(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
(BIRDS TWITTER) (TRAFFIC HUMS)
I am your warrior. I am your justice.
And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.
I am your retribution. (CHEERING)
LEON PANETTA: That's almost what I call gangster-type politics.
LEON PANETTA: That's almost (CHEERING)
The politics of retribution.
Politics of revenge.
Their reign is over. Their reign will be over.
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI: Mr Trump has practised the Big Lie
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI: for five decades,
and it works for him.
I actually think we won most of the country.
He represents a dark force in humanity.
CHAD WOLF: I don't know anyone who loves their country more
and is more patriotic than the president.
He talks directly with the American people, which is fantastic.
He talks directly with the American Now, if I don't get elected,
it's gonna be a bloodbath for the country.
MARK WILLACY: Real-estate shark, reality-TV star,
former United States President,
now convicted criminal.
And I obliterate my competition.
There has never been an American iconoclast like Donald Trump.
"They're Republicans." I said, "I don't give a shit. They're..."
The American people are gonna see a great era
of wellbeing and peace and prosperity.
of wellbeing and peace Millions and millions of people...
It's a once-in-a-generational chance
to have the American people
have a voice back in their own government.
He's a fucking idiot.
He's just a fucking idiot.
(INDISTINCT YELLING)
Nearly four years on from the carnage at the Capitol,
the man accused of encouraging his fellow citizens
the man accused to assault their own democracy
is back.
Look at what's happened with the J-6 hostages. They're hostages.
Look at what's happened with We will give them pardons.
I do worry there's a real group of American citizens
who are willing to engage in violence for Donald Trump.
who are willing to engage Take a look at what happened...
(GUNFIRE)
Get down! Get down! Get down!
Already there's been violence... (GUNFIRE) Get down! Get down! Get down!
Already there's been violence... (GUNFIRE)
but it's been aimed at Donald Trump.
(WOMAN SCREAMS)
A would-be assassin coming close to killing the former president.
For months before this moment
Four Corners was investigating
what a second Trump presidency would mean for America and the world.
It's even more relevant now after this,
with a defiant Donald Trump looking unstoppable
in his march to the White House.
In Donald Trump's vision for America
centuries-old institutions are there to be dismantled,
and the checks and balances
established by the founding fathers
are impediments to absolute power.
He says, "You're not gonna be a dictator, are you?"
I said, "No, no, no, other than day one."
So, when he says he's a dictator for a day,
he really means, "Look, I want to be dictator for life."
We're in the midst of a neo-Marxist revolution
here in the United States,
and we have to wake up to what's going on.
We pledge to you
that we will root out
the communists, Marxists, fascists
and the radical left thugs
that live like vermin within the confines of our country.
SEBASTIAN GORKA: He hates political correctness and he loves America.
SEBASTIAN GORKA: He hates political We'll do anything possible.
"America's broke. I'm gonna fix it. And I love it."
We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn't happen.
After the chaos and confusion of his first term in office,
Donald Trump has a detailed plan for his second coming.
It involves reshaping the very pillars of American democracy.
And there's already an army of loyal recruits
who are prepared to carry out his orders.
PAUL DANS: We have a database with over 10,000 people
from all walks of life.
We want people who've been cancelled,
who've figuratively given blood for the movement.
They want to bring shock troops into the government
who focus on dismantling government.
CHAD WOLF: If you're not on board with the president's agenda
and you're in a consequential position,
you need to step aside
or you need to hold your tongue.
One country. One constitution. One destiny.
One country. One constitution. Those very words are inscribed
inside the Capitol in the heart of Washington, DC, Those very words are inscribed
inside the Capitol in the heart of Washington, DC,
inside the Capitol but the United States is riven,
with many Americans fearing its destiny
with many Americans lies in the hands of a man
who has little regard lies in the hands of a man
who has little regard for this country's constitution,
whose supporters trashed this place in the dying days of his presidency.
Almost four years after being cast out by voters,
Almost four years Donald Trump is back,
and he has a plan to rebuild America in his own image.
To some he's a saviour,
and to others an autocrat.
Over the next two weeks
Four Corners brings you a special series
on the battle for American democracy.
JOHN BOLTON: As of today, I would say
it's more likely than not that Trump is re-elected.
This is one of those critical moments in history
where actually the fate of the free world, if you will,
where actually the fate rests on one man's shoulders.
If he's returned to the presidency, he's gonna be dangerous.
It can literally destroy our democracy.
I'm not sure the country will survive it, honestly.
I truly believe that we could be on the path to authoritarianism.
It's September 2018, the second year of Donald Trump's tumultuous reign...
..and a senior official inside his administration
..and a senior official is about to lift the lid
on a White House riddled with dysfunction and disorder.
What begins as a private journal soon becomes public
when its author decides the American people need to know
what's really happening inside the Trump administration.
The highly placed official leaks his essay to The New York Times.
Under the by-line 'Anonymous', the piece causes a media sensation.
We have somebody in what I call The 'failing' New York Times that...
The publication also prompts the president
to order an investigation to find the identity of the author.
When you tell me about some anonymous source
When you tell me within the administration,
probably who's failing and probably here for all the wrong reasons...
An anonymous editorial, can you believe it? 'Anonymous'.
Meaning gutless, a gutless editorial.
When the article came out, the anonymous article, Meaning gutless, a gutless editorial.
When the article came out, the anonymous article,
When the article came out, and I read through the article,
I said, "Wow, this guy is close enough. He really understands.
