All language subtitles for S01E01 - Proud

Let's goes to Leeds,
where the count is taking place

for the seat for Ed Balls,
who is there.

I was in politics for 20 years.

In 2015, I received a shock

when I lost my parliamentary seat.

MUSIC: Gangnam Style by Psy

In the week I was swapping my suit
and briefcase

for sequins and dancing shoes...

..Donald Trump,
an entertainment heavyweight,

became the leader of the Free World.

To understand how this happened,

I'm travelling to Trumpland,
America's Deep South...

Could you shout really loudly
if you voted for Donald Trump?

CHEERING

..to meet his supporters
and walk a mile in their shoes

to learn how the President
won them over.

If you're going to come all this way
to hang out with the Southern boys,

you've got to learn the ways
of a Southern boy.

HE LAUGHS

It's always dangerous to start
from the assumption

that voters are wrong.
You've got to get on the inside.

Can you see the world through
their eyes rather than yours?

How does Trump tap in
to the US psyche

and what does his popularity tell us
about today's American values?

Hands up!

My search for answers will take me
to some extraordinary places.

Let me tell you, President Trump
has done more for America

in one year
than Barack Obama did in eight.

What was it that Trump supporters
thought he could fix about America?

We were heading
into the pits of socialism.

And after the chaos
and controversies

of Trump's administration so far,

do they still believe this reality
TV billionaire is the man to do it?

TRUMP: We will make America
wealthy again.

We will make America proud again.

We will make America safe again.

ED SCREAMS

And yes, together,
we will make America great again.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Pleasure to meet you, sir.
Good to see you too.

I was just thinking, what do you
expect to see at a redneck festival?

All kinds of stuff.
What kind of stuff?

Well, you'll see stripper poles
and you'll see tatas.

What's that? Boobs. Really?

Goodness. Really?
You'll see a lot of money.

You'll see a lot of money.
Right. Oh, yeah. Yes.

This weekend,
15,000 working-class Americans,

with their monster trucks
and trailers,

are descending on Saint Jo in Texas

for the festival
Rednecks With Paycheques.

How are you doing?

This festival is billed

as a celebration
of Southern American pride.

I guess if you're going round
a redneck festival,

you need decent wheels.

How are you, sir? Derrick Morse.
Good to meet you, Derrick. Ed balls.

I appreciate you coming out here.
Looking forward to it. Yes, sir.

I've accepted an invitation
from Trump voter

and event organiser Derrick.

I'll get my bag. OK.

It's his festival and it takes place
on his ranch.

Do you like dogs?

I do. That's Rocco. Hello, Rocco.

Why Rednecks With Paycheques?

Well, I had a friend
who's a real muscular tough guy.

He's a redneck,
makes a lot of money,

so we came up
with Rednecks With Paycheques.

When you say "redneck",
what does the word mean?

Just a slang term
for country boy, you know.

Is he bothering you in your lap?
Not at all. I'm sorry.

He's comfy and I'm dealing with it.

This culture, Donald Trump's
election has made people

more proud of it? I would think so.

I think Trump, for these people,
he definitely fits.

Pride in their country is a feeling
Donald Trump has promised

to deliver to all Americans.

TRUMP: We, the citizens of America,

are now joined
in a great national effort

to rebuild our country
and restore its promise

to let it shine as an example
for everyone to follow.

We will make America proud again.

A year on, I want to find out what
it means to be a proud American.

This country is a melting pot
for all ethnicities,

but does Trump's focus
on nationalism

risk dividing the country?

Look at that truck. It's flying the
American flag and the Trump flag.

There they are, look at that.

So you voted for Hillary Clinton?
Fuck no!

LAUGHTER

I actually voted for Obama
in his first term

cos I thought he would make
a change for everybody,

but then I feel like
he divided the country.

Some people think Trump divides
the country.

I'm happy with everything he's done.

I feel like he's actually doing
a lot, making a lot of changes,

standing up for everybody.
He connects more with people.

He's not a Southern boy though,
is he? He's not a working guy.

I think he's awesome. I'm telling
you, he does what he says.

He is a numbers guy.
If you don't perform, you're out.

I like that about him.

It's clear Trump's no-nonsense
attitude has resonated

with the values of these
working-class Southern voters.

People said if you want to find out
what really proud Americans are

to come to this festival.

CHEERING

Welcome to America.

Rednecks With Paycheques!
Hell, yeah!

To these guys, the term "redneck"
means a hard-working American,

but to many, especially
in US cities, it means white trash,

and along with the Confederate flag,
has become synonymous with racism.

I guess the only thing,
looking around,

it's a nice atmosphere,

people are enjoying themselves,
having a beer...

The only thing is
that most people are white.

There's not many Mexicans
and blacks here. No.

I just wonder,
it's one part of America?

If you went up to New York and said,
"I met these rednecks

"and they were flying
the Confederate flag,"

what would they think they were?

They'd think they live
in a trailer park.

And they'd think they were racist.
Yes, pretty much so.

But they're not.

They're just normal people
that live pay cheque to pay cheque

and have a good time.
Anything I can do to help? Yeah.

Are we roping them up? Sure.

Get your hands dirty, man.
Who are you racing against, Ken?

A guy by the name of Cody Russell.
In this one here?

They're known as cheaters.
They cheat at everything they do.

Rednecks With Paycheques!

One, two, three!

All right!

CHEERING

There's someone in the crowd
I wasn't expecting to see

at a redneck festival.

It's wild. It's real wild.

I come down here from Kansas way...
From Kansas?

Did you know you were a redneck
before you arrived?

Well, hell, yeah! Did you?

You're the first black redneck
I've ever met. Shit!

I mean, there's a whole lot
more of us than you might think.

Hell, yeah, bro. When you see the
Confederate flag, what do you think?

I see American history.

There was a lot of things
that happened in the South

that I don't agree with. You know,
back in the day, like, slavery.

Hey, but you know,
that was 150 years ago.

There were people 30, 40 years ago
who used the Confederate flag

as a symbol of anti-civil rights.

But when you see
the Confederate flag here,

are they saying
something about race?

Not in my opinion. What are they
saying something about?

They're saying something
about pride. Like, the South.

Yeah. You know, we have our pride.

Did you vote in the election? I did.

Who did you vote for?
I voted for Donald J Trump.

I voted for Donald J Trump.
He represents...

He represents
the America I want to know.

There were some people who thought

Trump had a bit of race
in his message. No.

I've listened to every Donald Trump
speech from here to 1990.

I've never heard a word of racism
come out of his mouth.

At Charlottesville, he talked
about the white supremacists

and the Ku Klux Klan guys
as being decent people.

No, he talked... He didn't say that.

I watched his whole speech,
and he said there was bad people

and good people on both sides.
I just want everybody to get along.

We're all Americans,
we all have our country to live for.

Why fight all the time?

My host, Derrick,
has a personal reason

for believing Donald Trump admires
the redneck spirit.

He recently met the President.

By using many of these
monster trucks,

he helped save lives during the
national disaster Hurricane Harvey.

So, all these big trucks went down
like a bunch of hillbillies

coming to town,
but people needed help.

Before you knew it,

we were hauling the police around
to different places and medication.

Your massive trucks could get
through stuff.

So, the rednecks came to the rescue.

Yeah, and about 30 of us
were invited to meet Donald Trump

and when I told him
I came from Texas,

he said, "Thank you very much,"

and he said, "The country needs
more people like you,"

and I appreciate that.

Come on, Rocc. Come here.

People ask, you know, I'm a plumber,
I'm a trashman, I'm a rock layer...

Did you build this? Yes, sir.

Your room's right down here.
Wow, look at these.

It's slightly odd having all these
animals staring at you, isn't it?

Whilst at the festival, Derrick
is putting me up in his cabin.

I'm sharing with his family.

Me and my sister, our last name is
Ball. Is it? B-A-L-L? Yeah. No way!

His last name is Balls. No!
B-A-L-L-S.

But they called us Balls
in high school. The two of you? Yes.

Yeah, this is my sister.
You're the Balls. We're the Balls.

Where are you from?
From London. London?

VOICEOVER: I've heard the term
"Southern pride" a lot today,

but I want to know
what it means to these guys.

Most people here at this festival
who I've talked to today

would say there is something
about being Southern

which is distinctive and different.

What is it about being Southern
which is different?

It's just loving your country,
loving your family...

Proud to be an American.

Working hard, but also having fun
on your off time.

I think everybody imagines it's
a Confederate Southern type thing.

That's not the case at all. There's
quite a lot of Confederate flags.

Sure, however, at the same time,
if you go up somewhere up north,

anywhere you have land here,
people are out there in the mud,

having a good time. Yeah...

Do you think Hillary Clinton
respects rednecks? Absolutely not.

I mean, I think she's made it
pretty clear.

When she kind of categorised
everybody as being deplorable

that actually supported
a certain candidate,

I think right there,

you put yourself above a standard.
That's right. That's...

She was saying, though, that
the people who were deplorable

were the people who she thought
were racist, didn't she?

And she was probably equating
redneck and racism.

Do you think Donald Trump respects
rednecks? Absolutely.

That's quite an important
distinction.

Why do we have everybody emphasise
on the racism so much?

We just had a black man
in office for two terms.

But if you look at the people
who marched in Charlottesville

under a Ku Klux Klan banner,
those guys definitely support Trump,

so for whatever reason,
he ended up picking those votes up.

Look, we're all Trump supporters.

Do we agree with everything he did?
Absolutely not.

So, how can I simply sit here
and say, "You know what,

"because he did this,
I'm done, I disagree.

"And right now, I'm on your team
because he did this"?

I think in the end,
it comes down to,

"Do I really think
he cares about me?" Sure.

And the interesting thing is there's
this north-east billionaire guy,

but a festival here in Texas,

and almost everybody thinks
that Donald Trump is on their side.

It's the wildest thing
I've ever been to.

It's like Glastonbury
for petrolheads.

White working-class Trumpland
on massive steroids.

But I've learned
something important today.

Here, at least,

people don't want Southern pride
to be about white supremacy.

They want it to be
about the values of hard work,

family and a sense of belonging.

By supporting these rednecks

and winning
the white working-class vote,

I think Trump played
a very shrewd move.

Before I leave Texas,
Derrick wants to introduce me

to the person he calls
the hardest worker at the festival,

his close friend Martha.

She's almost like my mother, really.
OK. She's a slave driver, really.

She's ruthless.

She employs all the trash crew,

she runs the gas station,
our water truck.

When she hires them,
you know they're good,

cos she won't put up with any BS.

I mean, she's a hard-ass.
There she is, right here.

Martha also runs
the Mexican food stand.

She came to the US from Mexico
32 years ago.

Martha? Yes. Ed.

Hello, how are you?
Hey, how are you? Good to see you.

Martha Garcia, nice to meet you.

I told him you were a slave driver
and you wouldn't cut any slack.

I don't cut any slack.
I'll fire him.

Do you need some help?
You want to help?

Yeah, I'll get to work. You want
to wash these tomatoes? Sure.

Do you want me to chop them?
No. I'm good at chopping.

No, we're going to fry them.
Fry them?

We going to throw them in this
basket. OK. And put them down, OK?

Come here.

SHE SPEAKS SPANISH

Burrito? What kind? Beef or chicken?
Chicken. Chicken, please.

It's got a kick.

MARTHA LAUGHS

ED CHOKES

How did you end up here in Texas?

I swam the river.
You swam the river?

Uh-huh. 17. Aged 17, you swam?

So your family had come illegally?
Yes.

They left me with my grandma
and they came by themselves

and left me down there
until I would turn 17.

So, you actually ended up
without your parents?

When I was younger,
and I was in Mexico, I wondered

if my mum loved me any more
because she left me behind.

Why did she leave you behind?
They couldn't bring me with them.

It was too dangerous, they thought.
Too dangerous? Yeah. Gosh.

Even now, talking about it
is really hard. It hurts.

