Fox’s Bret Baier Reveals ‘Most Challenging’ Thing About Trump: Debating Which Fact-Checking ‘Hill To Die On’
Fox News anchor Bret Baier revealed that fact-checking is the most challenging thing about interviewing President Donald Trump — and deciding which “hill to die on.”
NOTUS (News of the United States) — which bills itself as a nonpartisan nonprofit newsroom dedicated to “honest reporting” — held a journalism forum on Wednesday morning, hours after Trump delivered a 99-minute address to a joint session of Congress.
The program, entitled “Media and Democracy: Covering Trump 2.0,” consisted of a panel moderated by NOTUS White House reporter Jasmine Wright and consisting of Politico White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns, CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett, ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl, and MSNBC host Ali Vitali.
The headline attraction was a Q&A with Baier moderated by Josh Dawsey of The Wall Street Journal, during which Dawsey quizzed him extensively about interviewing Trump and other presidents.
Asked the most “challenging” thing about Trump, Baier noted “there’s a lot to fact-check” with him:
JOSH DAWSEY: What do you what do you find is the most challenging part of interviewing him one on one and sort of how do you prepare for it?
BRET BAIER: Yeah. So the fact-checking real time, you have to debate what is– what is worth dying on that hill and having that moment.
Because there’s a lot to fact check, as you know, you know, through something, he says.
But in an effort to get news, I think you you try to steer him to the questions you’re trying to go to. The heart of the issue.
He does answer questions more than any other president I’ve ever seen. I think he’s already answered some 1400 questions from the press in some way, shape or form– comparison to the last president. Contrast, rather, is night and day.
He eventually answers the question. You just have to give them time sometimes to get there. And that’s a challenge. In a TV interview especially.
JOSH DAWSEY: Right. It’s different sort of in print. You know, if I have 30 minutes with him, I can sort of let him wander off and then bring him back and then whatever.
But when you’re on a limited time period and you’re live on camera, I’m guessing there’s different contours and how you think you have to handle that.
BRET BAIER: Right. And so I’ve interviewed obviously other presidents, President Obama of days before the the Obamacare vote in the House. And, you know, I just remember being in the blue Room asking questions. And the first answer was three minutes, and the second answer was three minutes and 30s. And they gave me 20 minutes overall. And there was a guy, a White House staffer with a phone that was ticking back from 20 minutes, like a time-bomb. And, you know, I’m looking at it going, wow, if I don’t step in here.
JOSH DAWSEY: (inaudible) president in the wrong way. You also sort of pardon my French look like an asshole. So–
BRET BAIER: Yeah, yeah. So there’s a fine line.
Watch above via NOTUS.
