MY WASHINGTON David Gregory, host, NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN POLITICIANS EVADE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS WITH BLUFF AND PREVARICATION? I follow up. I try to make it a conversation, but I am also ready to remind them when they have said something different than what they are saying now.
that when I spoke French during a press conference, I was speaking to Chirac and not Bush!
YOUR MOST SURPRISING OR UNEXPECTED MOMENT ON THE SHOW? My most surprising interview was certainly Vice President Joe Biden. When he changed his position on gay marriage, he forced the President to do the same earlier than he planned. It was a surprise and a reminder of the reach and impact of “Meet the Press.” WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE ON “MEET THE PRESS”? I would like to have Hillary Clinton on for the whole hour. I’ve been working hard to get NFL Commissioner Roger Gooddell as well as Mark Zuckerberg.
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WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO NEXT? I’m doing exactly what I love to do.
DO YOU SENSE THAT POLITICAL DIVISIVENESS IS INCREASING OR ON THE WANE? With regard to the current climate in Washington, I don’t think the polarization is on the wane. I do think Republicans have stepped back from the kind of confrontational stance that would shut down the government. DO YOU EVER PONDER THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SITTING IN TIM RUSSERT’S SEAT AND HIS LEGACY? Tim is a huge part of the legacy of “Meet the Press.” But, after five years as moderator, I try to focus on making the program my own and pushing forward into a new generation.
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HOW MANY LANGUAGES DO YOU SPEAK AND DO YOU EVER GET ASKED ABOUT ASKING JACQUES CHIRAC A QUESTION IN FRENCH? I speak French, but I would need to live there for a while to be fluent. People forget
MY TOP SPOTS 1. My favorite gym is Synergy Fitness (2000 15th St. N., Arlington, Va.) in Rosslyn. 2. Favorite spot for a drink is Off-The-Record (800 16th St. NW) bar in the Hay-Adams Hotel. 3. Great date place with my wife is Central Downtown (1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW). 4. Equinox (818 Connecticut Ave. NW) is my favorite lunch spot with politicos or White House figures. 5. Another favorite spot to have coffee or just to sit is in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. 6. We love Nationals Stadium (1500 S. Capitol St. SE) because we are big baseball fans and all three of my kids play locally.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
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HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO STAY GROUNDED BY REMAINING A PART OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY VERSUS THE HIGH-FLYING NETWORK LIFESTYLE? The thing I love about Washington is that there is a great community here that is independent of “official” D.C. With three young kids, I feel really connected to that community and this is a very comfortable place to live.
NATIONALS STADIUM VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. CAPITOL ROTUNDA
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SHARE A FAVORITE PERSONAL ANECDOTE. I’ll never forget when a woman in New Hampshire came up to me and said that she loved watching me because my hair is white and fluffy like hers!