Maybe I just put it behind
and keep on. I learned that.

You just deal with it and go on.

What was it about America which
meant...? Why all that pain...?

It's a different life.
You struggle in Mexico.

Either you eat
or you pay your bills.

And here, you can do both.

And it's been a happy ending.
The American dream.

Come to work at Rednecks.
THEY LAUGH

Two tortillas please, both beef.
Hot sauce in it? Yes.

Awesome!

Tell me if he complains. He hasn't
yet. He hasn't complained yet.

I'm watching to see
whether he grimaces.

It's really good. That's why
we sell them, cos they're good.

Good corn dog!

So, Martha, there's quite a lot
of Trump flags here,

and Trump was a guy who said, "I'm
going to send the Mexicans back.

"Stop the illegals."

Mm-hm.
So, people flying Trump flags,

are they people who would
rather you weren't here?

There is something else behind
the illegals. Criminals. Right.

I'm not a criminal,
so why would I get offended? Right.

Do I want a rapist in my backyard?
Do I want a thief in my backyard?

No. But does Donald Trump
want you in America?

He wants me,
because I'm a good citizen.

Yeah. And because I voted for him.

Did you? I voted for Donald Trump.

And my family knows it and it caused
a little bit of contradiction

but, in the end, they love me
and they respect my opinion,

like I respect theirs.

So you are related?
Yes, pretty much.

And Martha was saying that lots
of her family were a bit surprised

by her voting for Donald Trump.
Oh, yeah.

I did not vote for Trump.
It wasn't for me.

I'm proud to be an American, I'm
proud to be Mexican too, you know.

I was born here, but growing up
in a small town,

where, you know,
I was always a minority,

but I didn't...really feel
that tension.

I feel there's a lot more
tension now.

Because of what the President said?
Yes.

And as for the wall?

What do you think? Build it?

Mm-hm.
I'm sorry, I'm in, you're out.

Maybe I'm selfish, I don't know.
Let the good hard workers come in.

Mm-hm. And let the bad guys
not come in. Right.

But the wall doesn't discriminate.
No, that's true.

We just take life as it comes.

That's why I think maybe
I am selfish, I don't know.

It doesn't feel
like you're very selfish

with all the people you employ
and all the hard work you're doing,

and everything you do for America,
but it's a tough one, isn't it?

It is tough. Really hard.
But no, I stand my ground.

I will vote for him again.

It's a privilege to speak to you

and to meet a really proud
American citizen. I'm very proud.

And can I just say, we need some
more beef, we need some more cheese.

We've got it.
And the beans are a bit sloppy.

But other than that,
it's all going well.

Thank you for letting me come
and help. See you later.

You got this. See you later. Uh-huh.

If Trump, the man Martha voted for,
was in power

when she swam to the States,
she'd have been sent straight back

and the life she now loves
would not have been possible.

She argued that Trump is just trying
to keep the bad guys out...

..so I'm leaving the festival
to find out

whether that's really
what's happening.

I'm travelling to Atlanta

to meet the Immigrations
and Customs Enforcement Agency, ICE.

Trump has recently given them
greater powers

to evict illegal migrants.

TRUMP: We have some bad hombres here
and we're going to get 'em out.

We have to keep the drugs
out of our country.

Right now, we're getting the drugs,
they're getting the cash.

We have proposed new legislation

that will fix our immigration laws

and support our ICE
and border patrol agents.

These are great, great people

that work so hard
in the midst of such danger.

PHONE RINGS

Hi, this is Luke.
Good morning, Mr Martinez?

Yes, good morning.

Is there anything at this point
you can tell me about the raid

we're going to be coming with you
on? We don't do raids.

We do targeted enforcement actions.

We'll give you a full briefing
when we get the team set up.

So, it's coming up to 4.30
in the morning, here in Atlanta.

I've got a rendezvous
with ICE officers here.

The rumours are that they don't just
arrest their target.

Family members,
maybe even neighbours as well.

In all likelihood, today is going to
be the end of their American dream.

Hi, Ed. Luke, good morning. Nice
to meet you. Welcome to America.

This is our Field Office Director,
Sean Gallagher.

Good to meet you.
Nice to meet you, Ed.

Director Gallagher is overseeing
tonight's operation.

We brought you a little gift.
We don't expect any trouble but...

So, what do you know about...
Let me get you in...

..the guy we're going after today?

He is a convicted
narcotics trafficker. Right.

Last time he was arrested, he was
caught with 53 kilos of cocaine,

so obviously part of a major
drug trafficking organisation.

So he was convicted... Yes.
..and he served time in the US?

He did, he served time in federal
prison, a number of years. Um...

And then he was deported after that?

He was deported back to Mexico and
he illegally re-entered the country.

You know... Sir, the lights are on
over there, so need to get going.

OK. Let's go.

We have an arrest warrant.

If the individual refuses
to come out,

we'll do a dynamic entry into the
residence and take the door down.

Right. Police with a warrant.
Come to the door.

Step outside. Step outside.

It's six o'clock. The ICE team
have arrived at the house

and they've got an arrest warrant
for the guy

but not a warrant
to go onto the property.

Come back here.
Come over here, ma'am.

Hey, kids.

VOICE BREAKING: There's not anybody
inside.

That's only children, my kids.
OK, ma'am.

We'll get them out, OK.

It's tough to watch a mother
and two children

being pulled from their home.

We have a warrant.

Call out to us if you're inside.

Put your hands up. Hands up!

UNCLEAR SHOUTING

Just making sure
the residents are secure.

We have a warrant for your arrest.

We're taking you down to the office,

we'll explain everything
once we get down there.

Do you have any weapons on you? No.
What's that?

Que es eso?
SUSPECT SPEAKS IN SPANISH

ICE, not the cold kind.

So, he's got a little bit
of drugs on him.

Do you know why you've been
arrested? I don't know.

I don't do nothing, man. No?
OK, these guys are from ICE.

Do they think
you're an illegal migrant?

He knows exactly
why he's been arrested.

Don't let him fool you.

