To fund the government, which by the way, in the space of a few days he endorsed and threatened to votto and didnt veto in the end, the president was asked three questions. Two about the bill which he answered and one he did not. Thank you all very much. Lying about the affairs . Well, on the way out to marine one, the same story. Mr. President , is Karen Mcdougal telling the truth . Any comment on mrs. Mcdougal. Will you watch 60 minutes on sunday . Will you watch 60 minutes mr. President . Well, the president also ignored questions at Joint Base Andrews Taking The Long Way to avoid members of the press. This is a president who, as you know, doesnt shy away from speaking his mind about even the most serious allegations against him, including allegations of sexual misconduct. He is, however, silent about the alleged relationship karen
of mind with everything else. And you know, deep inside, i did have a lot of guilt, but i still continued. You believe, though, that he had real feelings for you . Of course he did. Mmhmm. I know he did. He would say it then . He did. Were you in love with him . I was, yeah. Imham. Do you think he was in love with you . He was, yeah. Did donald trump ever say to you that he loved you . All the time. He always told me he loved me. Yeah. Of course. So where is this picture from . That picture is from The Apprentice release party that they had at the playboy mansion. They filmed it like a month beforehand, which is where i met him. Then they had the release party when The Apprentice actually aired. Thats when that was. This is a picture with ivanka trump, Melania Trump, several of your colleagues and yourself. Correct. Did so was that the first
like, again, when youre doing something wrong, you try to push everything out of the way and make it as right as you can in your mind. So i met, you know, all his kids, except for barron, of course. And i just tried to shake it. But now it gets to me, but then it didnt. Did he ever compare you to any of his kids . You know, hes very proud of ivanka. As he should be. Shes a brilliant woman. Shes beautiful. Shes, you know, thats his daughter, and he should be proud of her. He said i was beautiful like her. And you know, youre a smart girl. There wasnt a lot of comparing, but there was some, yeah. I heard a lot about her. Yeah. Did you think maybe this would lead to a marriage . Maybe. Thats something, though, you liked him enough, thats something you would have liked . Maybe. If Melania Trump is watching this, what would you want her to know . Thats a tough one. Or say to her. Yeah. What can you say except im sorry. Im sorry. I wouldnt want it done to me. Im sorry. Well, the White House Press conference scheduled for 1 00 today was canceled. The issue was sure to come up. Then the president tweeted he would have a pres conference today, which raised the possible he himself would take questions on it, but there was not a press conference. He answered two questions off mike and avoided the third. We asked for a statement but still havent gotten it, and quite understandably, no statement from the first lady, who hosted what was billed as a woman of courage event. Let us think for a moment about what courage truly is. Courage is the quality most
needed in this world. Yet it is often the hardest to find. Courage sets apart those who believe in higher calling and those who act on it. It takes courage not only to see wrong but strive to right it. The first lady did tweet out a photo yesterday. She and the president with a snowy lawn in the background. She doesnt send out a lot of tweets of pictures with her husband. She sent it about ten hours before the interview hit. Also, yesterday, the official white house schedule hit, saying the couple would depart the white house together. However in florida, it was family all the way down the stairs, the president , the first lady, and their son. As for the departure, we reached out to had first ladys office for an explanation or comment on the change but did not receive a response. Jeff zeleny said the president s announcement of john bolton after dumping his secretary of state, was done in part to take the spotlight off the interview
with Karen Mcdougal. And jeff zelenys sources are correct, that would be an extraordinary move, even for this president , announcing the replacement of a top adviser, at least in part to deflect from a former playboy model talking about a 12yearold alleged affair. Jeff did the reporting on the curious timing of the bolton story, also the one trying to get answers from the president today. Jeff joining us now from the white house. The president not wanting to say anything at all about this today. He did not. We asked him questions, shouted questions to him as he was le e leaving the white house south lawn. At the end of a very busy day here, a very tumultuous week here. Clearly did not want to answer these questions. It was notable he was walking alone. Melania trump, the first lady, was arrived separately to Andrews Air Force base outside washington. We, of course, saw them departing there in west palm beach, florida, but certainly, there was a sense here today, anderson, this was a different moment. As for the announcement of john
bolton, i was told by Administration Officials that this did play a part in it. It was always scheduled to happen, but it was going to be announced as part of a bigger group of announcements. Now, of course, the president controls the timing on all of this. He was also furious this week about a leak from the Vladimir Putin phone call, when he was told not to congratulate him. So many things played a role in this. But i am told the president , as we know, watches cable television, and other television, and reads many newspapers, was keying in to this, and clearly was eager to change the subject. Anderson, certainly, as the family, the trump family is maralago for the weekend, its unknown what the status of their time together will be. Of course, well be watching for the president on social media, other places, but certainly, this had a different feeling today here at the white house, anderson. Jeff, appreciate that. In just the last few moments, we got Breaking News on the silence from the president. The Wall Street Journal reported the president has been
asking advisers whether he should break it and publicly fight the allegations. Advisers told him theres no sign the allegations have hurt him with voters and have warned him it would look inappropriate to engage with among others a adult star. Maggie haberman is with us. I saw you on new day this morning. You were talking about exactly what the journal is reporting tonight, about advisers telling him that there is no upside to coming out on this. And there really isnt. Look, hes been cautioned over time that theres no upside to a lot of the fights he picks and he usually cant help himself. Hes been pretty restrained this time. Him asking advisers about what he should do, and that is something he has been doing for a while, but i think that he is watching night by night, your interview with ms. Mcdougal, all of us talking and saying hes being really silent. Then that makes him think, maybe
i soonlt do it. I expect he will stay silent as long as he can. As long as he can keep himself from doing it. This is a very unusual feeling for him, to have to just sit and kind of absorb things. To have to bring the press along with him on a plane. Normally, he can block people out and handle things as he wants on his terms. Cant do that as president. So i think this is just a challenge for him. Especially, regarding Stormy Daniels with this interview, which has been two weeks coming. And the attorney for Stormy Daniels has been very public, you know, challenging in a very public way. Beating him, yeah. Thats got to be difficult for this president , for this white house. Its as we know an incredibly reactive white house, which we have seen again this morning when the president threatened to veto essentially because he was watching and hearing criticism of the Spending Bill coming from his political base. He looks at tv, and he responds to it. He hears whats being said and responds to it, so yes, he has been baited repeatedly by the lawyer for Stormy Daniels who is
essentially saying, you know, tweeting oud a picture of a cd last night, which he then said today contained proof of some kind of an affair. And he essentially taunted the president to keep going. The president on that one, he has become part of this arbitration case. So he is actually joining that fight in a pretty public way. Its dramatic for him to be suing somebody for damages in this way. While then sort of saying i know nothing about it and this isnt true. I think that the longer this goes on, i think the harder it is going to be for him to stay quiet. It was interesting just hearing jeff zelenys reporting that sources of him are telling him at least in part, the timing, the way the Bolton Announcement was made, may have had something to do with the interview last night. You actually talked about that yesterday as a possibility. And i gotta say, when you said it, i kind of thought, theres no way that would actually you had surprise in your voice. I did. The idea that he would affect an
announcement based on an interview with somebody whose story has been out there, but this was the first time she was talking on television, yet, jeff is reporting what you intimated yesterday. Dont think that was the only reason, but that was an added benefit. John bolton, remember, he was john bolton was public about this. He didnt expect to be offered the job when he was. He didnt hear anything from the white house for a while until suddenly getting this call the day before yesterday, please be in the oval office. This is a president who is pretty aware of what is taking place on television. It is hard to believe that he was not aware of this. The other question, that means sunday for the 60 minutes interview. Buckle up. Yeah, i think that he could do something. He could just let it ride. I think that one is going to be really hard for him not to challenge. I found your interview with ms. Mcdougal, it was sad. There was sort of a sadness about it. I think Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti in that case
have been much more in the president s face. And i could see him reacting more to that. Yeah. The story well, it was also interesting, ms. Mcdougal, this was a tenmonthlong relationship in which she felt love toward him. She claims he felt love toward her as well. So you had a story earlier this month about the president s legal team shakeup. And i am reminded by what the president s response to that story was, saying the failing New York Times purposely wrote a false story stating im unhappy with my legal team on the russian case. Im going to add another lawyer. Wrong, im very happy with my lawyers. Went on to complain about you. Of course, your reporting. This is just yet another example of you reporting something accurately. The president attacking it as fake news. In particular, naming john dowd. John dowd left yesterday. Yes. Theres been reporting on h. R. Mcmaster, when he would go. The Washington Post story. Fake news. Accurate. It was accurate. Tillerson, which has been going on for quite some time. Again, all of this stuff. At a certain point, you would think either the president or maybe the people around him already do, would realize that the more he calls Stuff Fake News that then is revealed by his own actions to be true days later, the less credible he becomes. He doesnt care. Theyre trapped in his unreality bubble. One of the things i think has come up repeatedly is, two things. We know that he likes to test the limits. And if he sees he can get away with something, hell keep doing it. If he can keep talking publicly and intimating hes going to maybe shut down the mueller investigation, even without saying that, and the Republican Leadership in congress doesnt more vocally challenge him, hell keep doing it. You know, in terms of his staff, his staff has gotten a lot of criticism for, we have all written about this one went out and lied. This one went out and lied. In some cases, people are lying. Some in cases. People are told a lie by him,
