And that includes puerto rico. Actually, he didnt. James lee wit told us that assessment was for hurricanes harvey and irma. On the subject of his combative relationship with Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell. We are probably now, despite what we read, were probably now, i think, at least as far as im concerned, closer than ever before. And the relationship is very good. Were fighting for the same thing. You know who else the president says he has a Good Relationship with . Saets steve bannon. The same steve bannon who left the backed candidate running against trumps choice in the Alabama Senate race. The same steve bannon promising to wage war against the leaders of the gop, like Mitch Mcconnell. I have a very Good Relationship as you know with steve bannon. Steve is doing what steve thinks is the right thing. And trump also thinks he is doing much more for the families of Fallen Soldiers than his predecessor. If you look at president obama and other president s, mouf them didnt make calls. A lot of them didnt make calls. I like to call when i think its appropriate, when im able to do it. Thats not true either. Brum during his time in the white house wrote letters and made calls to families of fallen american troops, just as other president s have done. So lets discuss all of this now. I want to bring in now cnn senior political analyst mark preston, David Axelrod and plilt at analyst april ryan. Where do we start here, mark . Where do we start with this. Lets start with Mitch Mcconnell because it was a united front as you have seen with other leaders who have come out with him, everything is fine, saying they are closer than ever before. We know how they have been feuding. It has been on twitter. Its been going back and forth. Are you really buying this love fest . Well, i aum things. One is this is a classic donald trump stick and carrot proechl of the he beats you and then hell throw out a carrot in front of you. We saw that happen today within hours of where he was very critical of the United States senate, particularly republican senators forgetting his agenda through and he took no responsibility for it. At the same time he knows that he needs Mitch Mcconnell on the senate if hes going to have any kind of success. If hes going to get any kind of victories. He has an unhealthy obsession with his legacy, but it is so unhealthy so early in his term right now. And the fact is donald trump likes victories and he likes wince and without Mitch Mcconnell hes going to get none of those. He also has an unhealthy obsession with the former president. April, you called this News Conference with the president and the Senate Majority leader a hot mess. Why is that . Well, one, you know, those comments, james lee wit and also with president obama saying that the president never called or visited with any of those Fallen Soldiers, i couldnt believe that. And after sarah from cnn, the reporter from cnn asked that question the president said that, i leaned over and said thats not true. Because i was there. You know, i remember going to the hanger where the victims of been gaes game out, i remember being there. I remember the president going to Dover Air Force base. That was sacred for that president. Thats a sacred moment. And to Say Something like that was very tough. And then at the end with the issue, you know well, a couple of times. Reporters were asking questions some reporters got three questions. But john roberts from fox news asked i guess his third or fourth question, i guess the third or fourth round, really, he asked about the nfl, and thats when i got my chance to ask about Police Involved shootings. The actual reason why the nfl players are taking a knee, and the president kept saying its disrespect and i through that question out and he kept saying disrespect. Never discussing the issue, the reason why the players knelt. It was just when you listen to a president of the United States, words matter. And for us to hear that certain things didnt happen, it just leaves a lot to question his credibility and just what really is happening. Yeah. What was interesting is that he hasnt spoken out about this, david, and the president was also asked today about his public silence for nearly two weeks on the four green berets killed in niger. He said he hasnt spoken to the families yet but he has written letters that will be arriving soon. But its this comment that drew criticism. Watch this. The toughest calls i have to make are the calls where this happens, soldiers are killed. Its very difficult thing. Now, it gets to a point where, you know, you make four or five of them in one day, its a very, very tough day. For me thats by far theest. The traditional way if you look at president obama and other president s, most of them didnt make calls. And then he later back tracked, david, when questioned about his claim and he said he only knew what his generals told him. I heard a. I heard that. I dont know if thats true. Im paraphrasing that. Former obama staff wrote this on twitter. She said that is a i cant use the language lie saying president obama or past president s didnt call families of members of soldiers kia. Hes a deranged animal. You were at president obamas side. What was your reaction to thiz comments