captioning funded by cbs and ford. we go further, so you can. >> do you really think i'd call russia to help me with an election? give me a break. >> after two years, president trump is back on "60 minutes," talking about his accomplishments... >> we were going to war with north korea. now, you don't hear that. >> ...and controversies. >> "how did you get home?" "i don't remember." "how did you get there?" "i don't remember." "where is the place?" "i don't remember." "how many years ago was it?" "i don't know, i don't know." >> and you mimicked professor blasey ford. you mimicked her. >> and had i not made that speech, we would not have won. >> in a wide-ranging interview... and what have you learned since you've been president? >> i always used to say the toughest people are manhattan

real estate guys and blah, blah. now, i say they're babies. >> who's the toughest? >> the political people. this is the most deceptive, vicious world. it is vicious, it's full of lies, deceit, and deception. ( ticking ) >> to catch joel sartore in action, we flew halfway around the world. what makes a great picture? >> emotion. we're looking for the eyes. we're primates, and we're really, really responsive to eyes. >> but you shoot them like they're models. >> we do. like they're going in for their high school senior portrait. >> he's trying to photograph every animal, bird, fish, reptile and insect in captivity. he calls his project "the photo ark." in the bible, the ark saves all the creatures on earth. is that your goal? >> yeah, exactly. giddy up. every one of them. ( ticking ) >> i'm steve kroft.

>> i'm lesley stahl. >> i'm scott pelley. >> i'm anderson cooper. >> i'm bill whitaker. those stories, tonight, on >> i'm bill whitaker. those stories, tonight, on "60 minutes." g ecutive finance e is now in session. and... adjourned. business loans for eligible card members up to fifty thousand dollars, decided in as little as 60 seconds. the powerful backing of american express. don't do business without it. (nicki palmer) being a verizon engineer is about doing things right. and there's no shortcut to the right way. so when we roll out the nation's first 5g ultra wideband network, it'll be because we were the first to install the fiber-optics and small cells, and upgrade the towers that will change the way we learn, work and live. and i'll always be proud that we're not just building america's first 5g network.in.

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and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. fidelity wealth management. >> stahl: when americans vote in next month's midterm elections, it's likely president trump and his agenda will be motivating them as much as any candidate or local issue on the ballot. almost two years ago, when we last interviewed then-president- elect trump, he seemed surprised he had won-- not that he'd ever admit that to us. well, when we sat down with him this past thursday in the white

house, we found him confident and boastful, as he told us he has learned on the job. he was eager to joust over the issues of the day: the economy, china and russia, and of course "fake news." but we started with very real news. the suspected murder of a saudi journalist and the catastrophe of hurricane michael, which has devastated parts of the florida panhandle, claiming at least 19 lives, and leaving hundreds of thousands without power across the southeast. michael comes on the heels of a series of super storms: florence in the carolinas, maria in puerto rico, harvey in texas. do you still think that climate change is a hoax? >> donald trump: look, i think something's happening. something's changing and it'll change back again. i don't think it's a hoax, i think there's probably a difference. but i don't know that it's manmade.

i will say this: i don't want to give trillions and trillions of dollars. i don't want to lose millions and millions of jobs. i don't want to be put at a disadvantage. >> stahl: i wish you could go to greenland, watch these huge chunks of ice just falling into the ocean, raising the sea levels. >> trump: and, you don't know whether or not that would have happened with or without man. you don't know. >> stahl: well, your scientists, your scientists-- >> trump: no, we have-- >> stahl: at n.o.a.a. and nasa-- >> trump: we have scientists that disagree with that. >> stahl: you know, i-- i was thinking, what if he said, "no, i've seen the hurricane situations, i've changed my mind. there really is climate change." and i thought, "wow, what an impact"-- >> trump: well-- i'm not denying. >> stahl: what an impact that would make. >> trump: i'm not denying climate change. but it could very well go back. you know, we're talking about over a millions-- >> stahl: but that's denying it. >> trump: --of years. they say that we had hurricanes that were far worse than what we just had with michael. >> stahl: who says that? "they say"? >> trump: people say. people say that in the--

>> stahl: yeah, but what about the scientists who say it's worse than ever? >> trump: you'd have to show me the scientists, because they have a very big political agenda, lesley. >> stahl: i can't bring them in. >> trump: look, scientists also have a political agenda. >> stahl: jamal khashoggi, the journalist-- >> trump: yes, yes. >> stahl: the saudi journalist. was he murdered by the saudis? and did the prince give the order to kill him? >> trump: nobody knows yet, but we'll probably be able to find out. it's being investigated. it's being looked at very, very strongly. and we would be very upset and angry if that were the case. as of this moment, they deny it. and den-- deny it vehemently. could it be them? yes. >> stahl: jared, your son-in- law, got on the phone and asked the prince. did he deny it? did he-- >> trump: they deny it. they deny it every way you can imagine. in the not-too-distant future, i think we'll know an answer. >> stahl: what are you options? let's say they did. what are your options? would you consider imposing sanctions, as a bipartisan group of senators have proposed?

>> trump: well, it depends on what the sanction is. i'll give you an example. they are ordering military equipment. everybody in the world wanted that order. russia wanted it, china wanted it, we wanted it. we got it. >> stahl: so would you cut that off-- >> trump: do i-- well-- i tell you what i don't want to do. boeing, lockheed, raytheon, all these com-- i don't want to hurt jobs. i don't want to lose an order like that. there are other ways of-- punishing, to use a word that's a pretty harsh word, but it's true. >> stahl: tell everybody what's at stake here. you know-- >> trump: well, there's a lot at stake. there's a lot at stake. and, maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. there's something-- you'll be surprised to hear me say that. there's something really terrible and disgusting about that-- if that were the case. so we're going to have to see. we're going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment. >> stahl: you've had a string of

wins lately. let's see-- the economy, the d-- the trade deal. >> trump: right. >> stahl: with canada and mexico, kavanaugh-- >> trump: and south korea. >> stahl: and south korea. and kavanaugh, the confirmation. >> trump: there has been no administration in the history of our country-- and i say this openly and proudly-- that in its first two years-- >> stahl: say this is modestly. >> trump: well, it's not even that, it's a fact: tax cuts, regulation cuts, the biggest regulations cuts in history. >> stahl: what about north korea? talking about accom-- >> trump: well, i consider it a-- so far-- great achievement. look, we-- >> stahl: you say "so far." >> trump: it's always so far, until everything's done. i-- i-- you know, deals are deals, okay? whether it's a real estate deal or a retail deal, it doesn't matter. but i will say this. the day before i came in, we were going to war with north korea. i sat with president obama-- >> stahl: we were going to war? >> trump: and-- we were going to-- i think it was going to end up in war. and my impression is-- and even in my first few months, i mean, that rhetoric was as tough as it could possibly get. doesn't get any tougher than

that. nobody's ever heard rhetoric that tough. we were going to war with north korea. now, you don't hear that. you don't hear any talk of it. and he doesn't want to go to war, and we don't want to go to war, and he understands denuclearization, and he's agreed to it. and you see that, he's agreed to it. no missiles. >> stahl: do you trust him? >> trump: i do trust him, yeah, i trust him. that doesn't mean i can't be proven wrong about it. >> stahl: why would you trust him? >> trump: well, first of all, if i didn't trust him, i wouldn't say that to you. wouldn't i be foolish to tell you right here, on "60 minutes"? >> stahl: well, remember what reagan said, "trust but verify"? >> trump: sure. i know. it's-- it's a very true. but the fact is, i do trust him. but we'll see what happens. >> stahl: but is it true that they haven't gotten rid of a single weapon, and they may actually be building more missiles with nuclear-- ? >> trump: they want to-- and i will tell you that they're closing up sites. setting it up. >> stahl: is what i said true, that they haven't?

>> trump: well, nobody really knows. i mean, people are saying that. i've actually said that. >> stahl: what? that they're still building missiles, more missiles? >> trump: we don't really know, lesley. we really don't know. but i assume-- >> stahl: suspect that? >> trump: let's say the answer is "yes," okay? in the meantime, they haven't tested a missile. they haven't tested a rocket. they definitely haven't done a nuclear test, because you know about them real fast. it sort of moves the earth. and, we have a relationship now. >> stahl: one of the things that kim has asked for is for you to ease the sanctions. >> trump: we haven't done that. >> stahl: are you prepared to do that? what-- what does he have to do-- >> trump: no, no, i-- >> stahl: before you're-- >> trump: no, i'm not doing it. this isn't the obama administration. i haven't eased the sanctions. i haven't done anything. i haven't done anything. we're meeting. i believe he likes me. i like him. we have a good relationship. it's very important. and then we fell in love, okay? no, really. he wrote me beautiful letters. and they're great letters. we fell in love. >> stahl: i want to read you his resume, okay? he presides over a cruel kingdom

of repression, gulags, starvation, reports that he had his half-brother assassinated, slave labor, public executions. this is a guy you love? >> trump: sure. i know all these things. i mean-- i'm not a baby. i know these things. >> stahl: i know, but why do you love that guy? >> trump: look, look. i-- i-- i like-- i get along with him, okay? >> stahl: but you love him. >> trump: okay. that's just a figure of speech. >> stahl: just like-- no, it's like an embrace. >> trump: it-- well, let it be an embrace. let it be whatever it is to get the job done. >> stahl: yeah, but he's a bad guy. >> trump: look. let it be whatever it is. i get along with him really well. i have a good energy with him. i have a good chemistry with him. look at the horrible threats that were made. no more threats. no more threats. >> stahl: china. >> trump: i get along with him. it's very important. china, let's go. >> stahl: i'm skipping across the world here. you've slapped a lot of tariffs on them-- >> trump: $250 billion. >> stahl: going to do more? >> trump: might. might. >> stahl: round three? >> trump: they want to negotiate, lesley. they want to negotiate. >> stahl: are you ready?

