In that recording from the April 30, 2018 dinner, did we ever get an explanation about what exactly was bleeped out from it? In the part where Trump says, "Where the ambassador [BLEEP]"?
Here's the section with the BLEEP – Maddow suggested on her show that, whatever it was, it wasn't because of profanity. clyp.it/25kua3km
After comparing the clips from the April 30 tape that have run on various networks, it's clear what we're hearing is not a continuous clip of audio, but edited and recombined segments. So it's possible the BLEEP is actually a much longer segment of tape that has been edited out.
Full audio up now, and debating whether I hate myself enough to listen to the whole thing: soundcloud.com/the-daily-beas…
Normally I'm okay with tedium, but also there's a lot of golf talk so far, and that may exceed my tediousness threshold.
Normally I'm okay with tedium, but also there's a lot of golf talk so far, and that may exceed my tediousness threshold.
Trump: "This is sort of off the record, right?"
Now everyone is discussing steel tariffs. Trump expresses frustration that South Korea dare competes with the U.S. steel industry: "Can you believe it." "How we ever got involved in South Korea in the first place, tell me about it."
Trump says South Korea is "one of the toughest trading partners we're dealing with, tougher than China."
Trump is bragging about his steel tariffs to one of the people at the dinner, and how much steel prices has gone up, and isn't that great. The man then gently corrects him, "I'm not a steel producer, I'm a steel buyer."
This is just a bunch of robber barons sitting around discussing how they can manipulate global trade in a way that provides the best benefit for their particular business.
Trump: "China didn't become great until the WTO." Trump is explaining how China was going nowhere, then they joined the WTO and bam, like a rocket ship.
Trump is just making up random econ stats, and then everyone around the table goes, "Wow," "Incredible," "Woooww," "Amazing."
Trump is just making up random econ stats, and then everyone around the table goes, "Wow," "Incredible," "Woooww," "Amazing."
Trump can't decide if NAFTA or WTO is worse for America. Then decides the deal with South Korea is probably the worst because it's a "Hillary special."
oh no no we're back to the golf
oh no no we're back to the golf
Trump is debating with himself whether the Ryder Cup or the President's Cup is superior. I have never had fewer feelings on a subject.
Trump: "Kim Jong Un is a great golfer."
The table is making fun of the Kim family's self-reported golf scores now.
Trump is talking about someone -- I missed the name -- who was "saying the other day" that "President Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize."
We've moved on to The Wall. Trump is remarking on how it's amazing people can "shimmy up" those walls, and then stresses how important it is that walls be see-through, otherwise drug dealers will toss heavy sacks of drugs over the wall and kill people on the other side.
Trump, laughing: "Can you imagine getting hit by a hundred pounds of drugs?"
Trump is talking with someone about how sharp the points on the top of the wall will be. Very sharp, it turns out. Trump: "That's pretty cool."
Someone at the dinner is comparing Trump's immigration plan to a broken water pump. And how you don't shove the pump into gross basement water to get it going again? Yuck.
The table agrees: Trump's election was the greatest sporting event of all time.
Trump spontaneously brings up Maxine Waters, and calls her "low IQ." The table starts laughing like crazy.
They are now talking about "the younger African-American generation." Can we please go back to golf
Ah, now we're getting to the good stuff: energy policy.
Trump: "Aren't the frackers out now because of the price? ... That's what I've heard."
Trump: "Aren't the frackers out now because of the price? ... That's what I've heard."
Trump: "Is the fracking starting though? Because for a while there the price was too low." This is apparently the one thing Trump knows about fracking.
Parnas is making his move: "LNG changes the game, right? If we export LNG we can supply Europe." Trump: "How about Germany opening a pipeline into Russia? ... Figure that out."
Parnas: 'We're in the process of purchasing an energy company in Ukraine that should cut off Russia.'
Trump, sounding more intrigued than he has all night: "Ukraine has OIL? *Ukraine*? But they don't have any money?"
Parnas: "They're waiting for your support to go on" with oil development, so that they don't lose it all to Russia.
Trump: "How long would they last in a fight with Russia?"
Trump: "How long would they last in a fight with Russia?"
Trump: "It's always us that has to support everyone? Why isn't Germany doing anything?"
Parnas: "Germany isn't doing anything, they're supporting Russia."
Parnas: "Germany isn't doing anything, they're supporting Russia."
The bleeped out part was apparently "the ambassador of Ukraine."
Okay who the hell bleeped that out and why?
Okay who the hell bleeped that out and why?
Parnas: "Mr. President, Mr. President--"
Trump: "What?"
Parnas: "Have you thought about" allowing states to do something "with cannabis?"
Yeah Lev, work that grift.
Trump assures him that will "all work itself out."
Trump: "What?"
Parnas: "Have you thought about" allowing states to do something "with cannabis?"
Yeah Lev, work that grift.
Trump assures him that will "all work itself out."
Everyone at this dinner party from hell is on Team Reefer, it seems.
Parnas: "Pam is great, I just talked to her last week. ... Pam Bondi."
Trump: "Pam is great."
Oh, the same Pam Bondi that's on Trump's team for the senate trial?
Trump: "Pam is great."
Oh, the same Pam Bondi that's on Trump's team for the senate trial?
Parnas: "We're in the process of purchasing -- Ukraine is privatizing one of it's biggest energy companies --"
Naftogaz, if that's what they're referring to, was obviously not in the process of being purchased.
Naftogaz, if that's what they're referring to, was obviously not in the process of being purchased.
Aaaand we're now discussing Golf Magazine.
"Magazines are DEAD," Trump declares.
"Magazines are DEAD," Trump declares.
"If we ever lose an election, cable TV is DEAD," Trump declares.
Trump says everyone hating Hillary helped him: "I got 20% of Bernie's vote, people don't realize that."
They're wondering why Bernie Sanders hasn't gone "crazier" agains the Democrats, for betraying him or something, and start debating whether Sanders will run for 2020. Someone -- maybe Parnas? -- just said, laughing, "I hope Biden runs."
They're talking about Tesla and I zoned out for a bit, but someone just said Elon Musk is "a bit off socially."
Trump seems fascinated by aluminum bodied cars, and whether they dent easier or not. Everyone at the table (not counting Parnas and Fruman) seems to have lots of feelings about F-150s.
This is killing me. Someone at the table keeps trying to move the conversation to natural gas policy, and I am silently rooting for him because I want to hear that discussion, but Trump keeps bringing it back to the aluminum cars.
Trump: "How is diesel compared to regular gasoline?" Not the energy policy discussion I was hoping for.
Parnas and Fruman are having a whispered side conversation with one another – the work Ukraine is definitely mentioned – but it's hard to hear them over the guy pontificating on mail trucks or whatever. Will have to go back and see if that can be deciphered.
Someone at the table is now making their pitch for Trump to relax truck driver safety regulations.
Trump: "How's Amazon doing?" People respond "yeah pretty great actually," and Trump grouses that other people "like Walmart" on getting in on Amazons's business now.
Someone – mail truck guy? – is making a case for an extra lane for autonomous trucks. Says we need the extra lane, because you can't put them with regular cars. Trump seems perplexed – wait why can't you?
Parnas and Fruman are showing Trump the letter from the Ukrainian Rabbi. They tell Trump that his name adds up to 424 – the same number as the Messiah, they tell him.
The table was discussing the embassy in Jerusalem for a bit, but now we're back to the Messiah talk again.
And Trump abruptly ends the dinner, with a joke about having "a long way back."
And Trump abruptly ends the dinner, with a joke about having "a long way back."
Trump has some kind of discussion of "a campaign issue" and the Trump DC hotel that I missed, around the 1:15:00 mark – will have to go back and check later.
Now someone is reading a Teddy Roosevelt speech for some reason.
Now someone is reading a Teddy Roosevelt speech for some reason.
Trump has departed. Rest of the table remains for a bit, and discuss how great it was, how "fantastic and reassuring" to hear all that from Trump himself.
Trump, on why dinners with donors are held at Trump's DC hotel instead of at the White House: "Don [McGahn?] always says, Oh, can we do it outside of the White House? There's a ridiculous campaign thing about that, which I think is wrong."
Everyone who read this thread rather than listening to the audio owes me a beer now, fyi. Sorry I don't make the rules, that's just how it is.
From the first section on Ukraine:
Trump: How's Ukraine doing? Don't answer[?].
Parnas: They love you though.
Trump: I tell you they're great fighters. ... I think they are. They're great fighters. They've been fighting for so long they don't know what to do without fighting.
Trump: How's Ukraine doing? Don't answer[?].
Parnas: They love you though.
Trump: I tell you they're great fighters. ... I think they are. They're great fighters. They've been fighting for so long they don't know what to do without fighting.
Parnas definitely brings up Biden at several points throughout the dinner, including during this discussion.
Here's the clip. clyp.it/nbp5facw
I don't think Parnas's referenced to Biden are necessarily significant, though. At this point in time, I'm not convinced the Biden part of the scheme had come together yet.