"He's inside the blast zone of Donald Trump."
Despite a concerted hunt for the author,
'Anonymous' would remain just that for more than two years.
Only after he'd resigned from the administration
would he reveal his true identity.
My name is Miles Taylor.
I'm Anonymous.
I was the Chief of Staff at I'm Anonymous.
I was the Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security
I was the Chief of Staff at under Donald Trump.
Miles Taylor helped manage a workforce
Miles Taylor of a quarter-of-a-million people,
but his most difficult task
was dealing with the whims of his commander-in-chief.
was dealing with the whims When Donald Trump was president,
I remember crossing that threshold into the Oval Office, When Donald Trump was president,
I remember crossing that threshold into the Oval Office,
and not only was this guy not bringing his A-game,
he didn't have a game,
he was winging it.
And the place was like... I've often described it as
And the place was like... like a crowded New York bagel shop.
It was people coming in and out like a crowded New York bagel shop.
It was people coming in and out and him barking orders,
and you might be talking about a classified issue
and someone who doesn't have a security clearance
comes walking through the Oval Office,
and he's getting phone calls
and he's telling people to tweet things out.
We spend billions of dollars in other countries
We spend billions of dollars maintaining their borders,
and we can't maintain our borders in our own country.
Is there something a little bit wrong with that?
For Miles Taylor and his Homeland Security Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen,
President Trump had a singular obsession - the southern border.
During one phone call with Secretary Nielsen
Trump came up with a novel solution
to stop the flow of migrants coming in to the United States.
And she puts the president on speakerphone.
And he says that, down at the border,
he wants to explore what it would take to build a moat.
And he goes off on this tangent
talking about how we should actually get snakes and alligators
and fill this 2,000-mile moat on the border with reptilian creatures
so that if someone falls in to the moat
they're facing the threat of snakes and alligators
they're facing who might come after them.
(CHUCKLES) I mean, we're just laughing.
You can't make this shit up. Mm-hm.
What are you thinking
when the President of the United States is enunciating this idea?
when the President of the United "He's a fucking idiot."
He's just a fucking idiot.
I'm a lifelong conservative.
I am more Republican I'm a lifelong conservative.
I am more Republican than Donald Trump.
I am more Republican He is not a conservative.
But putting politics aside,
engaging with the man, you realise he's an idiot.
Miles Taylor is like one of the nasty girls from Glee, OK?
He makes himself out to be a big deal. He wasn't.
Greetings. I'm Sebastian Gorka.
I served as Deputy Assistant for Strategy to President Trump.
I'm the host of the America First radio show
I'm the host in the United States.
To Donald Trump's most rusted-on supporters like Sebastian Gorka,
Miles Taylor isn't a whistleblower.
He's a traitor.
This is where we do the shows.
That is the definition of sedition.
The people That is the definition of sedition.
The people choose the commander-in-chief.
What he says is the order of that administration.
What he says And then you say,
"I'm going to sabotage it" - And then you say,
"I'm going to sabotage it" -
that's a crime, that's patently obvious.
So, Miles Taylor, in your opinion, should be charged with sedition.
Simple as that? Utterly. Utterly. Yeah.
Donald Trump's list of traitors is long
and includes people who served him at the highest level,
including a former chief of the US military
and reportedly the man who was once his most senior security official.
(CLEARS THROAT)
I'm John Bolton.
I was Donald Trump's National Security Adviser for 17 months.
He tried to put me in jail for the book that I published,
tried to stop the book from coming out.
I think he doesn't forget his grudges
and I think the only consolation I have
is that I'm part of a very long list.
In his many security briefings with Trump,
John Bolton found a president who was transactional and unfocused.
He spoke on subjects of whatever kind of came into his mind,
he didn't pay attention to intelligence briefings frequently.
He was the one doing most of the talking
He was the one during the intelligence briefings.
It called to mind something that Lyndon Johnson once said -
"I don't learn very much when I'm talking."
That didn't bother Trump at all.
He had huge gaps in his knowledge of international affairs.
He once asked the White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly,
if Finland were still part of Russia.
It went downhill from there.
He's somebody who...
..has no respect for intelligence...
..or for those that collect intelligence.
Because he's somebody who doesn't like to be told the truth.
Because he's somebody who doesn't (PHONE RINGS)
(CHUCKLES)
Yes?!
I'm Leon Panetta,
former Chief of Staff to President Clinton,
former Director of the CIA
and former Secretary of Defense to President Obama.
There are few Americans
who know more about the value of the US intelligence services
who know more about the value than Leon Panetta -
the CIA chief than Leon Panetta -
the CIA chief who got Osama bin Laden.
He warns that a re-elected Donald Trump
would present a grave threat to the security of the United States.
would present a grave threat It won't just be the president
who pays a price for stupidity. It won't just be the president
who pays a price for stupidity.
It'll be a threat to all Americans.
We're facing threats from Russia,
threats from China,
threats from North Korea,
threats from Iran,
threats from terrorists.
It's a dangerous world that we live in.
And if a president thinks you can hide from that
And if a president thinks and not have to confront that...
..he'll make our country vulnerable.
I do not believe that he is capable
of putting America's interests and American national security
of putting America's interests ahead of his own personal interest.
I'm Pete Strzok.
I was the Deputy Assistant Director
of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division
during the first Trump administration,
during the first and I led the investigation
into Russia's attack and I led the investigation
into Russia's attack on the 2016 election.
Trump is a counterintelligence nightmare.
