>> can we thank these amazing amazing -- [applause] >> they are going directly to the tenant and they will be able to talk to you. bob has his book for sale, david will be there. you have the women's panel coming up in a couple minutes. thank you and we will see you at the next session at 2:00. [inaudible conversations] >> as part of our book festival coverage, booktv attended the 2018 national press club book fair where we spoke with april ryan about covering the trump administration.

>> host: april ryan book is "under fire: reporting from the front lines of the trump white house". what is the difference tween covering donald trump and other presidents? >> a huge difference. the biggest differences, with other understood we had to work with one another. with this administration the problem is the president looks at us as the enemy. we tell the truth and give fact, he believes we are the opposition, we have an agenda. he doesn't understand we are one of the pillars of the foundation of the nation, the founding fathers put in place. it is an awkward, painful, deadly time for reporters in

this administration compared to the prior administrations. >> host: what a typical day at the white house? >> guest: most days there is no briefing. we wait for him to speak, to take your question or not take your question. it is a different day. it is a very different day. the dynamic has changed. we are losing ground when it comes to being part of the fourth estate. we are not getting daily back and forth, we are not finding out the things, what the president's thought pattern is as to policy. we will hear him when he allows it. we used to have more back and forth with principles and the press secretary but now it is different and they don't like us. we are under fire. i am under fire.

the questions we ask, it is a different day. we have to see how this plays out. >> host: we have seen the public interaction between you and sarah huckabee sanders and you and the president. is a different privately between you and the administration? >> guest: know. this is unfortunate, that i have had a great relationship with everyone i have worked with in the administration, we try to reach that but as long as sarah huckabee sanders is performing for an audience of one, her boss, her daddy boss, i call the president of the united states, she will never have a kind word to say to me or a friendly way to treat me. it is bad. it is really bad. what i try to do is keep my head up and do my job. it's not about me. it's about the story and the

issues, not about me. >> host: your first book was presidency in black and white, this one is "under fire: reporting from the front lines of the trump white house". similarities or differences between the two books? >> big differences. this book was tougher to write because it is about me. as a journalist you are not supposed to be the story and i had to take you inside to the fight, the real fight, the argument, the name-calling, the back-and-forth, why they put me on a blacklist, why they don't like, i had to tell you, brought you insights, took the veil off, the mystery of about the white house, bringing un from my view as a reporter. who cover that place for 21 years. it is different now. the danger, how it all started. just the difference of this atmosphere versus atmospheres of years ago.

it is my story, it is true. it was painful. it was hard to write this. the first book, i that people talk and tell the story. everyone holds -- tells a story but i report on other people. it was tough. >> host: your life has changed quite a bit since the trump administration came into office. you are a regular on cnn and you have been a lot more public. >> i am glad you brought that up. sean spicer and sarah, the president and steve bannon said you are huge because of us. i was always there. people want to say i did this. you put the spotlight on me by saying stop shake my head. you put the spotlight on me when you told me to get the cdc together for a meeting. i didn't do that. you did that. i have been doing this for a long time. i have been out there. when it comes to cnn, we have

been talking -- there were things going on prior to it. this happened at the same time. this president did not make me. i am morgan state made, baltimore made, april made. i was prepared for the times. >> host: presidents clinton, w bush, obama and trump. one story from each. >> one story, bill clinton, the race initiative. i put together with black journalists, talking about race. george w. bush, two stories. i toured the gallery, the corporate art gallery across the street from the white house, the first lady lost it and the exhibit, we watched the primitively crafted silk, viewed them internet space we

saw old elderly women who still felt the state of slavery, oppression, and they encircled the then first lady and greatest the hands and start to cry because they felt the highest office in the land was paying attention to them and george w. bush. we had a great conversation about issues of race and one thing that stands out about him is the night that barack obama was named president, the 44th president of the united states, the bushes go to bed at 9:30 at night. the lights were on until 11:00 and still he was named president. i will never forget his crowd came to the white house, i was at the white house and saw the kids chanting. he heard that but still celebrated the change in history for barack obama.

he told me a week prior to that, he saw the racism going on. i was shocked with the honesty and conversation and i will never forget the day barack obama, the day after he was elected the president marked history from the rose garden. he was in the oval office very upset. i don't know what was going on, we were waiting for him to come out. he had steve hadley and others in the office and all of a sudden he was very angry, he turned and saw me and stopped and raised the roof and we both laughed, it changed the atmosphere. now a story. >> host: what about president obama? >> guest: the story of president obama. traveling to africa with him. in the interview with him on air force one. i don't tell the story a lot. it is not about politics or

policy. this is a personal thing. when he is leaving office he and michelle obama were leaving the white house, my two daughters had an audience with them to say goodbye. that was special. it was touching for me. not about politics or policy. my children saw themselves in these two historic persons in this white house and donald trump, what do i think about the most? the thing i think about him is can you get the cbc together? i think about why i am in the center of the fire for them because amarosa is gone, the residue lingers. i think about the day i asked the president are you a racist, january 2018 and we are in the

latter part of 2018 and people are calling it out. they were angry with me for asking the question but if you remember the lead up to the question, people were saying it. it is about charlottesville and ladavid johnson and the way they treated frederica wilson. i think about that and the buildup to the question. what is the definition of a racist? the intersection or the meeting of power and prejudice. so i asked the question. he never answered me. he answered the question like three days later that sunday. the nation is bringing the question up again. i am in trouble for that. i am a reporter who sees what is going on. i listen to the wind, i was and my sources, i listen to what they have to say and i asked questions and for that i get in

trouble. i am under fire. >> host: have you been able to develop sources in this white house? >> guest: oh, yes. it is interesting. i have great republican sources. i have great republicans sources. i call them whistleblowers. they have a good credible information. i can't be so bad. steve bannon wanted two hours with me in his home. i had security with me but i can't be so bad. it has been an interesting ride. i don't want to talk about other people, high-ranking people. i don't think it is a game. they went the, there's an audience out there that i reach and sometimes they come to me. sometimes they reach out to me and other times they suddenly but it is okay. i will be there when they are gone. >> host: "under fire: reporting from the front lines of the trump white house" is the name

of april ryan's newest book. the presidency in black and white was her previous and the one coming. >> guest: obama's knee, three books. i'm working on shifting, this is an interesting thing. this book really took a lot out of me. because i have to relive it again. ..