(upbeat music) - Hi everyone, Steve Adubato.

It's always great when you have a colleague in the media who you respect greatly, and that is who we have right now.

Dominic Carter is a WABC, that's 77 WABC radio host.

Good to see you, Dominic.

- Steve, it's great to be with you.

And before I say a single word, I have to stop, full stop and acknowledge you because I've been covering politics in our region for close to 40 years, and by far you are the most informative, the most knowledgeable person on television covering politics.

And I watch your show regularly to get my facts, to make sure that I'm accurate with my reporting.

- Well, Dominic, we're gonna stop right there, and I wanna thank you for joining us.

We're gonna end the interview at that point.

(Dominic laughing) Dom, let's do this.

Tell everyone where folks can listen to you on WABC - 77 WABC in the New York region.

I'm on from midnight to 1:00 AM, and it's always great to be with the listeners, Steve.

- Got it.

Dominic, let's talk about this.

We're obsessed with the role of media, different mediums, television, radio, digital, internet, all kinds of stuff.

Where do you see the role of quote "talk radio" in helping to preserve and protect our very fragile democracy?

And some people call it a republic.

Yes, it's a representative republic slash democracy.

Go ahead, Dominic.

- Steve, democracy is in danger.

So your point is very accurate.

And the role that radio plays, I think why I am successful at it is that I'm unique and to the degree of, I believe that we have one set of facts that's important.

These days, if you are on the left, you can get talk radio or television news that focus solely on the left.

If you are on the right, you can get radio stations or television news that focuses solely on the right.

And that is, in my opinion, divisive for our country.

Talk radio is important, Steve, because the immediacy of talk radio.

Whether folks realize it or not, you get in your car, you are going somewhere, what's the first thing you do?

You turn on the radio.

You probably turn on talk radio.

And it's very, very important because of the immediacy.

We reach people in ways, frankly, that television does not.

- Well, let's do this.

What I'm curious about Dominic, and I've known, and I've worked as, I've gone on the air with you and your colleague Curtis Sliwa, so many others so many times, and also Frank Morano who's on after midnight, if you will, Other Side of Midnight.

But I'm curious about something, Dominic.

Your audience leans pretty hard to the right.

It is, dare I say, a MAGA audience.

So here's my question.

How the heck can you do a straight down the middle, objective, don't have a horse in the race, we're not left, we're not right, this is who I am, Dominic Carter?

Doesn't your audience, and I had this conversation, trust me, there's a question here with Michael Wolff who just wrote a wonderful book on the Murdoch dynasty and Fox News.

And his argument is basically, many of us in the media cater to our audience.

How do you survive and thrive?

Because you try not to cater to your audience and tell 'em what they want to hear, Dominic.

- Because Steve, like yourself, I am who I am.

And I'm not going to change who I am in terms of a journalist just to do talking points.

That's just not me.

And so I call it the way I see it, just like a baseball umpire or a referee at a NBA game.

I don't tilt my talking points to lean one way or the other.

Down the middle, this is the way I see it and it is what it is.

- But Dominic, hold on one second.

I'm sorry for interrupting.

- It's okay.

- Disproportionately, is it fair to say that most in your audience do not want you or anyone else on the air to be critical of Donald Trump?

Even when he is saying, and I said this to you before, Dominic, you remember your civil discourse, respect, congeniality, but strong views, but listening to others.

No disrespect, that's not Donald Trump, name calling, vicious things he says.

If you call that out for what it is, your audience doesn't like that, Dominic.

- But, you're right Steve.

And when a person is right, you're right.

But again, the uniqueness of me is that it is what it is.

And if Mr. Trump does something outrageous, I'm going to call it for what it is.

- Or Joe Biden.

- Or, and I'm glad you said that, I was just about to get to Biden.

It doesn't matter who.

You know, we are headed into the major horse race here, and I just call it the way I see it, period.

And sometimes that goes over well, people will accept that, but I think that I have built a trust with the audience, like you have, Steve Adubato, where people believe me when I say something.

I am not going to say it, unlike many hosts in talk show radio, simply as a talking point to please the audience.

That's not me.

- Dominic, let me ask you this.