He had very-well-known alleged proclivities for pretty women.
He had very-well-known alleged He had any number
of susceptibility to flattery. He had any number
of susceptibility to flattery.
A strange sort of affection for strongmen and authoritarians
that were, in fact, intelligence vulnerabilities.
Pete Strzok was removed from the investigation
into Donald Trump and alleged Russian interference
in the 2016 presidential election
after it was discovered that he had disparaged the then-president
after it was discovered that in private texts.
In response, Trump accused in private texts.
In response, Trump accused the FBI veteran of treason.
Donald Trump has called you a traitor. How did that feel?
Donald Trump has called you Uh... (CHUCKLES) Stunning.
I mean, I had never...I think I was, Uh... (CHUCKLES) Stunning.
I mean, I had never...I think I was, according to The Washington Post,
I was the first person, you know, dubious honour,
I was the first person, you know, that he accused of treason.
Of course, treason in the United States
is one of only, I think, two or three actually enumerated crimes
in the Constitution,
and it carries the penalty of death.
Those who fear what lies ahead under a re-elected Donald Trump
point to two public statements he made five years apart
to question the former president's allegiances.
to question Every one of...
The first at a summit in Helsinki in 2018
stunned the entire US intelligence community
when Trump sided with Vladimir Putin
on the question of Russian interference in the US election.
President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.
President Putin was extremely strong He just said, "It's not Russia."
I will say this - I don't see any reason why it would be...
JOHN BOLTON: Well, I remember very vividly
sitting there in the front row of the audience,
watching this, thinking to myself, "My God, what are we gonna do now?"
My jaw hit the floor. I mean, that is an abhorrent statement to make.
(REPORTERS CLAMOUR)
LEON PANETTA: That, in my mind, was a total surrender...
LEON PANETTA: That, in my mind, Thank you so much.
..to our greatest adversary, which is Russia.
And, so, I'm looking at somebody
who will be willing to let a tyrant
do whatever he wants in the world.
And that's not what America is all about.
Trump later claimed he misspoke in the press conference with Putin.
Trump later claimed he misspoke But then came his second statement
that shocked US lawmakers and the intelligence community
when he said this year that, if re-elected,
he would encourage Russia to attack NATO allies
he would encourage Russia who fail to pay their way.
"Well, Sir, if we don't pay and we're attacked by Russia,
"Well, Sir, if we don't pay "will you protect us?"
I said, "You didn't pay. You're delinquent."
He said, "Yes. Let's say that happened."
He said, "No, I would not protect you.
"In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.
"You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills."
(CHEERING)
LEON PANETTA: That is not just the stupidest statement
LEON PANETTA: That is I've heard somebody make,
it also, frankly, I've heard somebody make,
it also, frankly,
borders on being a traitor to our country.
I mean, to basically say
that an enemy, an adversary like Russia
ought to be able to attack other NATO countries
and that we're not gonna do anything about it
I think betrays our country.
You don't pay your bills, you get no protection.
JOHN BOLTON: That is tantamount to inviting aggression by Russia.
And you can bet that they took due note of it,
not only in the Kremlin, but in Beijing as well.
The NATO alliance
is the most powerful military alliance in history.
Forged in the wake of World War II, is the most powerful military alliance in history.
Forged in the wake of World War II,
one of its central tenets is that signatories:
JOHN BOLTON: If he carries through, as I fear he will,
on his many-times-repeated threats to withdraw from NATO,
I think it would be a catastrophic decision.
I think it would be The damage could be irreversible.
Russia knows that the outcome of the November election in the US
will have massive repercussions for its own foreign ambitions,
will have massive repercussions most of all its invasion of Ukraine.
Donald Trump's former acting Homeland Security Secretary
Donald Trump's former echoes his old boss
in questioning why America has to keep paying
in questioning to help Ukraine defend itself.
CHAD WOLF: Overall, we'd like to see that conflict
come to a conclusion one way or another.
What we've seen over the last several years come to a conclusion one way or another.
What we've seen over the last several years
of the Biden administration,
which is more taxpayer dollars going to that conflict
which is more taxpayer dollars without any end goal...
What is the goal at the end of the day?
Instead, they continue to ask American taxpayers
to send our treasure, which is our funding and our taxpayer funding,
to send our treasure, which is our overseas,
while we have severe challenges here at home.
And I think that's when we get back to that America First approach.
If Trump were to essentially conspire with Putin...
..to allow Ukraine to fall...
..he would be planting the seed
for Putin ..he would be planting the seed
for Putin moving into other democracies
for Putin to try to get rid of them as well.
So, it's a frightening prospect.
Much has been made of Donald Trump's apparent admiration for autocrats
like Vladimir Putin, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan
like Vladimir Putin, and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
I'm Gordon Sondland.
I served as the United States Ambassador to the European Union
from 2018 until 2020
in the Trump administration.
Gordon Sondland believes
that a re-elected Donald Trump Gordon Sondland believes
that a re-elected Donald Trump would be no pushover
when it comes to standing up to dictators and despots.
when it comes to standing up I found two Donald Trumps.
I found the show that was made for public consumption,
and then I found the reality
of sitting in small meetings, and then I found the reality
of sitting in small meetings, sitting in the car with him.
I remember being with President Trump
shortly after he met with Kim Jong Un,
and the media was excoriating him over being too friendly,
over not understanding what really North Korea is all about,
as if, you know, he was seduced by this short Korean man
as if, you know, he was seduced who is a murderer and a thug.
