Fran Lebowitz on Trump: "A level of moral squalor so profound" | Salon Talks

Fran Lebowitz tells Salon about her love of empty museums, refusal to own a cell phone and whether she thinks Donald Trump will win the 2024 election - even if her prediction was wrong in 2016. Plus, the writer and comedian reveals what she thinks of other major United States cities, reflects on the New York City art scene in the ‘70s and shares her advice for young people. “If I was your age, I’d go look for water,” she said. “Apparently, we drank it all.”
Chapters:
00:00 Going on tour
01:32 A message to young fans
04:53 Revisiting "The Fran Lebowitz Reader"
05:54 Not having a cellphone
07:45 How much does Lebowitz care?
09:32 Lebowtiz on New York and museums
13:33 Trump, the electoral college and 2024
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[@helenfleder4307]

I am 99 years old, born and bred in Manhattan. I can vouch for her every remark about New York, and each message she so generously espoused. We need more people like her to awaken the truth about some of our so called “leaders” today whose political affiliation, fed by greed and, or egotism, comes before loyalty to our constitution! We desperately need strong, able, honest and respectable leadership to be able to turn the dangerous tide that is about to wash onto our shores and destroy our very existence.

[@Mickju]

I am only 79 and was born and bred in Dallas. I have always wished it had been in New York.

[@sammavitae114]

Well said. If I make it to 99 I hope I will be at least half as articulate.

[@idontknow-qo7fp]

truth is eternal. you are too and i feel blessed for it. xoxoxoxox

[@joeadams-iv9yb]

Wow you are very sharp for any age.What is your secret?

[@kathyeyesopen4078]

Sounds like YOU would be an excellent candidate to awaken the Truth! Keep talking and writing! You sound Brilliant!❤

[@Rozemarijn97]

"Its better to be in your 20's in the '70's than in your 70's in the '20's. Word. 😂🎗

[@fortybelow1973]

❤✌️😎. Yea, a Boomer.

[@KarlBean-pb9zf]

Brilliant .

[@frederickrapp5396]

Being in your 20’s in the ‘70’s wasn’t so hot either. Life always brings problems and has always been hard, regardless of what decade you’re living in.

[@j7286]

@@frederickrapp5396 I think that was her point. It wasn't necessarily the decade she was praising, it was the fact she was in her 20's.

[@amycasey6443]

True dat

[@buchyvon]

I too "Knew" there was no day Drumpf would win in 2016. And when he did, I told my cousin, "Well, what's the worst one person could do in 4 years?" How incredibly ignorant I was.

[@MrMightyTrice]

No wars. HBCU funding. Yes very terrible.

[@davedammann741]

"A level of moral squalor so profound ", Thank you Ms. Lebowitz.

[@cattycorner8]

but it's not true.

[@epluribusunum1460]

I’ve had this memory for at least forty years; as a New Yorker she once wrote that “The Great Outdoors is what you pass through to get from your apartment to the taxi.” 😆

[@sidstovell2177]

Thanks for the correction. I paraphrased in another comment.

[@evaadams8298]

😂😂😂

[@valerietaylor9615]

I’m no fan of the outdoors, either.

[@user-ds6ov8jr5n]

I get it.

[@moonbeanification]

"It doesn't matter what I think. I'm not in charge of anything." Ahhhh what a breath of fresh air! Wonderful interview!

[@terrimac7993]

Actually, it does matter what she thinks because she had a direct bead on trump for those non New Yorkers and because she doesn't seem to have an agenda. Wish she could have been a moderator for the 2016 presidential campaign; need smarter moderators.

[@cooljazz8]

It matters what she thinks because she's very intelligent, and her opinions can help people learn. The morons especially, need to learn.

[@helenapayne3414]

The best reality check to borrow from her

[@i.m.askance7996]

Wyoming has a population of 581,193. California has a population of 38,965,193. Therefore, residents of Wyoming have 66 times the representation in the Senate than residents of California.

[@stevec2940]

The level of moral squalor in the entire country is shockingly profound.

[@videowatchaccount7551]

Indeed. Thanks to communist liberals. Communist liberals have plunged the USA into its Weimar Republic stage. We all know what comes next.

[@karlrschneider]

About "81 million" for sure.

[@bonariablackie4047]

The UK too. The Tory Party are a mixture of rapists, sex pests, bullies and drug users. Comedy troupe incoming- Pincher, Boner and Blunted.

[@lizardog]

@@karlrschneider Tr*mp never got that many votes.

[@mikestyles499]

For that 43% for sure.

[@patricias5122]

I would love to plagiarize Fran Leibowtiz. But nobody who knows me would believe I came up with those perfect witticisms, that sarcasm that is genius, not snarky ..... and the way she reduces that profoundly corrupt man into six perfect words. "level of moral squalor so profound." I completely understand why young people love her.

[@bethearly4593]

I totally agree. "I really don't care" and then has to explain that she does not care that they care. She is humble! Also: the interviewer seemed pretty self-involved about how she was affected by things. Yikes.

[@davidtrindle6473]

I am 74 years young. I have always loved her. I was in my 20s in the 70s too. She makes me laugh!

[@doraguerra21]

@davidtrindle6473 Same here; I'm 77. I hope she lives to be at least 110. I hope I do, too.

[@donpoole8617]

Isn't she smart, though! I suppose I first read her 40 or 50 years ago, probably in RS, and never miss a chance for allmore.

[@lenforstell1139]

Young people love her for the same reason they love smelling their own flatulence. Same reason they go to a protest without even CARING what is being protested, as long as they can post photos of themselves on social media. Empty shells.

[@waynejus4092]

Fran hit the nail on the head, people can’t differentiate between their lounge and public spaces in terms of behaviour,stop being feral in public, we are not interested at all in your dribble conversations on cell phones,or your music/movie blaring out for all to here, get some self respect.

[@francie5161]

I, too, rarely go to the movies anymore because there's always a few people who think they're in their own living room.

[@user-jy3zl2vp4b]

I stopped going to MANY public events/places (firework displays, movies, parks, even the library at times) because people are rude to others, show no respect to common decency and cannot behave. People have lost the ability to consider others when they act.

[@Susan-lf2hl]

To hear

[@riproar11]

I lived in California for twenty years and moved back to the East Coast and it is one specific ethnicity that has no regard for anyone around them and they blare their videos without a care to use earbuds/headphones.

[@ge2623]

For whatever the reasons: "There is nobody but ME!" permeates today.

[@iamanomas]

I’m 77 and I love this woman.

[@nancyloomis3046]

OMGee...yes Fran Lebowitz - I too had that sad revelation that there are indeed "that many idiots in this country." And while I believe the idiocy has begun to peak, the ignorance and extremism are gonna be nipping at the heels of America forever. We must make sure that the next generation of voters fully understand how precious (and flawed) the legacy of American democracy is and how hard they will likely have to fight to keep it.

[@mikestarkly9226]

For certain.The electoral college is definitely corrupted and does not work anymore. Though she seems misguided as far as politics go. I don't agree with Fran in most ways but I respect the boundary of varying opinions. I am definitely for Trump but was here to hear her side to it. We need more of this kind of ability to converse differing opinions or else we are going to stay stuck as a society. There are too many people self-obsessed and honestly most times because they are protecting themselves- they have unresolved trauma. So they have poor boundaries as a result and lash out for control because they truly feel powerless if they aren't infringing the boundaries of others that disagree. It's seen as a threat to their whole being and that's very sad. More open conversations, more debates without being offended at every difference. I ALSO totally agree with her that there are appropriate times and ways to share opinions and etc and places to NOT! LOL To respect yourself and your environment- how you act at home should NOT be identical to how you are in public. She's a neat lady.

[@radawson1018]

If you haven’t yet, get Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson.. wonderful … especially listened to as it is read by the author!

[@rls4072]

Are you referring to the "idiots" as the Woke Liberals? Praying for our REPUBLIC Nation!

[@patkennedy2620]

@@rls4072 No, sweetie

[@WinteryMix84]

“Go look for water”. Best life advice ever!!! If only we had not listened to advice given to Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate- “Plastics”.

[@AngusAngus]

lol, that's a classic full circle take!

[@HRHDMKYT]

🌊💧💧I fear that we 🇨🇦will be invaded soon, because of this. The Americans already drain too much water from our shared Great Lakes. It’s only a matter of time… 😳

[@JacquelineFox-xo6jn]

in the film, dustins character wasnt all that. ELAINE!!!!!!

[@prime2669]

The world would be a more justified for the average human being if elected president’s did not have the power to pardon on a whim what’s the point of having a lawful system in the first place.

[@randolphpinkle4482]

When Trump tasted what being a POTUS was like, he didn't want to leave. It has too many vestigial strains of royalty in its timber. It massaged his ego until he purred like the king of the jungle.

[@chiaraA.]

Without the Electoral College we'd never elect a Republican - this is where our main issues lies - we are never fulfilling the will of the people when it comes to electing the person that heads the whole shebang.

[@scottkirby8204]

One of the best things I learned from going to AA meetings withe my ex-wife is “What other people think about you is really none of your business.” I think Fran would agree with that. I think it’s a very healthy attitude.

[@flubitz3432]

Good because I think she’s just a fancy sarcastic liberal

[@scottkirby8204]

@@flubitz3432 Oh well.

[@debrahelmlinger6256]

Yeah, that's on them

[@airmark02]

​@@flubitz3432 Cultural Dinosaur Lebowitz has been spouting the same NYC' centric nonsense for decades. Comments once somehow blithe and acerbic is now so out out of touch they sound sad and hilarious at the same time. I understand the whole NYC mythos as i lived there for over 15 years. Yes obviously the pre 9/11 decades were more creative and affordable in NYC? Sorry Fran, No Manhattan is not the center of the world. She is a relic of 70's-80's down town clique that lost its relevance years ago. Yes, when I read her books in my 20's I was very amused by her clever snob appeal. Good Luck to her . I'm glad she can still make a living on the NYC persona~fumes from a bygone era. Unfortunately She's living in ghost town with nothing new to say.

[@1984isnotamanual]

Yea but what if those people are talking about you with others and treat you negatively because of what they think of you.

[@dawnjohnson8739]

“Moral squalor so profound” - never heard it said better.

[@communitygardener17]

​@@crouchingtiger9632you seem to have a lot of time on your hands today.

[@patkennedy2620]

@@crouchingtiger9632 You lack ANY sense

[@jackienaiditch7965]

Fran Lebowitz never disappoints. "My building has 600,000 people. My building should have a senator."

[@sandywilson867]

She ' s quick , that's for sure . I love her sense of humor , slightly dry . She sure nailed Trump in his mediocrity . " Even the real estate people look down on him " . Wow she is saucy . There is a reason we like comedians , they make the horrible truths seem funny .

[@AnthonyJMurph]

Plus the popular vote makes everybody's vote equal. I mean, there is alot of Republicans in Illinois, California, and New York. Does their votes not count? Same with Democrats in Texas or Florida. Whoever gets the most votes should win.

[@hlcepeda]

Her general opinions (and righteously vicious observations) are always brilliant and really drive nails through her targets. One time, she said that Trump must suffer the same fate as that journalist -- Jamal Khashoggi -- who was assassinated and dismembered (reportedly with a bone saw while still alive) by the Saudi's _on Trump's okay._

[@ct6852]

@@AnthonyJMurphI think there's racist or classist reasons that's not allowed to happen. Or something.

[@MrWilliamPorter]

a lot

[@cfoxYOU]

The moral squalor actually appeals to half of the American electorate. It's not a bug, it's a feature!

[@dannyguillory8941]

Spoken like a true artist: not interested in themselves but about the world around them and that's what makes them 'lightning rods' of creativity.

[@juliebeans5000]

"We Can't Reach You!" Yes. Sometimes one can't be reached, and reachers simply need to deal with the disappointment. Brava, Mme L.

[@bwenluck9812]

I think Fran knows if she had a cell phone, and it rang, it would be someone who wanted something from her. Smart lady!

[@sustainfem]

Geez, I long for not being reachable. Have considered turning my phone off/getting rid of it. I may do it yet!

[@lisalivingston6473]

I enjoy listening to Fran Lebowitz's no nonsense style of living her life and telling it like she sees it. She will never succumb to the toxicity of social media and whine about her mental health. We can all learn a thing or two by emulating her example. Happy Birthday, Fran!

[@dienomo]

Trump is leading all polls.

[@lisalivingston6473]

@@crouchingtiger9632 I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. Could you please explain?

[@lisalivingston6473]

​@@crouchingtiger9632I still don't get what you're trying to say, but to be honest it doesn't sound so good. Could you please clarify?

[@greggibbons1113]

Do you mean that many Jews are manic depressive and are on Prosaz diagnosed from Freud...like Howard Stern and a zillion more.

[@AlicedeTocqueville]

​@@lisalivingston6473He ( of course it's a he )can't explain that because it's nonsense.

[@anne8511]

I love Fran Lebowitz. I agree with her about the electoral college. When I think about the electoral college and gerrymandering my blood boils.

[@katanaki3059]

My vote has never counted. Even when my choice won, my state’s electoral college went to the other guy

[@rr7firefly]

The system has a built-in vulnerability to corruption. Southern GOP states (including Texas) have always used gerrymandering to lock up votes in their favor.

[@jamorains]

your mistaking cleverness for wisdom.

[@briankocheraabcdt4628]

When I was a lot, I mean really a lot younger I was astounded that any college could have such influence as control who becomes president. I think I was in 1st grade.

[@anne8511]

@@briankocheraabcdt4628 that’s hilarious!

[@4YOUBYANGELICA]

Fran has her finger on the pulse and is able to put into words what many of us from all ages and walks of life feel.

[@debramcgonnell3631]

I love Fran, her candor, her no-nonsense moral compass. ❤

[@ca6177]

Me too! If more people were authentic, this country would be better!

[@francie5161]

I wish everyone was as frank and brash as New Yorkers.😂 It's like, good, I see you clearly, your needs, your wants, your boundaries etc. Eliminates all the wishy-washy. No second-guessing and wasting time.

[@Quaker-tc8ue]

‘I see your needs, your wants….’ Then why are there so many homeless? @@francie5161

[@videowatchaccount7551]

Her end-stage Trump Derangement Syndrome...

[@charlymartoglio]

“My building should have a Senator”. Love her.

[@shiplesp]

I was in college in the 1970s. My memory and observation is that it was much easier to be poor and have a lot of fun than it seems to be for college students now. Everyone from every economic class seemed to fit in much more effortlessly. I couldn't have guessed which of my fellow students were from rich families because we all looked the same. Another thing we had in common was that we had no idea what we were going to do with our lives. College was not a career path, but a discovery journey. None of my peers became serious about careers until grad school. We had interests and explored skills, but we never followed a path established in grade school. And that was never considered a waste of time or money.

[@ALavin-en1kr]

What a smart, intelligent woman. A pleasure to listen to.

[@annsmith7207]

I am a native New Yorker and close in age to Fran. I do not own a television but I have to have a computer because I am still working and everything is viewed from KZbin -- right now, as an example! My life is free and liberated without complication and very grateful for it. So Fran is terrific, and I too don't apologize for the desire to be alone : Solitude is the joy of being alone versus Isolation which is the pain of being alone. Perhaps what resonated with me the most was Fran's comment on Trump as :A level of profound moral squalor" ABSOLUTELY the best description EVER! And I do not want to see this country sink into his slim pit of his squalor. This country is much better than that! Thanks, Fran!

[@patrickvanmeter2922]

Trump is an incorrigible child. I was sick and tired of Trump before he got into politics. The Judge should censure him like a child. I never tire of Lebowitz. She is as sharp as ever. Thank you.

[@LJ-ht4zs]

Stop calling sociopath Trump a child.

[@JonPaul]

Same! When I first heard of\saw Trump in the 90's, I immediately thought "what a entitled jerk". When I talked to a couple other people in the area, they were "ya, he's a mob boss wannabe".

[@mottknil1372]

I’m sure you just love Bill Clinton didn’t you.