and they dont know. Thats not a reason to stay in a job, but it ultimately all goes back to him. This is how he does things. He clearly, when they yell fake news. Its very hard to take it seriously. He believes he has a base that is essentially always going to be with him and believe whatever he says about these stories. Thats what hes banking on. Its really hard to get reelected without expanding your base, but thats clearly if he runs for reelection, how hes going to do it. Maggie haberman, thank you very much. Coming up next, perspective from two republicans. A former trump aide and one of the president s critics. Later, Breaking News on guns. March in washington and other cities, action from the administration on bump stocks. The fastest samsung ever demands tmobile, the Fastest Network ever. Because fast should be fast. Right now get the new Samsung Galaxy s9 for half off. Your friend just marea. You like her. Shes really good at social media. She buys stocks in companies that stand for something. You like her. Shes always up on the latest trends. She got in early on the whole goat yoga thing. And her sunsets are always nofilter. You like her. But youd like her better if you made more money than she does. Dont get mad at just marea. Get e trade. Tell your Healthcare Provider if youve had depression or other Mental Health problems. Decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. Use caution when driving or operating machinery. The most common side effect is nausea. Quitting was one of the best things that i ever did. Ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. Many insurance plans cover chantix for a low or 0 copay. The president shortly after melania gave birth. Karen mcdougal pointed out shes a republican and voted for the president even after hearing the Access Hollywood tape. I voted for the president , i voted for donald. Why would i want to damage him . Thats my party, republican party. Thats my president. Joining us, gop strategist rick wilson. Also former trump lawyer, white house lawyer, james schultz. Appreciate both of you being with us. Rick, we talked about this last night on the program, that voters, Americans Elect a president , say that voters elect a president , not a pastor in chief. Is there a red line here, you think . I think one of the things were really going to test in the next few days is the fact that voters sort of internalize that donald trump was kind of a skeez bag in the campaign, but they didnt have it in their face. They didnt have these women telling their stories as directly as they are now with what looks like emergent evidence of these affairs and these engagements with these women. I think its a little bit more of a test now, particularly for
his evangelical base because if you look at the situation holistically, Stormy Daniels and the new person that came out yesterday, theyre not the last. Theyre the beginning of the beginning, not the beginning of the end. Jim, is there a point, you think, at which the president s supporters will start to care about all this . We talked about it last night. A lot of evangelical voters and leaders have said, again, you know, were not looking for a pastor in chief. Yeah, i think this is somewhat old news. We walked through this time and time we walked through this during the campaign cycle. During the campaign cycle, these issues came up time and time again, including billy bush. That was in your face. As in your face as they come, and the voters didnt care. We have seen it develop. The news media has been hitting this for the last 30 days and his numbers continue to go up. Where the evangelical base, i think time will tell, but what the evangelical base seems to care about are conservative judges like neil gorsuch and the Circuit Court judges on the
court. The president s put on the court, and also looking at the religious liberty issues and the suxsis in the administration on religious liberty. I think theyre looking at those issues and him keeping his promises and less about the issues that took place years and years ago. And maybe there are more to come out in terms of allegations, but im not sure its going to matter. Rick, its interesting hearing Karen Mcdougal who is a female republican who voted for the president , even knowing what she says she personally knew about the president and the relationship they had, and obviously, the Access Hollywood tape. So if it didnt matter to her in terms of who she voted for, im wondering just on women voters, republican women voters who voted for the president the first time, whether it will have some sort of cumulative effect or not. Well, if you look at the polling right now, you have already seen republican women voters very much walking back from the party in a lot of the elections we had in the 2017 and 2018 window so far. Republican women, particularly College Educated republican women, are the president s
weakest supporters inside the republican cohort, and they have pretty much flipped over. So i think that the continued pressure of the stories, and again, you know, the point was made that we saw this during billy bush. We didnt,achytually. We heard it. I think if were going to see the women giving their testimony and i think if were going to see the women producing documentary evidence, its a totally different situation for the president. I also think that there may be a moment, and i dont want to be too flippant about this, but its kind of horrible to contemplate, but if there are naked pictures of the president , thats a news story that blows up the w