>> trump: look. >> stahl: are you ready to-- >> trump: i have a great chemistry also with president xi of china. i don't know that that's necessarily going to continue. i told president xi, we cannot continue to have china take $500 billion a year out of the united states in the form of trade and others things. >> stahl: and how-- how-- >> trump: and i said, "we can't do that, and we're not going to do that anymore." >> stahl: how much squeezing of them are you prepared to do when american products are going to be more expensive for american consumers in the end of all this? >> trump: okay, okay, okay. so-- so far, that hasn't turned out to be the case. >> stahl: some. >> trump: if you think about it, so far, i put 25% tariffs on steel dumping, and aluminum dumping 10%. >> stahl: but they've retaliated, that's what i'm asking about. >> trump: again, that's what i'm asking.te, ey can't-- they don't have enough ammunition to retaliate. we do $100 billion with them. they do $531 billion with us.

>> stahl: are you trying to sort of push them into a depression? >> trump: no, no. although they're down 32% in four months, which is 1929. >> stahl: well, that's what i'm asking. >> trump: i don't want that. no, i don't want that. i want them to negotiate a fair deal with us. i want them to open their markets like our-- our markets are open. >> stahl: but you're in a-- >> trump: and it will be a fair deal-- >> stahl: --trade war right now. trade war. >> trump: you call it war, i don't call it-- >> stahl: you-- you-- you did today. >> trump: i called it a "skirmish." >> stahl: i heard you, you called it "a war." >> trump: i called it-- actually i called it "a battle." but, actually, i'm going to lower that. i consider it a skirmish. and we're going to win. >> stahl: you have also slapped some tariffs on our allies. >> trump: i mean, what's an ally? we have wonderful relationships with a lot of people. but nobody treats us much worse than the european union. the european union-- >> stahl: but why-- >> trump: was formed in order to take advantage of us on trade, and that's what they've done. >> stahl: but this is hostile. rump: and yet, they-- it's not hostile. >> stahl: it sounds hostile. >> trump: you know what's hostile? the way they treat us. we're not hostile. >> stahl: no, but can't you deal with them without-- >> trump: we've been-- we've

been the stupid country for so many years. >> stahl: are you willing to get rid of twesterliance?: noike , nato's fine. but you know what? we shouldn't be paying almost the entire cost of nato to protect europe. and then on top of that, they take advantage of us on trade. they're not going to do it anymore. they understand that. >> stahl: okay, but are-- it does seem this-- are you willing to disrupt the western alliance? it's been going for 70 years. it's kept the peace for 70 years. >> trump: you don't know that. you don't know that. >> stahl: i don't know what? >> trump: you don't know that. >> stahl: is it true general mattis said to you, "the reason for nato and the reason for all these alliances is to prevent world war iii"? >> trump: no, it's not true. >> stahl: what's not true? >> trump: frankly, i like general mattis. i think i know more about it than he does. and i know more about it from the standpoint of fairness, that i can tell you. >> stahl: i'm going to try one more time, okay? >> trump: i know-- and, lesley, you don't have to try again. i know exactly what you're saying-- >> stahl: well, answer my question.

>> trump: the answer is this: i will always be there with nato, but they have to pay their way. i'm fully in favor of nato, but i don't want to be taken advantage of. >> stahl: putin. >> trump: yeah. >> stahl: okay, people don't understand why you never have a harsh word for vladimir putin. >> trump: okay, you ready? >> stahl: i don't understand it. >> trump: i have been-- you don't know what i talked about with putin in the meeting prior to the press conference-- >> stahl: no, i mean publicly. you never say anything harsh about him publicly. >> trump: excuse me, i didn't? i'm the one that gave ukraine offensive weapons and tank killers. obama didn't. you know what he sent? he sent pillows and blankets. i'm the one-- and he's the one that gave away a part of ukraine where russia now has this-- >> stahl: well, i mean him personally, vladimir putin-- >> trump: i think i'm very tough with him personally. i had a meeting with him. the two of us. it was a very tough meeting and it was a very good meeting. >> stahl: do you agree that vladimir putin is involved in assassinations? in poisonings? >> trump: probably he is, yeah. probably.

i mean, i don't-- >> stahl: probably? >> trump: probably, but i rely on them, it's not in our country. >> stahl: why not-- they shouldn't do it. this is a terrible thing. >> trump: of course they shouldn't do it. >> stahl: instead, do you believe-- >> trump: that's your-- >> stahl: --do you believe that the russians interfered in the 2016 campaign election? our election-- >> trump: they-- they meddled. but i think china meddled, too. >> stahl: but why do you-- >> trump: and i think other countries-- >> stahl: --say china meddled, too? >> trump: and you want to know something? >> stahl: why do you say chi-- why don't you just say the russians meddled? >> trump: well, let me ask you-- because i think china meddled also. and i think, frankly, china-- >> stahl: this is amazing. >> trump: --is a bigger problem. >> stahl: you are diverting the whole russian thing. >> trump: i'm not doing anything. >> stahl: you are, you are-- >> trump: i'm saying russia, but i'm also saying china. >> stahl: but it's the investigation of russia's intervention in the 2016 esidency, and caused a risney gf sessions, because he recused himself from the inquiry. what about the attorney general, jeff sessions? >> trump: well, we'll see what happens come midterms. but-- >> stahl: but everybody thinks, given the things you've said--