So, the ICE team have found
some crystal meth on his possession,

so he's not only somebody who was
a past convicted drug dealer,

but he's somebody who has got
illegal drugs on his possession,

so he's been arrested.

Guys, I'd like to move us out so we
can have everybody be safe. OK.

Thank you.

Is that the kind of raid you've been
doing for the last five, ten years?

That's not a raid.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Sorry, sorry, sorry. No, it's OK.

A targeted enforcement activity.
That's correct.

I know that cos it's TEA,
I've clocked it.

Yeah, cos we don't indiscriminately
arrest people

for being illegal.

It's a kind of misconception
within the illegal alien community.

That's not something we do.
There are rumours, you know,

that you have offices on street
corners looking for broken lights.

It never happens. Never happens.

But for all the criminals arrested,

like the one I've just witnessed,
many more illegal immigrants

who've committed no crime are now
being picked up under Trump.

An increase of 171%
in the first year of his presidency.

Good morning.
This is our processing area.

So, every individual that
is arrested by one of my officers,

they're brought
into this processing area

to be interviewed, followed
by a metrics take and photographs.

The ICE headquarters are far more
relaxed than I was expecting.

Did anyone help you come in?

Did you pay a smuggler or did you
come in by yourself? Myself.

Yourself? Do you have any tattoos?
You didn't get anything new? No.

OK. Are you in a gang? No. No?

I have to say, as a politician,

I've certainly seen in Britain
the concern about immigration

and it not being properly controlled
grow and grow and grow.

Do you think that has been
the same for the US?

It depends on what region
of the country you live,

what industry you're in,
whether or not you're concerned.

If you're an American citizen
who is looking for a job

and those jobs are going to somebody

who is illegally working
in an industry,

obviously there are going to be
concerns there.

ICE Field Officer Director Gallagher
and his team have been emboldened

by the President's tougher stance
on immigration.

It feels to me,
and maybe this is now changing,

but until recently,
America kind of tolerated the fact

that there was millions of people
here illegally.

It was just part of how it was,
do you know what I mean?

Until Donald Trump, was there
a president who really was trying

to focus on removing
illegal migrants?

What I can just say is that it's
more in the media now than ever.

We've seen a significant decrease
in the amount of people

attempting to enter illegally
into this country,

and that is a product

of this administration's stance
on immigration.

But you know, generally around
65, 60, 65% of the people

that we remove from this country
have criminal records.

The only thing that's changed is
we can take an enforcement action

against anybody that's illegal
in this country.

The only thing I was thinking was,

I understand the powers
and the resources,

but sometimes the President
sounds like,

you know, Mexicans,
they're the bad hombres,

and the Muslim travel ban,
watch out for these Muslims.

Sometimes I feel as though
he sounds like he's talking about...

..a race or a religion, rather
than simply illegal and a felon.

I don't speak for the President,

but I can tell you we don't collect
religion, it's not based on race.

It's purely based on whether
or not you have the right to remain

in this country, your nationality,
and if you have immigration status.

There's another illegal immigrant
in the holding room

waiting to be deported later today.

Hi there. Ed. Morning, Ed.
How you doing? Great.

When did you come to the US?
Er...'95.

'95? So, you've been here
for 23 years. Most of my life.

When did you get picked up by ICE?

I came to Atlanta
for a friend's wedding,

got picked up in Atlanta airport
in August. August this year? Yeah.

Did you think that you'd made it,
that you'd evaded these guys?

This is my country,
it's not evading them.

I wasn't running or hiding
to evade them.

Where are they sending you back to?
To Afghanistan today. Today?

And they fly you to Kabul?
That's the plan, I guess.

And what will you do there? Have you
got networks there, friends, family?

Nothing at all. You know, I've built
a life. I have kids here. Right.

How old are your kids?
One's 13 and one's 10.

And where are they today?
With their mother. Right.

He actually has to go because
his flight leaves in an hour. Right.

So, we've got to get him
on the road.

Good luck. Thank you. So, he didn't
tell you why he was picked up?

That's usually the case,
everybody tells you,

"I did nothing wrong." Sure.
But when you go look in their file,

we can tell you that he had
some issues in the past with drugs.

Right. And that's why he came
on the radar of ICE.

Taking them or dealing them?
Dealing them.

When he was leaving here, he was
leaving to go back to San Francisco

with a large amount of money. Right.

It doesn't just come out of nowhere.

It's, again,
targeted enforcement action,

where the officers and the agents
are looking at individuals

that may have committed crimes
and need removal.

He was dealing drugs
and he was illegal

and he had an order for removal.

And in the end, I'm afraid,
most people will say,

"I feel really bad about his kids

"and I'm really sad
he's lost his American dream,

"but on that basis,
he was illegal and he blew it."

Now...

..it doesn't take away
the human pain and suffering

for him and his kids.

I mean, that's just tragic but on
the other hand, he broke the rules.

Do you feel a bit sorry for him?

I feel sorry for his children,
but it's our job. Yeah, of course.

And having been part of getting
that guy on the road to deportation,

how do you feel about that?

It's wonderful knowing that there is
someone that we were able to arrest

and now the streets are safer.

So, it makes you proud to be
an ICE employee. Absolutely.

The ICE officers are proud.

Their morale has definitely
been boosted over the last year,

since Donald Trump was elected
President.

I agree America does need
a strong stance on immigration

to stop illegals, but my worry is
Trump's rhetoric is making

all migrants feel illegal.

And with this style of politics,

it's hard to see how these
new Americans can ever feel proud.

One historically patriotic group

Trump has shown his support for
is the military.

Past presidents have always stated
they're proud of their Armed Forces,

but Trump has gone one step further.

He's convinced Congress to increase
the budget for the military

to $574 billion a year.

TRUMP: We celebrate our military
and our amazing veterans as heroes

who deserve our total
and unwavering support.

And I will not stop until our
veterans are properly taken care of.

All Americans deserve accountability
and respect

and that's what we're giving
to our wonderful heroes,

our veterans. Thank you.

APPLAUSE

We're from London.
Oh, yeah, you're a long way off.

