Dan Bongino Opens Up About the Real Donald Trump: Caring, Loyal, and "Transactional"

I'm telling you, some heavenly intervention. I don't know if someone told him to call. I don't know what happened. But my phone rings, which I still had on me for some bizarre reason. And it said unknown on the phone. So you know how it is in the business. Unknown is one of two people. It's Fox or the White House. Like, that's it. Like, no one else comes up unknown. It comes up restricted for regular. But unknown is like, you know someone, right? So I'm like, oh, this must be Fox or something. So I pick up the phone, and it's Trump. And I mean, you know, Megan, I get it. Like, you've interviewed him. I've interviewed him. You know him. I know him. He's not your standard politician. You know, people accuse him of being mercenary and all this other stuff. You form your own opinion. I know a different guy. But it wasn't even that he called me. It was that he was so genuinely interested in making me feel better. You know what I'm saying? Like, it wasn't a perfunctory task. He already understood he had my support. It wasn't something he did. I mean, come on. You got people who kiss your ass all the time. They're not really listening to you. They're just either, like, worshiping you, or they're, like, waiting to talk. And that's, like, the worst thing ever, because nothing's genuine anymore. It was the weirdest conversation, because he really wanted to know. He's like, how are you doing? I said, you know, not that good. This thing. You see, you're going to get it. No. There's no crying on this show. Just, like, no crying in baseball. I'm not saying anything. He's like, how you feeling? I said, I can't. The story just so gets to me, because he's like, how are you doing? And he said, I told him what had happened. He's like, do you need me to make some kind of phone call? He's like, are you going to be OK going in there? I said, no, Mr. President, I'm going to be all right, man. I said, I'm going to be all right. But, you know, I said, it really, you know, just really matters that you did that, that you called. And it wasn't, and the funny thing is, it wasn't the first time I had spoken to him by any stretch. I mean, he's very open with us. You know, I mean, you can call him any time. Trump will take your call. If you call him right now on the show, I guarantee you he'll pick up. It wasn't the first time I talked to him, but it was just that time. I'm telling you, I don't know if some angel tapped him on the shoulder and said, call this guy. And, you know, I'm not some goofy. I don't worship politicians, Trump or anyone else, but I wouldn't have got through that. There's no way. And I was in and my wife said, who was that? I said, you're never going to believe it. It was Trump. And we spent like five minutes on the phone and all he wanted to know, all he wanted to know is how I was doing. And if I was going to get through this and if I needed anything. And he said, the minute you're out of there because you're going to make it through this because I'm with you. God's with you. He said, I want you to come down from, you know, the White House. And you know, when people ask me all the time, you know, why are you so loyal to this guy? Well, there's your answer. Yeah, I mean, and you have to understand my loyalty and friendship will never go challenge. But that doesn't mean I don't get to question him on issues just like he can question me on stuff. That's what true friends are. And this myth out there amongst the anti-Trump crowd that doesn't see this guy through a clear lens. They just don't. They're so blinded by their hatred that, oh, Trump demands fealty or he'll kick you out of his circle, is the dumbest shit I've ever heard. I've disagreed with Donald Trump on criminal justice reform. I've disagreed with him publicly on my own radio show. I played the clip the other day about abortion and just the other day on my podcast. But that doesn't mean I'm not loyal to who he is personally. But I'm also loyal to my faith in my politics, too. And he understands that. So people say, well, how can you still support him? You know why? Because Donald Trump is transactional. And sometimes that's used as an insult. In politics, it's the greatest compliment ever. He understands every transaction matters. And I'm sorry to tell you, there's not a single other candidate in a race that's gotten that. He is transactional. When you walk in there, he is a business guy. Is he an avid pro-lifer? Anyone who tells you that's lying to your face? Not a chance. But Donald Trump understands pro-lifers got him elected. And Donald Trump understands that when Leonard Leo and others walked in there and said, we got to get Roe v. Wade out of there. And here's a good idea of judges who may or may lean in the pro-life direction. Who got it done? He did. While everyone else just talks shit about. So I don't understand. Everybody takes that as a knock. Oh, he doesn't believe it in his heart. OK, so the other politicians in the past did and did jack shit about abortion. I'm supposed to like them more? I'll take the doer over the talker any day. Being transactional to me in politics is a compliment, not an insult. Well, I think that this story is extraordinary because we've had a few people come on and tell these back sort of behind the scenes stories about Trump, whose number I don't have. I want to just know for the record, John, I do not have it. But maybe someday he so but he's so demonized to the point where I do worry for his safety. I think he's been so like the left likes to use the term dehumanized. I feel dehumanized by this. Is there anybody who's been more dehumanized than Donald Trump? And on the other hand, you got, you know, President Basement, right? Joe Biden, who barely puts himself out there. And when he does, like he's waiting for the he's there to greet the caskets coming home from Afghanistan. He's checking his watch. But they want us to believe that that guy, Uncle Joe, is the empathetic one. He's the sweet one. He's the kind one. He's the avuncular one. And Trump is the devil. And Trump is ornery and he's a fighter and he's controversial, but he too is a man. He's a human. He has a heart. He has a family. As I started this off by saying, I just think the book, this kind of example does a good job of putting layers on that. So people can be reminded it's it's real, even though he's very tough and he's a fighter. It doesn't mean he's incapable of being hurt and God forbid worse. So we need to like, as you say, pump the brakes, make sure he's protected and he's not the only one. Millions of Americans earn and use credit card rewards. A few big box retailers want to take those rewards away. What the? 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