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Trump 2.0: A Criminal Sentencing, Presidential Legacies, and Greenland
00:34:16
This week, President-elect Donald J. Trump asked the Supreme Court to prevent him from being sentenced in a New York criminal case and implied that he could use military force to seize control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, while President Biden did his best to try to Trump-proof his legacy. The Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Maggie Haberman, David E. Sanger and Zolan Kanno-Youngs discuss the latest in the presidential transition.
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- [00:01]
Andrew Osorkin
I'm Andrew Osorkin, the founder and editor of DealBook. It's a daily business and policy report from the New York Times. Every year I interview some of the world's most influential leaders at the Dealbook Summit. It's a live event in New York City and I've had some fascinating and unfiltered conversations which you can listen to in our limited series podcast. We've got a new season out and it is packed with more news making moments, figures like Jeff Bezos, Bill Clinton, Serena Williams and Sam Altman. Listen to the DealBook Summit wherever you get your podcasts.
- [00:31]
Michael Balbaro
From the New York Times, I'm Michael Balbaro. This is the Daily.
- [00:41]
Maggie Haberman
Today, Donald Trump's sentencing in the New York hush money case is just two days away and he is throwing a Hail Mary in the direction of the U.S. supreme Court.
- [00:50]
Michael Balbaro
During a busy week, President elect Trump asked the Supreme Court to prevent him from being sentenced in a New York criminal case.
- [00:58]
Maggie Haberman
There has been international pushback over Trump's recent comments about taking control of Greenland.
- [01:04]
Michael Balbaro
He implied that as president he could use military force to seize control of Greenland and the Panama Canal.
- [01:12]
Maggie Haberman
Less than two weeks before his inauguration, the president elect is mapping out headline making plans for his administration and he.
- [01:20]
Michael Balbaro
Overshadowed a sitting president who is using his final days in office to try to Trump proof his legacy. To make sense of all of this, I gathered three of my colleagues, senior political reporter Maggie Haberman and White House reporters David Sanger and Zolin Kano youngs. It's Friday, January 10th.
- [01:59]
David Sanger
Friends, welcome to the first Daily Roundtable of 2025 and thank you for being here. Maggie, you are joining us from Washington.
- [02:09]
Michael Balbaro
Welcome.
- [02:10]
Maggie Haberman
Thank you.
- [02:11]
David Sanger
David, you are coming to us from Mar A Lago. Nice to have you.
- [02:15]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Well, I'm down the street in Palm beach, but yes, we've been in and out of Mar A Lago a few times here now.
- [02:21]
Michael Balbaro
Good.
- [02:21]
David Sanger
And Zolin, we are talking to you from Italy where President Biden was supposed to be but had to cancel because of the Los Angeles wildfires. Thank you for being on.
- [02:30]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Ciao, ciao, colleagues.
- [02:33]
David Sanger
So we have all the geography covered here and as always, we begin with the caveat that we are recording this at a very specific time around 1:15 on Thursday because the news could change before we run this. And in fact, we know it will change because the Supreme Court is about to make a major ruling at the request of President elect Trump. Maggie, can you walk us through that request from President elect Trump?
- [02:58]
Maggie Haberman
Sure. So President elect Trump's lawyers filed a request for the Supreme Court to stop Trump's scheduled sentencing on felony falsifying business records that related to a payment to a porn star who said she'd had an affair with Trump.
- [03:13]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Right.
- [03:14]
David Sanger
We think of this as the hush money case.
- [03:15]
Maggie Haberman
The hush money case. And the sentencing was scheduled by New York Justice Juan Merchan For January 10.
- [03:21]
David Sanger
When this runs Friday morning.
- [03:22]
Maggie Haberman
Right now, it's worth bearing in mind, Michael, that part of why this sentencing has not happened yet is because Trump's legal team has repeatedly requested delays over and over and over again. And Mershon's feeling is it needs to happen at a certain point for closure and respect for the jury verdict and so forth and so on. He has refused their request to dismiss the case outright. The Trump team is, not surprisingly, using every avenue they can to try to delay it.
- [03:48]
David Sanger
And what's their strongest argument, Maggie, legally, for why the Supreme Court should weigh in and stop this local court case from running its course.
- [03:58]
Maggie Haberman
Legally, it's the presidential immunity argument. And it's going to be up to the justices to decide whether in their previous ruling about how presidents have pretty broad immunity for acts committed while in office. Whether this would technically apply there is the question, and I do think that some of the justices may feel this pull, of whether an incoming president should be facing a hearing where even though the judge in the case has signaled that he's going to give Trump an unconditional discharge, meaning no penalties, no jail times, no anything, no home confinement, it is onerous to go into office that way. And that's not really a legal argument. It's more a respect for the presidency argument.
- [04:38]
David Sanger
Fascinating. And, David, what would it mean for the ruling to go either way, not just for Trump necessarily, but for the idea of the rule of law?
- [04:48]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Well, for Trump to begin with, just the concept, as Maggie said, of being inaugurated in roughly 10 days as a felon is something that I think he would probably not want to see on his Wikipedia page. Right. And it will fit into the entire grievance argument that President elect Trump has made, that these prosecutions have been entirely political. And you've heard him make those arguments as recently as earlier this week at his press conference. But more importantly for the institution, it then would raise the fundamental question of how somebody could be convicted as a felon and then quite constitutionally, quite legally elected as president.
- [05:42]
David Sanger
David, you mentioned there was a press conference from President Elect Trump earlier this week, made a lot of news. And Zolin, you were covering that news conference. It was at Mar? A Lago Zolan, just To begin with, what was this news conference supposed to be about?
- [05:58]
Zolin Kano Youngs
You know, on paper, it was almost advertised as something that I think many would characterize as somewhat presidential about economic investment. The President elect came out with a business leader from the UAE that actually has close ties to the Trump family and started out by talking about a $20 billion investment to data centers, a sort of normal press conference as one goes into office. But it really only took minutes for this thing to move off topic.
- [06:29]
David Sanger
Right.
- [06:29]
Zolin Kano Youngs
And to devolve into something that was a news conference that I think we all saw when Trump was first in office.
- [06:36]
David Sanger
Well, inevitably it turn to Greenland. And David, you were there and you ended up asking him a question about his now repeated interest in the idea of the United States basically subsuming Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal. And I want to play, David, for our listeners, the question that you asked the President elect that basically became the exchange heard around the world here is what it sounded like.
- [07:11]
Zolin Kano Youngs
But let's start, if we could, with your references to Greenland and the Panama Canal, so forth. Can you assure the world that as you try to get control of these areas, you are not going to use military or economic coercion?
- [07:29]
No.
- [07:30]
And can you tell us a little bit about what your plan is? Are you going to negotiate a new treaty? Are you going to ask the Canadians to hold the vote? What is the strategy? I can't assure you. You're talking about Panama and Greenland. No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this. We need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built.
- [07:54]
David Sanger
David, just explain what it is Trump is saying. He's not saying all that much, but it's ends up making a ton of news.
- [08:02]
Zolin Kano Youngs
So when this all began in the first term, Michael, you may recall that one of his close friends had suggested to him that the United States should buy Greenland, an idea that actually Harry Truman had had in the 1940s at the opening of the Cold War. And in the first term, it was pretty much described as a real estate firm offer. Right. He was making an offer. The sellers said they weren't interested in selling, and he kind of moved on. Okay, Right. Denmark has got the foreign and defense responsibilities for Greenland. As the President elect has come back at this in December in a series of tweets and increasingly martial sounding statements, he has made it sound less like a deal and more like you have to go do this. And I had been told by people who had had conversations with him or with his advisors that he was increasingly discussing using the other powers of the United States to force Denmark and now Panama to basically make this deal happen. In other words, that he would come to it not just as a real estate developer, but a real estate developer who's commander in chief, most powerful, yes, military behind him. And so that's why I phrased the question as I did, which was to ask him, are you planning to use military or economic coercion? And as you might expect with Donald Trump, who frequently tells you, as Maggie knows better than I do, sort of what's right on his mind, he immediately said, I'm not going to rule out using any of those tools. And that's what made such news.
- [09:48]
David Sanger
Maggie and Zolen, let's take the president elect at his word here. What might it look like to use. Let's just use the example of military power, perhaps not to invade, but to begin a campaign of intimidation to try to convince Denmark this is inevitable.
- [10:06]
Maggie Haberman
I can't speak to what a military effort would look like that isn't an invasion in terms of economic pressure. Tariffs are Trump's tool of choice and have been over and over again. And I was talking to a former Biden administration official about this today who is saying that folks in Greenland are alarmed about the tariff threats. And there's a sense in Greenland that, as David said, this is different than the discussion in 2019, which was, this would be great for us strategically, that's a little different than, I want this and I'm going to take it. And I've been reminding some people in the last couple of days that Trump, in the early 1980s, when he was making his name as a developer, did things like threaten to move homeless people into a building he had bought to try to get certain tenants out. He did things like paint the homes of people who lived near one of his casinos in Atlantic City. Cause he just didn't like the way they looked, without asking their permission, just went and painted their houses. And so, like, this is his mindset and everything is sort of flat and the same, and he's treating it that way. Trump never rules anything out.
- [11:14]
Zolin Kano Youngs
It's straight out of his playbook. Economic coercion is straight out of his playbook.
- [11:18]
Maggie Haberman
Exactly.
- [11:19]
Zolin Kano Youngs
And it's not just Denmark and Panama, which he focused on in the press conference leaders there that are rattled by this. He also talked about Canada and potentially using economic coercion there also. The tricky thing with these press conferences is we focus on, in one example, Trump said, I want to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Right. The Focus is there. But also he did have comments about Mexico and the Mexican government not doing enough to stop migrants, to stop drug trafficking. We know that he has also threatened tariffs against Mexico before. So while there might be sort of a flashy statement at the top of this, I do think there's a real through line behind it. And it does, you know, rattle leaders, including some of our biggest trade partners.
- [12:03]
David Sanger
I have a theory I wanted to run by all of you, or perhaps just one of you who's willing to take it on about how Trump talks about Greenland, Panama Canal, Canada, and what may simply underlie it. And let's just put aside the argument that there's a strategic economic reason for doing it. Perhaps there very much is. I don't think it's controversial to say that at this moment, Americans sense of themselves is that we're a little bit on our heels. We aren't the only superpower in the world anymore. David, you've written books about this. Many see us as a nation somewhat in decline from our heights of power. And in that context, my logic has been the idea of expansion, even if it's just an idea, is enormously appealing in this moment. It's like a return to manifest destiny. Westward Ho. You know, we have bought states and land in the past. We bought Alaska from Russia. I looked it up right before this conversation started. And so should we just view it in that context? It's nationalism on steroids.
- [12:58]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Yes. America went through a phase where from the Louisiana Purchase to Alaska, which was dismissed as, you know, Seward's Folly at the time, right to the Spanish American War, from which we got Guam and Puerto Rico and had control of the Philippines for a long time. This was the way the US operated in the post World War II era. We have talked instead about living in a rule of international law where power took a backseat to what our legal rights were. And our fundamental argument as a nation about why the United States is supporting Ukraine is that Vladimir Putin used the fact that he had a more powerful army to go in on a national security argument. You could call it a pretense to invade Ukraine and that, you know, we have moved beyond that. That was the core of the Biden argument for why this was an illegal move. So any suggestion that the United States was moving back to sort of the law of the jungle is what's got people so, I think, disturbed at this moment.
- [14:10]
David Sanger
I mean, Maggie, let me give you a last word on this before we go to break. Is this symbolic or based on your reporting, is this a serious earnest undertaking that we should be watching with the carefulness that goes with the adage that when Trump says something, take it seriously.
- [14:26]
Maggie Haberman
I think in general, he's the incoming president. So I think that after everything we have seen over the last eight years, the whole literally, seriously fight seems kind of beside the point to me. And settled. Yeah, and settled. And so he's saying it. I mean, part of the problem, too, Michael, is that Trump sort of everything is a troll until, as Jonathan Swan says, until it suddenly becomes serious.
- [14:51]
David Sanger
We are going to take a break, and when we come back, we're going to talk about what the president, the actual sitting president, is up to right now. It's quite overshadowed by the president elect. And understand how Biden is thinking about his final days in office.
- [15:03]
Michael Balbaro
We'll be right back.
- [15:09]
David Sanger
The New York Times app has all this stuff that you may not have seen.
- [15:13]
Maggie Haberman
The way the tabs are at the.
- [15:14]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Top with all of the different sections.
- [15:16]
I can immediately navigate to something that matches what I'm feeling, play Wordle or.
- [15:20]
David Sanger
Connections and then swipe over to read today's headlines.
- [15:23]
Maggie Haberman
There's an article next to a recipe next to games. And it's just easy to get everything in one place.
- [15:30]
Zolin Kano Youngs
This app is essential. The New York Times app. All of the Times, all in one place.
- [15:36]
David Sanger
Download it now@nytimes.com app okay, Zolin, talk about what President Biden is doing in this final stretch of time he has in office.
- [15:50]
Zolin Kano Youngs
So I'll start with policy and sort of the actions that he's been taking. You know, he recently signed an executive order in the vein of environmental justice and climate. It would basically ban drilling in about 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters.
- [16:07]
David Sanger
Wow.
- [16:07]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Biden has also used his final days to issue clemency action as well for those on death row.
- [16:13]
David Sanger
Right.
- [16:13]
Zolin Kano Youngs
That being said, I do think that there's a focus right now on how the sitting president is sort of putting up hurdles in the way for the incoming administration. When I talk to administration officials privately, they're honest that they're limited in what they can do with the president elect coming in. You know, Trump has said that he's going to gut Biden's inflation Reduction act and his environmental investments. He has said he's going to peel back some of that money. And there are laws in place that basically say that appropriated funds have to go out. But there is not much you can do for, say, Biden's executive actions on immigration. Trump's going to be able to peel much of that back. So, yes, Biden is taking action to try to protect some of these policies. But privately, administration officials are a little bit more candid about how little they can do here to protect this agenda, particularly that which wasn't signed into legislation.
- [17:11]
David Sanger
Right. What you're pointing to is that Biden might sign an executive order saying that the grounds under the ocean can't be drilled. But the thing about an executive order is that it depends on who's the executive. Trump could come in and essentially roll that back, which is the case for pretty much all executive action.
- [17:26]
Zolin Kano Youngs
That's right.
- [17:27]
David Sanger
David, what stands out to you about these last, I guess, two weeks and days of Biden's presidency?
- [17:36]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Two things. First, on the executive orders, we've still got a couple that are coming, and some that will put, I think, President Elect Trump in something of an interesting bind, or at least some interesting choices. There's an order coming on artificial intelligence that would basically restrict to manufacturing in the United States and keeping in the United States the data centers, many of the chips that are used for AI purposes, so that China can't use them for military purposes. It's a very nationalistic kind of order. It follows what Biden has been doing with the semiconductor industry since the start. And it would make President Trump, once he's in office, have to choose between his tech supporters, including the Elon Musk crowd, who want the greatest ability to conduct AI work all around the world.
- [18:28]
David Sanger
Fascinating.
- [18:28]
Zolin Kano Youngs
And the MAGA group that would say, let's do this here in the United States. And I think he might stick with that one.
- [18:34]
David Sanger
So you're saying if Biden can't protect everything he's done, what he can do is drive a wedge between Trump and his supporters.
- [18:40]
Zolin Kano Youngs
That's right.
- [18:41]
David Sanger
And leave him in a pretty tough spot.
- [18:42]
Zolin Kano Youngs
That's right. And between these emerging groups, the tech supporters versus the older line, sort of nationalistic MAGA supporters. On your broader question, you know what's been remarkable, I think, to all of us has been the degree to which President Biden has ceded the spotlight. We've now seen Trump do two major press conferences. I don't believe there's been a full press conference with President Biden since the NATO summit last summer, just before he dropped out of the race.
- [19:15]
David, I traveled with him to Latin America and Angola, and he answered two shouted questions during both of those trips. Answered two shouted questions.
- [19:26]
David Sanger
You know, and this is the old trope. Journalists really like it when their presidents hold news conferences. But I'm hearing you all say this is not just journalistic bellyaching. About access to the president. This is about what seems like either a conscious or unconscious decision by the president to not hold the office in the fullest way possible publicly as he could at the end of his presidency.
- [19:45]
Zolin Kano Youngs
That's right. And he did one interview with USA Today.
- [19:49]
David Sanger
You know where I'm going, David, you.
- [19:51]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Know, in that I'll be interested to see what, what Zola and Maggie thought. I didn't think that he used the moment to sort of put his presidency in the scale of history.
- [20:02]
David Sanger
Well, let's talk about what he did do in that interview. I mean, the elements of the interview with USA Today that ultimately seemed to break through were the fact that Biden, among other things, is considering issuing preemptive pardons that would protect potential targets of a criminal investigation by the incoming Trump administration. We've talked so much on the show about a Trump DOJ's pretty much open commitment to going after certain of his rivals and enemies. It was interesting that Biden came out and said, I am thinking about doing this. Do we know who might be at the top of that list for preemptive pardons and do they want them? Because getting a preemptive pardon from the president suggests that you might have done something wrong.
- [20:46]
Maggie Haberman
Yeah. This has been a huge subject within the White House and on Capitol Hill, and it really did, as I understand it, originate from Capitol Hill. There are a lot of members of Congress who are concerned that the way he often frames it is this person should be investigated. Now, I just want to point out, because Trump's people often do, he told Meet the Press that he wasn't going to direct the DOJ on what to do. And maybe that will be true and maybe it won't be true, but it almost doesn't need to be true because they know what he wants and they know what he'd like to see done. So these folks are worried about being targeted for trying to hold Trump accountable for things like trying to stay in office after losing an election.
- [21:24]
David Sanger
Or here talking about Liz Cheney, Liz.
- [21:26]
Maggie Haberman
Cheney, for instance, or Bennie Thompson, who co chaired the J6 committee with her. Or Anthony Fauci, who is a top infectious diseases official in for decades who, including during the Trump administration and incurred a lot of anger for his coronavirus era recommendations. People can take issue with some of the recommendations without suggesting he somehow committed a crime. And that's where that leap goes. But if you accept a pardon, you are acknowledging some level of wrongdoing. And these folks generally don't believe they did anything wrong, number one. Number two, the challenge for the Biden White House is where is the line? Where do you stop?
- [22:02]
David Sanger
Biden also made a fascinating admission in this conversation with USA Today, and it was this. Although he believes he could have beaten Trump had he stayed in the race, which we'll never really know the answer to, he said he's unsure. He acknowledged an uncertainty that he would have made it through a second term. That's a big thing to acknowledge, Soln.
- [22:22]
Zolin Kano Youngs
I thought that was his most clear acknowledgment of what many Democrats had been fearing. You know, one thing I would often hear is it's not necessarily that he's 82 years old. It's what happens when he's 86, what happens at the end of a second term, and does he have the ability to fully carry out that service? And here you saw him acknowledging that concern as well. I also think he was speaking to. We've been reporting a lot on just Biden's sort of mood and his mindset in these final months, and there's been frustration. He does believe that he had the ability to beat Trump if he had stayed at the top of the ticket. He's also very reflective right now. And I think the USA Today interview showed that he's in this period where he's reflecting on his long career, but also thinking about what could have been if he hadn't dropped out. But to be clear, I mean, most polling does throw doubt on the fact that he had the ability to beat Trump.
- [23:19]
Maggie Haberman
Can I just make one point real quick, Michael, in terms of what Zalan is saying, he is reflecting, but he's reflecting on what he believes he was denied. He's not reflecting on mistakes that he made or how the White House handled questions about his age or the fact that large numbers of reporters were attacked on social media and elsewhere for raising questions that were taking place in front of their eyes. Right. And to deliver the statement of yes, I could have won, but who knows if I. I can't say for sure if I could have served the whole four years. That's a pretty astonishing statement, David.
- [23:54]
David Sanger
Is that an admission of irresponsibility on Biden's part? You've covered this presidency for its entirety to suggest that you might not be able to fulfill the obligations of President of the United States commander in Chief for a full term, but that you were determined to do it anyway. It borders on raising serious questions about judgment.
- [24:13]
Zolin Kano Youngs
It sure does, Michael, because it raises the question, when, Mr. President, did you come to that conclusion?
- [24:19]
David Sanger
Right. Because before or after you decided not to run.
- [24:22]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Right. At that last press conference that I mentioned, the nitty press conference, I asked him whether or not he thought that he could take on a sit down meeting with Putin or XI in two or three years. And he basically said, absolutely, that was July, that he definitely could go do that. And what are we hearing from him now? Well, no one can predict what I'm going to be like when I'm approaching 86. Well, that's true of everybody in that age group. And I hope that all of us in this conversation get to the point where we have to go make that decision ourselves. But I'd love to know when he came to this conclusion.
- [25:05]
David Sanger
David, this does remind me that you are basically the Forrest Gump of presidential news conferences. Totally sure. Which news conference? Did you not ask the question?
- [25:14]
Maggie Haberman
It's totally true.
- [25:15]
David Sanger
I want to end, my friends, on a scene that has just played out, a somber one in Washington at the National Cathedral. Biden was there, so was Donald Trump and all of our living former presidents. This was the funeral, of course, of former President Jimmy Carter. I'm curious what stood out to all of you about the ceremony? I know you're busy. You might not have been able to watch the funeral in its entirety, but there were several moments that I think a number of our colleagues are seizing on for their symbolism and their significance.
- [25:47]
Maggie Haberman
I didn't get to hear most of the eulogies, Michael, but from what I saw visually, what was striking was Mike Pence sitting almost directly behind Donald Trump and they shook hands at one point. I don't think they have seen each other in person since they left office.
- [26:03]
David Sanger
January 6th might have spelled Mike Pence's death at the hands of people rioting in the name of Donald Trump.
- [26:09]
Maggie Haberman
He rose to shake Trump's hand and Trump has since said, well, those people were angry. The mob at the Capitol of his supporters in explaining, somewhat justifying why they would be saying such things. The other thing that really struck me was just what looked like moments of levity. I don't know if it was pretend or not between President Obama and President Trump who were sitting next to each other.
- [26:29]
David Sanger
I noticed those as well.
- [26:30]
Maggie Haberman
You know, these are two men who, the one who is about to be president for a second time rose to prominence in the Republican Party by questioning the legitimacy of the former president.
- [26:42]
David Sanger
Was he American? Was he born in the United States?
- [26:44]
Maggie Haberman
Right. Was he truly born in the US it was really striking, especially because Obama was quite pointed about Donald Trump during this last campaign in a way that he generally hadn't Been we're going to slide in and out of sort of Washington routine and normalcy at certain points. And then there's going to be how Trump does things. That is not how things have usually been done. And today was just a stark reminder of that.
- [27:09]
Zolin Kano Youngs
That was the most striking thing for me, Maggie, is just seeing not just Obama, but also Biden and really all of these leaders sitting together. In a way, you have a collision of institutionalists and traditionalists facing somebody that for years they have called a threat to democracy and who many of their also supporters believe is a threat to democracy. But now you're in this period where your commitment to the institution rises above it seems.
- [27:39]
Maggie Haberman
Exactly.
- [27:40]
David Sanger
David, I wanna end with a clip of President Biden's eulogy to Jimmy Carter. I think by the time we're done playing it, you'll understand why I chose it. Let me just play it for you.
- [27:52]
Zolin Kano Youngs
You know, we have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor and to stand up to what my dad used to say is the greatest sin of all, the abuse of power.
- [28:08]
David Sanger
Was that what I think it was?
