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On this episode of ZUCKER, host Andrew Zucker is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Joe Palazzolo, the co-author of the new book ‘The Fixers: The Bottom-Feeders, Crooked Lawyers, Gossipmongers And Porn Stars Who Created The 45th President.’ Palazzolo details Trump’s relationships with fixers and talks about his own reporting in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

On how Trump views loyalty: I think that he believes that the gloss of his fame —that being around him — is sort of payment enough to the people, right? And I think the fixers who are around him — Roy Cohn, he considered Donald Trump to be a trophy client. David Pecker — who is the head of American Media, the parent of National Enqurier — he spent a lot of time getting close to Trump because he very much wanted to be part of his world. Michael Cohen almost idolized him. He has told people that The Art of the Deal was the only book that he’s read twice.

On whether the National Enquirer has a safe with Trump dirt: Technically there is a safe in the National Enqurqier’s offices that holds contracts typically or important documents. Is there a safe with a whole bunch of dirt on Donald Trump? No, no there isn't.

On Trump’s fixers today: If his fixers believe that it is a two-way street, that he’s going to protect them for the things that they do for him, then of course they’re in for a rude awakening. We may see that, right? We may see a break between Giuliani and Trump at some point. We may see a break between him and Barr, and we shouldn’t be surprised when that happens at all.