We are a long way from home. Did you
serve in the forces? Yeah. Were you?

Where did you serve?
Vietnam. In Vietnam?

What do you think of Donald Trump?
How's he doing?

I think he's doing very well.
Yeah? He don't seem to back down.

He doesn't back down.

There are 20 million former
servicemen and women in the US.

Their votes are crucial
to win the White House.

Trump has allocated $78 billion
a year to these US veterans.

That's nearly $5 billion a year more
than Barack Obama.

They call it a veterans' farm.

I think it's like a retreat
or a camp.

"Marines live here.

"Prayer is the best way
to meet the Lord,

"but trespassing on this property
is faster." Oh, my goodness.

I've arranged to visit
the AHERO veterans farm

to see how Trump has tapped
into military pride.

How you doing? Good?
Good to see you, Bill.

Veterans of the Vietnam and
Middle Eastern wars come to AHERO

for weekend support
and bonding sessions.

Bill has the responsibility
of looking after the veterans.

So, a farm... Yes, sir. Does that
mean you're doing farming? No, sir.

I actually manage the farm for
the deer and the turkey. Oh, I see.

I bring the veterans out here

and let the veterans experience
the hunt.

Give them guns, ammo,
whatever they need. Oh, I see.

So, people have been arriving today?
Yes, sir.

There are some here already.
We've got one that's a comedian.

We're going on a turkey hunt.

HE GOBBLES LIKE A TURKEY

Good job these guys aren't armed
or they'd have taken you out.

They'd have thought
that was a turkey.

We hadn't even started drinking yet!

LAUGHTER

My brother is here also. Right.
He's putting out rumours already.

Something about Gangnam Style.
Right.

I've no idea what that means,
but he's been talking about it.

Has he? Yes, sir.

He met some general, I think,
from your country. Did he? Yeah.

The issue is, has he seen the video?
I thought we'd get the real thing.

How do you go from politics
to frigging dancing?

That is an extremely good question.

You could say how do you go from
being the boss on The Apprentice

to being
President of the United States?

I mean, there are some funny things
going on in the world. Yes, true.

I'm going to take these guys
right now.

We're going to go play
with some birds. Good.

I don't know if you wear a hat.
I'll wear a hat.

We'll present you one anyway.
Thank you. AHERO hat. Yes, sir.

While some of the group head out
to hunt for dinner...

BIRD CALLS

GUNSHOT

You need to collect firewood for...?

We're going to build a fire tonight.
That's great.

..I want to speak to the rest

to try to understand
why they all support Trump.

It's a really chunky bridge,
isn't it? It is.

This is probably steel from when
steel was American steel, right?

Right. Yeah. Where's it at, buddy?
It's printed here somewhere. Here.

"Tennessee steel, USA."

Before becoming President,
Trump actively criticised

the American military's involvement
in foreign conflicts.

Can I ask you
about the military thing?

Donald Trump has said he's going
to put a lot more money in

cos he wants to restore pride
in the military.

Does he support military operations
overseas?

He used to criticise them
pretty heavily. Right, right.

He gets to be president,
bang, 180 degrees.

If he said, "Hey, pick up a weapon

"and follow me
into the mouth of hell,"

he obviously thinks we can win,
I'm going, you know.

This is kind of
one of the first presidents

that is actually really proud of
his military, so I give Trump that.

It's interesting that this guy,

who's never been
anywhere near military service,

has actually boosted pride
in the US military.

It's just an appreciation thing.
I don't think it matters

whether or not you've ever
personally been in uniform or not.

I'm just trying to think, it could
be he's a good politician

and he thinks veterans
have got lots of votes.

It could be that he's a real patriot
and he backs veterans more

because he's more proud
of our military.

I'm just try to understand
which one it is.

TURKEYS GOBBLE
Did you hear them? What?

Turkeys, way off in the distance.

For a second, I thought you were
saying it's the President.

No, he's...
LAUGHTER

Him and Tom Sawyer,
him and Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn,

they're all right back there.
LAUGHTER

I wonder whether Trump's support
for the military is another sign

of divisive politics,

a way of showing
it's America first,

and maybe America versus
the rest of the world.

I see a huge sense of patriotism
and nationalism in our country.

Amongst veterans? Yes.

People feel that veterans are
at the forefront of care now.

But hasn't every president always
talked about the importance

of supporting veterans? Key word.
They've always talked about it.

And you think there's been
more action? Oh yes, absolutely.

So you got some turkeys!
Look at this beautiful animal.

This is why we come up here, buddy.
I think it's a beautiful ex-animal.

Isn't it?

But the beautiful thing about this
animal is we're all going to eat it.

OK.

And we're going to enjoy eating it.

Did you fire the shot?

Do you want me to lie?
We just took it off the thing, man.

Oh, it's that one!
ED LAUGHS

Trump has signed an executive order

to guarantee that all veterans
receive health care

paid for by the government,

with a remit to help
mental health issues.

In the US, 20 veterans a day
take their own lives.

I want to find out
from former Sergeant, John Jackson,

what scars, physically and mentally,
these guys are carrying.

You know, you have AHERO here.

You'll see some guys in wheelchairs
and then you'll see other guys

who just appear
as though they're OK.

And how about your mental health,

in the sense of your wellbeing
of who you are?

You come out of war, right,

and you're trying to find out
who your new self is.

All of a sudden,
it's like what do you do?

I was at a point in my life
where I was so depressed,

I almost committed suicide. Right.

And had it not been for my kid...

How did that happen?
Just, I was severely depressed.

Everything, my life, military,
you know,

all the struggles came
and hit me at one time

and really put me in a bad spot.

Do you relive that day? Every day.

The thing I remember about that day
was watching my last sunset. Right.

And I was watching it
hitting the tree line

and I had my gun on my lap, and just
watching the sunset go down,

I probably was 15 minutes out,
you know, and...

And, you know, my son walked in
and so it was...

He kind of derailed me from that,
and I'm talking to you today.

Did he know that he saved
your life? He doesn't.

Are you going to tell him one day?
Yes.

