METROFOCUS EXCLUSIVE: FORMER TRUMP EXEC ON IMPEACHMENT

> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO 'METROFOCUS.'

I'M JENNA FLANAGAN.

COULD PRESIDENT TRUMP RESIGN BEFORE DEMOCRATS GET A CHANCE TO IMPEACH HIM?

CONGRESS IS INVESTIGATING THE PARKIN PRESIDENT'S DEALINGS WITH UKRAINE.

BARBARA RES KNOWS TRUMP BETTER THAN MOST.

SHE'S A FORMER TOP EXECUTIVE AT HIS ORGANIZATION.

IT WOULD BE VERY, VERY BAD FOR HIM TO BE IMPEACHED.

I DON'T KNOW THAT HE WOULD BE FOUND GUILTY BUT I DON'T THINK HE WANTS TO BE IMPEACHED.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT THIS PANIC IS ABOUT.

AND MY GUT TELLS ME HE'LL LEAVE OFFICE, RESIGN, OR MAKE SOME KIND OF A DEAL, EVEN.

FOR MORE ON HER THOUGHTS ON PRESIDENT TRUMP, I'M JOINED NOW BY BARBARA RES.

V RES IS AN ATTORNEY, PUBLIC SPEAKER, AND THE AUTHOR OF 'ALL ALONE ON THE 68th FLOOR.'

BARBARA, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

THANK YOU.

I WANT YOU TO ELABORATE A LITTLE MORE ON WHAT YOU TOLD CNN.

THEY PUT ME ON THE SPOT, WHICH IS FINE, ASKING ME WHAT I THOUGHT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE WHOLE PROCESS OF IMPEACHMENT.

I TOLD THEM, I DON'T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL OR IN ADDANYTHING THAT, BUT MY GUT TELLS ME TRUMP DOESN'T WANT HIS PRESIDENCY TO REFLECT AN IMPEACHMENT.

I THINK THAT HE WOULD QUIT BEFORE THAT HAPPENED.

SO THAT'S WHY I SAID HE'LL PROBABLY RESIGN.

THAT'S MY GUT OPINION BASED ON THINGS I'VE SEEN HIM DO IN THE PAST.

BEFORE WE GET ON TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, I DO WANT TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF A PERSPECTIVE, THOUGH, BECAUSE HE SEEMS LIKE THE TYPE OF PERSONALITY WHO ENJOYS A GOOD FIGHT.

HE ENJOYS BEING ABLE TO SPAR WITH SOMEONE.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS THE TYPE OF THING WHERE IF THE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO IMPEACH HIM IN THE HOUSE, THAT THE FIGHT THAT COULD ENSUE BETWEEN REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE AND PERHAPS DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE IS SOMETHING HE WOULD THRIVE ON.

IS THAT A FAIR ASSESSMENT?

NORMALLY I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU.

HE LOVES TO FIGHT, HE LOVES TO PIT PEOPLE AGAINST EACH OTHER AND SEE WHO IS THE STRONGER.

BUT IN THIS CASE, HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY POWER.

AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT.

AND, YOU KNOW, HE HAD A TASTE OF THAT WHEN HE WAS -- WHEN HE SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT AND HAD TO DEAL WITH NANCY PELOSI.

AND IT WAS REALLY THE FIRST TIME THAT HE WAS EVER DEALING WITH SOMEONE THAT HAD EVERY BIT AS MUCH POWER AS HE HAD.

AND HE DID CAPITULATE IN THAT CASE.

HOW DOES SOMEONE LIKE PRESIDENT TRUMP, SHOULD HE CHOOSE TO RESIGN, SELL THIS TO HIS SUPPORTERS?

BECAUSE A BIG PART OF HIS APPEAL TO SUPPORTERS IS I'M THE TOUGH GUY, I'LL FIGHT NO MATTER WHAT, AND I CAN'T BE DEFEATED BY, SAY, SNOWFLAKE LIBERALS.

WELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO HIS SUPPORTERS DO FOR HIM IF HE RESIGNS?

DOES HE REALLY NEED TO SELL THEM ANYTHING?

HE CAN TELL THEM TO GO TO HELL.

HE DOESN'T NEED THEM IF HE RESIGNS, HE NEEDS HIS FINANCIAL BACKERS IN TURKEY AND OTHER COUNTRIES THAT GIVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD TRUMP TOWERS.

SO I DON'T THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A BIG DEAL FOR HIM, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

AS FAR AS MAKING IT UP, YOU KNOW, PUTTING PERSPECTIVE ON IT, THERE'S MILLION THINGS HE COULD DO.

TRUTH DOES NOT ENTER INTO THIS.

HE COULD SAY HE'S SAVING THE COUNTRY BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE ARGUING TOO MUCH.

HE COULD SAY HE'S SAVING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

NO MATTER WHAT HE DID, IT WOULD NEVER BE, THIS IS MY FAULT.

IT WOULD BE, THIS IS WHAT I'M DOING FOR AMERICA.

