CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett has hosted a podcast for seven years. While The Takeout With Major Garrett is entertaining, potential guests would be wise if they didn’t approach their appearance on the podcast as some kind of cakewalk.
“Not everybody is willing to do 45 minutes with me,” Garrett said. “We go the full 45 minutes. If someone lives by their talking points, they’re not going to enjoy being my guest.”
If a guest stumbles, Garrett won’t clean it up. These aren’t lay-down conversations. Garrett said you can’t interrogate someone, but you can indeed press them. He’s had a large number of Trump cabinet officials on his show.
“I have a reputation for being tough but fair. That’s all I ever wanted to be. I’m not going to ask the same question four times. If their reaction is to spin their answers, so be it. I’ll pierce it as best as I can.”
As with most journalists, Garrett admits there have been times he became frustrated at his lack of follow-up on a question, or if he left a topic hanging. He asks plenty of hard-nosed questions during his podcasts. If a guest ventures into an area, they’d better be able to finish. They’re not going to get off easy. His show is too risky for some politicians who can’t think on their feet.
He welcomes guests who have something to say, but he’s not going to devolve into a question of what is fact versus fiction.
“I’m not going to question Marjorie Taylor Green about Jewish lasers,” Garrett said. “That’s a wasted experience. There’s no value in that. I don’t pander and there is no predictable outcome to my shows. That may hinder some of the success of the show. I tell guests all the time we have to listen to each other, even if we fundamentally disagree with each other. It’s just too bad. We run a show that tries to bring issues to the surface. I try to listen to as many perspectives as possible.”
When he started his podcast, Garrett wanted to create a different atmosphere where his podcast followers could relate to him. He did just that. Most of his shows are recorded in a restaurant.
“If I kept the podcast in a studio it would sound like a studio conversation,” Garrett said. “I wanted to take the alpha out of some of these Washington guests. Everyone in Washington is alpha or aspires to be. I wanted to deal with simple truths and a glass of wine or a meal together while we talk, helps bring all the tension down a notch.”
Before taping begins, Garrett said the meal is pre-ordered and later delivered during discussions. The streaming audience can see that happen.
“I can polish off a cheeseburger with the best of them,” Garrett admitted. “I do it with gusto for sure. Food is part of our process. When we did our shows on Ukraine, we decided we wouldn’t eat. I don’t think it’s appropriate to feast while people are being strafed with bombs. I did a show with Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) when Republicans were in the minority. He and I ate lunch at a place near Capitol Hill, and we jumped right into messy cheeseburgers.”
Garrett said the podcast is based on his career in Washington. Despite the turbulent nature of D.C., he said nobody comes to Washington D.C. with ill intent. No designs on destroying D.C. or the country.
“I built this show on the idea that all people would be equally heard, whether they were on the right, left, or center,” he said. “I never edit their words. Never. I make that promise to my guests and audience. If something is edited for time on the show, it’s something I said that’s edited, not something the guest said.”
There is an important component for anyone who is in a visible position on television, whether they’re an anchor or reporter. Viewers have questions in their minds when they watch; should I believe him? Should I trust her? One thing that comes across is whether you are the same person when you walk away from that camera.
“Viewers will make that determination if you’re relatively the same person or whether you’re a made-up person,” Garrett said. “They need to discover who are you under those lights. In front of the camera.”
Garrett said some broadcasters like Willie Geist deemphasize themselves and emphasize the mission. “That’s the intangible,” he said. “People will say they like somebody but don’t know exactly why. Maybe that anchor or reporter is capable of making you feel comfortable.”
Garrett said as an anchor, you’ve got to get out of your head. He said British broadcasters use a term some journalists could take as a slight.
“In Britain, the television ‘anchors’ are called presenters,” Garrett said. “It’s exactly the right term. It’s all about what you hold. You hold the news. You’re handing this over to your audience, presenting it to them. You’re offering everything your news division has compiled that day.”
Garrett said the way you hand it over is the secret sauce to success.
He doesn’t see a therapist. Garrett said his podcast is a form of therapy.
