‘Conviction has gotten to him’: Katy Tur reports from inside Trump Tower

WE START WITH KATY TUR AT TRUMP TOWER. THIS IS WHERE WE FIRST SAW YOU IN JUNE OF 2015 AS DONALD TRUMP WAS COMING DOWN THE ESCALATOR TO DECLARE HIS PRESIDENCY WITH SOME OF THE SAME INACCURATE AND VERY CONTROVERSIAL RHETORIC ABOUT MIGRANTS AND OTHERS THAT WE HEARD TODAY. THIS IS WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED COVERING HIM FULL-TIME NINE YEARS AGO. >> WHAT A NINE YEARS IT HAS BEEN. IN MANY WAYS SO FAMILIAR AND SO COMPLETELY THE SAME. TALKING ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND MIGRANTS THEN. TALKING ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND MIGRANTS TODAY. THIS IS A SURREAL MOMENT TO BE HERE IN TRUMP TOWER, BECAUSE THIS IS LITERALLY THE SCENE OF THE CRIME. THIS IS WHAT HE WAS CONVICTED FOR IN A MANHATTAN COURTROOM, 34 FELONY COUNTS OF FALSIFYING DOCUMENTS FOR A SCHEME HATCHED ABOVE MY HEAD. DONALD TRUMP, DAVID PECKER, MICHAEL COHEN, TO GO AFTER DONALD TRUMP'S OPPONENTS IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE AND TO BURY STORIES THAT ARE NEGATIVE ABOUT HIM, INCLUDING STORIES FROM WOMEN, INCLUDING ONE OF STORMY DANIELS. THAT'S WHAT HE WAS CONVICTED FOR. AFTER THAT CONVICTION, HE CAME BACK HERE AND HELD A NEWS CONFERENCE. THERE'S A HEAVINESS TO THIS LOBBY THAT HAS NOT -- I HAVE NEVER FELT HERE BEFORE. I HAVE BEEN COMING HERE A LONG, LONG TIME. THE DOORMEN, ALL THE SAME. THEY ARE NOT SMILING AS EASILY AS THEY ONCE WERE. HE HAD A CROWD OF SUPPORTERS HERE. THEY LOOKED TO BE TRUMP ORGANIZATION EMPLOYEES, BECAUSE THEY CAME OUT FROM THE ELEVATORS BEHIND ME. THERE WAS A FORCED ENTHUSIASM YOU COULD ARGUE FROM SOME OF THEM. DONALD TRUMP WENT THROUGH HIS CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS. THEY HAVE BEEN THE SAME NOW FOR NINE YEARS. THERE WAS SOMETHING FORCED ABOUT THE WAY HE WAS GIVING IT AS WELL. THIS CONVICTION HAS ACTUALLY GOTTEN TO HIM. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANCE TO HIM FOR WHAT THIS MEANS. IT'S NOT A CIVIL FINE. GRANTED THE CIVIL FINES WERE EXTREMELY LARGE. THIS IS A CRIMINAL CONVICTION BY 12 OF HIS PEERS IN NEW YORK CITY FOR THE WAY HE DID BUSINESS. HE WAS TALKING ABOUT FALSIFYING RECORDS, IT WAS ALMOST AS IF HE TOOK PERSON OFFENSE TO IT. ON THE SUBJECT OF IMMIGRATION, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE TODAY -- HE TALKED ABOUT HOW IMMIGRANTS ARE COMING IN AND MORE TERRORISTS THAN EVER COMING IN. NOTHING BASED IN EVIDENCE IN TERMS OF TERRORISTS. NOTHING BASED IN ANYTHING WE CAN CONFIRM. ON THE SUBJECT OF IMMIGRATION, THERE WAS A FIX IN CONGRESS. REPUBLICANS LED THIS FIX IN CONGRESS. A COMPROMISE IN THE SENATE THAT LEANED REPUBLICAN, THAT REPUBLICANS WANTED, DEMANDED FOR YEARS. DEMOCRATS MADE HEAVY CONCESSIONS. SOME DEMOCRATS SAID THEY COULDN'T VOTE FOR IT. PRESIDENT BIDEN WAS GETTING A LOT OF FLAK FROM THE LEFT FOR THIS IMMIGRATION BILL. IT NEVER GOT -- IT NEVER PASSED THE SENATE. IT WENT TO THE FLOOR FOR A SHOW VOTE SO DEMOCRATS COULD SHOW HOW REPUBLICANS WEREN'T SUPPORTING IT. IT WOULD NEVER HAVE GOTTEN TO THE HOUSE FLOOR BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP INTERVENED AND TOLD REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS HE DIDN'T WANT THERE TO BE AN IMMIGRATION BILL, BECAUSE HE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO RUN ON IT. THIS IS A CRISIS OF HIS OWN MAKING, OR AT LEAST A CRISIS HE HAS BEEN UNWILLING TO HELP. THIS IS A BILL THAT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED PRESIDENT BIDEN TO SHUT DOWN THE BORDER. IT DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP DIDN'T WANT IT TO GO ANYWHERE. I WAS IN COURT YESTERDAY AS THIS VERDICT WAS READ. I WANTED TO SEE HIS FACE AS IT WAS READ. I WANTED TO SEE THE REACTION FROM THE FORMER PRESIDENT. I WATCHED HIM. HE WAS STONE-FACED. HE BARELY MADE AN EXPRESSION. AS THE JURORS WALKED BY, HE LOOKED AT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. NONE OF THEM LOOKED AT HIM AT ALL. THERE WAS SOMETHING TO THE EXPRESSION. IT'S THE SAME WE HAVE SEEN FROM HIM, THE UNMOVING KIND OF A SCOWL. THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT IT THAT DIDN'T SEEM AS NATURAL AS IT HAD IN THE PAST, AS CONFIDENT AS IT HAD IN THE PAST. YOU GOTTA WONDER -- I KNOW DONALD TRUMP IS STILL RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. HE