And we were in the car
and I said, "Mr President, cutting through the bullshit, And we were in the car
and I said, "Mr President, cutting through the bullshit,
"tell me about Kim Jong Un."
And he looked at me with a smile and he said,
"If that motherfucker had a knife,
"he could have gored me in the stomach."
That told me everything I needed to know
about his soberness when it came to these people.
about his soberness (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Trump's critics warn that he not only admires dictators
Trump's critics warn but that he wants to be one.
I want to close the border but that he wants to be one.
I want to close the border and I want to drill,
I want to close the border drill, drill.
And they point to his own words
when he was asked this year about what he would do
if he regained the presidency.
He says, "You're not gonna be a dictator, are you?"
I said, "No, no, no, other than day one.
"We're closing the border and we're drilling, drilling, drilling."
After that, I'm not a dictator, OK? (CHEERING)
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI: So, when he says he's a dictator for a day,
he really means, "Look, I want to be dictator for life.
"I want to create a dynasty here for myself and my family.
"I want to create a dynasty here "And I'm a human wrecking ball."
President Trump, you know,
he's taken this whole phoney narrative about dictator,
which I explained to you is gonna be the furthest thing from the truth...
You know, we're trying to resurrect the last smidgens of democracy here.
But, you know, he said, you know, tongue in cheek,
"I'll be a dictator on two issues.
"One is energy,
"but, two, the border - we're gonna shut the border down."
We just wanna say 'mate'. We never get to say 'mate'.
Very partial to Australians.
(CHUCKLES) (CREW SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
(CHUCKLES) Hi. I'm Paul Dans.
I'm director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project,
otherwise known as Project 2025.
I previously served otherwise known as Project 2025.
I previously served under Donald Trump
as his Chief of Staff at the Office of Personnel Management
as his Chief of Staff at in his first term.
This is Paul Dans' first Australian television interview.
He heads a coalition of conservative groups
that's planning to help Donald Trump reshape democracy
that's planning to help Donald Trump and to give him more power
than any other peacetime president in American history.
It's known simply as Project 2025.
Just to be clear, is it officially aligned
Just to be clear, or sanctioned by his campaign?
It's not officially.
You know, we are
over 107 major organisations You know, we are
over 107 major organisations
as a coalition coming together.
So, many of us did come from prior service in the Trump administration.
There's even a 920-page
publicly available playbook
outlining plans to transform the presidency,
including to give Donald Trump to transform the presidency,
including to give Donald Trump
unprecedented reach
to take on his political enemies.
Project 2025 accuses this ruling class
of faceless civil servants and unelected mandarins
of thwarting Donald Trump's first-term agenda.
of thwarting (CHEERING)
To the former president,
it's a cancer in the heart of American government
that he calls the 'deep state'.
Either the deep state destroys America
Either the deep state or we destroy the deep state.
That's the way it's gotta be.
(CHEERING)
SEBASTIAN GORKA: Now, when we came in,
I didn't use the phrase 'deep state.'
I thought it was a little bit tinfoil-hatty,
I thought and I'm not gonna use that.
Then I saw it.
It is stunning how the unelected bureaucracy Then I saw it.
It is stunning how the unelected bureaucracy
thought they had a right
to blockade a man
chosen by 63 million Americans to be the president.
It was stunning. It's truly stunning.
It was stunning. (TRAFFIC BUZZES)
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI: They want to disband or let go
tens of thousands of government employees.
They've got their legions of followers
believing this great paranoia that we live in a deep-state society,
which is, of course, a bunch of complete nonsense.
(INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE)
I'm Anthony Scaramucci.
I was an acquaintance of Donald Trump for 20 years.
When he was elected as president-elect
he named me to his 16-person executive transition team.
And for 11 days in the White House in the month of July of 2017
And for 11 days in the White House I was his Communications Director.
From being a supporter and a mouthpiece for Donald Trump,
Anthony Scaramucci is now one of his fiercest and most outspoken critics.
He believes Project 2025,
with its plan to stack the public service
with its plan with an army of Trump loyalists,
will propel America into a dystopian future.
These are nonsensical un-Americans.
OK? They're against the values that the society has lived by.
They're gonna stress the system
in a way that it hasn't been stressed
since the American Civil War,
and it's gonna be hard on the country
and it's gonna be hard because, you know, we're polarised.
On Inauguration Day...
The four years ahead...
Seems like an eternity.
It's not.
Because the left has engineered our government and institutions...
Because the left has engineered To reject conservative ideology.
Project 2025 is a new paradigm in helping a conservative president To reject conservative ideology.
Project 2025 is a new paradigm in helping a conservative president
be ready to govern day one.
This is really an attempt by us as a movement
This is really an attempt to come together and get ready.
It's a preparation.
And preparation has been underway for more than two years.
Project 2025 isn't some rabble operation.
It's run by the influential and conservative Heritage Foundation.
And it's already started vetting and training
thousands of possible Trump appointees
thousands from across the United States.
We don't want the most successful person.
We want the person who keeps getting knocked down and is indefatigable.
I mean, I actually think of Aussies a lot like that,
that they're always popping up to the top
and they have this kind of shit-eating grin on their face.
And it's like...that is, like, the kind of happy warrior that we want.
And it's like...that is, like, the And have you got people signing up?
You've got recruits on the go? Oh, yes, very much so.
We have a database with over 10,000 people from all walks of life,
you know, entering into this, aspiring to serve.