Normally, you think, as a parent,
you gave THEM life. Yeah.

But actually, your son...
Gave me life, gave me my life back.

Amazing thing to have done.

And what's the road been like
since that day? It's been beautiful.

It's been hard work. It's been...

I mean, I learned so much more about
myself in this whole experience

of moving forward
and everything like that.

It's just been
a phenomenal experience.

I just want to make sure
that I leave a legacy for my kids

in a way that,
that's truly positive,

and that they can give back
to America.

Do you mind if I put my hand on your
chair? Is it rude? Not at all.

I just want to be careful.
Not at all.

I'm going to turn that off
so we don't run into the fire.

How many years' service did you do?
26 and a half years in the military.

I decided that it was time
for me to retire. Right.

I had a month and a half of leave,
which is vacation.

My first day of leave,
I went on a canoeing trip

down a lazy river with my brother
and some friends of mine.

I slipped and fell upside down
in three foot of water

and shattered my C6 vertebra
in three foot of water. Oh, my God.

On my first day of leave.

So, after 26 years of doing
dangerous things... Correct.

That is...
That is like the baddest bad luck.

Amongst the people you speak to,
the people who need support,

veterans more widely,

my guess is that lots of them voted
for the President, President Trump.

Yes. I did.

When he said a year ago,

"I want to restore pride in the
military and pride in America..."

And he has already. Has he?

Cos I still have friends
that are still serving

and they're actually getting
the funding that they need

for certain equipment,

they are getting the training time
that they need.

We needed a businessman

to lead our country
out of a recession,

out of the red into the green.
Is money the most important thing?

No, it isn't. It's about allowing us
to do our job. Right.

And I can guarantee you
he is allowing that.

And how about veterans?

They believe the same thing.

Can I thank you all
for your huge generosity

in allowing me to come and spend
this time with you?

Could I toast to family
and friendship?

ALL: Cheers.

Dilly-dilly. I love Scotch.

This is beautiful Scotch.
This is decent whisky.

All right, here's to lying,
cheating, stealing and drinking.

If you're going to lie,
lie for your friends.

If you're going to cheat,
cheat death.

If you're going to steal,
steal a kiss from a beautiful woman.

But if you're going to drink,

drink for our boys
that are still overseas.

Drink bourbon.

We do a commemoration to the ones
that we've lost, personally,

and the ones that we haven't.

Everybody does a little tip
to the ground. We toast to them.

Even if you're not military

but you have somebody important
who lost their life,

can you do that as well?
Absolutely. OK.

All right, gentlemen.
I'll start it off.

Gerard Saunier, US Air Force.

He was my... He was my radio man.

Gerry. ALL: Gerry.

Jesse Reid, roommate,
United States Marine Corps.

Down at the National River, jumped
off the bridge last Wednesday.

Kyle Comfort.

75th Rangers Regiment,
died May 8th, 2010, in Afghanistan.

An awesome brother and one
of which I've named a farm after,

Comfort Farms.

ALL: Cheers. Comfort Farm.

Anybody else? I will.

My next-door neighbour as
a Member of Parliament lost her life

a year and a half ago.

She was called Jo Cox.

She was a Member of Parliament
and while she was doing her job,

representing people, she was shot
and killed in the street.

To Jo Cox. Jo Cox.

All these guys I've talked to today,
I think have voted for Donald Trump.

They think that he is, a year on,
doing a good job.

And I think if Trump is keeping
his promises to these guys,

they're going to continue
to back him.

Bill, thank you so much
for letting me come and visit.

We really appreciate it.
Cheers, John.

Hey, great man, thank you.
Cheers, buddy.

Cheers, Brian. Appreciate it.
We going to hug? Ah, friend.

Good. Thanks again, man. See you
all. Cheers. Thank you, sir.

It's funny, it's ended up
making me very emotional.

Talking about the pain
of transition,

how hard it had been for them
and the loss of purpose,

I was thinking of my own experience,

and I didn't raise it.

I thought, "I've had it easy."

My son had to see me lose
my constituency on television,

but John, his son almost had to see
him take his own life.

That is such a dark thing for a...

..parent to have to think about.
I think that's really hard.

HE SNIFFS

In my last political election,

I wasn't able to win the support
of the majority of voters.

But somehow,
despite all the scandals,

Trump has persuaded many in America

that he's the right man to be
President, to make America proud.

So, how did he learn to connect
with the American masses?

How am I doing
on Fan Appreciation Night?

They want value. Who knows more
about value than me?

These clips of Trump,

from the extravaganza
of WWE wrestling from 2007,

show him dropping money
onto the crowd.

Trump adopted a wrestling persona

that looks a lot like his style
as President to me.

As he demonstrates
winning over a crowd

with promises of making them rich...

Oh, my God.

..and the use of macho actions.

And even a year into his presidency,
he's still doing this,

whether against his enemies overseas
or at home.

There's this tweet
Donald Trump put out.

Trump is always picking fights
on Twitter and this one was

with the former Vice President
of America, Joe Biden.

It's had 245,000 likes,
it has a big, big audience.

"Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act
like a tough guy.

"Actually, he is weak,
both mentally and physically,

"and yet he threatens me for the
second time with physical assault.

"He doesn't know me,
but he would go down fast and hard,

"crying all the way."

It's the language
of the wrestling ring.

But you don't say that
if you're the President. Dear me.

It's macho and divisive
and childish and ridiculous.

It's something which works
fabulously well

in the reality TV show
of WWE wrestling,

and it is a crazy way
to behave as President.

Wrestling is an all-American sport

that appeals to millions of viewers
each week.

I think Trump saw that
the same rhetoric could also appeal

to millions of voters.

I've travelled to Munford, Alabama,
to visit Southern Legacy Wrestling.

It's run by Trump voter and former
WWE star Johnny Slaughter.

I'm told it's his real name.

Johnny, hello, how are you?
Good to meet you.

Good to meet you too.
So, this is your gym?

It's the City's, but they allow us
to use it. OK. Come on in.

Oh, wow!

This is a proper ring.
This is the set-up. Hey, fellas!

How many people come to your events?
Typically, we get about 350.

Hoping to have this place packed
and then some.

This is like the ones
I've seen on TV, the WWE show? Yes.

Is it quite noisy in here?

LOUD BODY-SLAM

Blimey! We used to have wrestling
on our television. Yes.

There was a guy called
Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy

and I think it was, you know,
a performance. Yes.

Although, when I was eight years
old, we all believed it was true.

In wrestling, you have a character,

and usually your character is
you amplified.

The thing is, I was watching the way
in which Donald Trump talks

as President. It's all kind of
the language of WWE. I agree.

It's him.
I think what he says he means,

but he turns the volume way up.

AS TRUMP: Let me tell you something
tonight, Kim Jong-un,

I'm going to come over there and
lay the smack down. That's the vibe.

You see how well in wrestling,

when people respond to you
and like you,

and when you want them to cheer,
they cheer,

when you want them to boo,
that's called getting over.

So, you'll get a lot of feedback
off people,

but it's very physical,
so you have to be careful.

So, for example, my first match,
I jumped off the top rope.

I'd never done that
and I landed like this

and my elbow snapped in half

and my hand said...and hit me
in the face. It hurt a lot.

I was going to ask,
do you get hurt doing this,

but that's the first time. The only
major injury I had was that one.

Well, I'm looking forward
to seeing you doing some wrestling.

Speaking of which, we actually have
an opening on the show.

I didn't know
if you might be interested

in being part of the event. Oh...

I think that might be a bad idea.

Let me go show you the gym. Fuck...

Yeah, very good.

I'm actually seeing stars.
THEY LAUGH

I've not seen stars
for long time.

Welcome to wrestling!

I came here to find out
whether Trump's foray into wrestling

was just a practice for his run
for the White House.

Do you want to try it without
the mat? Does it hurt more? It does.

Yeah!
APPLAUSE

But now I'm in the ring with a bunch
of seasoned professionals

learning to wrestle myself.

The hardest things you may take
may be a jab, sell it one time,

a jab, maybe one more,

give you a big wind-up,
salute the flag,

one of these, boom.

The actual punching bit, does it
hit you? Take your helmet off.

Take it off?
Yeah. What would I do that for?

When you go to the face,
you lighten it up.

And it becomes more showman.

Now, if you don't like each other,
you knock the crap

out of each other, then you get in
the back and go, "Sorry about that."

Can I just say, I like you very,
very much. I like you very much.

So, it comes in
and it feels like this. Oh!

APPLAUSE

Very good. That was a great sell.

That was a good sell.
You've got to watch the ropes.

It really hurts.

LAUGHTER

Although this is fake,

it's amazing to think the crowd
would believe it's real.

In the one we're doing...
Yes. ..am I a good guy or bad guy?

I think it would be easier
to make you a bad guy. Really? Yes.

It does not take much
to make people hate you.

A lot of times, it's as simple...
I had 20 years of that.

Well, it's really as simple
as just a look...

..and they already hate you. Right.

And so, with patriotism
and American pride,

it can be a curse or a blessing.

It's easier for you
to come out as the outsider.

Am I a foreigner? Yes!

Like the smell of this place just
bothers you. Oh, God, you people.

I want you thinking it
as you walk out.

Now then,
why are you wearing a dress?

I'm wrestling him tomorrow, right?
Yes, you and him, you and him.

We don't make it personal.
That's how you get stabbed.

I've been stabbed three times.
Stabbed?

Stabbed three times.
By audience members? Yes.

Who believed your show?

One of the last times
I got stabbed was on 9/11.

When the towers came down,
there was a show that night

and I came out as a Russian,
and down with the USA,

and so, when I came out of the ring,
I landed on a rail like this

and I was laying there,
and this guy said, "For America!"

And he stabbed me right in the back.

So you want me to be the bad guy...
Yes.

..who everybody's going to want
to... Absolutely. ..attack.

Yes, but they won't. I could be
from Russia, China, North Korea...

It doesn't matter. ..Europe,
Britain, it makes no difference.

Right. I'm just a dirty foreigner.

Cos you're not American,
you're a dirty foreigner.

Are we talking seriously there
about the wrestling

or are we talking about American
politics? Bit of both.

I thought maybe so.
I thought maybe that's right.

I find that the lines blur
between politics and wrestling.

It's really, to me,
the stories are no difference.

You pick one side or the other.

Some people like the good guy,
some guys like the bad guys.

Cos most people here have voted
for Donald Trump?

I believe so, yes.

What was it in the county
or the state, do you know?

I think in the county,
last time the stats came out,

it was like 98% was pro-Trump. 98%.

So, if I'm the dirty foreigner,
if I say,

"How did you elect this loser
as your President, Donald Trump?"

Yes, you can blast Trump
all you want to.

These people will probably
hate you more.

And you promise me
I will get out alive? Yes.

Yes, we've got great security. OK.

I'm going to kiss your sorry
American arse, you baby-faced fool.

LAUGHTER

I'm just trying to find a character.

AMERICAN ACCENT: Listen here, boy,
I'm not going to kiss your ass,

I'm going to KICK your ass!
LAUGHTER

What keeps happening?

You've hung out with all
these Southern boys way too long.

AMERICAN ACCENT: I've got to stop
being American...

POSH ENGLISH ACCENT: ..and become
an English gentleman.

Actually, that's camp.

How were you perceived
when you were in politics?

Bruiser. There you go.
I like the British Bruiser.

It's clear patriotism and pride
is key to the success of Trump,

but also to a wrestling character.

We went with the British theme.

I've got you a custom-made singlet,
just for you. That's a swimsuit.

But this isn't what I had in mind
for British pride.

Oh, my God.
Am I really going to wear that?

Well, if you want to look like
a wrestler, this would be perfect.

I suppose if you're going
to body-slam somebody,

you might as will do it in costume.
That's right.

I'm just going to FaceTime Yvette
back in the UK.

I tend to ring to ask her advice
at key moments in life.

Yvette. Oh, my God!