We'll talk about Biden in a second, but again, going into this 2024 election, Biden and Trump, unless something dramatic changes we're taping this at the end of January.

What the heck do you believe is Donald Trump's primary appeal to a high percentage, well, the vast majority of Republican voters, many independents as well?

Why does he have such enduring appeal for so many that seems unbreakable, Dominic?

- And it is unbreakable, Steve.

No matter what's thrown at him including the kitchen sink, it seems that Mr. Trump.

- Including the indictments in criminal cases all across the country, 90 plus, go ahead.

- It seems that he's always standing.

I believe the appeal to Trump comes down to this.

He is not a typical politician, which means that even though he served in the White House for four years and may be headed back there, which means that he is given a liberty, if you will, or space to be himself, to sometimes do outrageous things.

Here's the answer to your question, Steve.

If you wanna understand the appeal to Donald Trump, it's real simple.

Go to the supermarket these days.

Go to a gas station in your local community these days.

And you know, Steve, because you've been doing this a long time, in politics, perception becomes reality.

And the perception is that even though the economy may be doing well under Biden, that is not the perception with common Americans.

And they believe that Trump can restore the country to greatness.

And they also believe, Steve, that if he were president, that worldwide, we would not be seeing the wars that are occurring.

- To Dominic's point, perception is reality.

And how much, let me ask you this.

President Biden, as a public communicator has clearly been challenged in a lot of ways.

And the policies are what they are.

The stock market as we do this program, I don't know where it's gonna be, but it's strong right now.

The economy's getting stronger.

Unemployment is where it is.

Interest rates, you know, hopefully stabilize.

What the heck do you think Joe Biden's problem is, challenge is in connecting with people as a public communicator, Dominic?

- Mr. Biden, if you are objective and you look at it on paper, he's done reasonably well if you look at it on paper.

But he has a perception problem.

He has a communication problem.

And it doesn't get any better, frankly, Steve Adubato, with his vice president, Kamala Harris.

They are seen as a one-two punch to the American people that in some regards, emphasis, in some regards, that are not as effective as they should be for the American people.

And then when you factor in age, so Biden and Trump are almost the identical age.

- 77 and 81.

Trump is 77.

Biden is 81.

They're in the same neighborhood.

- They're in the same neighborhood.

- So how does the age play out, Dominic?

- But if you ask the average American who has more energy, who is more energetic, I really believe, Steve Adubato, that 9 1/2 outta 10 people will answer Trump.

And so when you have, when you have the gaffes that Mr. Biden has made, and these things are to happen, you know, the President of America, it's a very busy, demanding job, but these gaffes multiply the perception problems, and therein lies the problem for Mr. Biden.

- Before I let you go though, do you think most Americans believe that Donald Trump is more dangerous to our democracy than Biden?

What do you think the answer would be?

Who's more dangerous do you think most people think?

- Yeah, obviously if you're talking to the left, they will say absolutely that he's more dangerous than Biden.

But if you're talking to the right, they will say no, that Biden is more dangerous.

But Steve, if you're talking about America as a whole, I would venture to say that a majority would say that Trump is dangerous.

But we'll see what happens.

- And most polls say that 70% plus of Americans would rather not have a choice between Biden and Trump.

But that looks like the choice.

Hey Dominic, I cannot thank you enough.

Looking forward to talking on the radio and more conversations on the air.

All the best, my friend.

- Hey Steve, let me just say this.

Let me finish where I started.

You are the man.

You are the man.

And I tip my cap to you.

Thank you for what you do on television.

I'm serious, Steve.

I think you know, I don't say something unless I mean it.

Thank you for what you do on behalf of the Tri-state region.

You are the man.

- Thank you, but I know in editing they're gonna take that out.

No, I'm joking.

(Dominic laughing) Dominic Carter, 77 WABC.

Thanks, my friend.

Stay with us.

We'll be right back.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Celebrating 30 years in public broadcasting.

Funding has been provided by The Russell Berrie Foundation.

Newark Board of Education.

PSEG Foundation.

Kean University.

Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

And by Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.

Promotional support provided by Northjersey.com and Local IQ.

And by ROI-NJ.