Bob Woodward Tell-all: Trump & Putin still in contact, Dems Panic as Harris Media Blitz FLOPS
Tag: chris wallace
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Adam Driver Says His Face Hasn’t Hurt His Career: “I Look How Look, I Can’t Change That”
Weeks after giving a candid, headline-making response to criticism of Ferrari’s crash scenes, actor Adam Driver fielded questions from Chris Wallace on his CNN show about the fact that, according to the journalist, “you don’t look like the typical movie star.”
He started this line of questioning by noting comparisons that had been made between Driver and actors including Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino. “Those are the actors that made me want to be an actor, you know, so that’s a nice comparison,” Driver replied. But when asked whether he “accepts” the correlation, Driver replied, “Well, no,” before noting that a publication once “called me a ‘horse face’ so I don’t—I take it with a grain of salt. I remember reading one reviewer [who wrote] ‘his agent probably doesn’t know whether to put him in a movie or the Kentucky Derby.’ So I take it, you know, if you believe the good thing, then you have to believe the bad thing. So I try to not absorb anything.”
Then came Wallace’s observation that Driver doesn’t present like most movie stars, asking if that had been a “help or a hindrance” to Driver’s career. “I’ve worked consistently, which is nice, with people that I’ve wanted to always, dreamed that I wanted to work with,” Driver replied. “So in that sense, it hasn’t—I look how I look, I can’t change that. So I guess it helped me.”
Questions like these date back to at least 2015, when Driver was asked by The Guardian: “You must have been told before that you have an amazing unusual face? It’s a compliment—not being the standard Hollywood McHunk has worked in your favor.” Driver gamely responded then by saying, “I have been told before that I have an unusual face. But my face is my face. I had a whole life before acting, over the years. Lots of things have been said about my face.”
Eight years later, Driver jokingly told Wallace that his looks are “a hindrance in only breaking mirrors wherever I go and and having a misshapen outsized body that I can’t fit through doorways, or most clothes or fit into most cars, adding, “Apart from that, it’s good.”
Wallace couldn’t resist one last beat on this topic. He presented a photo of Robert Redford before Driver and asked if his profession would be easier if he looked like the Oscar winner. “It would just be different,” Driver said. “Who doesn’t want to look like Robert Redford? I’ve accepted this is how I look.”
Savannah Walsh
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2016 Presidential Debates Fast Facts | CNN Politics
CNN
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Here’s a look at the 2016 presidential debates:
August 3, 2015
Event Type: Republican Forum
Location: Manchester, New Hampshire
Sponsors: KCRG-TV, WGIR-AM, New Hampshire Union Leader, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Post & Courier
Moderator: Jack Heath
Participants: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, Scott Walker
TranscriptAugust 6, 2015
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Sponsors: Fox News/Facebook/Ohio Republican Party
Moderators: Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, Chris Wallace
Participants (decided by polling data): First Debate – Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum; Second Debate – Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Scott Walker
Transcript – First Debate
Transcript – Second DebateSeptember 16, 2015
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Simi Valley, California
Sponsors: CNN/Salem Radio/Reagan Library Foundation
Moderators: Jake Tapper; Dana Bash and Hugh Hewitt also participate
Participants: First Debate – Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Rick Santorum; Second Debate – Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Scott Walker
Transcript – First Debate
Transcript – Second DebateOctober 13, 2015
Event Type: Democratic Debate
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Sponsors: CNN/Facebook
Moderators: Anderson Cooper; Dana Bash, Juan Carlos Lopez, Don Lemon also participate
Participants: Lincoln Chafee, Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders, Jim Webb
TranscriptOctober 28, 2015
Event Type: Republican Debate
Title: Your Money, Your Vote: The Presidential Debate on the Economy
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Sponsors: CNBC/The University of Colorado Boulder
Moderators: Carl Quintanilla, Becky Quick, John Harwood
Participants: First Debate – Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Rick Santorum; Second Debate – Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump
Transcript – First Debate
Transcript – Second DebateNovember 10, 2015
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Sponsors: Fox Business Network/Wall Street Journal
Moderators: Sandra Smith, Trish Regan, Gerald Seib and Neil Cavuto, Maria Bartiromo, Gerard Baker
Participants: First Debate – Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum; Second Debate – Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump
Transcript – First Debate
Transcript – Second DebateNovember 14, 2015
Event Type: Democratic Debate
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Sponsors: CBS, KCCI and The Des Moines Register
Moderators: John Dickerson; Nancy Cordes, Kevin Cooney, Kathie Obradovich also participate
Participants: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders
TranscriptDecember 15, 2015
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Sponsors: CNN/Salem Radio
Moderators: Wolf Blitzer; Dana Bash and Hugh Hewitt also participate
Participants: First Debate – Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, George Pataki, Rick Santorum; Second Debate – Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump
Transcript – First Debate
Transcript – Second DebateDecember 19, 2015
Event Type: Democratic Debate