>> trump: i was disappointed that he recused himself, and many people think i was right on that. i was very disappointed. why should he have recused himself? so i was very disappointed, but we'll see what happens. >> stahl: so-- so can i assume-- can i assume he's gone? >> trump: no, no. you can't assume that. >> stahl: will you-- will you pledge-- pledge that you will not shut down the mueller investigation? >> trump: well, i-- i don't pledge anything. but i will tell you, i have no intention of doing that. i think it's a very unfair investigation, because there was no collusion of any kind. >> stahl: but you won't pledge-- >> trump: there is no collusion. i don't want to pledge. why should i pledge to you? if i pledge, i'll pledge. i don't have to pledge to you. but i have-- >> stahl: well-- >> trump: i have no intention of doing that. >> stahl: to date, 32 people have been charged or pled guilty in special counsel robert mueller's investigation. president trump's campaign chairman, top campaign aide, former national security advisor, and longtime personal attorney are all cooperating in

the inquiry the president calls a "witch hunt." >> trump: do you really think i'd call russia to help me with an election? give me a break. they wouldn't be able to help me at all. call russia. it's so ridiculous. >> stahl: more from our conversation with president trump, including his regrets, whether his defense secretary is on the way out, and if he can unite a divided country. when we come back. unite a divided country. when we come back. ( ticking ) cookie cutter portfolios. fisher investments tailors portfolios to your goals and needs. some only call when they have something to sell. fisher calls regularly so you stay informed. and while some advisors are happy to earn commissions whether you do well or not. fisherestments fees are structured so we do better when you do better. maybe that's why most of our clients come from other money managers. fisher investments. clearly better money management.

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>> stahl: one thing the president loves to talk about-- and for good reason-- is the economy.

consumer confidence is higher than it's been in nearly two decades, and unemployment, at 3.7%, is the lowest in nearly 50 years. and yet, there's an ugly mood in the air. we are a country torn by angry, bitter partisan divisions. and there are many who say the president isn't helping. we talked with the president about that, the contentious kavanaugh hearings, questions of chaos in his administration, and his record so far. so you've been president for almost two years. is there anything that you wish you hadn't said, anything you wish you hadn't done? do you have any regrets? >> trump: so when i won the presidency, i-- i-- i-- the press treats me terribly. i thought very strongly that, you know, the one great thing will happen is, the press will start treating me great. lesley, they treat me worse. they got worse instead of better. very dishonest.

>> stahl: okay, this-- you're-- what you regret? >> trump: i regret that the press treats me so badly-- >> stahl: i'm-- i'm really asking-- >> trump: anspat, poll numbers are very good, so-- >> stahl: have you made any mistakes? that's my question. >> trump: everybody makes mistakes. >> stahl: and what have been yours? >> trump: i could have been earlier with terminating the nafta deal. the problem was, i was getting to know the leaders. i was getting to know countries. i didn't want to do it right out of the box. so i waited a little while, but i could have done trade a little bit earlier. >> stahl: what about the forced separation of children from their-- migrant children, from the-- >> trump: yeah. well, that was-- the same as the obama law. you know, obama had the same thing. >> stahl: it was on the books, but he didn't enforce it. you enforced it. you launched that to-- the zero tolerance policy to be-- to deter families with children coming-- >> trump: no, but then everybody decided and the courts don't want separation. and frankly, when you don't do separa-- when you allow the parents to stay together, okay, when you allow that, then what happens is people are going to

pour into our country. >> stahl: so are you going to go back to that? >> trump: well, we're looking at a lot of things. really what we want to do is change the immigration laws, because they were-- they were a laughing stock all over the world. >> stahl: are you willing, though-- i think that you're saying you're-- it's under consideration. >> trump: no, i want all the laws changed. >> stahl: but the children specifically-- >> trump: there have to be consequences, lesley, for coming into our country illegally. d part of the r-- i mean, part of the reason, i have to blame myself, the economy is so strong that everybody wants to come into the united states. >> stahl: can i just ask this simple question? yes or no. >> trump: go ahead. >> stahl: are you willing to reinstitute that policy? you said, "we're looking at everything." >> trump: i will-- >> stahl: yes or no. >> trump: i will only-- i can't-- you can't say yes or no. what i can say is this: there are consequences from coming into a country, namely our country, illegally. >> stahl: i'm not going to ask it again-- >> trump: you don't have to. >> stahl: because i know you won't-- it. >> trump: but it's the same as obama. >> stahl: okay. changing subjects again-- you are the first president of the united states who never had a political post before, nor never served in the military.

you come up here, you've been here for almost two years, what's the biggest surprise, and what have you learned since you've been president? >> trump: okay. so i always used to say the toughest people are manhattan real estate guys and blah, blah. now i say they're babies. >> stahl: who's the toughest? >> trump: they're babies, the political people. this is the most deceptive, vicious world. it is vicious, it's full of lies, deceit, and deception. you make a deal with somebody and it's like making a deal with-- that table. >> stahl: give me an example. >> trump: well, i don't want to give you an example. i'm not looking to-- in the meantime, nobody's been able to do what i've been able to do. remember that. when you look at taxes, you look at regulations, you look at-- making deals with other countries. nobody's been able to do anhi le this. actually, most people didn't even try because they knew they didn't have the ability to do it. but it's a very deceptive world. the other thing i've really learned is, i never knew how dishonest the media was. i-- i-- and i really mean it.