IT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU MENTION 'THIS WAS MY FAULT,' BECAUSE HE ALSO COMES ACROSS AS SOMEONE WHO IS NOT FOND OF OR PERHAPS RARELY EVER APOLOGIZES.

YET YOU, WORKING WITH HIM IS A COLLEAGUE, WERE ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY GOT AN APOLOGY OUT OF THEN BUSINESSMAN, NOW PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP.

THAT HAPPENED.

WE HAD AN ENORMOUS FIGHT, AN ENORMOUS FIGHT, YELLING AND SCREAMING AT EACH OTHER, AND SAYING THINGS THAT WERE WAY OUT OF LINE.

AND THE NEXT DAY, I WENT HOME, I GOT THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF -- I BLEW OUT TWO TIRES ON THE WAY HOME, I WAS SO UPSET.

THE NEXT DAY I WENT INTO HIS OFFICE AND I SAID, DONALD, I'M SORRY, I WAS OUT OF LINE.

AND HE SAID, I WAS OUT OF LINE TOO.

THAT'S THE CLOSEST I'VE EVER HEARD HIM COME TO AN APOLOGY.

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP, AT LEAST THE PROFESSIONAL WORKING RELATIONSHIP YOU HAD WITH HIM.

WAS HE AS ADVERSARIAL AS WE SEE HIM NOW?

WAS HE A DIFFERENT PERSON, PERHAPS, WHEN YOU CAME TO KNOW HIM?

YOU KNOW, HE WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON.

BUT THE ELEMENTS WERE THERE.

HE CERTAINLY WAS VERY ADVERSARIAL.

WE HAD AN INCREDIBLE RELATIONSHIP, WE WERE VERY CLOSE.

HE WAS LIKE A BIG BROTHER IN A SENSE TO ME.

AND WE LEARNED FROM EACH OTHER, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I HAD MY SPECIALTY, HE HAD HIS.

SO IN TIME I LEFT TRUMP TOWER AND CAME BACK AND WORKED AGAIN AND WORKED ON DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS PRIMARILY, NOT SO MUCH CONSTRUCTION.

AND I DID SEE A CHANGE IN HIM.

AND THE CHANGE HAD TO DO, I THINK, WITH THE FACT THAT HE BECAME SOMEWHAT FAMOUS.

WE USED TO WALK TO MEETINGS IN THE CITY.

NOW HE HAS A BODYGUARD, WHEREVER HE GOES, HE DRIVES EVERYWHERE, HE DOESN'T WALK ANYWHERE.

I MEAN AT THE TIME I WENT BACK, NOT NOW.

SO I SAW THOSE DIFFERENCES.

I SAW A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WORKING FOR HIM, THEY WERE HIGH QUALITY, BUT THEY WERE VERY MUCH -- I DON'T WANT TO SAY THE WORD YES MEN, BUT SYCOPHANTS, MAYBE, WHICH WAS UNUSUAL FOR HIM.

HE USED TO HAVE PEOPLE WHO STOOD UP TO HIM MORE.

THE NEW PEOPLE WERE NOT LIKE THAT.

IT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU USE THE PHRASE 'I DON'T WANT TO SAY YES MEN BUT PERHAPS SYCOPHANTS.'

THAT SEEMS TO BE A RHETORICAL THING WE'LL SEE FROM THE PRESIDENT, 'I'M NOT GOING TO SAY X BUT SOMEONE ELSE SAID X.'

WE SAW A RECENT ARTICLE FROM GEORGE CONWAY, OF COURSE THE HUSBAND OF KELLYANNE CONWAY, AND HE'S FLAT OUT SAID THAT THE PRESIDENT IS IN MENTAL DECLINE.

I'M WONDERING IF YOU'VE SEEN ANY CHANGE THAT MIGHT INDICATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT OR IF -- WHAT ARE THE CHANGES THAT YOU HAVE SEEN SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU INTERACTED WITH HIM PERSONALLY VERSUS THE PRESIDENT WHO WE NOW SEE ON TELEVISION?

FOR ONE THING, I DON'T KNOW THAT HE'S -- I'M NO PSYCHIATRIST, NEITHER IS GEORGE.

HE SAYS HE'S A NARCISSIST, WE KNEW THAT, HE WAS LIKE THAT YEARS AGO, HE WAS VOLATILE, HE WAS NASTY AND UNFAIR.

BUT, YOU KNOW, NOW THOSE THINGS HAVE TAKEN HIM OVER.

THE BIGGEST CHANGE, TO MY MIND, THATTIC S I CAN SEE, AND I'M SO INTERPRETING THIS A LITTLE BIT, HE DOESN'T LISTEN TO ANYONE.

AND HE DID, YEARS AGO, HE HAD ADVISERS.

NOW IT'S HIM TELLING THEM WHAT TO DO AND THEM JUMPING HOW HIGH.

THAT'S HOW I SEE IT.

HOW DO YOU SEE, PERHAPS, MINOR DEPENDING ON OF COURSE WHAT THE HOUSE CHOOSES TO DO WITH THIS IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY, BUT HOW DO YOU SEE THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY GOING FORWARD, OR PERHAPS HOW DO YOU SEE THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION GOING FORWARD POST-PRESIDENCY?

WELL, YOU KNOW PART OF IT WOULD DEPEND ON HOW HE LEFT THE PRESIDENCY.

IF HE QUIT, IF HE WAS IMPEACHED AND CONVICTED, OR IF HE JUST LOST IN THE NEXT ELECTION.

THOSE ARE THREE DIFFERENT THINGS.

THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION I DON'T THINK EVER STOPPED, BUT IT'S QUESTIONABLE AS TO WHAT EXACTLY THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION IS AND WHETHER OR NOT IT'S NEARLY AS SUCCESSFUL AS DONALD SAYS IT IS.

BUT I SEE THAT GOING FORWARD.

AND I SEE, YOU KNOW, BARRING HIM HAVING A HORRIBLE SCANDAL THAT WOULD TOTALLY MAR HIM, I THINK HE CONTINUES TO BUILD IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND YOU'LL SEE TRUMP TOWERS GOING UP IN MOSCOW.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO SAYS YOU'RE JUST A DEMOCRATIC OPERATIVE, IF YOU WILL, YOU WERE A HILLARY SUPPORTER, YOU WERE AGAINST THE PRESIDENT SO OF COURSE EVERYTHING YOU SAY SHOULD BE QUESTIONED AND VIEWED WITH A LEVEL OF SUSPICION?

WHAT CAN I SAY?

PEOPLE HAVE -- ANYONE THAT'S WATCHED ME, SEEN ME, READ MY BOOK, KNOWS THAT I AM 100% CONSISTENT.

I HAVE NOT VEERED OFF MY MESSAGE SINCE WHEN I WAS OPPOSED TO HIS PRESIDENCY.

I'VE GOTTEN A LITTLE HARDER ON HIM.

I WAS VERY SOFT ON HIM, AND THE MORE I THINK ABOUT HIM AND THE MORE I SEE WHAT HE'S DOING, I'M A LITTLE BIT NOT SOFT PEDALING LIKE I MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN THE BEGINNING.

THERE'S BEEN SOME ALREADY TALK THAT PERHAPS EVEN IF AN IMPEACHMENT DOES HAPPEN, PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL NOT LEAVE THE WHITE HOUSE, THAT HE WILL FIGHT, HE LITERALLY WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED.

DO YOU SEE THAT AS A FAIR ASSESSMENT OR IS THAT GOING TOO FAR?

I HEARD THAT AND LAUGHED.

I DON'T SEE IT AS A FAIR ASSESSMENT.

WHAT'S HE GOING TO DO, SIT IN A CHAIR AND HAVE SOMEBODY PICK HIM UP?

HE'LL FIGURATIVELY BE YELLING AND SCREAM PARTICULARLY IF HE GETS DEFEATED, BUT HE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE.

HE'S NOT GOING TO CAUSE A MAJOR EVENT LIKE THAT, A COUP, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.

ALL OF THIS IS BRAVADO, THIS IS COMING OUT OF HIS MOUTH AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT COMES INTO HIS HEAD AND HE AMPLIFIES IT AND MAKES IT STRONGER AND STRONGER.

BUT NO, IS HE GOING TO REFUSE TO GIVE UP THE PRESIDENCY IF HE LOSES?

I DON'T THINK SO.

THEN OF COURSE THE PRESIDENT'S TWITTER FEED WHICH WE HAVE COME TO RELY ON HIS AS ACTUALLY MOUTHPIECE.

DO YOU SEE THE TWEETS STOPPING?

DO YOU SEE THEM CONTINUING?

DO YOU SEE THEM RAMPING UP IN PERHAPS THEIR RHETORIC AND NATURE?

I THINK THAT -- WELL, MOSTLY WHAT HE DOES IS RHETORIC.

BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S HIS WAY OF COMMUNICATING.

THAT'S HIS WAY OF IT COMING IN HERE AND COMING OUT THERE WITHOUT ANYBODY SAYING, WELL, DONALD, MAYBE THAT'S A LITTLE RASH.

THIS UKRAINE THING, THERE WAS NO INFORMATION OR ADVICE ON ANY OF THAT.

RIGHT TO THE END, WHATEVER HE'S DOING AT THAT MOMENT, HE'LL BE TWEETING ABOUT IT, IN MY MIND.

OF COURSE.

FINAL QUESTION, IF THERE WAS A PIECE OF ADVICE THAT YOU COULD GIVE THE PRESIDENT RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD TELL HIM TO SHUT UP.

I WOULD ALSO TELL HIM TO LOSE GIULIANI BECAUSE I DON'T THINK HE'S DOING HIM ANY GOOD.

I DO THINK AT THIS POINT IN TIME THE PRESIDENT SHOULD PROBABLY RESIGN.

BARBARA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US YOUR UNIQUE INSIDER PERSPECTIVE INTO PRESIDENT TRUMP, THE MAN WHO WE AS NEW YORKERS THOUGHT WE KNEW BUT THE COUNTRY IS GETTING TO KNOW AS PRESIDENT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

MY PLEASURE.