been a parade of terrorist leaders coming to the United Nations and speaking.

And that's our tradition.

That's why we put the United Nations in New York.

They have the right to come here and give those speeches.

What is your feeling about the momentum here?

I'm on pins and

needles.

That's worth watching.

And this goes back to your first question.

It's been a parade of terrorist leaders coming to the United Nations and speaking.

And that's our tradition.

That's why we put the United Nations in New York.

What is your feeling about the momentum here?

I'm on pins and needles.

That's worth watching.

And this goes back to your first question.

It's been a parade of terrorist leaders coming to the United Nations and speaking.

And that's our tradition.

That's why we put the United Nations in New York.

They have the right to come here and give those speeches.

What is your feeling about the momentum here?

When that happened and after 9-11 was underway and after the president was notified and you started moving, talk to us about how information was getting in and getting out of the bubble around the president at that moment.

Yeah, it was a totally different information age.

Nobody was looking at their phones because phones didn't exist.

There was no social media.

People weren't checking Twitter to see what the latest news was.

It was old-fashioned.

You got your news by watching television and by getting reports on the telephone.

How quickly did he come to that realization?

When that happened and after 9-11 was underway and after the president was notified and you started moving, talk to us about how information was getting in and getting out of the bubble around the president at that moment.

Yeah, it was a totally different information age.

Nobody was looking at their phones because phones didn't exist.

There was no social media.

People weren't checking Twitter to see what the latest news was.

It was old-fashioned.

You got your news by watching television and by getting reports on the telephone.

How quickly did he come to that realization?

I mean, but the real facts of it, and President Trump said it right over the weekend in some of the speeches I've heard, is that we are trying to get rid of the evil empire, and the evil empire keeps, you know, poking their head up.

The American people are very much focused on domestic economic matters, and it's always tricky for a president to get involved in international affairs, particularly in this modern era that we're in.

I salute President Trump's leadership and vision for doing it.

As a strong supporter of Israel, it is necessary to protect America's best ally around the world.

And so it's a political risk the president took.

People who think he just does things for political reasons should look at this.

But the bigger question is, is this rise of big government socialism, which threatens each and every one of us, which is going to drive our prices higher, which will drive the price of oil even higher.

They're going for Mike Rogers or they're staying home.

I mean, but the real facts of it— And President Trump said it right over the weekend in some of the speeches I've heard, is that we are trying to get rid of the evil empire, and the evil empire keeps, you know, poking their head up.

The American people are very much focused on domestic economic matters, and it's always tricky for a president to get involved in international affairs, particularly in this modern era that we're in.

I salute President Trump's leadership and vision for doing it.

As a strong supporter of Israel, it is necessary to protect America's best ally around the world.

And so it's a political risk the president took.

People who think he just does things for political reasons should look at this.

But the bigger question is, is this rise of big government socialism, which threatens each and every one of us, which is going to drive our prices higher, which will drive the price of oil even higher.

They're going for Mike Rogers or they're staying home.

I mean, but the real facts of it, and President Trump said it right over the weekend on some of the speeches I've heard, is that we are trying to get rid of the evil empire, and the evil empire keeps, you know, poking their head up.

The American people are very much focused on domestic economic matters, and it's always tricky for a president to get involved in international affairs, particularly in this modern era that we're in.

I salute President Trump's leadership and vision for doing it.

As a strong supporter of Israel, it is necessary to protect America's best ally around the world.

And so it's a political risk the president took.

People who think he just does things for political reasons should look at this.

But the bigger question is, is this rise of big government socialism, which threatens each and every one of us, which is going to drive our prices higher, which will drive the price of oil even higher.

They're going for Mike Rogers or they're staying home.

I mean, but the real facts of it, and President Trump said it right over the weekend in some of the speeches I've heard, is that we are trying to get rid of the evil empire, and the evil empire keeps, you know, poking their head up.

The American people are very much focused on domestic economic matters, and it's always tricky for a president to get involved in international affairs, particularly in this modern era that we're in.

I salute President Trump's leadership and vision for doing it.

As a strong supporter of Israel, it is necessary to protect America's best ally around the world.

And so it's a political risk the president took.

People who think he just does things for political reasons should look at this.

But the bigger question is, is this rise of big government socialism, which threatens each and every one of us, which is going to drive our prices higher, which will drive the price of oil even higher.

They're going for Mike Rogers or they're staying home.

And so that takes us to that's a nice transition into how did how did you then get to the White House? So I

spent 17 years working on Capitol Hill.

We lost that campaign, but I moved to Washington unemployed.

And after about five months from Election Day, two months after I got to Washington, I got my first job on Capitol Hill as a press secretary to another New York congressman.

So I was press secretary for three congressmen and one senator.

I was at the House Ways and Means Committee communications director, and I was kind of getting bored with Capitol Hill.

And a friend of mine was the chief consultant for Elizabeth Dole when she was running for president in 1999.

That's

Ari Fleischer.

That then went through the Situation Room, got transferred then, the information transferred to the PEOC, the bunker underneath the White House, where the Vice President, Condi Rice, and other top White House officials were.

And then the Vice President called the president on Air Force One and said to him, we just got a phone call saying Angel is next.

Now, Angel is the Secret Service code word for Air Force One.

The fact that someone had the name Angel sent shockwaves through the Secret Service and through Colonel Tillman, Colonel Mark Tillman, the Air Force One pilot.

How did anybody have the code word for Air Force One? and call the White House and say, Angel is next.

The president then has the briefing.

The president simply said, I'm going back to Washington.

Ari Fleischer

... that then went through the Situation Room, got transferred then, the information transferred to the PEOC, the bunker underneath the White House where the vice president, Condi Rice, and other top White House officials were.

And then the vice president called the president on Air Force One and said to him, "We just got a phone call saying Angel is next." [tense music] Now, Angel is the Secret Service code word for Air Force One.

The fact that someone had the name Angel sent shock waves through the Secret Service and through Colonel Tillman, Colonel Mark Tillman, the Air Force One pilot.

How could anybody have the code word for Air Force One and call the White House and say, "Angel is next"?

The president then has the briefing.

The president simply said, "I'm going back to Washington." The Secret Service would have preferred him to stay overnight in Offutt, but at that point, there were no more aircraft in the sky.

All the aircraft had landed.