Jim VandenHei and President Donald Trump (Axios)
Journalist Jim VandeHei, co-founder of Axios and Politico, was disturbed by President Donald Trump's reaction to a question about whether his rhetoric might provoke violent actions by his supporters.
The website has been promoting an upcoming HBO special featuring an exclusive interview with the president, whose mood seems to lighten when VandeHei asks whether he feels any responsibility for politically charged violence.
"You've got to watch his body language," VandenHei said. "It's almost like he relaxes, it's almost like you become on par with him and he just wants to have a conversation that, to him, is totally on the level."
Trump insisted that his attacks are necessary and justifiable because he believes the media treats him unfairly, and he thinks those attacks got him elected.
"It's like, 'Of course, I have to do this,' like, 'look what the press is doing to me, look at how my crowds respond to me,'" VandenHei said. "I think at one point he's like, 'They like me better when I do this.' People are like, 'You've got to cut this off, you've got to stop the rhetoric.' He's like, 'No, I'm winning.'"
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