i'm not saying that as a sound bite. i never knew how dishonest-- >> stahl: i'd like to-- i'm-- i'm going to change the subject again. >> trump: well, no, even the way you asked me a question, like, about separation. when i say obama did it, you don't want to talk about it. >> stahl: no, i'm going to run your-- >> trump: when i say i did it, let's make a big deal of it. >> stahl: i'm going to run your answer, but you did it four times, so-- >> trump: i'm just telling you that you treated me much differently on the subject. >> stahl: i disagree, but i don't want to have that fight with you. >> trump: hey, it's okay-- >> stahl: all right, i'll get in another fight with you-- >> trump: lesley, it's okay. in the meantime, i'm president and you're not. >> stahl: it' a presidency like no other: he's redefined the office with a governing style that's more freewheeling, in-your-face new york... >> trump: please sit down. >> stahl: ...than buttoned-up washington. >> trump: right now we're in a great position. >> stahl: he's not shy about trumpeting his victories, but some have come with a cost. this country is divided, polarized. within families, there aren't even people who can talk to each other. what does this say about where we are as a country right now?

all this division and strife and anger? >> trump: yeah-- i think that-- what's going to happen-- i think the economy's bringing people together. it was very polarized under president obama, unbelievably polarized under president obama. i can see the country uniting. i can see it. we have people, democrats, who behaved horribly during the judge kavanaugh-- you know what i'm saying? >> stahl: but when you won that. >> trump: during the hearings for the supreme court, we had senators that behaved horribly. >> stahl: but when you won, you won. no-- no one is going to argue with that. >> trump: i won. >> stahl: you won. and then after you won, instead of saying, "oh, let's all come together, this is wonderful. let's heal all of this." you come out and bash the democrats. >> trump: well, i bashed their attitude. i bashed their statements-- >> stahl: but why not try to bring us together? >> trump: because they were so unfair to judge kavanaugh. i've never seen anything like it. >> stahl: but why not-- why not try and-- we need to be healed. we need-- >> trump: i don't think they

want to heal yet, i'll be honest. >> stahl: well, you don't want to heal yet. >> trump: i think-- i-- i-- i saw hillary clinton made a really nasty statement. i don't think they want to be healed. i do want to heal. >> stahl: i'm n-- i'm not talking about democrat-- i'm talking about the country. you go out and you go to mississippi. >> trump: the famous mississippi speech? "i had one beer." "well, you think it was--" "nope, it was one beer!" "oh good. how did you get home?" "i don't remember." "how did you get there?" "i don't remember." "where is the place?" "i don't remember." "how many years ago was it?" "i don't know, i don't know. i don't know." >> stephen: and you mimicked professor blasey ford. you mimicked her. >> trump: had i not made that speech, we would not have won. i was just saying she didn't seem to know anything. >> stahl: no-- >> trump: and you're trying to destroy a life of a man who has been extraordinary. >> stahl: why did you have to make fun of her? >> trump: i didn't really make fun of her. >> stahl: well, they were laughing. >> trump: what i said is, the person that we're talking about, didn't know the year, the time, the place. >> stahl: professor blasey ford got before the senate and-- and

was asked what's the worst moment. and she said, "when the two boys laughed at me, at my expense." >> trump: okay, fine. >> stahl: and then i watched you mimic her and thousands of people were laughing at her. >> trump: they can do what they-- i-- i will tell you this. the way now justice kavanaugh was treated has become a big factor in the midterms. have you seen what's gone on with the polls? >> stahl: but did you have to-- >> trump: well, i think she was treated with great respect, i'll-- i'll be honest with you. >> stahl: but do you think-- you treated her with-- >> trump: there are those that think she shouldn't have-- >> stahl: do you think you treated her with respect? >> trump: i think so, yeah. i did. >> stahl: but you seem to be saying that she lied. >> trump: you know what? i'm not going to get into it, because we won. it doesn't matter. we won. >> stahl: ever since the mississippi speech, he's been out campaigning, rallying his supporters for the midterm elections. but back in washington, he's had to deal with reports of internal strife in his administration.

the anonymous column that ran in "the new york times." the author-- we don't know who it is, whoever it is, paints a picture. >> trump: whoever it is. maybe it was "the new york times," too. no, no, it's-- by the way, you don't know how dishonest "the new york times" is. it could've been "the new york times." i doubt it. but it could've been. >> stahl: okay, i doubt it, too. >> trump: it also could've been any-- well, don't count on it. it also could've been any one of 3,000 people. >> stahl: the anonymous op-ed column told of a resistance within the trump administration, who've questioned his fitness for office. you have said that this administration is like a smooth running machine. and yet, we keep hearing that the white house is in chaos. >> trump: it's-- wrong, it's so false. it's fake news. i'm changing things around. and i'm entitled to. i have people now on standby that will be phenomenal. they'll come into the administration, they'll be phenomenal. >> stahl: more people going to go? >> trump: yeah, other people will go, sure. >> stahl: because so many people, you have kind of a record of-- on turnover. >> trump: i think i have a great cabinet. there're some people that i'm

not happy with. >> stephen: who are you not happy with? >> trump: no, i don't want to say that, but-- >> stahl: come on. >> trump: not i don't want to say that. but i have some people that i'm not thrilled with. and i have other people that i'm beyond thrilled with. >> stahl: what about general mattis? is he going to leave? >> trump: well, i don't know. he hasn't told me that. i have-- >> stahl: do you want him to-- >> trump: --a very good relationship with him. it could be that he is. i think he's sort of a democrat, if you want to know the truth. but general mattis is a good guy. we get along very well. he may leave. i mean, at some point, everybody leaves. everybody. people leave. that's washington. >> stahl: the first lady, melania. she said that there are still people in the white house that she doesn't trust and that you shouldn't trust. >> trump: i feel the same way. i don't trust everybody in the white house, i'll be honest with you. >> stahl: you go to a meeting, do you have to wonder, "is he wearing a wire," or whatever? >> trump: i'm usually-- not so much a wire. i'm usually guarded. and i think i'm guarded anyway. but i'm not saying i trust everybody in the white house. i'm not a baby.

it's a tough business. this is a r-- this is a vicious place. washington, d.c. is a vicious, vicious place. the attacks, the-- the bad mouthing, the speaking behind your back. but-- you know, and in my way, i feel very comfortable here. >> stahl: it takes a president a while to find his sea legs. >> trump: i think so. i mean, i felt comfortable at the beginning, other than it was a little surreal to say i'm the president of the united states, but i think that's true with everybody. >> stahl: potus. >> trump: now i very much feel like potus, i do. i feel like the president. you know, for a little while, it's like-- "mr. president, sir." it's-- even my friends, they call me, they-- they don't call me donald-- they call me mr. president. and i say, "will you please loosen up?" i've learned on the job. i have. >> stahl: and you feel comfortable? >> trump: i feel very comfortable, yeah. ( ticking ) >> lessedly stall on her conversation with the president. >> stahl: can i just ask this

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>> whitaker: joel sartore, an acclaimed "national geographic" photographer, is a man on a mission. he's trying to photograph every species-- every animal, bird, fish, reptile and insect-- in captivity. sartore sides with scientists who estimate half the species alive today could be extinct by the end of this century, so he travels to zoos around the world to take pictures of what we're losing, and to ignite conservation efforts to prevent extinctions. he calls his project "the photo ark." on this ark, the animals go in one by one.

>> joel sartore: he's beautiful, isn't he? >> whitaker: to catch joel sartore in action, we flew halfway around the world, to the philippines, home to hundreds of unique species. flew 20 hours to get here. and you came all this way to take a picture of a palawan stink badger? >> joel sartore: absolutely! absolutely. boy, is he stinky. he's smaller than a skunk, but smells worse. he's part badger, part skunk and he fired a reeking rocket-- ohhh! --after he entered the photo cage. >> joel sartore: how can something that cute be that stinky? >> whitaker: it smelled so ible te anima leave the red carpet and head into the photo cage, a rare palawan binturong, took one wiff, smelled stink badger stink, and backed out. sartore said he should have photographed the stink badger last, but the little stinker is a pungent prize. >> joel sartore: there's nobody else coming along to photograph

a stink badger. i'm the only one. and that's the case for 90% of the species i photograph, maybe 95%. these are things that nobody will ever know existed, if it weren't for the photo ark. if they could see how beautiful this thing is, they would care. >> whitaker: joel cares so much, he spends half the year traveling the world. we saw him work 12-hour days in stifling, humid, 100-degree heat. >> joel sartore: okay, let's switch to white. >> whitaker: it was tough for us just watching him build pop-up studios, switching between backdrops of black and white. why did you decide to use either black or white backgrounds? >> joel sartore: there are no distractions in these pictures. it's just the animal and you. and that animal's often looking you in the eye. >> whitaker: that's when it all works. here's what happened years ago, when joel tried to photograph a chimp.

he spent more than an hour taping up the white background. >> joel sartore: so now, doesn't this look nice. >> whitaker: more than an hour, for this. animals can be frustrating and dangerous, like this fierce luzon warty pig, found only on a few philippine islands. handlers had herded him into a makeshift photo pen. joel got as close as he dared, lying in a trough usually used for pig waste. the tusks are sharp. the hooves are sharp. >> joel sartore: yeah. i, i-- you know what? i'm concentrating. i got a lot to do. >> whitaker: beyond the tusks and hooves, this pig packs a mean temper. you've heard the expression "when pigs fly?" watch. >> joel sartore: like a cow jumping over the moon, except it was a pig. let's see what we got. i've never had that happen, ever. he's sharp, i can see him. we're done.

