NBC Asks Obama: Is it ‘Frightening’ Trump May Have Nuclear Codes?

July 27th, 2016 8:57 AM

In a softball exclusive interview with President Obama conducted on Tuesday and aired on Wednesday’s NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie teed up the Democratic commander-in-chief to blast Republican nominee Donald Trump: “Hillary Clinton says that Trump is most dangerous candidate ever to run for president. On this very specific issue, do you personally find it frightening the prospect of him having the nuclear codes?”

Obama replied: “Set aside the nuclear codes, what I think is scary is a president who doesn't know their stuff and doesn't seem to have an interest in learning what they don't know.” Guthrie followed up: “And do you think of Trump that way?” Obama stayed on the attack: “...basic knowledge about the world or what a nuclear triad is, or where various countries are or, you know, the different between Sunni and Shia in the Muslim world, those are things that he doesn't know and hasn't seemed to spend a lot of time trying to find out about.”

At the top of the show, fellow co-host Matt Lauer teased the exchange: “President Obama set to make his case for Clinton tonight and taking on Donald Trump in an exclusive interview with Savannah.... But does he actually think Trump can win? Our very candid conversation with the President today.”

During the sit-down, Guthrie fretted: “Is it possible that Donald Trump wins the presidency?...Are you worried?” Obama warned: “So my advice to Democrats...is you stay worried until all those votes are cast and counted because one of the dangers in an election like this is that people don't take the challenge seriously, they stay home, and we end up getting the unexpected.”

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To her credit, Guthrie did press the President on Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal: “Let's talk about Hillary Clinton. Can you still as we sit here today say she didn't jeopardize national security information?”

Obama tried to deflect the question: “I don't want to characterize any further what the FBI director said. I think he was comprehensive....And I think Hillary's acknowledged that she made a mistake...” He then ranted against Republican critics: “But I think what is absolutely clear is that all this talk about her engaging in criminal activities, the sort of prosecutorial case that you heard in Cleveland – ” Guthrie helpfully interjected: “‘Lock her up.’”

The President whined:

That seems to just ignore what a Republican FBI appointee of spotless integrity said, that's troubling. And I think it's indicative of the degree to which folks are rough on Hillary Clinton in ways that even as somebody who, you know, has had my share of, you know, getting whacked in the public eye, I’m surprised by sometimes, and I don't think it's fair.

Guthrie pressed: “But it's not just her political opponents who are saying that this was wrong, you have the FBI director saying it was extremely careless. The director did say that a reasonable person should know.” Obama dismissed the follow up: “Look, Savannah, I mean, I’m not going to re-litigate this. What I am saying is that I can say with confidence that Hillary Clinton was an outstanding Secretary of State...”

Wrapping up part one of the interview, Guthrie urged Obama to write his own news headline reacting to his upcoming speech at the Democratic National Convention: “I know you don't want to give away your speech before you give it, what do you hope your headline is the next morning?” He instructed the press that it should read: “I hope my headline is that the President of the United States is profoundly optimistic about America's future, and is 100% convinced that Hillary Clinton can be a great president.”

Here is a full transcript of the first portion of the interview aired on July 27:

7:08 AM ET

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: And now to our exclusive interview with President Obama. We spoke in the White House Map Room, where you’ll see in our interview a podium behind him, this is where he’s been rehearsing for tonight's speech. I began our conversation with a pointed question about this election.

[TO OBAMA] Is it possible that Donald Trump wins the presidency?

BARACK OBAMA: Anything is possible. It is the nature of democracy that until those votes are cast and the American people, you know, have their say, we don't know.

GUTHRIE: Are you worried?

OBAMA: You know, as somebody who has now been in elected office at various levels for about 20 years, I’ve seen all kinds of crazy stuff happen, and I think anybody who goes into campaigns not running scared can end up losing. So my advice to Democrats – I don't have to give this advice to Hillary Clinton because she already knows it – is you stay worried until all those votes are cast and counted because one of the dangers in an election like this is that people don't take the challenge seriously, they stay home, and we end up getting the unexpected.

GUTHRIE: Hillary Clinton says that Trump is most dangerous candidate ever to run for president. On this very specific issue, do you personally find it frightening the prospect of him having the nuclear codes?

OBAMA: Set aside the nuclear codes, what I think is scary is a president who doesn't know their stuff and doesn't seem to have an interest in learning what they don't know.

GUTHRIE: And do you think of Trump that way?

OBAMA: Well, I – I think if you listen to any press conference he’s given or listen to any of those debates, basic knowledge about the world or what a nuclear triad is, or where various countries are or, you know, the different between Sunni and Shia in the Muslim world, those are things that he doesn't know and hasn't seemed to spend a lot of time trying to find out about.

GUTHRIE: Let's talk about Hillary Clinton. Can you still as we sit here today say she didn't jeopardize national security information?

OBAMA: You know, I don't want to – I don't want to characterize any further what the FBI director said. I think he was comprehensive, unusually so, about how they arrived at the decision. And I think Hillary's acknowledged that she made a mistake and she wouldn't take this approach again. But I think what is absolutely clear is that all this talk about her engaging in criminal activities, the sort of prosecutorial case that you heard in Cleveland –

GUTHRIE: “Lock her up.”

OBAMA: That seems to just ignore what a Republican FBI appointee of spotless integrity said, that's troubling. And I think it's indicative of the degree to which folks are rough on Hillary Clinton in ways that even as somebody who, you know, has had my share of, you know, getting whacked in the public eye, I’m surprised by sometimes, and I don't think it's fair.

GUTHRIE: But it's not just her political opponents who are saying that this was wrong, you have the FBI director saying it was extremely careless. The director did say that a reasonable person should know.

OBAMA: Look, Savannah, I mean, I’m not going to re-litigate this. What I am saying is that I can say with confidence that Hillary Clinton was an outstanding Secretary of State, that she helped to make this country safer, that if she made mistakes, they were not ones that were intended in any way to compromise American security.

GUTHRIE: Let's talk about your speech. It happens 12 years to the day after your 2004 convention speech that launched you into national politics. I went back and looked at it. Did you?

OBAMA: Not recently. I look so young. You know, I laugh sometimes when I see it, I think I can't believe I got elected to anything at that point, I looked like I just got out of college.

GUTHRIE: You said then –  

OBAMA [2004]: There is not a liberal and a conservative America, there is the United States of America.

GUTHRIE: One of the most memorable lines. Can you say that today, not just as some gauzy aspirational vision, but say it with conviction?

OBAMA: I’m the first to admit that when I spoke in 2004 and when I ran in 2008 my hope, my expectation was that we could lift up all that common ground and create a new way of doing business in Washington, and a new political tenure, a new political tone that was more respectful and more practical in trying to solve problems, and that hasn’t happened. But it doesn't keep me from wanting to keep on trying.

GUTHRIE: I know you don't want to give away your speech before you give it, what do you hope your headline is the next morning?

OBAMA: I hope my headline is that the President of the United States is profoundly optimistic about America's future, and is 100% convinced that Hillary Clinton can be a great president.

GUTHRIE: I also asked the President if he believed the Russian government was behind this DNC e-mail hack and release of those e-mails, as the Clinton campaign has claimed, and if Vladimir Putin was trying to interfere with the presidential election. His response? “Anything’s possible.” And he added that Russia has influenced elections in Europe in the past. This morning, a spokesperson at the Kremlin is responding, saying Russia, quote, “never interferes in other countries’ electoral campaigns.”

We’re going to have a lot more of our exclusive interview with President Obama in our next half hour.