Trump is in a ‘fight-or-flight state’ over coronavirus: ‘Art of the Deal’ co-author

On Thursday's edition of MSNBC's "The Beat," Trump biographer and "Art of the Deal" co-author Tony Schwartz laid out the president's state of mind over the coronavirus crisis.

"Let's understand Trump," said Schwartz. "Trump is the chief energy officer of this land. So, in other words, his energy has a disproportionate impact on all our energy. And he already raised the anxiety of people over the last four years considerably. He'll exploit fear if he thinks that serves him, or deny fear if he thinks that serves him."

"That's an important point," said host Ari Melber. "You're arguing, as someone who worked with him, that while we just heard about a public interest approach, you're saying you don't see him using public interest?"

"No," said Schwartz emphatically. "As anybody who is in an activated fight-or-flight state, which is where Trump lives, his vision narrows and it narrows to the threat he feels and the threat he feels is not from a pandemic, even though it might likely happen. The threat he feels is to his re-election, and his power. So everything he does is going to be a response to that. And that's not the public interest."

Watch below: