H.R. McMaster on new book, time as Trump's national security adviser

so I just uh wanted to announce uh we've been working all weekend very diligently very hard that General HR McMaster will become the National Security advisor three guys on a couch that's former president Trump in 2017 when he named Lieutenant General HR McMaster as his new National Security advisor McMaster would serve in that role for a little over a year advising Trump on some of the most pressing foreign policy challenges and tomorrow Master's new book at war with ourselves will be published it looks back on those 13 months at the White House and what he believes a second Trump term might look like General HR McMaster who's a CBS News contributor joins us now General thank you very much for being here hey Tony great to be with you West Point PhD from UNC Chapel Hill 34 years as a commissioned officer and then National Security adviser on top of all that you know your stuff uh I know you've got a lot about Trump in the book but I want to talk about KLA Harris off the top because she's in the news now obviously she's running for president uh you called the Obama foreign policy weak need yeah we got a a little bit of a peak of what she would be like as commander-in-chief in her DNC speech she talked about defending American values maintaining the most lethal and strongest military on the planet standing up to Iran and said this I will never waver in defense of America's security and ideals because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny I know where where I stand what do you make of her as a commanderin-chief well Tony I think we we all want to hear more right we want to hear more about foreign policy we want to hear more about National Defense because I think what what's happened is we we're seeing the coalescing of what we might call an axis of aggressors this is the two revisionist powers on the Eurasian land mass Russia uh and China uh and Iran which has become more and more aggressive as we see the Middle East in flames and and there's this sort of Ring of Fire strategy around Israel and you know North Korea not to be left out so it's a really dangerous time so we need to hear more about what does she mean by peace through strength I think what has been provocative to our enemies has been the perception of American weakness and I think in the Biden Administration they haven't helped that perception very much in fact you know I think that the value of a lot of the Trump Administration aspects of foreign policy and National Defense only became you know uh really obvious to many Americans after the Biden Administration reversed some of those policies and I'm talking really mainly about the Middle East in that connection and and Iran in that connection well you know in in in for Affairs there's a in diplomacy there's an idea of strategic ambiguity sometimes what you lay out in the book seems like strategic chaos at best right so how is that foreign policy where no one really knows what's going to happen next a better option well Tony for whoever's elected president I think what is really important is to put into place a process that allows that president to make the best decisions to advance American interests and so the story in at war with ourselves is really trying to transcend that war with ourselves and and help you know a disruptive president Donald Trump disrupt what needed to be disrupted to advance American interests and and so what I'm hoping is that a future National Security advisor who might be working for kind of a a difficult personality as president you might see in this book how you can put together a process that can deliver good outcomes for the American people it's an incredibly detailed read you get a lot of credit for taking close notes and obviously Consulting folks who were also keeping notes at the time you talk a few times about how different world leaders Putin a to Netanyahu especially among others tried to manipulate former president Trump because he was so impressionable at times you got any sense how they might act around an American president who's a woman yeah well you know I think it all depends on the personality of the person more than the sex of the person right I I really think that the know foreign leaders are always sizing up a president and one of the things that I would often try to stress with to president Trump is Hey whenever you say something whenever you whatever you say in a speech whatever you say in a public statement Americans will pay kind of attention to it but the foreign audiences will will parse every single word so I think it's really important for an American president to understand that he that he or she has multiple audiences and to craft the message in a way that again advances American interest and and strengthens our security and and and promotes prosperity for Americans do you think former president Trump understood that well I think he did so the the story of the book is in large measure about how our team worked together to help him make the best decisions and what he would do is evolve his understanding over time and at times make really tough decisions but also the story in the book is how difficult it was for him at times to keep that decision in part because people know how to kind of push his buttons you know this will make you look weak to your political base this will you know so I I think that in in writing the story I'm hoping to if he's reelected to inoculate him a little bit uh you so so that he's not that easy to you know to to manipulate you know and to to appeal to you know maybe some of his insecurities and and some of his predilections but General you on this question of if he's reelected a lot of people during that Administration talked about the adults in the room secretary Tillerson uh matthys yourself we have no idea who those people would be in a second Trump term does not does that not give you pause are you not worried that you a person like you will not be there well Tony I think there are a lot of good people who still want to serve one of the themes in at war with ourselves is the rewards of service you know president Trump was my sixth commander-in-chief I took the oath of service at age 17 on the you know the plane at West Point and so it was an easy decision for me and I hope that if whether it's president Trump or president Harris that that the best Americans will say heck yes I'll serve I'll serve my country I'll serve under the Constitution of the United States you have to choose them though well and they have to be confirmed too and I think there's some some good people could do it I mean I I really you know and and you the whole Tony the idea of like the aess of adults I really think that what people owe the elected president is to give that President options not to try to manipulate the president or or to protect the country and maybe the world from the president because if you try to do that you're actually undermining the Constitution yourself you know the the president's the one who is who is sort who is you know uh responsible to the American people not unelected appointed officials sorry uh I want to give you time to I want to give time to put this book up here and and and sell it for you but I'm curious would you work for a Comm Harris Administration I I would work in any Administration where I think I could make a difference you know and and I could I could you know help promote American Security and prosperity and American influence in the world all right General McMaster thank you very much that book which I was holding up a moment ago at war with ourselves goes on sale tomorrow wherever you like to buy your books