David Corn Breaks Down the Full Trump “Hot-Mic” Tape, Moment By Moment

Last week, during the Hatch Act-shattering Republican National Convention, my colleague David Corn published a new hot-mic video of Donald Trump: a 13-minute conversation between Trump and his lawyer, captured during a break between videotaped depositions for the 2015 fraud lawsuit against Trump University.
As David wrote:

Trump boasted about how his company threatened the Better Business Bureau to change the D rating it had assigned Trump University to an A. He complained about the federal judge overseeing the suit, Gonzalo Curiel, elliptically talking about how to challenge him and referring to “the Spanish thing.” Trump also griped that he had been sued personally in this case, and Petrocelli had to explain to Trump that he, not just Trump University itself, was in the legal crosshairs because Trump had been accused of making false statements to promote the venture. And Petrocelli pointed out that the case was not a lock for Trump because some of Trump’s “guys” had been “sloppy.”

We published the original full-length source video as well a shorter video that highlights the most revealing moments from the recording. But The Internet asked for more.
Readers and commenters asked for a full transcript and even more context. (2,000 words isn’t enough?) So we did one better: We had David himself sit down and talk us through the entire video, pausing at critical moments to provide expert context and commentary. (If you enjoyed our other video, think of this like the Director’s Cut—but without the marked-up commemorative box set.)
So sit back. Wind your wristwatch. Fix your hair just so. And take in our full-length breakdown of a video that reveals how our current president conducted his private business when he thought the cameras weren’t rolling.