The Perfect Political Interview
Canada's conservative opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, schools candidates everywhere on how to handle a media interview - especially a hostile one
Good morning, kids! Class is back in session.
This afternoon, I have a special treat. A short one, to be sure, but one you will be tested on. It comes from Canada.
We’ve discussed several topics, including the four or five ways to respond to a political or personal attack. Today, it’s how to handle a one-on-one media interview.
Don’t roll your eyes at me. Many of you find discussions about Canadian politics uninteresting or dull. No lessons of mine score poorer engagement than those about our friends north of the 49th parallel. That’s your problem, not mine, because our friends and neighbors to the north are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine on many issues, from euthanasia to the lack of freedoms we in America take for granted. Their inflation and affordability challenges, especially for housing, are worse than ours.
Let me introduce you to Pierre Poilievre. He was elected to his “riding” of Carleton, just south of the capital city of Ottawa, nearly 20 years ago. He became His Majesty’s Official Opposition Leader in September 2022. The libertarian-minded Poilievre was born in Calgary, Alberta, to a single mother, age 16, and a French Canadian couple adopted him. He has long been a leader in many governmental positions on behalf of his party.
The basis of today’s lesson is this brief interview at an orchard between a typical political news reporter (whose publication or outlet is likely subsidized by the ruling Liberal government). By the way, Poilievre is pronounced “Polly-EV” or “Polly-EV-rah.”
The interview begins in classic form with a meandering question loaded with suppositions. Poilievre quickly and cooly, with a beautiful backdrop behind him, asked the reporter, “What do you mean by that?” Forcing a reporter to define or justify their terms and suppositions is too rarely done by candidates.
It is always valuable in an interview, or even a friendly debate, to ask the other person to define their terms, especially when they start a question with, “A lot of people say. . .” That usually means “what your political opponents told me to say.”
And, of course, no hostile media interview is complete with the proverbial reference to Donald Trump. Even in Canada. Especially if it references “taking a page” from the Trump “playbook.”
However, Poilievre keeps interrupting Don Urquhart, editor of the Times Chronicle in Oliver, British Columbia, with his own questions. Let’s watch it. It’s only about 2 minutes long, but it’s been seen by almost 1.5 million people.
It will also help underscore how Poilievre and his party are moving up in the polls and likely might be Prime Minister if an election was held today.
Here’s a partial transcript:
"You're obviously taking the populist pathway," Urquhart says in the video.
"What does that mean?" Poilievre asks.
"Certainly you tap very strong ideological language quite frequently," Urquhart says.
"Like what?" Poilievre asks.
"Left wing, you know, this and that, right wing," Urquhart replies.
Poilievre responds that he "never really" talks about the left or right.
"I don't really believe in that," he says.
"A lot of people would say that you're simply taking a page out of the Donald Trump book," says Urquhart.
"A lot of people? Like which people would say that?" says Poilievre while biting into an apple.
It’s worth noting that the reporter finally gives up on the suppositions and asks his question. Again, Poilievre responds with excellent message discipline and documents his point with relatable examples:
Urquhart: “Why should Canadians trust you with their vote?”
Poilievre: “Common sense. Common sense for or a change. We're going to make common sense common in this country. We don't have any common sense in the current government.
“You know, the guy (Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau) prints $600 billion, grows our money supply by 32% in 3 years. That's growing the money eight times faster than the economy. No wonder we have the worst of inflation in four decades.
“I'm going to cap spending, cut waste so that we can balance the budget and bring down inflation and interest rates. If you want to be able to pay your mortgage again, if you want to be able to afford rent, then you have to vote for Pierre Poilievre because I'm the only one with a common sense plan that will bring back the buying power of your paycheck.”
This video is special because he uses an apple as a prop to cooly handle the reporter. It adds a factor to the interview that makes Poilievre especially relatable. It’s almost a form of trolling.
Here, as reported by Canada’s CBC, is some of the global reaction:
Fox News described the exchange as Poilievre "batting down [a] reporter's questions," while the Daily Mail described the exchange as the Conservative leader "calmly tearing apart a reporter." A Sky News host in Australia commented that there "may be hope" for Canada.
"Can we get him in our country?" asked American TV journalist Megyn Kelly.
Elon Musk responded to the video online, writing that had "never heard of him before, but this interview is [fire emoji]."
The video has filled column space in Canadian outlets as well. Earlier this week, a National Post column suggested the "takedown is now being studied as an example of political jiu-jitsu worldwide." The National Observer, meanwhile, said Poilievre "doesn't have to behave like a petulant jackass."
Keep this video handle as you study for your final exam next November. Remember, challenge assumptions made by reporters (or opponents) to frame questions. And be prepared for when they finally toss out their question. Backdrops and non-verbal queues - like munching on an apple - can be effective, but be sure not to talk with your mouth full.
And remember, you’ll still be attacked no matter how effectively you handle an interview. But that’s okay. Pierre won the day.
Donald Trump and others should take a page out of Pierre Poilievre’s playbook.
That was a great interview.