2024 in interviews: Semafor’s quotes of the year

the interviews

Semafor’s reporters interviewed some of the most influential figures in and around Washington over the past year. That group included Donald Trump, retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, outgoing Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, and many others. Here are our newsiest quotes from 2024.

“I have so many Black friends that if I were a racist, they wouldn’t be friends — they would know better than anybody, and fast.”

— President-elect Donald Trump to Kadia Goba about the Black men he’s stayed close with (June 14).

“When you take a reasonable, calculated risk to fuck around, embrace your culpability for what you found out.”

— Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., to Dave Weigel, about the Democrats who pushed President Joe Biden to drop out of the race (November 8).

“Talk. To. People. About. Issues. Relevant. To. Their. Lives. Don’t worry about the media so much.”

— Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to Dave Weigel, about how Biden could recover from that disastrous June debate performance (July 2).

“One hundred percent. Enough. I mean, honestly — enough!”

— Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., to Dave Weigel about whether that same June debate performance would quiet critics who said Biden was too old to run again (June 27).

“I didn’t change my mind. We had an open primary, and she won it. Nobody else got in the race.”

— Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to Kadia Goba, about her reported warnings that making Vice President Kamala Harris the presidential nominee without a primary would look like a coronation (September 18).

“I was going to kill the whole bill. Then the president went completely insane on me.”

— Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., to Burgess Everett about the 2021 American Rescue Plan (December 12).

“That narrative doesn’t really work when they see who Trump is as a person in these long-form formats, laughing, joking — the fear-mongering narrative that Democrats tried to create is totally wiped out…”

— Trump campaign communications adviser Alex Bruesewitz to Shelby Talcott, about the former president’s media strategy this time around (October 20).

“I certainly hope that we can turn a page after this election cycle. … Let bygones be bygones. And I would encourage all of my colleagues to practice what I do, and that is that I don’t carry grudges.”

— House Speaker Mike Johnson to Kadia Goba, about Republican infighting (May 29).

“If they can’t repel a Russian invasion, that does not suggest America should effectively serve as a security protector for Germany — that suggests the Germans ought to get off their ass and invest in their own defense.”

— Vice President-elect JD Vance to Shelby Talcott, about arguments for a robust US defense of Ukraine (August 7).

“I think every single Republican member of the Senate would say no.”

— Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to Burgess Everett, about what would happen if Trump tried again to kill the legislative filibuster (September 27).