Location: Manchester, New Hampshire
Sponsors: ABC and WMUR
Moderators: David Muir and Martha Raddatz
Participants: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders
TranscriptJanuary 14, 2016
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: North Charleston, South Carolina
Sponsors: Fox Business Network
Moderators: First Debate – Trish Regan and Sandra Smith; Second Debate – Neil Cavuto and Maria Bartiromo
Participants: First Debate – Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum; Second Debate – Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump
Transcript – First Debate
Transcript – Second DebateJanuary 17, 2016
Event Type: Democratic Debate
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Sponsors: NBC, YouTube and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute
Moderators: Lester Holt and Andrea Mitchell
Participants: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders
TranscriptJanuary 25, 2016
Event Type: Democratic Presidential Candidates Town Hall Meeting
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Sponsor: CNN
Moderator: Chris Cuomo
Participants: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders
TranscriptJanuary 28, 2016
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Sponsors: Fox News and Google
Moderators: Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, Chris Wallace
Participants: First Debate – Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum; Second Debate – Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio
Transcript – First Debate
Transcript – Second DebateFebruary 3, 2016
Event Type: Democratic Town Hall
Location: Derry, New Hampshire
Sponsor: CNN
Moderator: Anderson Cooper
Participants: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders
TranscriptFebruary 4, 2016
Event Type: Democratic Debate
Location: Durham, New Hampshire
Sponsor: MSNBC
Moderators: Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow
Participants: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders
TranscriptFebruary 6, 2016
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Manchester, New Hampshire
Sponsors: ABC News and IJReview
Moderators: David Muir and Martha Raddatz
Participants: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump
TranscriptFebruary 11, 2016
Event Type: Democratic Debate
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Sponsors: PBS/WETA
Moderators: Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff
Participants: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders
TranscriptFebruary 13, 2016
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Sponsor: CBS News
Moderator: John Dickerson
Participants: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump
TranscriptFebruary 17, 2016
Event Type: Republican Town Hall
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Sponsor: CNN
Moderator: Anderson Cooper
Participants: Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio
TranscriptFebruary 18, 2016
Event Type: Republican Town Hall
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Sponsor: CNN
Moderator: Anderson Cooper
Participants: Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Donald Trump
TranscriptFebruary 23, 2016
Event Type: Democratic Town Hall
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Sponsors: CNN
Moderator: Chris Cuomo
Participants: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders
TranscriptFebruary 25, 2016
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Houston, Texas
Sponsors: CNN/Telemundo/Salem Communications
Moderator: Wolf Blitzer
Participants: Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump
TranscriptMarch 3, 2016
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Sponsors: Fox News
Moderators: Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, Chris Wallace
Participants: Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump
TranscriptMarch 6, 2016
Event Type: Democratic Debate
Location: Flint, Michigan
Sponsors: CNN
Moderator: Anderson Cooper
Participants: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders
TranscriptMarch 9, 2016
Event Type: Democratic Debate
Location: Miami, Florida
Sponsors: Univision/Washington Post/Florida Democratic Party
Moderators: Maria Elena Salinas, Jorge Ramos, Karen Tumulty
Participants: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders
TranscriptMarch 10, 2016
Event Type: Republican Debate
Location: Miami, Florida
Sponsors: CNN/Salem Media Group/The Washington Times
Moderators: Jake Tapper; Dana Bash and Hugh Hewitt also participate
Participants: Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump
TranscriptApril 14, 2016
Event Type: Democratic Debate
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Sponsors: CNN/NY1
Moderators: Wolf Blitzer; Dana Bash and Errol Louis also participate
Participants: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders
TranscriptSeptember 26, 2016
Event Type: First Presidential Debate
Location: Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Moderator: Lester Holt
Transcript
Viewership: The debate is the most-watched debate in American history, averaging a total of 84 million viewers across 13 of the TV channels that carried it live.October 4, 2016
Event Type: Vice Presidential Debate
Location: Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Moderator: Elaine Quijano
TranscriptOctober 9, 2016
Event Type: Second Presidential Debate
Location: Washington University in St. Louis
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Moderators: Anderson Cooper and Martha Raddatz
TranscriptOctober 19, 2016
Event Type: Third Presidential Debate
Location: University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Moderator: Chris Wallace
TranscriptThe final presidential debate
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Chris Wallace Swiftly Pulls Brakes On RNC Chair’s Biden Vacation Concerns
McDaniel, who once spoke out about “irregularities” with the 2020 election, pivoted to concerns with inflation before taking aim at how Biden spends some of his time away from the White House.
