Candid views of this president. You talk to them one on one, theyre pretty up front about the fact that they dont take all the president s words to heart. That they are kind of getting used to how he conducts himself and his disregard for the facts. And thats a remarkable thing for an american president , members of his own party, in the congress to say. Its where we are. And im kind of used to it too now, because you talk to members of the congress. And in private, they dont even bother offering a defense of this president. They acknowledge he says things that are not true. Look at what bob corker told us a few months ago in that interview, where he really broke with the president. He said the president tweets things that are not true, you know it, i know it, he knows it,
damage to the fabric of american democracy, and thats an extraordinary thing for them to say. Yeah. But yet they wont say it publicly. Heres what i have to ask you, and one of the main reasons im asking you. In are other reasons im asking you about this. Im not sure if you heard the conversation i had just before you, with the military folks. Talking about possibly going to war with north korea. Do they question this president s grasp of reality. This is a person who can declare war. Who has the military codes, but is lying and admits he does, and doesnt have a grasp on Reality Opinion do they voice concern about that . Senator corker mentioned this to me a few months ago, hes uneasy about it i think what these lawmakers comfort
themselves with is the fact they believe a lot of what the president does is mere bluster, he is blowing off steam, he doesnt follow through with his threats. I think they reassure themselves that hes not going to follow through with the comments he makes, theyre merely words. They look at people around the president like john kelly. And they believe there is some restraint around a president if he does act impulsively, for the most point theyve gotten to the point where 11 months into this administration, they dont believe hes going to follow through with what he says and does. They do discount his public tweets and threats. What was it, the new word of the year was complicit . Theres a good reason for that. Jonathan, i want you to stand by, i want to bring in david now. Werent you hear the night that access Hollywood Tape were we on the air that night . We kept waiting for the apology to come the president apologized. Ive said and done things i regret. And the words released today on this more than a decade old video are one of them. I said it, i was wrong and i apologize. I said it, i was wrong and i apologize. Now i want to send investigators, its not me, it doesnt sound like me, its what . Yeah, don, so what. As you said, that day that that tape came out. My Washington Post colleague reported this story, we were on the air later that night. Waiting for the president to come out and make that statement you just played. Now that were a little more
than a year later, you probably would expect the president at this point still love him or hate him, to not acknowledge the many allegations against him. You wouldnt expect him to acknowledge things that he could be in jeopardy for, you would expect anyone especially the president of the United States to acknowledge a tape weve all heard with our own ears and for which he apologized in a videotaped address you played. That is the lengths President Trump will go to rewrite history on these cases, whether its on that, whether its on President Obamas Birth Certificate, on a whole host of issues. But you just dont expect the president of the United States to lie as my dad would say, flat foot in your face. Apparently now we do. For everyone who reads that story, what i took away from those quotes, from those Members Of Congress who were speaking on background was this idea that theyve already priced in that you can only sort of take everything the president says to them in private with a grain of salt, you talk to the president. Im going by my take from these quotes. You talk to the president , he says some thenks, some of it is probably not that true. Some of it maybe is true. You move on and work with members of the administration. But not not taking the president fully at his word. That is the gift of what some of those folks were telling jonathan in that story. A year into a fouryear term, thats where a lot of people are, its unfortunate. We all expect politicians and political operatives to spin, its another thing, to just flatly go against what people know very well from their own eyes and ears. I want you to. Remember this i want to play this for you. Its a strange Press Conference the president gave during the campaign. Where he walked back from the birtherism. Although it was tepid, he was like barack obama was born in the United States, period now we all want to get back to making America Strong and great again. I just as a black person, seeing those people behind him. Really . Come on. The former president who he made up those bogus claims about said that all along i cant believe how ridiculous this is. We have Better Things and much more important things to deal with. Its clear he didnt believe it, he didnt want to say it, and he
doesnt believe that now. Or maybe he does, maybe theres some reason hes saying it, he just doesnt like the president who he inherited a great economy from. A great job market from, who he continues to say, you know, the stock markets doing great, doing great for years under barack obama. I wonder what he would have said if he inherited from barack obama what he inherited from the president before him. Theres something particularly loathsome about the way President Trump glommed on to the Birther Movement as a way to crawl his way to the top of the heap in president ial politics. Leaving that aside for a moment. The president part of this is about President Obama, and part of it is about President Trump
himself. Its about obama to the degree you feel like hes still in competition about President Obama. He brags that the stock market is up 20 since hes been president. It was up 150 over obamas eight years. He knows that, i think his behavior suggests hes in competition with President Obama. The part of this thats about President Trump. And regardless of President Obama. Is that our president s from George Washington to President Obama, you have to have a healthy ego to run for president , to say, i can be the leader of the free world. Most president s come to the job with an agenda, and trying to accomplish something for their legacy. For history. The ethos of President Trump so far, hes daily seeking the affirmation of himself. Hes often saying behind the scenes, he cant accept the results of the election. Or cant accept President Obamas Birth Certificate or cant affirm what he said on the access Hollywood Tape. Those Things Dont Redowned to the image he wants to have. So much more to talk about. I only have so many hours in the day, and so many hours in this broadcast. Thank you, david. Appreciate it. Wonder what youre going to be reporting tomorrow, or in the next couple hours. I want to bring in now, a New York Times columnist who has been standing by patiently here, what do you make of this . You know, president s always exaggerate, they spin, theyre always at least tethered to reality. Sometimes with a long tether. President trump is the first president ive seen who is untethered, and hes been this way not only for the last year, but for decades, and i think what is also unusual is
typically, when we elect a flawed person, that person grows into the presidency, President Trump has had a remarkable ability to stay the same as hes always been. Youre being kind saying flawed . Yes, i am. The thing that people dont want to talk about, this is not rational, this is not sane. This is crazy. There are two aspects here. One is the degree to which this demeans the u. S. , degrades the presidency. Its hard to call the president a liar. Its hard to question the president s grasp of reality, as a journalist, i feel i have more respect for the office he holds than he does. Saz a person whos supposed to call into question, supposed to hold the president s feet to the fire i feel an obligation to say this is nuts, this is
insane. I do think we i think youre absolutely right. We respect the office by holding the people who hold that office accountable. I think our job as journalists has to be to try to continue that true squadding, and this raises obvious questions about what this does to american soft power, to the to the role of the presidency, also to the degree to which decisions are made based on facts, as opposed to some sort of alternative reality. This is what the reporter in the piece, Maggie Haber Man tweeted. It was one of the rare moments he felt public humiliation in his life, people who know him say hes trying to will it away to some extent when he talks about it. What is going on . Is he gaslighting himself . What is that. I really do think there is a
continuous pattern here, what hes doing now with that access Hollywood Tape, is the same thing he was doing in the late 1960s, when he was caught denying blacks access to his Apartment Buildings in new york city. And he absolutely dede nighed what was crystal clear, what was proven in documents. And this has been a continuous pattern throughout his career, a lot of other countries do this too. I spent five years in china, where political leaders routinely if they dont like a reality, they construct an alternative one. And any connection with reality is largely coincidental. I think thats what President Trump is doing. If a situation doesnt work, he invents a new one. We used to have the luxury of saying it happens over there. Now those sort of dictatorial behaviors and is being used on American People. And it has a real cost. Speaking of, north korea, i want to turn to north korea now, the president is now reacting, this is the frightening part, north koreas launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile earlier today. As you probably have heard, and some of you have reported a missile was launched a little while ago from north korea. I will only tell you we will take care of it, we have general mattis in the room with us. We have had a long discussion on it. It is a situation we will handle. That was toned down, and it should be. Do you think he realizes the seriousness of the moment . I hope so. I think theres a lot of nervousness in congress and in
the pentagon that theres a growing recognition that our strategy has failed, our strategy had been to get china to apply pressure to north korea through sanctions to get north korea to change its behavior, i dont think anybody thinks that is working, its also clear that our strategic aim was to get denuclearization of the korean peninsula, was not feasible. We have a strategic aim that is not feasible. We have a tactic and policy that is not working, and so theres a lot of anxiety that whats left that President Trump may as he has promised, talk about military options, and president s have thought about this since president nixon in 1969, theyve always pulled back, because those options are so awful. I know you know the power of your words, and i can feel you weighing them every time you come here, i always appreciate your candor, i think when you come on this show, youre always
honest, and i think youre even more honest, i appreciate that. Good to be with you, don. President trump continuing to push false Conspiracy Theorys from the access Hollywood Tape, does a president really believe all this . Does he expect us to believe it. Meals on wheels reaches so many people. Its impactful beyond anything ive ever done in my life. bruce the meals and his friendship really mean, means a lot to me. vo through the subaru share the love event, weve helped deliver over onepoint Seven Million meals to those in need. Get a new subaru and well donate Two Hundred Fifty dollars more. chris and bruce put a little love in your heart. Im all about my bed. This mattress is dangerously comfortable. When i get in, i literally say ahh. America loves the Leesa Mattress. We have more five star Customer Reviews than any other mattress of its kind. This bed hugs my body. Im now a morning person. Hello bed of my dreams. Discover how leesas innovative design provides an extraordinary sleep experience. Then place your order. Well ship your Leesa Mattress right to your door. So you can enjoy a riskfree trial at home. I love my leesa. Today is gonna be great. Sleep on it for up to 100 nights and love it, or youll get a full refund. Returns are free and easy. Order now and get 125 off. Plus, a free pillow
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so send a smile and show that you care ill give a little bit of my love to you does the president actually believe the words that come out of his own mouth. You have to wonder that in the face the president has made over 1600 false or misleading claims since taking the oath of office. Which according to the Washington Post, works out to be more than five per day. Does he believe what he is telling us . Is he gaslighting himself . Or is he gaslighting us . That provocative question from vanity fair. Gaslighting according to Psychology Today happens when a person causes a victim to question reality. That could certainly apply to
the president , who regularly denies the things that we all know to be true. Things we have seen with our own eyes and heard with our own ears. We remember when he was caught on tape saying this. Im automatically attracted to beautiful i start kissing them, its like a magnet. And when youre a star, they let you do it, anything you want. They let you do it . You can do anything. Before his inauguration, trump told a republican senator, he wanted to investigate that recording, even though he himself admitted he said those words and apologized for saying them. I said it, i was wrong. And i apologize. So which is it, mr. President , should we believe your apology then or your apparent denial now . I want to bring in tina nguyen who wrote that article. Julia yaffe who is a staff writer for the atlantic. When Donald Trump Tells a half truth or all out wli, he does so with assurance that it is often impossible to tell whether the president is deliberately disassembling, creating more comfortable depictions for himself give us examples . The one that comes to mind is the feud he had with jeff flake who delivered a blistering indictment of him when he announced his retirement. When asked to respond, he said, i dont know who jeff flake is, hes never met me. They met months before he was even elected. I could go on and on and on. Gop tax cut zm. Yeah, he claims hes not going to get any sort of benefit from the tax cut, which is pretty incorrect honestly, the entire history of covering donald trump has been what hes saying matching up with the truth. What about the fake renoir painting . He has a painting in his house that he insists is real. And the real one is hanging up in chicago. Thats been debunked for a long time. But he still insists he has the real one. President trump continues to insist the voice on the access Hollywood Tape isnt him. And hes questioning the authenticity of Barack ObamasBirth Certificate behind closed doors. He also claims he lost the
popular vote because of widespread voter fraud. Does he possibly believe these things . I think its something that he decides on a moment by moment basis. So his pattern is to establish many different claims about the same thing. So he could at one moment say that President Obama was not born in the United States. Then he could say im sending detectives to honolulu to investigate, and then say oh, theyre finding amazing things, and none of those things are true. But its a great story to tell he can fall back on, and then i think he really does imagine that were all buying this. That we only are aware of what hes saying in the moment. Its almost as if hes living out he declared would be his life. When he was much younger he said his life is a comic book, and hes the star of it. The show is trump and its sold out every night. He oirk straights his life as if its a dramatic performance. And were the audience and the people around him are props. Reality just depends on what the show is that moment. And if it needs to change, he changes it. I see youre nodding in agreement. You wrote a great piece about the president manipulating the media in a putinesque way. Putin figured out a better way to keep the press in line. Explain how President Trump is doing the same thing . Weve seen reports. Its weird im saying this on cnn. Weve seen reports that one of the reasons that the time warner at t merger was blocked by the Trump Justice Department was cnns coverage. And cnn has been a constant punching bag for this president. He calls it fake news. Hes at times literally like to tweet about punching cnn. This is the tactic the kremlin has figured out. They dont kill journalists any more, they just lean on the big company that owns as one of its many, many assets a cnn or a bloomberg or whatever publication, or an advertiser who among many other things, advertises in some magazine thats critical of avladimir putin, behind the scenes they lean on them. They dont want to risk their big business empire. They stop advertising or sell off the media property, they get laid off, they leave journal i678, because they have families to support. The reason independent media died in russia is because all the outlets were shut down for economic reasons. The kremlin has perfect plausible deniability. They can say, we had nothing to do with it. If the advertisers dont want to advertise with you, you dont have an economically feasible model, it has nothing to do with putsen. Where it does. I appreciate all of you joining me here this evening. When we come back, the president told me he is the least racist person. Just because you say it, doesnt make it so. Were going to dive deep into President Trumps insensitive statements next. Our average customer can significantly lower their monthly bills. Quick. Beat the feds next rate hike. Do not miss this window. Are you sure you have the best rate . It only takes 3 minutes to find out. Go to lendingtree. Com right now. Warren were sure Applause Lines on the campaign trail. And pocahontas is not happy. Shes the worst. When the insult was repeated in front of navajo code talkers, only silence followed. The democratic senator called it a racial swlur. I think thats a ridiculous response. Its far from the only time the president has crossed racially sensitive lines. When a White Supremacist rally ended in bloodshed. He suggested the counter protesters also bore blame. You had some very bad people in that group, you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. As the nfl players protest against Police Treatment of africanamericans evolved. He was quick to demand their firing, tweeting about it
numerous times, including this morning. The American Public is fed up with the disrespect the nfl is paying to our country. Out of control. He is as president who he was as a candidate. Look at my african over here. Look at him. While he bragged about support among minorities, he beat his base by demonizing them. Immigrants from mexico. Theyre bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime. Theyre bringing rapists and some i assume are good people. An american judge trump argued was biassed against him. Hes of Mexican Heritage and his very proud of it. You have sacrificed nothing. And no one. The muslim mother of an american soldier killed in combat after her husband spoke against trump during the democratic convention. She was standing there, she had nothing to say, she probably maybe she wasnt allowed to have anything to say, you tell me. He relentlessly and falsely
suggested the Nations First Black president barack obama was not a natural born citizen. If he wasnt born in this country, he has pulled one of the great cons in the history of politics. Trump refused to believe five young men were falsely accused of savage rape in central park in the 80s. Trump has continually and emphatically defended himself against charges of prejudice. I am the least racist person. Are you bigoted in anyway . I dont think so, no. Islam phobic . No, not at all. When people say youre racist or homophobic or islam phobic or whatever it is. Or compare you to hitler. Does that bother you . If things are true, it would bother me tremendously. The president almost always
doubles down on his remarks and his defenders deny any racist intent. Those denials are less and less convincing as more examples pile up. When we come back, is there a deeper political motive behind the president s statements, or does he actually believe all of this . Getting a bad haircut. Overcrowded trains. Turnstiles that dont turn. And spilling coffee on themselves. But for everyone else, theres directv. For 1 rated Customer Satisfaction over cable, switch to directv. And for a limited time get a 100 reward card. Call 1800directv
give a little bit give a little bit. Hello. Give a little bit. Of your love to me oh, haha. Theres so much that we need to share so send a smile and show that you care ill give a little bit of my love to you to find smarter solutions. To offer more precise and less invasive Treatment Options than before. Like advanced Genomic Testing and immunotherapy. See how were Fighting To Outsmart Cancer at cancercenter. Com outsmart and her new Mobile Wedding business. Tte at first, getting paid was tough. Until she got quickbooks. Now she sends invoices, sees when theyve been viewed andtadahpaid twice as fast for free. Visit quickbooksdotcom. Of us were here. Although we have a representative in congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her pocahontas. There was silence after that comment. Because everyone in the room knew he was using a racial slur directed at senator elizabeth baron. Joining me now, Bakari Sellers and ed martin. Good evening everyone, here we are bakari, i want to read this, this is from Maggie Haber Man. This is from the New York Times. It says, in recent months, they say mr. Trump has used closed door conversations to question the authenticity of president Barack ObamasBirth Certificate, he claims he lost the popular vote last year because of widespread voter fraud. One senator who listened as the president revived his doubts
chuckled on tuesday as recalled the conversation. The president has had a hard time letting go of his claim that the president was not born in the United States. His political career began with birtherism, this was a Conspiracy Theory he harbored. Why cant he let this go . Maybe because thats who he is. I dont think this is anything new about his character, you can go back to atlantic city, can you go back to the central park five, housing discrimination, his comments about muslim americans, about mexican americans, judge curial, we can talk about the usage of pocahontas under the portrait of andrew jackson. At a memorial where we remembered some world war ii veterans. You can go through this long litany of things. The problem we have is two fold, people are becoming desensitized when he makes racially innoce e insensitive comments. Two, you have good people who are willing to set aside that and still support him anyway. So those two groups of individuals, the ones who are desensitized to this, and the ones who are putting this aside and supporting him anyway. Are a bigger problem than donald trump in my opinion. I happen to agree with bakari on that. The excuse of this is just who he is, many of us warned the American People that this is who he is they cast that aside, and didnt care. Just because you can explain it, doesnt mean you should excuse it. Thats what people who supported donald trump are continuing to do now when he lies and behaves
in a way that is is existential threat to our republican, our norms and institutions, every single day, Something Else comes out that demonstrates the threat he poses. Its sour grapes. Because he won. No, its not sour grapes, pointing out whats happening, the reality in front of us is not sour grapes, those of us are concerned with how do we move forward. How do we protect the country from this, you cannot have a functioning government, when the president of the United States behaves this way. And i mean, he knows the comments offend people, but he doesnt want he says that he doesnt want to stop insulting people. Why does he keep saying then . I mean, two quick comments, guys, i know were talking about some of these comments and i hear them. Donald trumps political career, if you look back over 25, 30 years, hes been talking about immigration and china, and other issues, in addition to some of these comments you brought up. I watched your show, i watch
your show with some devotion. And im on frequently, when i watch the New York Times reporter report a series of Anonymous Sources, the main one is a senator who made comments before the inauguration about the president s State Of Mind regarding the access hollywood. Theres a reason out here maggy has been on day after day now about Anonymous Sources about the State Of Mind where Sarah Huckabeesanders gets out and says he hasnt changed his mind. You realize these are the same reporters the president calls frequently whenever he wants to get his message out. And shes so discretted why did the president call her . The question was why does he continue to do it when he knows its an insult . About pocahontas you mean . Why does he continue to insult even beyond pocahontas . I dont think its a racial slur in anyway. And if you call someone who isnt a nativeamerican pocahontas i think that isnt a slur. I think thats called making fun of someone, not a racial slur. We dont know that she is. Shes already admitted regardless its not the forum. Its inappropriate. Does anybody realize pocahontas was a real person . Shes associated with james town in 1613. She was actually kidnapped by white cologniests. And died of a horrible disease. And died of a horrible disease. There is nothing about that story there is nothing about
that story that you should actually use that. Let me help you understand this. This is like you calling me j. J. Or even more importantly you calling me leroy. Its the same thing. No, its not. Listen, ive got to say this because im out of time. Disney made a movie About Pocahontas and The Movies With To Honor Pocahontas not to make fun of her. And its a real story. Exactly. And i agree its not a slur. I mean wish i had time to take care of my portfolio, but. Why arent you using this guy . It makes your wifi awesomely fast. No. Still nope. Now were talking it gets you wifi here, here, and here. It even lets you take a time out. No no yes yes, indeed. Amazing speed, coverage and control. All with an xfi gateway. Find your awesome, and change the way you wifi. Its giving tuesday, and we want to show you how you can help our 2017 top ten cnn heroes continue their important work. Heres Anderson Cooper to tell you more. Im Anderson Cooper. Each of this years top ten cnn heroes proves that one person really can make a difference. And this year were making it easy for you to support their great work. Just go to cnn heros. Com and click donate to any 2017 top ten cnn hero to make a direct contradiction to that heros fundraiser. Youll receive an email confirming your donation Tax Deductible in the United States. No matter the amount you can make a difference in our heroes continue life life changing work. To celebrate all these every day people changing the world, you can donate from your laptop, tablet yore your phone. Just go to cnnheroes. Com. Your donation in any amount will help them help others. Thanks. And of course all our top ten cnn heroes will be honored at
the 11th annual cnn heroes allstar tribute. Make sure you tune in to be inspired. Thats it for us tonight. Ill see you right back here tomorrow