ERICA NEWLAND: What Donald Trump wants are political stooges
who will be loyal not to the Office of the President
but to the person of the president
and whatever his dreams or whims are.
My name is Erica Newland.
I was an attorney at the Department My name is Erica Newland.
I was an attorney at the Department of Justice under Donald Trump,
and now I work for Protect Democracy,
where I try to protect our country from the authoritarian threat.
Erica Newland has investigated Project 2025,
and she says it will deliver Trump a band of loyalists
and she says it will deliver Trump eager to carry out his agenda.
What sort of questions do they ask potential appointees?
Here - let me read you a few of those questions.
They ask them to weigh in
on whether the president
should be able to advance his or her agenda through the bureaucracy
without hindrance from unelected federal officials.
And that's a dog whistle, of course.
And then they ask whether you agree And that's a dog whistle, of course.
And then they ask whether you agree that the federal government
should recognise only two unchanging sexes - male and female -
should recognise only two unchanging as a matter of policy.
So, what do those sort of questions say to you about the sort of people
that Project 2025 wants to recruit?
They want people who are unswervingly loyal
to the Trump agenda, to his vision
and to him as a person
as well as to his and the movement's goal
of subordinating those who don't look or sound like them.
And what will be left will be the grifters and the sycophants.
Whatever his worst impulses of the day,
Whatever his worst impulses they will facilitate it
and will enable it.
Hi. I'm former congressman Charlie Dent
of Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district.
I served nearly 14 years in the Congress, seven terms,
and I did have a few run-ins
with our former president, Donald Trump.
Charlie Dent was one of the few Republicans in Congress
who stood up to Trump as president.
I'm afraid, if Trump were to win in 2024,
I'm afraid, those types of people, those adults,
those people who would try
to, you know, put some checks
and restrain the worst impulses
on the president
won't be there.
The central principle behind many of Project 2025's policies
is that a democratically elected president
is that is the American people's proxy,
meaning it's the job of the thousands of unelected civil servants
meaning it's the job of the thousands to carry out Trump's orders
without question.
SEBASTIAN GORKA: You do have the First Amendment,
but you can't encourage people to do acts
that are in contravention of the Constitution.
You can't come into an administration
You can't and then sabotage the things
the man elected by the people
has said we will do.
CHAD WOLF: What we saw during the Trump administration
is you saw career officials disagreeing with the president,
disagreeing in the sense and even going so far as to say,
"I'm going to disrupt or sabotage your agenda."
I'm just looking at you? Yeah.
I'm just looking at you? OK.
I'm Chad Wolf. I'm the former acting Secretary
of the Department of Homeland Security under President Trump.
of the Department of Homeland I'm the current executive director
of the America First Policy Institute.
Former cabinet secretary Chad Wolf remains a Trump loyalist
and is ready to serve once again if his old boss wins in November.
The America First Policy Institute he now leads
The America First Policy Institute is full of pro-Trump populists
who all share Project 2025's vision
of a civil service stacked with true believers.
To achieve this,
they're proposing a re-elected Donald Trump
they're proposing brings in what's called Schedule F,
an executive order
that would allow the president an executive order
that would allow the president to fire people at will.
And the idea with Schedule F is very, very simple, that would allow the president to fire people at will.
And the idea with Schedule F is very, very simple,
which is if you're in a policy-making role
and you're working against the president,
we have the ability to remove you
because that's how it should be, we have the ability to remove you
because that's how it should be, right?
After a campaign was launched by the Democrats
warning of the dangers of Project 2025 to democracy,
Donald Trump tried to distance himself from the group,
Donald Trump tried insisting he knows nothing about it,
despite reports his campaign has been briefed by its officials.
Have you spoken with President Trump?
Have you spoken Do you have a relationship with him?
Well, sure, in my personal capacity,
I'm a, you know, Trump supporter
and have been down to Mar-a-Lago many times.
But, you know, we have integration with folks on the campaign.
The reality is, yes, we often, you know, supply ideas
and ultimately we hope to offer personal suggestions.
This is really gonna be the engine room
This is really for the next administration.
Many of these folks served and will be called upon to serve again.
And I know President Trump's team will be receptive of it.
And I know President Trump's team (CHEERING)
USA! USA!
And Donald Trump will need an army of true believers
if he's to implement his agenda.
We will reverse the Biden ban on natural-gas exports.
We're gonna drill, baby, drill. That's what we're gonna do.
We're gonna drill, baby. (CHEERING)
We'll drill, baby! Thank you very much. (CHUCKLES)
I will pass landmark legislation.
If India, China or any other country
hits us with a 100% or 200% tariff on American-made goods,
we will hit them with the same exact tariff.
On day one I will sign a new executive order
to cut federal funding
for any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity
and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content
and other inappropriate onto our children.
But Trump isn't just vowing to shake up policy.
He's also promising to settle scores.
I am your warrior. I am your justice.
And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.
And for those who have been wronged I am your retribution.
In Donald Trump's mind, there is no bigger target for retribution
than the very agency that administers and enforces the law
than the very agency in the United States.
And he's vowing to dismantle this key pillar of democracy,
the US Department of Justice.
PAUL DANS: It's hard to find the most problematic agencies,
but I think you'd have to put DOJ at the top.
The reality is that agency
is one of the key extensions of the deep state.
So, when I came in and I realised the deep state is real... (LAUGHS)
But I realised, of all of these agencies and departments,
But I realised, of all the DOJ is the worst.
The DOJ is a viper's nest
of politically motivated individuals
who... (SIGHS)
..see it as their fiefdom
to serve the Democrat Party ..see it as their fiefdom
to serve the Democrat Party and their buddies.
We will completely overhaul the corrupt Department of in-Justice
We will completely overhaul to clear out all the communists
who have weaponised government activities.
who have weaponised (CHEERING)
Erica Newland says she's seen
the weaponisation of the Justice Department already.
the weaponisation As a lawyer in Trump's first term,
her team worked to make sure As a lawyer in Trump's first term,
her team worked to make sure his presidential executive orders
her team worked to make sure were legal.
The office handled orders like the so-called Muslim ban
and the building of a wall along the border with Mexico.
ERICA NEWLAND: That was extremely hard.
I was helping an administration, a president, who...
..did not have any concept of democracy,
who did not have any respect for the law.
Trump's supporters accuse the DOJ of targeting the former president
Trump's supporters accuse the DOJ with bogus investigations
and of stymieing both his first-term agenda and his bid for re-election.
Donald Trump has promised that if he becomes president again
he would harness the Department of Justice
he would harness to go after the people
he perceives as political enemies or as somehow disloyal.
I will appoint a real special prosecutor
to go after the most corrupt president
in the history of the United States of America,
in the history Joe Biden...
(CHEERING)
..and the entire Biden crime family.
And then there's the long list of those he has accused of treason.
We've talked about Trump pursuing his enemies.
One of those he wants retribution against
is the sitting president, Joe Biden.
He said he will appoint a special prosecutor to go after Joe Biden.
Do you think he'll come after you as well?
Do you think I think there's a chance of that.
Nobody can accurately say I think there's a chance of that.
Nobody can accurately say
how far Donald Trump Nobody can accurately say
how far Donald Trump would be willing to go
how far Donald Trump to go after his enemies
and what he'd be willing to do to them.
Donald Trump is an authoritarian threat to this country.
There's a playbook that authoritarians use.
They aggrandise executive authority.
They politicise independent institutions.
They politicise They quash dissent.
They spread misinformation.
They target vulnerable communities.
They corrupt elections.
And they stoke violence.
Donald Trump has engaged in all seven of these.
The former president has also hinted
he would ignore America's most sacred document, the Constitution.
ZOE LOFGREN: He said, I mean his words,
that he intends to terminate parts of the Constitution.
He didn't say which parts.
He said he's gonna be a dictator.
And then he said, "Day one." What does that even mean?
The Constitution does not provide for that.
I'm Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.
I represent the 18th congressional district in California.
I served as a manager for the first Trump impeachment,
and I served as a member of the January 6 committee
that uncovered the fact
that Trump was at the centre of a wide-ranging conspiracy
to overturn the American government.
Veteran Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren
says it would be folly to brush off Donald Trump's apocalyptic rhetoric
says it would be folly to brush off as hyperbole or showmanship.
He said that he plans to send the military out into the country
to round up people I guess who look like immigrants
and put them in camps.
So, it's a shocking proposal.
But one of the things I learned
serving on the January 6 committee But one of the things I learned
serving on the January 6 committee
is to take Trump at his word
because he does mean to do what he says.
The Democrats say, "Please, don't call them animals. They're humans."
The Democrats say, "Please, don't I said, "No, they're not humans.
"They're not humans. They're animals."
"They're not humans. (SIREN BLARES)
One message that Donald Trump repeats (SIREN BLARES)
One message that Donald Trump repeats over and over
is the danger posed by undocumented migrants
is the danger posed coming over the US southern border.
I think the real number is 15, 16 million people into our country...
It has become a rallying cry of his presidential campaign.
They're poisoning the blood of our country.
That's what they've done. They poison.
That's what they've done. Mental institutions and prisons.
They're all over the world. They're pouring into our country.
ZOE LOFGREN: Well, you know, "poisoning the blood" -
ZOE LOFGREN: Well, you know, that's a Hitler-esque statement.
But the man who was in charge of the border under Donald Trump
defends the former president's rhetoric
and says he's merely tapping into a deep fear
about the type of people crossing into the United States.
When you see the public-safety threats
and the national-security threats coming across that border,
you see gang members from Venezuela, and the national-security threats coming across that border,
you see gang members from Venezuela,
these are all individuals that ICE and Border Patrol pick up
these are all individuals on a daily basis.
These are bad individuals.
We are the only developed nation in the world that has no borders.
We are the only developed nation I mean, these numbers are quite.
For normal countries these numbers are hard to ingest.
But how is it poisoning the blood of the country?
I want to understand that. Well, in many ways. Fentanyl.
I want to understand that. Because of Biden's border policies
poisoning literally the blood of our nation
110,000 Americans died of drug overdoses and fentanyl. poisoning literally the blood of our nation
110,000 Americans died of drug overdoses and fentanyl.
I mean, just think of that for a second.
The number of undocumented migrants coming over the southern border
The number of undocumented migrants has surged under Joe Biden.
According to government figures,
of the nearly 8 million people According to government figures,
of the nearly 8 million people stopped at the border
in the last few years,
around 100,000, or just over 1%,
were convicted criminals.
When I return to the White House,
we will stop the plunder, rape, slaughter and destruction
of the American suburbs, cities and towns.
We will stop the invasion on our southern border
and begin the largest domestic deportation operation
in American history. (CHEERING)
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI: This is the sort of stuff that I find repulsive.
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI: This is the sort The Trump travel ban...
