The Wall Street Journal, the conservative Wall Street Journal, is reporting that Trump's new press secretary took the California bar exam back in 2011 and failed. Failing an exam happens. People fail the bar exam all the time. Some people have to take it multiple times and then they take it multiple times and they pass. It's some of the best lawyers. Okay, that's fine. The question is what happened afterwards? Did she pass somewhere else? Where is she licensed? The New York Times is reporting, the Wall Street Journal is reporting, the Washington Post is reporting. Everyone is reporting like, can't find it. Trump introduced her as an attorney. She has repeatedly called herself a lawyer, but reporting has found no record of her being admitted to practice in the United States. The California State Bar says that she was never licensed there. Now, remember the whole DEI of it all. You can't trust these black and brown folks because they get hired for DEI reasons.
The White House points to her work in China. Well, it's not even that. She said that she was... I did in... when asked was it China, that happened in China. Trump looked at her like, wait, what? When she said that. She could do that international work without a US law license, I think. Well, I talked to Popac yesterday. I don't know if she could actually do it. But that or was she if it was if she was supposed to do it, I don't know. But that still doesn't answer the question about how she has described her credentials here, okay? We pulled some of her television appearances and I just I just pay close attention to it. Here it is.
It's to be able to take information, especially as a as a lawyer and a former corporate lawyer in China for 3 years.
I mean, I am a lawyer and I'm a rigorous researcher and I spent the better part of 2020 and 2021 researching this.
As a lawyer, the procedural steps are absolutely critical to ensure that they get this right.
As a lawyer, I know as a lawyer, there's a big difference between answering something under oath and answering something to the media, right?
I think he needs to do that right now.
I I'm a lawyer. I went to Pepperdine Pepperdine Law. I practiced corporate law in Beijing, China.
Katie, you're the attorney. Is this legal?
And when I graduated from Pepperdine Law, I moved over to Beijing for 3 years and practiced law. I practiced corporate law there and the dumplings, the noodles, when you live on the northern side of China, it's a lot more heavy.
Moved out to uh Beijing, China after law school, practiced corporate law. When you look at Greenland, uh I lived in Beijing. I was a corporate lawyer in Beijing, China for 3 years and it brought me right back to those polluted days as a lawyer.
What were you doing in China?
Well, I was the outside counsel for the World Bank and the IFC in the international division of Zhong Lun Law Firm.
I practiced law in China. I come back, have kids. I I didn't work for a lot of those years.
He wrote a book called The Real Anthony Fauci, which I read cover to cover to substantiate all of the theories that were actually not theories, the known facts about him and was I was able to make a case because that's what we do as lawyers.
The tea is hot.
Okay, look. Uh it's laughable, but it's not funny. I want to know what you think in the comments, please. I'm interested to know how you feel about this in the comments cuz I think this is a very important thing for our country. I really, really, really do. She graduated from Pepperdine Law School. Nobody's disputing her degree. But I think she owes people a clear explanation of what she was qualified for and authorized to do.
And this this particular administration is always demanding proof that everybody else earned their job. Remember the first thing they got in, you have They said it specifically. They said, "Oh, you have these people who are taking jobs from white people." I Go look it up. Am I Where's the lie? Am I lying, y'all? Especially when they're attacking DEI. Did anybody check her credentials? I don't My In my opinion, I don't think she was vetted.
Was praising Trump enough that he thinks she was cute and then whatever and she looked like a a Fox News anchor with all the makeup and the hair and the eyelashes and all that? Is that what you think? She doesn't need a law license to be a press secretary. Didn't have to tell us that. She doesn't She does need to be straightforward with the public, though. She should have the same standards that she has for the press. They're always talking about the press lies. It's fake. They're the enemy of the people. If you're lying and you're fake, then what does that make you? Does that make you the enemy of the people? Tell us what credentials you're talking about. Tell us what credentials she holds. And stop making reporters chase the answer because reporters wouldn't have to run around and chase the answer if you were up front with us and not lying or hi- hiding something. As someone in the chat just said as I looked over I have a monitor over here a a liar. Like lawyer.
And Trump chose her. That's his decision to explain. While people are dealing with higher prices and the country is involved in a war, we're spending another morning sorting through claims coming from his own White House. They would rather us not talk about it. My next guest has been covering Trump since long before the presidency. His name is Kurt Andersen. He co-founded Spy, the magazine Spy. That was puncturing Trump's image back when he was a New York developer trying to become a national celebrity. Kurt, you know I know cuz I'm a New Yorker, I was back I got I arrived in New York full-time back in the '90s. I love Spy magazine, and you guys were talking about Trump long before anyone else. There were two things that I remember. I remember you guys, and I remember this one interview back with Barbara Walters challenged him about his bankruptcies and about how much he actually was worth. But, welcome, Kurt. Thank you for joining us. First of all, give us your overview of what you think about this whole thing with the press secretary, and then we'll talk about other things.
Well, you know, I'm glad she's being held accountable as all of his minions should be held accountable and aren't by and large by, you know, say the Congress. But, I would have to say that, you know, whether the press secretary is lied about her law license, which effectively she did, or has one somewhere, or was a lawyer in China, which apparently she isn't by any Chinese standard. All of those, well, I mean, first of all, I would I would actually rank it low in terms of the things that appall me about Donald Trump and his administration. So, but I, you know, I'm not defending her or or but she's just a a minor figure of the, you know, of those who are incredibly incompetent and under-qualified with whom he surrounds himself because they are loyal, and as you say, look a certain way. So, there you go. That's what I think.
You don't discount that. But, but let let me say that, Kurt. Because I know that you're not one. I don't believe that you're one to pull your punches. When you say it's not, she is the spokesperson and the mouthpiece for All right, when people and people look to her as a Is the bar so low that this is low because any other president, any other administration, this person would be gone. I mean, look at what happened to Anthony Scaramucci. Look how I mean, Sean Spicer lasted, you know, a little bit longer than a Scaramucci, but look at what would happen in any other administration if someone lied about this and they were the spokesperson if not the face for the White House.
Absolutely. And of course, in this administration, in this last 2-year administration, she's a woman, so she might go, unlike the Pete Hegseths or Bobby Kennedys of the world who don't. And who are massively and monumentally and consequentially incompetent in a way that she may be incompetent, but I'm sorry, who cares? Uh, where uh, yes, they would but we could we could have an entire we could all we could say for every hour a day like, imagine in the Biden administration.
And we do. About everything they do every day. So, you know, what are you going to do?
No, you're right. Well, I mean, what are you going to do? I think people are going to figure that out on Tuesday in a couple weeks, right? Don't you think?
Yeah. So, um you're saying why are we questioning did she lie? Because if she didn't, then they would be out there going, "This is a lie. She did it. She didn't lie." Or they'd be showing the proof. Why are we questioning it? Because no Look, Kurt, the Wall Street Journal is no shrinking violet. It is no liberal rag, right? It is no liberal tabloid. Are they a liberal tabloid? I don't know.
There used to be, but there aren't anymore, right? Now, it's just the the Daily Mail and and the New York Post. Uh, and they're saying I think even the New York Post may be questioning, but that you've got when you have the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, on and on and on saying, "We can't find a law license anywhere. There is no proof." And then I have And then you're I'm on with credible lawyers and they're saying, "You can't do this if you're in China. There are things that And so it I mean, it sounds like she lied.
No. No, she she completely she and Trump of course misrepresented what she is and uh uh and and it's a it's yes, that seems to be true and I'm sure we'll become more apparently bonafidely inarguably true. Now, as you said does the press secretary need to be a lawyer? No. Do they should oughtn't they to be a brazen fibber liar about some basic part of their resume? No, they shouldn't. That's true. But again, I mean are Yes, the bar for this freakish corrupt administration is very low. So, that's that's that's where I am. And again, I I'm not immune to it, but but but there's only so many seconds in the day to uh be appalled.
You know?
Well, and it's also part of it, too. Cuz as you know, you know Steve Bannon. You know of Steve Bannon? I'm sure you've heard of Steve Bannon.
I I I actually appeared on Steve Bannon's show a couple of weeks ago.
I'm having fun with you. He said that this was there would be a fire fire hose of every single day would be the strategy and there is and so one might become immune to it. Maybe the American people are becoming immune to it, but doesn't mean that we should.
No, absolutely not. And I think as you as you suggest in in this way and in more consequential ways like the war on Iran and and all the rest, I think people are at the very least fatigued if not uh angry and feeling betrayed. So, yeah.
Mhm. Fatigued and feeling betrayed.
Is that it? That's those are pretty strong words. You Did you see the inflation numbers?
Uh yeah, yes, indeed. And and then the second day the wholesale inflation numbers as well up. Yeah. No, I mean it's hard to remember we'll see if if it's a blue you know ripple or a blue wave or what what or red undertow or what happens in two and a half weeks. But it it it could it could not by all of the metrics be a worse time for the incumbent party who run who have the White House and and and two the both houses of Congress and most governorships and on and on. So yes, it's it it is it is it's bad and and and and you have to I mean again people don't want to change their what they've invested in on this guy is good the Republicans are good. I'm a Republican and and you know, there are various degrees of that down to the hard cult and I think we're down to the hard cult of around 25 26 27 28% of people who I don't know I don't think ever are going to stop saying nope, he's the best they're the best if he's the best. So but he's gone and and again what one of my hopes and I
You said he's gone? What do you
No, yeah, yeah. No, I mean he's well we can go on and talk about the cognitive things
Okay, I'm that's what I'm wondering what you meant by that.
No, I I meant he's not he's he has not for a long time talked really in any serious or semi-serious fashion about running again for president for instance. He is done. It's done. There's going to be a different Republican nominee for president 2028. That's what I mean.
So you don't think he'll run and you don't think they'll try to change the constitution?
Well, they're not going to change the constitution. Might they try to violate the constitution? They have before and they do every day in various small ways or large ways. I I God well, who am I would never at this point predict what he might or might say or do or order his his minions to do but uh no, I I'm pretty confident they're going to they're going to move on.
Okay, so when you say you're a Republican and you're down to 25%.
Are you would you vote for him again?
Well, you know, I mean would I I mean I I don't know what being a Republican in this day and age would be like. I know what being a Republican
That's why I'm asking you.
Yeah. Uh I mean some will obviously yes. I mean the I mean