SAYS HE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT. I WONDER HOW MUCH OF THE FIGHT IS REALLY STILL LEFT IN HIM. >> THAT'S AN IMPORTANT QUESTION. WILL IT CHANGE TO ANGER AND MANIFEST ITSELF ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL? HE HAS TO GO TO AN INTERVIEW PROCESS. THERE'S GOING TO BE PRESENTENCING REPORTS. HE WILL BE SENTENCED. TAKE ME BACK TO YOUR OBSERVATIONS TODAY. TO THOSE OF US WHO ARE WATCHING IT ON TV, THERE'S THE SAMENESS TO IT. EXACTLY AS YOU POINTED OUT. SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES. MAKING SAME MISSTATEMENTS AND LIES HE MADE IN THE PAST. HARD TO FOLLOW WHERE HE WAS GOING. I DO THINK WITH DONALD TRUMP -- YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE -- HIS MOOD, HIS REACTION CAN INFORM HOW HE DEALS WITH PEOPLE, HOW HE DEALS WITH ISSUES, HOW HE DEALS WITH WHAT'S FACING HIM. WHO IS THE DONALD TRUMP YOU SAW TODAY VERSUS THE GUY YOU SAW COME DOWN THAT ESCALATOR WHO MOST PEOPLE THOUGHT DIDN'T HAVE A SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL OF BECOMING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES? >> I WILL MAKE ONE SMALL CORRECTION. I WAS NOT THERE FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT. I STARTED COVERING HIM TWO DAYS LATER. I WAS IN LONDON. I WAS A FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT. I STARTED COVERING HIM. I WAS NOT THERE FOR THE ESCALATOR ANNOUNCEMENT. I WAS THERE EVERY DAY AFTER THAT. I WAS HERE A LOT. MY FIRST BIG INTERVIEW WAS AROUND THE TRUMP BAR HERE. THE DONALD TRUMP BACK THEN WAS AN OUTSIDER CANDIDATE WHO HAD A SMALL CHANCE. NOBODY BELIEVED IN HIM. HE WAS -- HE WAS ACTING AS IF HE HAD NOTHING TO LOSE. WHEN IT STARTED GOING, HE BUILT CONFIDENCE. HE WAS ALWAYS CONFIDENT BUT HE GOT ANGRIER AND ANGRIER. HE STARTED RALLYING HIS BASE AROUND HIM WITH THAT ANGER, WITH THAT VITRIOL, USING IT TO HIS ADVANTAGE. HE HAS BEEN DOING THAT FOR NINE YEARS SINCE. TODAY HE HAS THAT SAME INSTINCT IN HIM. HE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE AS COMMITTED TO IT AS HE HAD, AT LEAST PERSONALLY COMMITTED TO IT AS HE HAD IN THE PAST. HE LIFTED HIS ARMS UP AND DROPPED THEM. I HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM DO THAT BEFORE. IT WAS RESIGNED. THAT BEING SAID, IT'S ALMOST AS IF HE DOESN'T NEED TO BE WIELDING THE POWER AS FORCEFULLY AS HE ONCE WAS. IT'S NINE YEARS. HE HAS AGED. WE HAVE ALL AGED. THE APPARATUS AROUND HIM, THE SYSTEM AROUND HIM, THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM ARE PUSHING FORWARD WITH THAT REGARDLESS. THERE'S A WELL-OILED MACHINE OF ANGER AND VITRIOL THAT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN USING FOR YEARS NOW WITH FUND-RAISING EMAILS, WITH TRUTH SOCIAL POSTS. POSTS THAT AREN'T ALWAYS COMING FROM HIM. THEY ARE COMING FROM HIS SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER. THEY KNOW WHAT TO SAY. PEOPLE AROUND HIM KNOW WHAT TO SAY. HIS ALLIES KNOW WHAT TO SAY. THERE WAS A REASON WHY THE ALLIES OUT THERE SAID THE SAME THING WHEN THIS VERDICT CAME DOWN, IT WAS CORRUPT, IT'S A BANANA REPUBLIC. THEY KNOW THE TALKING POINTS BY HEART. I WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH ONE THING, BECAUSE I THINK HAD IS REALLY INTERESTING. DONALD TRUMP CAME OUT TODAY AND TALKED TO THE PRESS AND THESE CAMERAS ALONE. NO FAMILY MEMBERS BY HIS SIDE. ERIC AND LARA WERE STANDING TO THE SIDE OF THE LOBBY. THERE WAS NOBODY NEXT TO HIM. THERE WERE NO REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS HERE. THERE WERE NO POTENTIAL VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES. WE HAD SEEN SO MANY OF THEM TRAVEL TO COURT WITH HIM, STAND OUTSIDE, GIVE PRESS CONFERENCES, WEAR THE SAME SUIT AND TIE. YET, THERE WAS NOBODY HERE TODAY. WHERE WERE THEY? WHERE WAS BOEBERT, GAETZ, THE PEOPLE WE HAVE SEEN AROUND HIM DAY IN AND DAY OUT? WHY WERE THEY NOT HERE? WHY ON THE FIRST FULL DAY WHERE DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF FELONIES, BECOMING THE FIRST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY TO BE CONVICTED OF A CRIME, WHY WAS HE STANDING HERE ALONE? IT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER. IT'S A REMARKABLE IMAGE. IT'S A SYMBOLIC IMAGE FOR HIM TO STAND HERE BY HIMSELF TODAY WITHOUT SUPPORTERS HE NORMALLY HAS. >> LOTS OF REACTION, BUT NO ONE SHOWING UP. YOU WILL MAKE YOUR WAY BACK