You're talking about deporting 15 million citizens,
I mean, who the hell are YOU?
And even if they're not citizens, even if they're illegal,
are you gonna run around the country in some armoured car
are you gonna run around the country like we're in The Handmaid's Tale?
He said very clearly, "I want to engage..."
Yep. "in the biggest mass deportation..."
Yeah. "..program in American history."
Yeah. How do you even begin...
Yeah... ..to put forward a program
and enact it? Well, I think it's interesting.
Let's talk about deportations a little bit
because I think those on the left hear that
and say, "Oh, my God, that sounds terrible."
I don't understand how that sounds terrible.
The idea of deporting individuals, removing individuals
The idea of deporting individuals, or repatriating individuals
that, again, don't have a legal right to be here
or perhaps are here because the law has been abused to get them here,
they need to be removed from the country.
(BIRDS SQUAWK) they need to be removed from the country.
(BIRDS SQUAWK)
(BIRDS TWITTER)
Donald Trump's rhetoric in the lead up to this election
has invoked bloodbaths and bedlam.
He's spoken of retribution and revenge
and he's promised to dismantle and destroy.
Having been here for a while, I get the very real sense
that the shock and the violence of Trump's language
that the shock and the violence has worn off for many Americans.
But, to those who know the man,
there's a very real fear
that a re-elected Donald Trump
could just deliver on what he says.
TEMIDAYO AGANGA-WILLIAMS: Donald Trump knows
how to invoke emotions in people.
He knows how to trigger that dark side of the human spirit.
My name is Temidayo Aganga-Williams,
and I served as senior investigative counsel
on the House January 6 committee,
which investigated the facts and causes
surrounding the attack on the US Capitol on January 6.
surrounding the attack RIOTER: Insanity!
They broke through! It's on! RIOTER: Insanity!
They broke through! It's on! You better run, cops!
They broke through! It's on! 6 January 2021
marked the lowest point of Donald Trump's chaotic presidency.
marked the lowest point (INDISTINCT YELLING, BANGING)
(YELLS) USA!
Refusing to accept his defeat (YELLS) USA!
Refusing to accept his defeat at the hands of Joe Biden,
Trump told his supporters to march on the US Capitol.
Trump told his supporters We fight. We fight like hell.
And if you don't fight like hell
you're not gonna have a country anymore.
(CHEERING) you're not gonna have a country anymore.
(CHEERING)
TEMIDAYO AGANGA-WILLIAMS: Leading up to the attack,
he had knowingly lied about the election.
Donald Trump did not think he won the election.
He, in fact, knew he lost the election.
He had told people in his close circle
that he had lost the election.
So, what he did instead, rather than accept the result,
is that he fed lies to his supporters day in and day out,
and he basically whipped them up into a frenzy.
and he basically (INDISTINCT YELLING)
RIOTER: There's a gun! There's a gun! There's a gun!
(GUNSHOT)
RIOTER: Holy shit!
At least five people died in the attack,
while more than 140 police officers were injured.
while more than 140 police officers RIOTER: Rubber bullets everywhere.
RIOTERS: (CHANT) RIOTER: Rubber bullets everywhere.
RIOTERS: (CHANT) Our house! Our house!
Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren was in the Capitol building
Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren as the mob surged in.
(INDISTINCT YELLING)
I think we came very close to the Vice President being killed (INDISTINCT YELLING)
I think we came very close to the Vice President being killed
and probably members of Congress being killed.
The rioters have made it clear that's what they intended to do.
The rioters have made it clear (ALARM WAILS)
We came very close to an actual (ALARM WAILS)
We came very close to an actual overturn of the government.
They're coming through! Secure the doors!
They're coming through! (INDISTINCT YELLING)
And clearly that's...
..Trump celebrates that.
(JET ENGINES WHINE) ..Trump celebrates that.
(JET ENGINES WHINE) (SCRAMBLED DIGITAL BLEEPING)
Donald Trump denies inciting the January 6 riot
and describes the House committee investigation as a witch hunt.
and describes the House committee But after the attack on the Capitol
many of Trump's closest confidants deserted him,
believing he would never again be a political force.
believing he would never again (SIRENS WAIL)
Now, even those like Gordon Sondland
who served Trump, who was fired by Trump,
who served Trump, who even testified against Trump
and who said he could who even testified against Trump
and who said he could never forgive him over January 6,
and who said he could are coming back into the fold.
Many people are agonising over this choice. are coming back into the fold.
Many people are agonising over this choice.
And do you forgive Donald Trump for what he did on January 6
and vote for him
knowing that for four years the country was in fairly decent shape?
So, you're voting for Trump? Absolutely.
So, you're voting for Trump? The man you could never forgive?
Exactly. That's why it's such an agonising decision.
And I hope he learned his lesson from January 6.
In the lead up to this November's election,
Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to this November's election,
Donald Trump has repeatedly promised
his presidential powers
that he would use his presidential powers
to pardon hundreds of people convicted over the Capitol riot.
We will treat those people from January 6 fairly.
We will treat them fairly. (CHEERING)
And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons.
So, you believe they're hostages, like President Trump?
Absolute political prisoners. Utterly. Utterly.
And you agree with the pardoning of them if...
Anyone who didn't, you know, hit a policeman
or, you know, break through the doors,
utterly, completely, full and unconditional pardon. Absolutely.
Emboldening the former president even further
was the Supreme Court ruling this month
that Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution
for official acts carried out in his role as president.
