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The Daily Beast Podcast

UNLOCKED: Trump DHS Official: Of Course There Are Racists in the Administration

The Daily Beast Podcast

The Daily Beast

News

4.68.4K Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2020

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As you’ve probably heard, we also run bonus episodes every Sunday that are only for Beast Inside members. As a small token of our gratitude, we’re sharing one of those bonus episodes in full with you here. If you want more bonus episodes like this, with more of the spicy interviews and blunt banter you know and love, consider joining Beast Inside. Doing so supports us, The New Abnormal, and the rest of fearless journalism from The Daily Beast. Head over to newabnormal.thedailybeast.com to become a member now – or after you listen to this amazing interview with Elizabeth Neumann.  Even a former member of Trump’s Department of Homeland Security thinks he is bat-shit, and surrounded by actual racists. It would be funny if some of the stories that former DHS official Elizabeth Neumann told Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast on this episode on The New Abnormal weren’t so terrifying. She admits that she did “hold her nose” and vote for him in 2016 and really believed he would rise to the occasion. But that dream died super quick—by the end of summer 2017 to be exact: “It was clear he didn’t have a strong enough character to put aside some of his bad habits,” she said. There was one moment, though, that changed it all. Or, as Molly put it, “made you realize we’re not in Kansas anymore.” “He was having some sort of school yard bully fight with a man who is trying to launch a nuclear weapon,” she explained. “It was a huge wake up call for the department.” Neumann also spoke to the influence Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller had on immigration and when she, a pro-lifer, realized the president “wasn’t a true Christian.” And then she makes two scary admissions, which says a lot because they are all pretty scary, tbh. The first is that Nuemann can say with certainty that many of those in Trump’s orbit are racist. In fact, she had a moment while working in the department in which she thought, “Oh my God, some of these people are racist.” The second, and related to the first, is the role that Trump has had on domestic terrorism and white supremacy in the United States: “The president not speaking out against white supremacy and against QAnon is extremely dangerous. He is creating that fear that creates vulnerability in people to be recruited and radicalized by groups that have an intention of violence.” Plus! Will more former administration officials come out? Neumann shares her thoughts. Want more? Become a Beast Inside member to enjoy a limited-run series of bonus interviews from The New Abnormal. Guests include Cory Booker, Jim Acosta, and more. Head to newabnormal.thedailybeast.com to join now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi, we just want to say a quick thank you for listening to the new abnormal.

0:05.5

As you've probably heard, we also run bonus episodes every Sunday that are only for

0:11.0

beast inside members.

0:12.9

As a small token of our gratitude, we're sharing one of those bonus episodes in full

0:17.1

with you here.

0:18.2

If you want more bonus episodes like this, with more of whatever it is that Rick and I

0:23.8

do, that you, no one love, consider joining beast inside, doing so support

0:29.9

us the new abnormal and the rest of the fearless journalism from the daily beast.

0:36.0

Head over to newabnormal.thedailybeast.com to become a member now or after you listen to

0:43.3

this amazing interview with Elizabeth Newman.

0:47.0

Why don't you just tell us how you got to the Trump administration?

0:51.1

I was living in Dallas at the time with my family and was in the consulting world helping

0:58.1

companies and government with security issues.

1:01.2

When he won, of course, we were all a little surprised.

1:03.2

I was asked initially if I wanted to come in that first week after he won and I talked

1:08.6

it over very briefly with my husband that we were both in agreement.

1:12.7

This is not the administration to come and work for, we're fine where we are.

1:17.0

Then Secretary Kelly was nominated in December for the Department of Homeland Security

1:21.4

to be the secretary.

1:23.5

I didn't know him very well but I started to pay attention because it is my field,

1:28.2

Homeland Security's my field.

1:29.5

I was very impressed with him and I had a conversation with somebody and they asked

...

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