“Go to the grocery store – I don’t know if Joe Biden’s gone to the grocery store because he’s spent 40% of his presidency on vacation,” said McDaniel, citing numbers that the RNC used to criticize the president for “rewarding himself” earlier this year.
Wallace hit back at McDaniel over her remarks as he cited his time covering Ronald Reagan.
“No president is ever on vacation. The job travels with him,” Wallace declared before bringing up one of Trump’s hobbies that he took part in hundreds of times as president.
“And, you know… if we want to do rounds of golf, I think Donald Trump has him beat.”
Trump played golf at his properties at least 289 times during his presidency to the tune of a “tab” that cost $151.5 million, according to a HuffPost analysis in Dec. 2020.
McDaniel later asked Wallace whether he thinks Biden “should skip a vacation” before the host returned back to Trump railing about his 2020 election loss.
“Let me ask you this, Chris. Don’t you think maybe he should skip a vacation once in a while and say, how do I right this ship? He’s not. Maybe don’t go to the beach, Joe! Maybe…,” McDaniel said.
“I think that would have been a much better answer for Donald Trump than to say ‘I won in 2020,’” Wallace replied.
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Mayorkas goes on the offensive as GOP scrutiny builds, says it’s up to Congress to fix immigration system | CNN Politics
CNN
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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pointed the finger back at Congress to fix the country’s broken immigration system and maintained that he will not resign from his post in an new interview with CNN’s Chris Wallace.
House Republicans, who have been fierce critics of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, have been moving to build a case against Mayorkas as they consider launching rare impeachment proceedings against a Cabinet secretary.
“I’m not going to resign,” Mayorkas told CNN’s Chris Wallace on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” which is now streaming on HBOMax and airs Sunday night at 7 p.m. ET on CNN.
“I call upon Congress – as the president has done, as this nation has done – to actually fix an immigration system that has been broken for decades,” he added.
Republican lawmakers have argued that Mayorkas’ claims of having operational control of the border are unfounded and that the record arrests mark a dereliction of duty – two themes that have come up repeatedly in congressional hearings and have been cited as reason to impeach the secretary.
Ahead of potential proceedings, the Department of Homeland Security is bringing on a private law firm to help with potential impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas.
“I don’t have any intention of being uncooperative. I have complete confidence in the integrity of our decision making,” Mayorkas told Wallace.
Over recent weeks, key committee chairman already held two congressional hearings over the Biden administration’s handling of the US-Mexico border. Earlier this month, the House Judiciary Committee, which would have jurisdiction over an impeachment resolution, held its first border-related hearing.
“These numbers make clear that the Biden administration does not have operational control of the border,” House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan said during a February hearing. “Month after month after month, we have set records for migrants coming into the country and frankly, I think it’s intentional.”
Pressed by Wallace on what it means for the border to be secure and if it means people aren’t illegally crossing the border, Mayorkas said: “Of course not. By that measure, the border has never been secure, right?”
Asked again by what measure the border is secure, he said: “There is not a common definition of that. If one looks at the statutory definition, the literal interpretation of the statutory language, if one person successfully evades law enforcement at the border, then we have breached the security of the border.”
He added: “What our goal is – to achieve operational control of the border, to do everything that we can to support our personnel with the resources, the technology, the policies that really advance the security of the border, and do not come at the cost of the values of our country. And I say that, I say that, because in the prior administration, policies were promulgated, were passed, that did not hew to the values that we hold dear.”
The Biden administration faces unprecedented movement across the Western Hemisphere that has contributed to a surge of migrants at the border, including more people from different countries, such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The US is largely barred from deporting migrants to Cuba and Venezuela, presenting a unique set of challenges for DHS.
“The level of migration that has gripped our hemisphere is extraordinary,” Mayorkas said, stressing that Congress needs to pass reform to fix the immigration system, which Republicans and Democrats agree is broken.
US border authorities encountered migrants more than 2.3 million times along the US-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022, according to US Customs and Border Protection data. Of those, more than 1 million migrants were turned away at the border.
