AS EDITOR IN CHIEF OF "FOREIGN POLICY," FOUNDED "POLITICO

MAGAZINE," AND SERVED AS THE MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF FOR "THE

WASHINGTON POST."

SHE NOW HAS A WEEKLY COLUMN AT "THE NEW YORKER."

PLEASE WELCOME SUSAN GLASSER!

♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )

>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THANKS FOR BEING

HERE.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> Stephen: I PERSONALLY REQUESTED TO HAVE YOU ON BECAUSE

I HAVE READ JUST ABOUT EVERY COLUMN YOU HAVE WRITTEN IN THE

LAST THREE YEARS FOR "THE NEW YORKER."

THEY'RE ALL CALLED "LETTER FROM WASHINGTON," RIGHT?

>> I'M SORRY, I KNOW IT'S A LOT TO TAKE IN.

>> Stephen: WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THEM IS I DON'T THINK

THERE IS ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO, "A", HAS THE BREADTH OF

JOURNALISTIC EXPERIENCE, WHO HAS TH KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT HAPPENS

UNDERNEATH A BURGEONING AUTOCRATIC REGIME, BECAUSE YOU

WERE ONE OF THE MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEFS FOR "THE WASHINGTON POST"

WHEN PUTIN WAS RISING TO POWER IN THE EARLY 2000s, AND WHO

UNDERSTANDS THE NORMS WE'RE LOSING IN OUR GOVERNMENT THAN

YOU.

I'M NOT GOING TO SAY IT'S A CHEERFUL COLUMN, YOU KNOW.

IT'S MILDLY REFRESHING.

IT'S 90% WATER, 10% HEMLOCK.

IT'S NOT TOO BAD.

BUT YOU SAID YOU NEEDED A TERM FOR THE TRUMP EFFECT, THE THING

WE'RE ALL FEELING BUT HAVE TROUBLE NAMING.

AND YOU ASKED A FRIEND TO HELP YOU-- WHO HELPED YOU COME UP

WITH THIS TERM?

>> OKAY, SO I HAVE THIS WONDERFUL FRIEND, CASANZA, WHO

IS GERMAN, AND YOU KNOW HOW PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS JOKING THERE

OUGHT TO BE A LONG GERMAN WORD FOR THAT.

I SAID, "IS THERE A LONG GERMAN WORD FOR THIS TRUMP SOUL

SICKNESS?" AND SHE SAID, "NO, BUT I'LL MAKE

ONE UP."

SO SHE MADE ONE UP.

( LAUGHTER ) >> THE SECOND PART IS GOOD.

THE SCHLAMASSLE.

>> Stephen: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

>> I THINK IT'S TECHNICALLY YIDDISH.

>> Stephen: IT'S A GOOD COMBO.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

>> AGAIN, I DON'T ACTUALLY SPEAK GERMAN.

TRUMP, YOU GOT THAT, REGNORRAN IS GOVERNMENT.

SCHLAMASSLE IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE, CRAZINESS.

AND SCHMIRTZ, IS SOUL SICKNESS.

IT'S LIKE TRUMP, CRAZINESS, SOUL SICKNESS.

>> Stephen: I GET A CONSTANT FEELING IN THE SORT OF GAS

LIGHTING OF AMERICA THAT THE PRESIDENT IS TAKING PLACE AND

THE PEOPLE AIDING AND ABETTING HIM, LIKE SOME SORT OF SPELL IS

TRYING TO BE CAST ON US, LIKE SOME SORT OF WEIRD-- SOMEWHAT

ABUSIVE SPELLS BEING CAST ON US SO WE DON'T SEE REALITY ANYMORE.

WE'RE BEING DRAGGED INTO HIS INSANITY.

WHEN YOU WERE SEEING THE RISE OF PUTIN FROM 2000-TO 2004, WAS

THIS HAPPENING THEN?

>> YOU WOULDN'T THINK THERE WOULD BE AN OVERLAPPING

EXPERTISE BETWEEN BEING IN RUSSIA AND BEING IN WASHINGTON,

AND THROW IN A CLINTON IMPEACHMENT-- THESE THINGS

AREN'T SUPPOSED TO GO TOGETHER IN THE SAME SENTENCE.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, THE FIRST FOUR YEARS, HE DID WHAT ALL ASPIRING

AUTHORITARIANS DO, WHAT ERDOGAN DID IN TURKEY, CONSOLIDATE

POWER.

FIRST YOU GO AFTER THE JOURNALISTS.

THEY TOOK OVER THE INDEPENDENT TELEVISION.

YOU GO AFTER THE PARLIAMENT, AND YOU MAKE SURE THAT IT'S A POCKET

PARLIAMENT.

YOU GO AFTER THIS-- AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME UNKANE

PARALLELS.

TRUMP SEEMS TO HAVE THE INSTINCTING OF A NATURAL-MINDED

AWE AUTHORITARIAN, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT HISTORY

AND INSTITUTIONS AND CULTURES, THANKS GOODNESS YOU.

>> Stephen: HAVE BEEN WRITING ABOUT THE NEW PHASE OF THE

PRESIDENCY SINCE THE SENATE ACQUITTAL.

WHO POST-IMPEACHMENT TRUMP?

IS IT REALLY DIFFERENT?

MY SUSPICION BEFORE IT HAPPENED, "IF HE ISN'T ACQUITTED, THE

GUARDRAILS WILL BE OFF."

I DON'T SEE THAT THE GUARDRAILS HAVE EVER BEEN ON.

IS HE THE SAME PERSON POST-ACQUITTAL?

THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

I SAW THAT YOU SAID THAT BEFORE.

>> AND THOUGHT HE'S GOING TO CHALLENGE ME ON THIS.

WHAT'S THE ANSWER?

I WENT BACK AND LOOKED.

AND WE ARE ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, THE FROG BEING SLOWLY BOILED.

YOU KNOW THAT?

>> Stephen: YEAH.

>> I THINK WE'RE KIND OF BOILED ALREADY.

BECAUSE I THINK WE ARE SLOWLY GETTING USED TO TRUMP DOING

THINGS NOW THAT HE NEVER WOULD HAVE TRIED TO DO THREE YEARS AGO

WHEN HE FIRST CAME INTO OFFICE TWO, YEARS AGO.

SINCE HE'S BEEN ACQUITTED, HE'S ATTACKED SUPREME COURT JUSTICES,

GONE AFTER NOT ONLY A FEDERAL JUDGE IN THE ROGER STONE CASE

BUT THE FOUR W FORWOMAN OF THE J THE PROSECUTORS WHO RECOMMENDED

THE SENTENCE AND THEN QUIT.

HE HAS NOT ONLY FIRED THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL

INTELLIGENCE BECAUSE A BRIEFING ABOUT RUSSIA WAS GIVEN TO

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, PUT IN SOMEONE VERY UNQUALIFIED FOR THE

JOB IN AN ACTING CAPACITY.

AND THEN JUST THIS WEEK, HE'S NAMED AS THE NEW DIRECTOR OF

NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, THE CONGRESSMAN WHO WAS DISQUALIFIED

BY REPUBLICANS JUST AIFY MONTHS AGO BECAUSE HE WAS LYING ON HIS

RESUME.

SO THE HEAD OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS GOING TO BE

SOMEONE WHO CAN'T TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS OWN RECORD.

SO WE'RE USED TO SOMETHING-- REPUBLICANS ARE NOW ENDORSING

HIM FOR THE JOB THAT THEY REFUSEDLY TO PUT HIM IN JUST SIX

MONTHS AGO.

>> Stephen: IT'S ALMOST AS IF THEY DON'T WANT TO KNOW THINGS.

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK YOU NEED TO SPEAK TO MOTIVES.

I THINK THAT'S ONE THING I'VE LEARNED IN SORT OF THREE YEARS

OF TRUMPOLOGY.

IT'S LIKE KREMLINOLOGY.

YOU DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO GET INSIDE THEIR HEAD TO KNOW DOES

DONALD TRUMP LOVE VLADIMIR PUTIN?

JUST LOOK AT THE CRAZY STUFF THAT THEY'RE SAYING AND DOING.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'VE TRIED TO DO IS TO WRITE IT DOWN ON THE

THEORY THAT 20 YEARS FROM NOW, WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE SAYING,

"DID THIS REALLY HAPPEN?" >> Stephen: I HOPE SO.

I HOPE 20 YEARS FROM NOW WE HAVE THAT ATTITUDE.

THAT WE'RE NOT JUST IN SCUBA GEAR IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN.

( LAUGHTER ) BUT YOU RAISE-- YOU RAISE A GOOD

POINT, RAISE A GOOD POINT THAT WE ARE THE FROGS SLOWLY BEING

BOILED AND WE'VE BECOME INURED OF SOME OF THE SHOCKING THINGS

THAT HAPPENS.

HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR FRESH SHOCK.

METAPHORICALLY I HAVE TO PULL THE CAR OVER, VOMIT INTO A

DITCH, SLAP MYSELF ON THE FACE AND GET BACK IN SO I CAN STAY

WEAK ON AT THE WHEEL.

HOW DO YOU STAY FRESHLY SHOCKED AT IT?

>> IT IS KIND OF LOOKING AT THE ECLIPSE OF THE SUN BUT WITHOUT

THE GLASSES ON EVERY WEEK.

IT'S A REALLY TOUGH JOB.

I KNOW MOST PEOPLE HAVE TUNED IT OUT.

I UNDERSTAND THAT.

IF YOUR JOB IS TO STARE STRAIGHT AT IT.

WE FORGET ALL THE CRAZY STUFF, RIGHT.

EVEN THE PEOPLE WHOSE JOB IT IS TO PAY ATTENTION.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN DONALD TRUMP SAID HE WAS GOING TO BUY

GREENLAND?

>> Stephen: YEAH.

>> HE GOES ON HIS RALLIES ALL THE TIME AND HE ATTACKS

WINDMILLS AND HE ATTACKS -- >> Stephen: FOR CAUTION

CANCER?

>> AND TOILETS.

HE DOESN'T LIKE MODERN TOILET.

>> Stephen: RIGHT.

>> AND YOU FORGET THESE THINGS BECAUSE IT'S TOO MUCH TO SAY I

SHOULD WRITE ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.

OFTEN THAT IS WHAT I DO TO GET MYSELF PSYCHED UP TO WRITE A

COLUMN, I GO BACK THROUGH THE TWITTER FEED, AND WITHIN A

SECOND I'M READY TO GO.

( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )

>> Stephen: SUSAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

LOVELY TO HAVE YOU ON.

PLEASE KEEP IT UP.