“The Takeout is a reflection of my approach to journalism. We’re open, full spectrum, and we hand off the information to our audience. How popular we are notwithstanding, the podcast serves what I believe is at my core. For some, we may appear to be all over the map. That’s cool for me. As I said, it’s therapy.”
The podcast allows Garrett the opportunity to present information he’s gathered but never made it on the air on a newscast.
“I would work on a story and seven seconds of the story would end up on the air,” he said. “That’s a terrible ratio when you figure out how much you put into those pieces. I figured I’d take the material from these interviews that are on the cutting room floor and present them to the audience.”
Garrett said there are people smarter than him who have researched the components of hard-core conservatism. The skepticism toward the government is one of the components. Garrett said the Tea Party had been toying with the hardcore angry conservative part of the movement, making sure they could keep the hardcore activated and voting, but not running the party.
“Trump blew through all the guardrails,” Garrett said. “I’ve attended more than 100 Trump rallies through the years.” Something he wrote about in his book, Mr. Trump’s Wild Ride: The Thrills, Chills, Screams, and Occasional Blackouts of an Extraordinary Presidency.
Garrett said Trump appeals to the person who feels alienated by the world. Trump made them feel smarter about themselves.
“The man says to his wife, ‘Honey, haven’t I always said what President Trump is saying?’ There is a connection built there. There’s no greater gift than someone telling you you’re smart. The man may think, ‘My neighbors and family told me I was dumb, but I had it figured out. I’ve never felt better about myself.’”
Garrett said people who went to Barack Obama’s rallies felt they were held in a radiant display of American Democracy.
“I will tell you the feeling at Trump rallies is the exact same thing. Some may find Trump’s rallies repellant, but some people attach themselves to his feelings and beliefs.”
Garrett said he’s not sure we’ll be able to sift through and analyze the Trump era anytime soon. Historian Paul Johnson wrote how it took 50 years to synthesize Winston Churchill’s behavior and career.
“I predict there will be as many books written about Trump as there were on Abraham Lincoln. Everyone will try to pick apart a particular component of this larger matter.”
Garrett said the podcast had focused on the war in Ukraine for six weeks straight. What he calls the biggest story about our century. Certainly the story with the most serious consequences.
We’re just one wrong move from potential extinction. The war in Ukraine makes the entire world vulnerable. Garrett said the war in Ukraine can revive the psychological horrors of the Cold War.
“The stakes today are enormous,” Garrett said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen to this sovereign country which could be drained of its lifeblood by Russia. We’ll be talking about this brutality for the remainder of the century.”
Will we be forever changed by the events of this war?
“I don’t know how you could argue the counterposition. Our structures of the post-WWII era are in question. There are issues with international law and sovereignty. I know Putin writes a kind of corrupted Russian history about Ukraine, but Ukraine is fighting for its destiny on its terms. Someone has to capitulate. Sue for peace. Putin is biding time and assuming Ukraine will fatigue.”
Garrett said this is very serious stuff. In the last week, we’ve had three United States B52s flown along the corridor. Three times they’ve scrambled jets to intercept them.
“Nothing happened but the rhetoric gets edgier. Declarative. In regards to the drone that was shot down, maybe it was an accident, or maybe it wasn’t. Either way, these scrapes can spin out of control as history has shown us.”
Garrett has kept an eye on the potential indictment of Trump.
“I do think there was something tactical about his announcement on Saturday. To redirect attention to the district attorney. I’m not sure he panicked. There could be something very strategic to this practice. There could be some very damaging court rulings coming up Friday on the classified documents case. I’ve been around both candidate Trump and President Trump. I have some familiarity with this approach. If there is bad news in one place, he will generate a story at another pace. He’s going to stir the drink his own way.”
Jim Cryns writes features for Barrett News Media. He has spent time in radio as a reporter for WTMJ, and has served as an author and former writer for the Milwaukee Brewers. To touch base or pick up a copy of his new book: Talk To Me – Profiles on News Talkers and Media Leaders From Top 50 Markets, log on to Amazon or shoot Jim an email at jimcryns3_zhd@indeedemail.com.