In early January, the Biden administration expanded a humanitarian parole program to include Haitians, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, and Cubans to provide a legal pathway for them to enter the US instead of crossing the border. The administration also made those nationalities eligible for Title 42, meaning they can now be turned away by authorities if they don’t apply for the program.
Since then, there has been a significant decline in migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela crossing the US-Mexico border unlawfully, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which attributed the drop to new border measures.
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Anita Hill says Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade is indicator of what could happen to individuals’ civil rights | CNN Politics
CNN
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Americans should not just consider how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade impacts women’s rights, but also how it affects individuals’ civil rights, Anita Hill said in an interview with CNN’s Chris Wallace.
Asked by Wallace if the decision by Justice Clarence Thomas to vote in the 5-4 majority in favor of overturning the landmark ruling makes it harder for her to reconcile his time on the high court, Hill said the decision was about a “shrinking of rights.”
Hill accused Thomas of sexual harassment in testimony during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Thomas has denied the allegations.
She told Wallace that the conservative Thomas is not the only one on the bench who wants to assess access to contraception and protections for gender identity, adding that “the votes are there to move us in that direction.”
“I believe that’s why we should – how we should be looking at Dobbs, not just as an indicator of what is going to happen on reproductive rights, but also what will happen to us as a country in terms of how much we value the civil rights of individuals and especially marginalized people,” she said on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” which is set to air on CNN on Sunday night.
Since June – when the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, holding that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion – several states have moved to enshrine abortion protections in their constitutions. And after Thomas’ concurring opinion on the decision where he called for rulings on contraception, same-sex marriage and other rights to be revisited, President Joe Biden signed an executive order aiming to safeguard access to abortion care and contraceptives.
The Senate on Tuesday passed legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriage, called the Respect for Marriage Act, in a landmark bipartisan vote amid concern the Supreme Court might overturn its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same-sex marriage. The House would need to approve the legislation before sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
Hill also told Wallace she was “shocked” to get a call from Thomas’ wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, who she said in 2010 left a voicemail message requesting an apology from the law professor.
“I had really no idea what to make of it. But I knew this, I knew that I did not want to entertain that kind of call either on the voicemail or face to face, that it was not something that clearly, I was not going to apologize for 1991,” Hill said. “And I didn’t in fact believe that the call was a sincere attempt to reconcile anything, and that I was going to do what I needed to do to stop it from happening.”
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Henry Winkler explains the trick that allowed him to transform into The Fonz | CNN
CNN
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Henry Winkler credits landing the role of Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli to an accent he made up on the spot during his “Happy Days” audition.
Winkler spoke with CNN’s Chris Wallace about his long career in Hollywood and revealed that as a Jewish kid from Manhattan, he was surprised he was cast at age 27 as The Fonz, the unflappable, cool rider in the Milwaukee-set “Happy Days” sitcom.
Wallace asked Winkler how he transformed into the “epitome of cool” in a new episode of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”
“Because I trained for many, many years to be an actor, and I got to play somebody. I wasn’t somebody who I wanted to be,” Winkler replied, adding, “And it was so much fun. They are still my family. All of the people who have survived are still very, very close. We are incredibly friendly.”
Winkler said producers originally envisioned The Fonz as “a taller Italian kid.”
“And they got you know, this short Jew from New York, but all I did Chris, all I did was change my voice,” Winkler recalled. “I introduce myself as Henry, and then as I started to do it, something overtook me … And I changed my voice like this and it unleashed me.”
Winkler said he just went with it, and in doing so became braver in acting while in real life he said he still felt like “a bowl of jello that had not congealed yet.”
Noting that TV Guide ranked The Fonz as number four out of 50 greatest characters in the history of television so far, Winkler called the recognition “insane” to him.
New episodes of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” debut Fridays on HBO Max and Sundays on CNN at 7 p.m. ET.
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George Clooney Blasts Trump During Question On His 2024 Presidential Prospects
Actor George Clooney blasted former President Donald Trump and reflected on “who he was” in the ’00s during an interview with CNN anchor Chris Wallace that aired on Friday.
Clooney, who called Trump a “knucklehead” last year, told Wallace that he had Trump’s phone number in his “phone book” and recalled interacting with the former president in the ’00s.
“He was the guy that came to the bars and asked me about which cocktail waitress was single, you know, that’s who he was,” Clooney said.
The actor also reflected on the possibility of a face-off between President Joe Biden and Trump in the 2024 election, later adding that part of him says that a “guy” like Trump shouldn’t be president. He was wrong for his initial belief in his potential to become president, Clooney said.
“And our democracy, I believe, paid a price certainly around the world,” Clooney said. “And I worry about the possibility. I don’t think it’s as good as some people are afraid but I do worry about it. I think we’re in a time where we need some interesting candidates all around the board.”
You can watch more of the actor’s remarks below.
The actor told Wallace that he doesn’t think a rematch is “as likely as people think” between Biden and Trump.
Biden told “60 Minutes” in September that he intends to run again for president in 2024, however, he added it “remains to be seen” whether another campaign is a “firm decision.”
Trump, too, has yet to make an official announcement on his 2024 plans, although he has teased the possibility of running for a second term.
During Wallace’s interview with Clooney, he also asked the actor how worried he is about American democracy.
Clooney addressed his worries, including a concern about the “coarsening of America” and the celebration of unkindness.
He weighed in on Republican-supported-efforts of sending migrants to regions like Martha’s Vineyard, labelling the moves as “the new joke” and “the new cruelty.”
“I look at where we are in this sort of coarsening of our discourse and I find it to be worrying,” Clooney said.
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Baseball great Alex Rodriguez reflects on steroid abuse, his past with J-Lo | CNN
Editor’s Note: Watch “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” on CNN TV Sundays at 7pm ET. New episodes with full-length interviews are availble on HBO Max each Friday.
CNN
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Baseball great Alex Rodriguez is opening up about mistakes in his personal and professional life, and how they are shaping his growing business empire.
In an interview on CNN and HBO Max’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”, Rodriguez said the performance-enhancing drug scandal that marred his legacy was “the most embarrassing moment of my career.”
“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life was face my daughters Natasha and Ella and tell them this is the mistake that Daddy made,” he told host Chris Wallace
Rodriguez said that because of the stringent culture of professional baseball, he was denied a happy ending to his otherwise legendary baseball career.
“I understood my mistake, and I’ve taken full responsibility for it,” he added.
The 14-time Major League Baseball all-star said he was “bullish” about the future of baseball despite warning signs that viewers are less motivated to watch games.
Rodriguez, who just last week was passed by Albert Pujols on the MLB’s home run list, says if he were MLB commissioner he would “open the floodgates,” and give fans more access to America’s pastime.
“We have to be proactive, meaning I would put cameras on guys,” he told Wallace. “The players that are driving to the park, I want to see them at home.”
Rodriguez wanted coverage to expand so that fans have insight into the clubhouses, batting cages and bullpens.
The World Series winner also advocated for Major League Baseball to plant its flag on America’s Independence Day, much like the National Football League does with Thanksgiving.
“If you look at July 4, it’s a wide-open day. There’s no football, there’s no basketball, there’s no soccer,” he said, noting that the MLB should make the Fourth of July “all about baseball.”
“Every game, we’re going to wire (put a microphone on) these guys and we’re going to have interviews, and everybody is at home watching baseball at a barbecue with their families.”
Another change that Rodriguez wanted to make to baseball included increasing financial literacy education for players – like teaching them about capital markets, investments and the importance of balancing a checkbook.
“I read something where it was over 50% of athletes were going bankrupt after their playing days,” Rodriguez said. “That’s a tragedy.”
In his post-playing career, Rodriguez has turned his own focus to business. He told Wallace his investment firm, A-Rod Corp, is a “mini-Berkshire Hathaway” – referring to the multinational conglomerate owned by billionaire Warren Buffett, who Rodriguez considers a mentor.
A-Rod Corp is an investment firm that houses his vast real estate holdings, as well as private equity and venture capital investments.
“If you were to put value in our enterprise, it’s probably somewhere between 1 billion and 2 billion,” Rodriguez told Chris Wallace.
The former shortstop also discussed his break-up with pop icon Jennifer Lopez. Lopez married actor Ben Affleck in July 2022 after she and Rodriguez ended their multi-year relationship the year prior.
“With Jennifer, look, it was a good experience. And I wish her and the children – who are smart, and beautiful and wonderful – I wish them the very best,” Rodriguez said.
Telling CNN’s Chris Wallace that, despite his multiple high-profile relationships, he now feels that his previous relationships and the impact of his 2014 suspension from the MLB have made him “husband material” in the future.
Wallace asks A-Rod if he thinks he’s ‘good husband material.’ See his response
“I think I’m going to make a wonderful partner or husband and father post-suspension because of the lessons learned of my biggest mistakes.”