In a dissenting opinion,
one justice warned that the president is now a king above the law.
The decision almost certainly means Donald Trump will not go to trial
on charges of subverting the 2020 election
on charges before this November's poll.
If the case is unresolved,
he could direct the Department of Justice If the case is unresolved,
he could direct the Department of Justice
he could direct to not proceed with the charges.
The new Attorney-General could order that
and could dissolve the investigation.
And I think it makes the election its own kind of jury
because I think the American people
will have to make a determination as to his culpability
without the benefit of a jury going first.
without the benefit Hello. Welcome back.
Hey. We had to change. Hello. Welcome back.
Hey. We had to change. Use Skype now. 2-D.
Well, that's good. We can talk about Iran with him.
Well, that's good. What seems certain
is that the next heads of crucial departments
that oversee the treatment of immigrants or insurrectionists
will be chosen by Donald Trump's most trusted allies.
That could very well include Sebastian Gorka,
who's already spoken to Trump about a possible role.
I said to him, "Sir, most exciting for me would be national security,
"but the most important would be personnel."
We know who the real Trump supporters are,
We know who America First are.
You know, the John Boltons who were brought in
and then can't wait now to go on CNN to slag off the president...
The John Boltons of the world will not be inside the building now.
The John Boltons of the world But it is the most important thing.
God willing, if we win - personnel, personnel, personnel.
God willing, if we win - Doesn't the president, though,
if it's Donald Trump or whoever... Doesn't the president, though,
if it's Donald Trump or whoever... Yeah.
..need people in there who will challenge his view
and sometimes say, "No, Mr President..."
Oh, no, this isn't a question... No, it's not a question of yes-men.
This is not having subversives.
(APPLAUSE) This is not having subversives.
(APPLAUSE)
In his inaugural speech in 2017...
Please, raise your right hand.
..the newly elected president, Donald Trump,
vowed to end what he called American carnage.
I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear
I, Donald John Trump, that I will faithfully execute
the Office of President of the United States
and will to the best of my...
Instead, his reign brought American democracy to the brink.
Many believe that if Donald Trump once again wins office
he will push the United States over the precipice.
he will push the United States So help me God.
Congratulations.
(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)
Donald Trump does not believe in the Constitution.
He does not believe in the rule of law.
He does not believe in free and fair elections.
He's a liar.
And he doesn't believe in America as a world leader.
I think THAT'S what will decide the next election.
MILES TAYLOR: You go back and read the writings
MILES TAYLOR: of the founding fathers,
they designed the system to elect the president of the United States
as a system to weed out nefarious individuals.
If Donald Trump comes into the presidency
intent on detonating those guardrails,
he's probably going to be successful.
He's their great white hope, or their great orange hope.
He is the orange wrecking ball
that can smash into these institutions
that they feel have been unfair to them.
that they feel He's an avatar for their anger,
and they'll stay with him no matter what.
He said once that he could shoot people on Fifth Avenue
and he wouldn't lose a sliver of support.
and he wouldn't lose He's right.
(BIRD TWITTERS)
What do you say about the potential return of Donald Trump?
What do you say to your fellow Americans,
what it would mean for the United States, its institutions
what it would mean for and, of course, its democracy?
I'm not sure the country will survive it, honestly.
If he really does intend to do the things that he says,
we would not have the kind of democratic republic
that we've enjoyed for over 200 years.
And now that shots have been fired,
there are fears that the great And now that shots have been fired,
there are fears that the great American experiment in democracy
could give way to a surge in political violence.
CHARLIE DENT: The fear I have
is that, no matter CHARLIE DENT: The fear I have
is that, no matter what the candidates do,
there are gonna be people in this country
there are gonna be people who are gonna be very unhappy.
And that's why I worry about civil disorder.
I'm not saying civil war. I'm saying civil disorder.
There could be, you know,
some kind of, you know, violent acts There could be, you know,
some kind of, you know, violent acts
that, you know, would be
really problematic for the country.
PAUL DANS: I think we're building a city on a hill.
I think this is gonna be a great culmination of our 250th birthday
I think this is gonna be a great and President Trump in office
really being that beacon of democracy across the entire world.
This is the greatest experiment in human history
for advancing bounty and freedom across the globe.
TEMIDAYO AGANGA-WILLIAMS: He's a former president
who led an armed rebellion against his own country,
an armed rebellion that, if it had succeeded,
an armed rebellion would have resulted in the murder
of sitting senators and members of Congress
and potentially the murder of his own vice president.
I think we have to talk about the threat in those terms.
So, he's already effectively taken up arms against his own nation.
The question is whether the American people
are gonna put him in a position of power again to finish the job.
are gonna put him in a position That's the real question.
Next time on Four Corners -
the big issues dominating voters' minds.
So, they're heading for the end of the fence? Over.
So, they're heading (ON WALKIE) Affirmative.
So, the wall goes this way for about 35 miles and it ended here.
So, the wall goes this way for about Stop the invasion!
This is an invasion.
I've been a minority my whole life. All they want is respect.
We've been called murderers, baby killers.
I'm being indicted for you - the black population.
It's offensive.
As a black man,
that is absolutely offensive.
Black men find it relatively admirable.
There are fears
that once again the election result will spark threats and violence.
Classy shirts for classy ladies!
(LAUGHTER)
(ON MEGAPHONE) Fuck Joe Biden!
Fuck Joe Biden!
If we don't win this time, America is gone. America is gone.
(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation