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Local ABC affiliate WFAA-TV of Dallas received one of four coveted invites to the White House on Monday to interview President Barack Obama. Obama got testy during the interview with senior political reporter Brad Watson, and warned him afterward: "Let me finish my answers the next time we do an interview, all right?"
The interview largely focused on the White House's deficit reduction plan. In the interview, Obama acknowledged his approach — which proposes a balance between taxing the wealthy and budget cuts — could be a tough sell in a conservative state like Texas. Other topics discussed included immigration, and a controversial decision to not award retired space shuttle orbiters to Houston. (Obama said the latter was not his decision.)
Obama also called out Gov. Rick Perry for taking billions of dollars worth of federal funds, then turning around and slamming Congress.
At one point, the president engaged in a testy exchange with Watson, after Obama characterized his 2008 loss margin in Texas as "a few" percentage points — and Watson corrected him, telling him it was more like 10 percent.
Update: Watch the raw video of the 9-minute interview from WFAA, one of the Tribune's reporting partners, and Watson's report, below:
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