- [28:10]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Oh, yeah, that was exactly what you thought it was. Just translate that, you know, so the eulogy was about Jimmy Carter, but it was about Jimmy Carter as the anti Trump. And I think that is what Biden truly believes. And so you had this odd duality as I was watching it. And it struck me, Michael, not to follow your Forrest Gump comparisons for too long. Cause I'm not sure I really like that one very much. But these are the five presidents I've covered, and these are five remarkably different people. But four of them worked within the institutions, even though we had our doubts at various moments during the Iraq war about George W. Bush. And one of them has celebrated living outside the institution. And one way you could look at the five people who were standing there was to say, this moment too shall pass. We've had good presidents, bad presidents, presidents who broke laws, presidents who didn't break laws. Sure. A lot of people looked at this and looked at Bill Clinton and said, here is an impeached president standing, standing here. And there was one at the other end of the bench as well. But the other way to go look at it is that that eulogy basically was a warning that while we have made it through each one of these five presidencies represented on those benches and Jimmy Carter's, that there remains a threat to the institution. And I think that's what Biden was saying without ever, of course, uttering Donald Trump's name.
- [29:58]
David Sanger
Well, Maggie and Zolin and David, thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate it.
- [30:04]
Maggie Haberman
Thank you.
- [30:04]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Thank you, Michael.
- [30:05]
Thanks, Michael.
- [30:13]
Michael Balbaro
On Thursday night, the Supreme Court denied Trump's request to stop his criminal sentencing in the New York City hush money case. The decision all but ensures that Trump's sentencing will proceed as planned. Later today, the justices noted that Trump faces no jail time and can still appeal his conviction through traditional legal means. We'll be right back. Here's what else you need to know today.
- [31:03]
Maggie Haberman
It is safe to say that the.
- [31:05]
Zolin Kano Youngs
Palisades fire is one of the most.
- [31:08]
Maggie Haberman
Destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles.
- [31:13]
Michael Balbaro
On Thursday, officials in Los Angeles said that the largest of the city's five wildfires, the Palisades fire has now damaged or destroyed thousands of buildings and continues to burn out of control. In a worrying sign for firefighters, forecasters expected winds to pick up on Thursday night with wind speeds of 20-30 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph, and warned that heavy winds could arrive again over the weekend. So far, the fires have killed at least five people, but that number is expected to rise. And during his state funeral on Thursday, former President Jimmy Carter was remembered as a humble peanut farmer who rose to the heights of power and used that power to seek out justice and peace.
- [32:25]
Zolin Kano Youngs
It was something of a miracle, and I don't mean this with any disrespect, but hard for me to understand how you could get to be president from Plains, Georgia.
- [32:45]
Michael Balbaro
In eulogy after eulogy, friends, advisors and Carter's grandson, Jason Carter recalled just how much the former president and his late wife, Rosalynn had embraced a life of modesty.
- [33:02]
G
Yes, they spent four years in the governor, governor's mansion and four years at the White House. But the other 92 years they spent at home in Plains, Georgia. And one of the best ways to demonstrate that they were regular folks is to take them by that home. First of all, it looks like they might have built it themselves. Second of all, my grandfather was likely to show up at the door in some 70s short shorts and Crocs.
- [33:36]
Michael Balbaro
After the funeral, Carter's body was flown by military jet to his hometown in Georgia for a private service at his local church and a burial at a family plot next to his. Today's episode was produced by Rob Zipko, Michael Simon Johnson and Will Reed. It was edited by Rachel Quester and Chris Haxel, contains original music by Dan Powell and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly, a reminder, you can catch a new episode of the Interview right here tomorrow. David Marchese speaks with the actor and comedian Ben Stiller about what it was like growing up as the son of comedy legends.
- [34:47]
Zolin Kano Youngs
It's a hard thing with. When you look up to a parent so much, I look at myself and.
- [34:52]
Michael Balbaro
Go, am I that person?
- [34:53]
Zolin Kano Youngs
You know, am I as good as he was?
- [34:56]
Are you? I don't know.
- [35:04]
Michael Balbaro
That's it for the Daily I'm Michael Balboro. See you on Monday.