What on...? Can you see, Yvette?

Excuse me, can you just hold
my phone for one sec?

I'm the British Bruiser.

There's something about the flag bit

which just accentuates your belly.

Oh, Yvette... Sorry.

Well, I think it's quite important

for the integrity
of my investigation

that I wear a leotard.

Do you remember how we talked about
lines that you might cross?

I think you've crossed one.

Don't get hurt.

That was the least supportive
phone call I've ever had.

There are over 400 people
at the venue for tonight's event.

Go in there and hit the gym
a little bit and get pumped up

right before you go out.

Or maybe a couple of Big Macs
and a couple of beers?

But I've only managed to find two
who don't support Trump,

and both are part
of the wrestling show.

Out there right now, I would say
it's 99%... Is that right?

99% of people voted for Trump?
I believe so, yeah.

And what do you think about Trump?

He's an idiot. The thing
which is really interesting to me

is Trump is like a wrestling guy
in the ring.

You know, I'm the man,
my opponents are evil.

If you're not on my side,
you're a bad guy. I know.

That good and bad contrast is
so strong in wrestling.

Yep, but here's the thing.
We are just playing. Right.

We are just playing a part.
You are proud to be Southern. Yes.

And when Donald Trump says,

"I'm going to make America
proud again," what do you think?

He just needs to shut his mouth

and I just hope he doesn't get
voted for again.

He has no clue
what he's talking about.

He's making himself proud.

He's making himself money,
that's all it is to me.

No more Mr Nice Guy.

It's time for me to see if I can
turn this American crowd against me.

I'm dialling up the arrogant Brit.

SOUND SYSTEM: # Rule Britannia

# Britannia rules the waves

# Britain never, never, never
Shall be slaves... #

The British Bruiser...

BOOING

..Ed Balls!

BOOING

Do you mind piping down a bit?

Are you Americans always so rude

and disrespectful
to a visitor from England?

Do you know what?

You have the rudest president
we've ever seen.

Did you guys really vote
for Donald Trump?

THEY CHANT: USA! USA!

I think we should play
the proper national anthem.

# God save our gracious Queen

# Long live our noble Queen

# God save the Queen... #
THEY CHANT: USA! USA!

VOICEOVER: It's clear
that nationalism and pride

are alive and well
in Munford, Alabama.

THEY CHANT: USA! USA! USA!

Time for the American heroes
Johnny Slaughter and Major Victory

to save the day
against the enemy outsiders.

APPLAUSE

BOOING

LOUD BOOING

Be a man!

Ow!

I can't believe I'm actually
pretending to be a wrestler

but in the ring, it's easy to see

how the crowd takes sides
with the patriots.

BOOING

BOOING

This nationalistic mob mentality
demonstrates

how Trump runs the White House -
them against us.

Whether at home, where it's Trump
versus "Crooked Hillary",

or in foreign policy,

Trump's America versus
the untrustworthy Iranian regime.

CHEERING

Two, three...
CHEERING

Sticking to our script,
America wins.

Oh, my gosh! That
is really physical.

Are you ready to do it again?

I'd do it again like a shot.
There you go.

Can we go and do it again?

When you get home, change into that
right before you go in the house.

I'll be threatening to wear it
on the beach. Please do, please do.

Are you sure? Yes.
Thank you so much.

Have you ever had a USA chant
like that before?

Once or twice. Not that visceral
though. It was really visceral.

We painted you
exactly what we needed you to be

and they bought it
hook, line and sinker.

Kind of simultaneously,

it shows how brilliant and clever
the way in which you manipulate is.

Yes, so I create a desire that they
want to see you get beat up. Yeah.

And then I can give that to them,
and that's when they respond.

So it's all about creating
the enemy. Yes.

You can't be good without bad.

And actually, you can see why,
at Donald Trump rallies,

he's so good at it,
cos he does the same thing.

He defines the enemies
and then they chant really loud.

Cos if it ain't us against them,
then it's not USA.

It's skilful. Yes.

In here it's fun. Yes.
But in the political arena...

It's sad. It's dangerous. Yes.

Whipping up the crowd against North
Korea, China, Europe, politics...

Yeah, if it works...
Ask me again in three years.

It's not the style I would use,

but ask me again in three years,
I'll tell you if it works.

Does any part of you,
when you see him still doing this,

regret having supported him?

No, and the main reason is,

the people you want to be president
never run.

The people you think
could actually fix this place

have no desire to be president

and out of the people
that do run here...

..isn't it sad that that was
the best choice? Yeah.

But again, if you're playing
a character

and the character got
to the White House,

you'd better stay in the character
if you want to keep the White House,
at least for one more term.

Is the best way to get re-elected
to carry on like that?

He needs to dial it back.
Yeah, he needs to dial it back.

He needs to dial it back just a bit.

I'm waiting for him to come out
to his own theme music and pyro.

Good to see you.
Good to see you, thank you.

Cheers, John. Cheers.
See you all. See you.

Donald Trump said
in his inauguration speech

that he was going to make
America proud again,

and for a lot of the people
that I've met on the trip,

at the redneck festival,
he's done that.

He's definitely made the military
and the veterans feel

that he's on their side,
more resources,

but also a rhetoric which says,

"I'm backing you,
I'm getting the job done."

The danger is that,

if you don't understand
the difference

between the wrestling ring
and real life,

if you can whip a crowd,
chanting "USA, USA",

good versus bad,
simplicities in an arena,

that can lead
to a very divisive politics,

not just here in America,

but in America's relationship
with the world.

I think Donald Trump is playing
with fire.

ED SCREAMS

TRUMP: We will make America
safe again.

This American carnage stops
right here, right now.

I wish I could do that.

I want to find out if Trump
is fulfilling his promise

to make America safe again.

She's like,
"There's been a shooting."

I said, "Where?"
"At school. Samantha's been shot."

If he decides to actually
restrict firearms,

he will be a one-term president.

We will kill to stop people
from taking our guns.

Fundamentally, I think this society

is absolutely
totally screwed-up on guns.

It's a catastrophe.