that's good. we got our picture. we don't ever need to photograph this species again. >> whitaker: but then, there was trixie, perhaps the world's sweetest orangutan. we met her not far from the mean-spirited pig at the avilon zoo outside manila. >> joel sartore: and we're just going to let her see the flash. so far, so good. >> whitaker: the key question: would trixie move in front of the white background? >> joel sartore: do you think she would want to stand over there? and get her picture. >> whitaker: she's amazing. >> joel sartore: awesome, look at that. >> ellen sartore: aw, sweet girl. >> whitaker: covergirl. >> joel sartore: if she lays down to look at you, you get down with her. you just lay down on the ground at eye level. she was completely calm. >> whitaker: later, sartore showed us his favorite trixie shots, at "national geographic" headquarters in washington. so what do you think she's thinking? >> joel sartore: i think she was just thinking, you know, "is there a banana in this somewhere for me? ( laughs ) a mango?" let's go in there and get her on

black. very nice, very nice. i like the white one better, i think. it's more direct. it's more like she's involved. she's a partner in the process. >> whitaker: i put my hand out. i wasn't quite sure she was going to take it, but she did. >> joel sartore: yeah, it's soft. >> whitaker: and it was soft. yeah, that was an amazing experience. what makes a great picture? >> joel sartore: emotion. that's what you look for in any in any great photograph. >> whitaker: what's emotion in an animal? >> joel sartore: a moment. we're looking for the eyes. humans are we're primates, and we're really, really responsive to eyes. we're all about eye contact. >> whitaker: but you shoot them like they're models. >> joel sartore: we do. like they're going in for their high school senior portrait. >> whitaker: sartore shoots birds in tents so they won't fly away. this white crowned hornbill posed like a preening pro. completely different from joel's first attempt to shoot this species, back in the states. >> ready?

>> joel sartore: yeah. so this lady, her name's jen. not a bashful bird at all. ow. >> joel sartore: so what she didn't tell me is, that bird is such a badass, he attacks her when she goes in to feed him. this is one of those things where i'm back here. so when i said, "can you put that bird in my tent?" she went, "sure i can." this is like a $6,000 camera. doesn't he know that? ow, god, ( bleep )! that's my blood right there. >> whitaker: that's why he wanted to shoot a calm hornbill in the philippines. >> joel sartore: very nice bird. >> whitaker: but here, the red rat snake kept attacking. >> joel sartore: god, they're real lunge-y, aren't they? >> whitaker: fortunately, he's not venomous-- >> mark laganga: jesus! >> whi --since he bit our >> joel sartore: i enjoy seeing a "60 minutes" cameraman get bit, instead of me. >> whitaker: but the next snake was extremely venomous. >> joel sartore: is that the spitter? >> whitaker: the palawan spitting cobra can blind you if it spits in your eye-- and it

can spit ten feet. that's why joel wore goggles. but, watch how close he gets to this cobra. i always thought when they had their hood out like that, that meant danger. >> joel sartore: well, he's reacting to us. we're like skyscrapers to this guy. so, he's going to stand up and look as big as he can. they have a space prepped already. >> whitaker: in zoos, sartore can shoot more than 20 species in one day. in the wild, it could take several days to get one good shot. now, with natural habitats vanishing, some species can only be found in zoos. >> joel sartore: a lot of them only exist in zoos. they have these captive breeding programs for some of the rarest animals in the world. so, when people say, "well, they're down on zoos--" well, they haven't seen a good zoo, and they don't know the conservation effect of good zoos. >> whitaker: sartore spent his first 16 years at "national geographic" taking pictures in the field. he scored numerous magazine

covers, and endured various hardships. >> joel sartore: yeah. that's me. that's on alaska's north slope. i wanted to show the insect load up there. and also, i hadn't made a good picture in three days, and so the editors here will say, "joel, we can't publish your excuses." >> whitaker: the mosquitoes though, my god. that's incredible. >> joel sartore: yeah. my feet itched for a long time. >> whitaker: he came up with the photo ark idea after his wife developed breast cancer. >> joel sartore: that's my son cole, and my wife kathy. she went on chemo for nine months, and i was grounded. i was home for a year. and so, i was really worried she was not going to make it. but we all made it through. she'ne tod. it's been 13 years, which is great. >> whitaker: wonderful. >> joel sartore: it really does make you appreciate how limited our time is. >> whitaker: so the cancer changed all of your lives. >> joel sartore: yeah. and started the photo ark. it was a desperate, last-ditch effort to use my life for something that's worthwhile, something that could save

nature. >> whitaker: in the bible, the ark saves all the creatures on earth. is that your goal? >> joel sartore: exactly. giddy up. you bet. >> whitaker: what makes you think you can save them with a photo? >> joel sartore: we can reach more people now than ever, because we can post to "national geographic," instagram and facebook, and reach over 100 million people, and do it again and again and again. >> whitaker: his latest pictures are published periodically, and they've appeared on the empire state building, and the vatican. >> joel sartore: yeah, the side of st. peter's basilica. the pope was sitting there watching it, which was awesome. tllistaker: we flew with joel ne. here, vast forests wercut for timber, robbing wildlife of vital habitat. >> joel sartore: now there's hardly any lowland forest left, less than 5% here. >> whitaker: negros has its own type of critically endangered warty pig. this mother was saved from a hunter's snare. in the zoo, she's helping to

save her species. >> joel sartore: she's got her babies. and you see that bridle marking on her snout? that's really definitive. >> whitaker: oh yeah, oh yeah, that's beautiful. >> joel sartore: i think these are going be on the ground. >> whitaker: joel, who spends so much time away from home, brought his daughter ellen on this trip. so, what do you think of what he's doing? >> ellen sartore: i think it's extraordinary, what you're doing. >> joel sartore: really? >> ellen sartore: i do. >> joel sartore: aw. you're going to make me cry. >> ellen sartore: don't cry! >> joel sartore: i've never heard you say that. you do? >> ellen sartore: yeah. >> whitaker: but he is gone all the time? >> ellen sartore: he hasn't been to the last seven of my birthdays just because my birthday is in migration season. so, he's-- >> whitaker: migration season? ( laughs ) >> joel sartore: it's true. >> whitaker: so that's a birthday buster. >> joel sartore: yeah. >> whitaker: the next day, sartore showed us a beetle he had spotted. >> joel sartore: i think he'd be worth putting in the photo ark. >> whitaker: a species he hadn't shot before. so there's nothing to small for you, huh? >> joel sartore: nothing too small-- if you can see it with your eyes, we'll photograph it. >> whitaker: how big is this guy? >> joel sartore: oh, that guy is the size of a grain of rice. >> whitaker: tiny. >> joel sartore: yeah, tiny. >> whitaker: so every animal

fills up your frame? >> joel sartore: that's right. >> whitaker: small or large. >> joel sartore: he's as big as a polar bear. >> whitaker: why do you do that? >> joel sartore: because it gives them all equal say, equal voice. the big charismatic mammals get all the ink. they get all the press, the gorillas and the rhinos and the tigers. nobody's thinking about these little guys. i am. >> whitaker: sartore shot another little guy, believed to be the very last member of a now-extinct species. >> joel sartore: that's the last rabbs fringe limbed frog. >> whitaker: what's that like, knowing that this animal will not exist anymore, shortly after you take the picture? >> joel sartore: well, does it make me sad? sure. but does it inspire me to go out and keep working like absolutely. we put this together in my office. ♪ ♪ this just shows you what rodents can look like and what parrots look like. biodiversity, in a glance. just primates. >> whitaker: wow.

>> joel sartore: and we've done a lot more since then. we can go out farther and farther and farther. hundreds of species. thousands of species. just amphibians. there's so much diversity, but you'd never know it. you'd never know it. >> whitaker: so you've been doing this for how long now? >> joel sartore: 12 years. >> whitaker: how many species have you photographed? >> joel sartore: 8,255. but who's counting? >> whitaker: you're about halfway through. and you're how old now? >> joel sartore: 55, almost 56. tick-tick-tick-tick-tick, just as loud as that "60 minutes" stopwatch, baby. >> whitaker: time's running out. >> joel sartore: it is. but you know, at least my life'll be spent doing something that's hopefully mattered to the world. ( ticking ) >> cbs sports h.q. is presented by progressive insurance. i'm james brown with the scores from the n.f.l. today. the l.a. ramsry main undefeated.

antonio brown's 31-yard game-winning touchdown catch stunned cincinnati. the jets forced four turnovers in their second straying win. houston wins its third in a row. baltimore pitches a shutout with a franchise record 11 sacks. miami wins on jason sanders' game-winning field goal in o.t. for 24/7news and highlights. game-winning field goal in o.t. for 24/7news and highlights. visit cbssportshq.com. -trash can, turn on the tv. -my pleasure. -ice dispenser, find me a dog sitter. -okay. -and make ice. -pizza delivered. -what's happened to my son? -i think that's just what people are like now. i mean, with progressive, you can quote your insurance on just about any device. even on social media. he'll be fine. -[ laughs ] -will he? -i don't know. -will he? i'm always going to be a maker. and i think a company is the coolest thing you can build. i'm adam, and i make robots.

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>> whitaker: now, an update on two previous "60 minutes" stories. ten years ago, anderson cooper traveled to the democratic republic of the congo, where a civil war had become a war against women. the weapon used to destroy them: rape.

>> cooper: dr. denis mukwege, a gynecological surgeon, operated on and treated thousands of women who had been victims of sexual violence. all these women have been raped? >> dr. denis mukwege: yeah. >> cooper: they've all been patients of yours? >> dr. mukwege: yeah. >> whitaker: four years ago, in northern iraq, scott pelley reported how isis also used sexual violence as a weapon against women. >> pelley: nadia murad, a young woman from the yazidi religious minority, with her face disguised in fear of retribution, told us how she was forced into sexual slavery by the islamic state. >> ( translated ) nadia murad: isis used local villagers' trucks, started loading up 16 to 20 women at a time and taking us away. >> whitaker: nine days ago, nadia murad and dr. denis mukwegi jointly won the nobel peace prize for their work combating mass rape. i'm bill whitaker. we'll be back next week with another edition of "60 minutes."

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