The following are transcripts from several secret White House tapes recently leaked online. As the tapes themselves are incomplete, transcripts may begin and end abruptly.
Transcript #1: January 27, 2017
Meeting in the President’s Dining Room. In attendance are the president and FBI Director James Comey. Tape begins in mid-conversation.
PRES. TRUMP: See, what Republicans back then shoulda done — and they coulda won the White House — they shoulda made a big deal about how he was handicapped.
COMEY: Hmm.
PRES. TRUMP: Shoulda had someone get up there and tell the country, “What we need now is a guy who can put America back on its own two feet — and believe me, that’s the last thing this FDR fella could ever do.” Which is true. Media, they totally buried that story. Totally. I mean, did you know he was handicapped?
COMEY: I—
PRES. TRUMP: I didn’t. A lot of people don’t. And I read history. I do. On the television, I read it a lot. And no one knows. To this day, nobody knows.
COMEY: That’s not—
PRES. TRUMP: I will say this, though, handicapped or not. He did one thing right. He did. He was very friendly with the Russians. Very friendly. “Uncle Joe.” Remember that?
COMEY: I—
PRES. TRUMP: Uncle Joe. And he was. Stalin was America’s uncle: Drank too much, you didn’t leave him alone with your teenage daughter, but he was. He was with us in The Big War. That Second One, right? The famous one. He was. Cause FDR knew, James, he knew. Knew you need a strong ally.
COMEY: Uh—
PRES. TRUMP: I mean, we all need a friend, right? Cause sometimes, James, sometimes people goof. They do. They goof. And they say things to certain people over phones even though they were specifically told, “Do not say these things to these people over any phone.” I mean, I can’t tell you how many times Roy Cohn told me that. But people heard him, James. They did. And so now, just sorta curious, you know, what you’ve heard.
COMEY: Sir, I— I don’t mean seem rude. But are we actually eating dinner at some point?
PRES. TRUMP: I dunno, James. I dunno. Loyal people, they eat. They definitely eat. So you tell me: Are we eating? I mean, I don’t know. You tell me.
[Tape cuts out then picks back up an unknown amount of time later with President Trump on the phone]
PRES. TRUMP: And so he says, “Mr. President, I
Transcript #2: March 22, 2017
Meeting in the Oval Office to discuss new documents that “prove” the president was under surveillance by former President Obama. In attendance are the president; Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), then-House Intelligence Committee Chairman; and at least two unidentified aides. Tape begins prior to Nunes’ entrance.
PRES. TRUMP: Okay, so we’re clear? He comes in, you know, chairman of the intelligence committee, he totally surprises us with this “evidence” he definitely uncovered by himself and that totally backs up what I was saying all along about the wiretapping. And we’re shocked, right? Shocked. We thank him. He leaves. He goes to the cameras outside, you know, gets on TV. Tells everyone I was right. Whole mess is solved.
AIDE #1: Solv—?
PRES. TRUMP: You heard. Whole mess. I solved it. Okay, bring him in. What’s his name?
AIDE #2: Devin Nunes. Congressman Devin—
PRES. TRUMP: I got it, I got it.
[Rep. Nunes enters]
PRES. TRUMP: There he is! Devlin McGregor! Never forget a face! Boy, are we big fans of yours. You and the other guy, what’s his name, Richard Kimble in the Senate. Big fans. Everything you’re doing with the Intelligence. Right? Yeah. I hear you have some totally new, never before — I’ve never heard it — information about Obama and the wiretapping, the illegal — highly illegal — wiretapping that definitely happened against me
REP. NUNES: Thank you, Mr. President. Sir, first let me say—
PRES. TRUMP: Devlin, I don’t have a lot of time. This isn’t like the pharmaceuticals business where you can just cut out for golf any time you like, okay? I have major responsibilities here. So let’s cut to the chase. From what I understand, someone called you up, right? Had you get in a car, go over to a big place. Staff didn’t know where you were. Intentionally kept in the dark. These people — you know, whoever they are — they took you to, I mean, coulda been here. Maybe. I dunno. Whatever. You saw some documents, though. Evidence. I was caught in surveillance. Or my team was. Or— was it just that our names were mentioned? Honestly, I can’t remem— Does anyone here remember the story we settled on?
[Tape records someone muttering, “Jesus Christ”]
PRES. TRUMP: No? Doesn’t matter. So you see this detailed, so detailed report, Devlin. And it’s about surveillance or something. Russia’s not mentioned, though. Remember that. This was some completely different surveillance that had nothing to do with Russia. And you think, “My God, Obama is the biggest traitor we’ve ever seen. Probably owes all kinds of people God knows how much money. I gotta get over to the White House and tell the president about this information because he has no idea these totally not made up reports exist.” Is that what you’re telling me congressman?
REP. NUNES: Well, sir—
PRES. TRUMP: I’m shocked. Are you shocked?
AIDE #1: Yessir.
PRES. TRUMP: Are you?
AIDE #2: Yessir
PRES. TRUMP: Totally shocked. We’re all shocked here, Devlin. Shocked. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Now, there’s some cameras and microphones and media waiting outside the White House. So why don’t you go out there. Tell the lying media what you told me.
[Sound of Rep. Nunes being stood up and escorted toward the door]
PRES. TRUMP: And, again, I am sorry about what happened to your lovely wife.
REP. NUNES: What?
PRES. TRUMP: But we are going to find that one-armed man, Devlin. We will. Absolutely. Okay. Good seeing you. Buh-bye. Bye.
[Nunes leaves; door closes]
PRES. TRUMP: And that is how you do it, gentlemen.
Transcript #3: May 8, 2017
Meeting in Oval Office with top Justice Department officials to discuss letter detailing dissatisfaction with the performance of FBI Director James Comey, May 8, 2017. In attendance are the president; Attorney General Jeff Sessions; Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Recording begins with Sessions and Rosenstein entering the office while the president is on the phone.
SESSIONS: Sir, we have the letter you reques—
PRES. TRUMP: Yeah, fine. Stick it anywhere.
SESSIONS: Well, should we—
PRES. TRUMP: Thank you!
[Silence, then Sessions and Rosenstein exit. Trump continues speaking into the phone.]
PRES. TRUMP: Where was I? Oh, So I’m telling Arthur Sulzberger at the Times. I’m saying, you know, “Arthur, I’ve got these massive leaks going on everywhere. You’re not doing anything about them. You’re just using them to make living here unbearable, to make me want to move out of this fabulous place with the cheap rent and all so you can get someone in here more to your liking who you think is a better class of people” — and, I dunno, I just got this tremendous sense of deja vu.
Transcript #4: May 10, 2017
Visit in the Oval Office from Russian diplomats the day after FBI Director Comey is fired. In attendance are President Donald J. Trump; Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov; and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Recording begins abruptly with the Russians laughing.
PRES. TRUMP: No, it’s true. So, I fire him. And a little while later our Mr. Ambassador here, he says to me, “Mister President, I understand you drained the swamp this evening.”
[Small chuckle]
PRES. TRUMP: And I say, “Are you kidding? At my age, I drain the swamp like three, four times a night!”
[Loud Russian laughter]
PRES. TRUMP: Yeah, which, uh, which reminds me — about that tape.