In 'Betrayal,' ABC's Jonathan Karl asks: 'Must the Trump show go on?'
Americans have heard hours of former President Trump's voice on tape, yet even a few minutes more can somehow still trigger disbelief and shock.
That is why in the final week before publication of his new book Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show, Jonathan Karl of ABC News has been sharing a key passage of his interview with Trump recorded in March 2021.
In the interview, Karl has been asking about the rioters who broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 as Congress was acknowledging officially the results of the Electoral College — Trump's defeat.
When Trump casts the rioters in benign terms, Karl notes some of them were chanting "Hang Mike Pence," a reference to Trump's vice president, who had a ceremonial role in the Capitol proceedings. Karl asked if Trump had been worried when he heard those chants.
"No, I thought he was well protected," Trump says. "And I had heard that he was in good shape..."
Pence was in fact being hidden by Secret Service agents in an underground loading dock beneath the Capitol as the riot raged on above.