[@keithnichols7926]

Trump is no child and should be treated as the subversive crook that he is. I suspect he will never spend a moment behind bars, though.

[@davidcat1455]

@@mottknil1372 What has Bill Clinton got to do with trump being a absolute horses ass?

[@lifelong5425]

Thank your maker people, they are still people like this in our world...Frank, honest, and not a bull...er

[@steveng-my6zk]

I love Fran. She is the ultimate New Yorker. I lived there in the 1970’s and she is totally right about New York in the 70’s, it was the greatest period. I still love to come to NY for a week, take in a few shows, restaurants, and just walk around. I would love to see her live show.

[@frederickrapp5396]

When I recall New York in the ‘70’s, the first thing that comes to my mind is the “Son of Sam.” Definitely not a shining moment, and definitely not “the greatest period” for either New York or the USA. It’s strange how we all remember things differently, isn’t it?

[@nozecone]

She did not say it was the greatest period - she was non-committal, other than to say, she'd "rather be 20 in the '70s than 70 in the '20s"!

[@williamclarke4510]

I lived in New York City-1966-68. It was then in the early stages of decline. Maybe they did not notice it in the wealthier parts of town, but the middle class areas of Lower East Side were starting to decline as people moved to the suburbs. By 1978, it was getting scary.

[@AlicedeTocqueville]

​@@frederickrapp5396Isn't it more accurate in this case, and many others, to say we often remember different things?

[@apestaartje321]

Wait, this thing is a "she"? 😅

[@powertrip1050]

brilliant commentary on the structure of US voting system particularly pertinent. Go Fran!!

[@therose5783]

Perfect statement: It was more fun to be 20 in the ‘70, then 70 in the ‘20.

[@frederickrapp5396]

As JFK said on 11-22-63, “we would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it.” For myself, this quote speaks to me even more deeply than the “perfect” Fran Lebowitz quote that you refer to, even though, like her, I was in my 20’s in the ‘70’s.

[@spenserdavis788]

I love the way that Fran can just roll out such great quotes unrehearsed: "I do know that it's more fun to be in your 20s in the 70s than to be in your 70s in the 20s." "Go look for water." "I write so slowly I could write in my own blood without hurting myself."

[@YooperGranny]

Thank you Fran! I hope you are right this time because our country can't take another term of disgrace and demolition of democracy.

[@YourFoodBank]

That’s unfortunate because we’re living it right now

[@loosilu]

@@YourFoodBank This tells me you do not read any foreign media, have not been out of the US in many years, and have no friends/family abroad. The world is relieved that Biden is in office. They are mdstill mocking Donnnie. Donnie is the most mocked human on the planet. No one comes close. No one respects him, especially after the last three years. He is viewed a a weak, whiny, poorly educated, crude, pathetic loser. I am just the messenger. The last 3 years of his pathetic whining and crying sealed his place in history as the sorest little crybaby of all time. There is no coming back. That's the reality.

[@anic5805]

I fully believe she's right this time about Trump not getting elected. Her statement in 2016, "I don't believe there are that many morons in the United States," should certainly hold this time, given some trump followers actually have some intelligence but were expertly conned into believing that horrifically inexperienced and inept 1-term, twice-impeached president!

[@videowatchaccount7551]

We only have communist liberals to thank for this.

[@terryjohnson3010]

we are wisely a representative republic.......not a democracy

[@hayleyanna2625]

I like her. Fran is no phony and awake. Her essays on the AIDS pandemic and race were brilliant. Her first two books are tremoundous. 📚❤️💡

[@wendyw4487]

Fran's just bitter because she was too ugly to ever get invited to any of Trump's parties. Given the opportunity, she would have been there with balls on....and those freakin' cuff links she's so proud of....LOL

[@btrous1]

Amen! All hail Fran! 💕

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

tremoundous ?

[@wendyw4487]

the only tremendous thing about Fran are her jowls@@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633

[@Junterhack]

Read Virus Mania.

[@johnmaisonneuve9057]

I like her quoting her friend who said ‘that she doesn’t the Trump phenomenon because you don’t watch realty television”, wow, so apt and incisive.

[@aromaathome]

Love Fran! Not that she will ever know, as she never reads anything about herself! 😂 She’s truly an ICON!

[@Apollo_Blaze]

I have always Loved Fran, I love her now and always will....❤❤❤ And what she said about how people act in public now is spot on....no manners and sloppy, no awareness of others anymore.. it's all about "me" now.

[@coachafella]

"Moral squalor so profound". Such an apt description. Now imagine the voters who believe he should lead the country. I can't conceive that I'll ever comprehend it.

[@jonimoroni7475]

I’m also astonished people voted for Biden, the world’s coming apart in his feeble hands.

[@angryvillager3353]

@@jonimoroni7475Because of all the crap that Trump helped set in motion.

[@jonimoroni7475]

@@angryvillager3353 lol Nope! The first thing Biden did was to undo anything and everything Trump accomplished via “Executive Order”. Are you serious? Defunding police, open borders, higher taxes, more crime, homelessness and all his white supremacy crap--gimme a break.

[@Trenchant468]

…that real estate agents look down on you”.

[@yosemitegirlCA]

⁠​⁠@@jonimoroni7475Oh, please! What world are you stuck in? Btw, Biden is president of the USA, and is responsible for us, not the world. But he does understand that we need to be engaged with other countries, if only for self-serving reasons. Though not an isolationist like TFG, who loves dictators and terrorists and mocks our allies.

[@91Kingscrib84]

I enjoyed 'an evening in conversation with Fran Lebowitz' at Capilano College in North Vancouver BC, a few years ago. She was exactly as she's appeared in any on air interview or conversation I've seen. Sarcastic, brutally honest, and a great storyteller. Her summations of Trump are classic, and her take on NYC & its denizens are the stuff wrought from a lifetime of clear & terse observation. She's a delight to listen to as she regales her audience, though she'd doubtless hate being referred to like that. All this & cigarettes too! 😊

[@sidstovell2177]

North Van. Partied there in around '52. 😂

[@starfishsystems]

​@@sidstovell2177 I don't know if you'd recognize it now. Apart from the natural geography and the Lion's Gate bridge, everything has changed, densified, become more urban. It's not a few sleepy little villages any more.

[@puppypoopification]

Cap College? Really? Man, I wish I knew about that then.

[@hcb9450]

Her summations of Trump are stupid and unintelligent. The woman has made her entire exist about being a "kvetch". She has been a touring kvetch for over 40 years. Not that impressive honestly compared to Trump who actually did accomplish a lot in business. Yes, you can criticize him like you can criticize many businessmen etc. but at least he works. She on the other hand just "muses and complains and notates vocally".

[@johntechwriter]

@@sidstovell2177. North Van. In the mid 1940s, Malcom Lowrey occupied a beach shack in nearby Dollarton while he struggled to complete one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, "Under the Volcano." The shack caught fire and Lowrey was injured while saving the manuscript. Asked about his years in British Columbia, he replied that for anyone who visited Vancouver, hell would have no surprises. I lived in the West End for 19 years and second that emotion. It's got some nice mountains to the north, but that's about all she wrote. Okay, the Asian food can't be beat, I'll give them that. My big mistake was moving from Toronto, which at least is a real city, and putting up with the ghastly Vancouver climate for nearly two decades before coming to my senses and moving to the Bay Area. All you California haters, rent those U-Hauls and head for the flesh pots of Boise. Within a couple of years you'll realize what you threw away.

[@cheryledstrom9860]

I am not a Republican, and feel exactly the same about Donald Trump as Fran does. However, one of the main reasons rural America feels the way they do, and elected someone who tapped into that, was epitomized by the attitude Fran had about large rural states like Wyoming. "There's no one there. It's just empty." Just because rural states live a different lifestyle and have different priorities than people in the city doesn't make them any less valuable. Attitudes like hers give fuel to the fire that erupted in 2016 from anger at being ignored for so long. And unless that attitude changes, it is likely to erupt again. Rural America deserves a voice. They deserve their own senators and lawmakers that will keep their unique interests in mind. And people in large urban areas should remember that they wouldn't eat without those people living in the "empty" states.

[@Rinaldo2006]

Don't forget President's Nixon's appeal to and reliance upon the "Moral Majority", but your point in re rural America is taken, and may well again decide the country's path in 2024.

[@sandraseaton9782]

If you think New York was more fun in the 70's, you should have been there in the 60's. It was fabulous. A big, small-acting little town with art and jazz and food on every block and no one cared about being "arty."

[@eileenfrank3686]

Born and raised in California, but have had an interest in New York City probably dating back to when Johnny Carson taped live Tonight Show before moving it out to Los Angeles. Netflix "Pretend it's a City" is a thoroughly entertaining series that showcases the geography, politics, culture and charm of an iconic city through the eyes of somebody who knows, and loves it, so well. Fran Lebowitz is like nobody else and she literally 'co-signs nobody's bullshit!' An absolute treasure.

[@ernestintownandjackintheco1024]

While "moral squalor" is a great try, we long ago exhausted language's ability to fully encompass the disgrace.

[@hlcepeda]

There's always been room for growth when it comes to languages: I'm guessing that "Trumpian" (which carries every greasy, stinking, evil, dishonest, degenerate, moronic connotation applicable to Trump) will eventually become an adjective recognized by every dictionary in the world _and_ be used by historians and journalists when applicable to other monsters. Example: The year: 5746 AD: "Manager Zee's violent and bloody consolidation of control over the _Armstrong L5 Station_ was positively Trumpian."

[@willemdafuck]

​@@hlcepedaPlease get a job

[@MrWilliamPorter]

oooh you got 'em there.

[@phylis3917]

🎯

[@TheHagheid]

@@willemdafuck Yet hark! Wisdom from a self entitled Non Deplorable..... and the imagination, positively Non Trumpian.

[@winkieblink7625]

Thank you Fran. Wonderful listening to you! I don’t think Trump will win either. I’m praying Americans will use their brains in 2024.

[@sookiebyun4260]

Do humans actually learn from their mistakes? I have serious doubts. I have spoken to many people who are so displeased with what happened to law enforcement (police) and the immigrant situation that they will vote Republican this time around. With the new Speaker, we will never get rid of MAGA.

[@mikestarkly9226]

I don't agree with Fran in most ways but I respect the boundary of varying opinions. I am definitely for Trump but was here to hear her side to it. We need more of this kind of ability to converse differing opinions or else we are going to stay stuck as a society. There are too many people self-obsessed and honestly most times because they are protecting themselves- they have unresolved trauma. So they have poor boundaries as a result and lash out for control because they truly feel powerless if they aren't infringing the boundaries of others that disagree. It's seen as a threat to their whole being and that's very sad. More open conversations, more debates without being offended at every difference. I ALSO totally agree with her that there are appropriate times and ways to share opinions and etc and places to NOT! LOL To respect yourself and your environment- how you act at home should NOT be identical to how you are in public. She's a neat lady. Trump is also a great guy who got America out of a recession, unfortunately we were put right back in when Biden Camela got in.

[@patkennedy2620]

@@mikestarkly9226 Trump also is responsible for being an utterly incompetent leader & liar, during the COVID pandemic responsible for over one million American deaths from COVID. One of the highest death rates in the world!

[@msolomonii9825]

Never discount the absolute level of Murican stoopid. I wish it was not true but I believe it is.

[@ceciliaFX]

​@@mikestarkly9226 Donnie did nothing but give his rich buddies a tax break, so the middle class gets screwed. He also horribly mismanaged a pandemic resulting in a million American deaths and 16 million Americans living with long covid Right now, the US economy is great. I'm vaccinated, got jobs, paying my bills and saving money. Thanks Joe.

[@corinneadams5390]

This is an amazing woman. From when I was a young girl 50 years ago looking at her photographs till now, I find her a strong force and an articulate knowledgeable person that speaks for all of us...

[@msppm148]

I think you're confusing Fran Lebowitz, who is an author, with Annie Liebovitz who is a photographer...

[@janjablonsky]

Fran is still an utterly intelligent island floating on a planet of stupidity. The interviewer here really doesn't understand Miss Lebowitz...not at all. Fran is like so many other bright people in that she's willing to be wrong on occasion. She was always at her best with Cavett.

[@Trenchant468]

Agree about interviewer..

[@patriciamckeon4650]

I love your description of Fran 🏆 "utterly intelligent island floating on a planet of stupidity" WOW!! 👏👏

[@videowatchaccount7551]

Sure thing there, Chaim...

[@patkennedy2620]

Totally agree; but I Love your description, it’s so erudite. 👍

[@jonathanmilo]

“I could write in my own blood and not hurt myself”. Love this❤

[@radicalstanza3614]

She's been saying it in every interview for like 40 years lol

[@patkennedy2620]

@@radicalstanza3614 So what? Trump has being giving the same speech for 4 years!

[@lucasm4299]

@@patkennedy2620 Let’s not bring him in. He’s not worth it

[@bethhillis5298]

Me too

[@patriciamurfitt4590]

She is wise enough that I know to listen to her. 🥰 Just another world changing woman. 🥰

[@kathyeyesopen4078]

I remember when he came down the elevator announcing his candidacy. I Panicked! I called my Mom who laughed and said that narcissist was Crazy but the voters aren’t. No way will he win. Mom died before he did win ? and that’s the only thing that helped me feel better. Mom & Fran we’re wrong, one of the only times either of them were. Fran is one of the most interesting people to read or listen too.

[@2clarityin30]

I love her. Her dry, wry humor cracks me up and she's wise. She teaches me things...

[@hazelpearson7807]

Rye! Good one! very wry...

[@flubitz3432]

More like rye whiskey

[@hilariousname6826]

What's wrong with rye whiskey??@@flubitz3432

[@gibbsbonnie]

Wry

[@jabbermocky4520]

Fran's birthday is coming up on October 27. Happy Early Birthday, Fran Lebowitz, you American icon you.

[@penbucket]

I simply LOVE listening to her ideas and opinions. A gem.

[@dennismorris7573]

100% agreed.

[@Apollo_Blaze]

Yes! Me too

[@EricMcDowellegm]

Fran is a light in the darkness. A true legend!

[@kittywalker2944]

‘Moral squalor,’ I absolutely ♥️ it.

[@flubitz3432]

Yes you love bullying behavior when it’s done toward those you hate . But proclaim Trump a bully .

[@mentorsinspire]

@@flubitz3432 Right? People have latched on to "moral squalor" as some kind of revelation. It must feel really good to have their hatred and biases affirmed by one of their idols.

[@sharonmullins1599]

And Mapplethorpe was a paragon of virtue.@@mentorsinspire

[@JacksMomPat]

Fran is my absolute favorite person to watch speak on NYC, politics, etc… she is amazing and has a great sense of what is going on! Cheers 🎉

[@Jim-bh7gs]

BUT...2016.

[@JacksMomPat]

@@Jim-bh7gs that’s so true! I was saying the same thing because I grew up in NJ and lived in NYC and we all knew Trump as a fool, self-promoting idiot.

[@Forheavenssake1ify]

An intelligent and well spoken conversation is a rare treat. "A level of ..." is such a trenchant assessment. What I hear her saying is "The better the conversation, the better the outcome. High level thinking results in higher moral outcomes. Low level political thinking (which we simplistically mislabel as Narcissistic) results in a loss to the person and, worse, to society". And to New York :)

[@joaniegoodrow548]

I adore this woman, such sass, chutzpah, and so articulate and REAL!! She’s fabulous.

[@slapshot6163]

I love this women! I was right with her when she described the 2016 election. I swore trump could never win. I had worked my self into a tizzy about it that I raised my blood pressure high enough to be put on meds. Now I never say never. I didn’t realize we had so many idiots in this country. Now I know.

[@andreah6379]

The reichwing uber rich want more Americans to settle into slavery. And these same sociopaths own most MSM like FOX, OAN, Newsmax & more + 1500 reichwing radio stations nationwide. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's minister of propaganda would be envious of all that greedy rich reichwing fascists have done to destroy our lives without much being said or done about it. And the ppl that watch & get fed from those hate + lies propaganda channels VOTE FOR those very reichwing politicians in power. All by design. Just the way the reichwing billionaires have planned for it. They already have privatized our public schools, dumbed us down, & have made higher education too expensive, & unable to discharge into bankruptcy. Let's not be surprised why millions of Americans are so stupid today.

[@juanitaross5492]

Slapshot. I can relate, it happened to me also. I am now on BP meds because of Trump's presidentcy. My doctor even knows he affected my health.

[@shellygreenan2407]

Trump 2024. How's that blood pressure? 😂

[@kimhorton6109]

Trump is a blister on the hind end of a leperous wart hog.

[@joebrewer4529]

The whole thing is predict for all these people are Bora by corporation same with Fran Leibowitz there just corporate talking points

[@TerentiiTaras]

If she's "not in charge of anything," why does anybody care what she thinks?

[@Jas.2105]

“My building has more people that Wyoming” I loved that

What about minorities?? Doesn't she belong to al least one?

[@French-Kiss24]

She is right! Donald Trump is not, was not a NY real estate developer.

[@jamesmcinnis208]

He was the village idiot when he was in New York - an unfunny joke.

[@UnCannyValley67]

He’s a sociopath, and a rapist.

[@bwenluck9812]

People have a preconceived idea about who Trump is, and it may not be true. They aren't willing to examine their beliefs about him either. If they did they might change their minds....

[@loosilu]

@@bwenluck9812 I'm from NYC. New Yorkers know what he is, after 50 years of his BS. Serious question, why do you think you know him better than the city that has known him all his life? His specialty is telling stupid people exactly what they want to hear. That's what he does.

[@LaoZi2023]

@@loosilu, even if one isn't from N.Y. one can see what he is just by listening to his rhetoric. Most of Europe could see that. I tried reading "Art of the Deal," and I couldn't get past the first chapter. He lays out how he promises the world, without any intention of delivering. It was disgusting. I read it to know my enemy, but it didn't take long to see through him.

[@alexandriayannotti1592]

Such an intelligent woman - love to hear her talk!

[@olivegrovebear]

she he it is a overrated tool shill with no talent for anything ,

[@Vector_Ze]

Just checked, and found out she's just three years older than I am. I'm 70. And, YAY for not owning a cell phone. I have a VoIP phone that gives me phone service, including long-distance, for $6/month. I just have zero need or interest in being constantly in contact. I relish being incommunicado when I'm away from the house. And, I will NEVER drop it in the toilet or a puddle. Concur about Trump and the Electoral College. I live in Florida, though, and wish he'd go BACK to New York City. On the other hand, I don't share her views on Big Cities, at all!!

[@groominator-magneticequato7195]

Ive such mad respect for Fran, a crush on her wit & quick intellect, and thank her for how effortless she shows us that honesty can be. 🌱

[@tommunyon2874]

Just this morning I was reflecting on how I went on tour with the Seattle Men's Chorus in 1998 and no one had a cell phone. Somehow I made all the connections even after schlepping around on my own for a whole day in a place like Amsterdam or Paris. I would love to be freed from the feeling of vulnerability I now experience, if I find my out and about without my phone. I celebrate Fran's not having a cell phone. She is on to a great secret.

[@debrahelmlinger6256]

Yes, I quite often roam about phoneless😊

[@sustainfem]

I only really need it if my car breaks down and I'm alone or in an accient -- because there are no pay phones anymore. So, it's basically a safety issue. Otherwise, I'd be happy not to have one.

[@Nwstwd]

She is so honest and amusing. Love her.

[@pamelafox7677]

She wrote an article which mentioned she had to keep going further and further away to find a new dry cleaner she hadn’t alienated.

[@vivian9803]

Fran Lebowitz is a national treasure. 💗

[@elizabethcarrington5819]

She’s so down to earth! Love her work and have admired her for decades. Thanks for having her on. Great interview! ❤️

[@rasbobbo]

My favorite Law&Order judge.

[@ritaburgess6239]

Fran Leibowitz is so witty and wise, she makes me wish KZbin had a two thumbs up option. ❤

[@michelebella677]

I could listen to Fran Lebowitz talk all day long. She’s has the quintessential New York IDGAF attitude, but not in a mean way.

[@PaulDougherty-kr6if]

I hope the hostess realizes that Brooklyn doesn’t need her. We’re glad that people as incurious as she thinks it requires a journey. Hope it stays that way

[@keithnichols7926]

I can understand the some New Yorkers are reluctant to endure any more jostling than day-to-day living in their own environs inflicts.

[@anton1949]

Love me some Fran Lebowitz. A true person, could listen to her all day.

[@kylejamesstevens5845]

Fran is a treasure regarding anything she wishes to express, she’s wonderful.

[@anneturner2759]

Wonderful, real , breath of fresh air, funny, deep , intelligent… thank goodness for Fran . I’d love to sit down with her and talk ! Thanks for this .❤️

[@marydawkins4190]

Fran is kind of the epitome of the Buddhist philosophy of no attachments.

[@dr.aniasara7038]

It's a shame not being able to enjoy listening to an impactful person of history without having to endure the poor vocal registration or lack of savvy of interviewing high-profile individuals and including asking good questions.

[@krisdevine7123]

Wise woman: "if you have an emergency, I can't help you." People, we have given up 1/2 our lives to activities that cause us terrible stress. Take non-electronics time just for you!

[@davidserlin8097]

Fran’s basic MO is to humor whoever is talking to her. It’s not that she’s impolite. It’s that she can’t wait to get out of there and go do something else. It’s exactly what she wrote 50 years ago: “The opposite of talking isn’t listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.”

[@davejones1683]

Hi Fran verbal economy at its best . Hello from Australia👌👌

[@Mrs.TJTaylor]

Please God, prove Fran right this time!

[@flubitz3432]

God loves Trump , you’d better wake up .

[@patkennedy2620]

@@flubitz3432Did God tell you that?

[@philipdubuque9596]

What a delightful interview! The first time I became aware you, Ms. Lebowitz, was when I read "Metropolitan Life". To this day (!) I still quote (or read) passages from that book to friends at dinner parties. Your work is observational wit of the highest order.

[@skurland]

Love Fran’s Philly shout out! “It’s so close to NY that if you want to live there you could live in NY.”

[@briantanguay4768]

This interview is restorative...made me howl with laughter at a moment when I needed a laugh.

[@thespringishere1540]

People care what others like Ann Libowitz think because many people don't have original thoughts or ideas or even deeply felt feelings about things outside of their own sphere and are very bad at maintaining any discipline in having consistent thoughts & ideas. She is right not to care what others think about what she thinks; it's called having a mind of your own.

[@patkennedy2620]

Well said ✅

[@mariamcgiver3664]

Yes indeed!

[@CuriousEarthMan]

She's what I know as a New Yorker. I'm glad to hear her point of view. No nonsense, tells it how she sees it. Thank you!

[@wannabetrucker7475]

I love that Fran admits to doing her appearances to make money so she can live in nyc. She is very refreshing compared to "celebrities"

[@TheHagheid]

Weally? many would like to imagine that this pompous old bag did it for...love

[@annrubino6252]

Good interview - I always love to listen to Ms. Lebowitz's opinions.

[@filmsforsmartpeople3587]

I LOVE me some Fran Lebowitz.❤❤❤ Terribly smart and funny at the same time

[@texasbluebonnet4303]

Fran, so good to see and hear her! She is quite intelligent and entertaining!!

[@lisabolo26]

Thanks, Fran, for having more faith in us than we have in ourselves!

[@davidmacleod9313]

17:29 The electoral college bs has to go! It is NOT democratic.

[@mickadams1905]

That's because you don't live in a democracy, you live in a Constitutional Republic. I'm Australian and even I know that.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

The USA is a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy. The federal government exists because of the 50 equal states. The states do not exist because of the federal government. You are uneducated.

[@stevechance150]

​@@mickadams1905Mick Adams, NOBODY thinks we live in a democracy where each citizen votes on each piece of legislation, that's absurd. We live in a representative Democracy, we elect Representatives, people who "represent" us, and vote in Congress as they believe we would want them to vote, unless a corporate lobbyist pays them money to vote differently (see a problem there Mick, or are you in favor of allowing the guy/corporation with the most money to control Congress?).

[@stevechance150]

​@@mickadams1905The Electoral College is what we use to elect our President, and it is so flawed that we could give the Presidency to an individual who only won 22% of the popular vote. No one in their right mind would say "That's a fair and logical system for electing a President". Yes, it's what's in our constitution, but it definitely needs to be changed. And we almost got rid of it in the 1950's except for a couple of racist Senators from our southern states that blocked the change. No other industrialized country uses a system like the Electoral College to elect their national leader, not even Australia, only America. We are the only country with this absurd system.

[@youtubewatcher2]

​@@mickadams1905As an Australian you seem to share Ruperts penchant for disseminating ignorance in an unearned arrogant tone. Historical ignorance that the EC was created to assure that slaveholding States couldnt be overvoted by popular vote. The terminology you hide behind was created in the 1950s by John Birch GOP (then a minority of the party) to argue against voter enfranchisement reforms. It is pure sophistry.

[@valve6642]

I absolutely LOVE Fran.

[@Tam5115]

She had the perfect explanation for how I felt about Trump winning in 2016. I never thought he had a chance, and it was like having the air knocked out of you at first. After that, I was afraid because I had no idea that people would buy the obvious crap he spewed! How come they didn't know he was a con man?

[@PamB81]

I’m guessing then that you voted for the most corrupt person, Hillary, to ever run for president, right behind Obama, who is actually running this country, or should I say destroying this country while Biden is the puppet!

[@dmarie1157]

They were not New Yorkers, who were aware of his BS (and his father's) for decades. They rest of the country knew him from TV, not reality.

[@AlicedeTocqueville]

Part of the reason we have so much corruption in our government is that too many citizens are corrupt. And l don't mean money corruption. A beggar on the street can be corrupt; a poor farmer can be corrupt, if they lie, or if they just don't care, they just want what they want, and they don't care how they get it.

[@UnCannyValley67]

Don’t worry. He’s going to jail. A majority of Americans are through w/ his sociopathic views.

[@ron4501]

Sadly millions still don't know he is a con man.

[@sandraspidle5972]

I was like Fran, I never expected that many morons existed. He didn't win the popular vote! There are enough weak minded people who did, and that's sad. I really like Fran, she is just who she is, beautiful.

[@denisesmith9240]

Fran is a true rock star . The comment regarding people going out like they are at home is so true. Love Fran.

[@GH-oi2jf]

I don’t get the “rock star” analogy. She is a social critic and humorist, like Will Rogers or Mark Twain.