today . Well, i mean, it was outrageous. And not just about him but about previous president s as well. Any president feels as President Trump said what when he started speaking that those are the toughest calls you have to make, those are the toughest meetings you have. That is really when being commander in chief comes home to you because you have the responsibility for these young men. You send them into battle and you are moved when there is a loss. I was there, don, in october ofible it was 2009 when the president in the middle of the night flew out to dover to as april mentioned to receive 18 Service People who were coming back in coffins from afghanistan and met with the families of those Service People in the middle of the night for several hours, consoling them. And i remember how sober he was the next morning in reflecting on that experience. So, you know, i dont know why President Trump feels the need to throw those things out. He does it all the time. Why does he feel the need to claim credit for this outstanding job in puerto rico when puerto rico is in such distress right now . Any reasonable person would say mr. President dont say those things. But he does and he does and he does. I dont know why. I want to talk about puerto rico, but just to reeither what happened. Former white house photographer put this picture up on instagram showing president obama consoling the parents of Army Sergeant first class monday tee who was killed in afghanistan. So again this president did not have his facts right. I want to ask you about what david just talked about and that is a response to hurricane maria. 44 approved how the president is handling the hurricane response. That is a 20 point drop from just a few weeks ago. That was after harvey and irma hit the mainland. How damaging are these numbers for the white house. Theyre very damning. He might not be doing well with Puerto Ricans who have moved here to the mainland United States, but that is a reflection right now of his stewardship of the government. And im not saying that its very easy, a very easy job to be doing what he is doing, because it is very difficult and im sure david can speak to that. You are juggling multiple baults, but the fact of the matter is that President Trump continues to go out and say things that are false, misleading and flat out lies and also deciding to go to war with the mayor of san juan down in puerto rico. Why would you do that . Theres absolute no reason when we heard from our own correspondents right now that while supplies are getting to the port, theyre not getting out of the port. Why isnt President Trump more concerned about perhaps sending in the military or sending in more folks to try to start rebuilding that infrastructure and getting those supplies around . But, again, don, it all goes back to what we said at the top. President trump really, really is focused on his own legacy and hes focused on himself, and theres a bit of nar simple there that i think is really getting in the way of him really doing a solid yob as president right now. How frustrating is it to sit there as someone who has covered the white house for twhas it, 20 years now and knowing in real time that this president should be fact checked and then not always having the opportunity to do so . Its got to be frustrating for people who if this is your vocation. Yes, it is frustrating. You know, it was frustrating. I was trying to get a question in. I was smackdab right in froblt of him and he made it a point not to recognize me. But towards the end he did, and when he was saying these things, particularly when he talked about james lee wit, and i understand that he sometimes leaves other facts out or changes it a little bit, and i remember a conversation that he had with congressman Elijah Cummings at the very beginning of this conversation when he came out and said after that conversation, oh, Elijah Cummings said that im the greatest president ever. Thats not what he said. He would be the greatest president if you did such and such and such and such. So its always a part of the fact and Something Else with it. And thats unfortunate to say about an american president because words matter. And listening to him today, particularly when he talked about obama and prior president s, but george w. Bush and president clinton, and i was like thats not true. It is frustrating. But thats why were there. Were the first line of questioning an american president and we also have Institutional Knowledge and memories sometimes that will help correct the misstatements. David, i want to ask you about this one because i thought its important to point out here. The president also weighed in on Hillary Clinton supporting nfl players rights. I hope hillary runs. Hillary, please run again. Go ahead. Shes at odds with you over whether this is disrespecting the flag. Is she right or is she wrong . I think shes wrong. Look, when they take a knee, theres plenty of time to do niece and lots of other things. But when you take a knee well, thats why she lost the election. Thats why she lost. What do you think of that . Look, he would love to replay this election from now until the next election, you know. He lives in this world, this race with Hillary Clinton is the most i mean, think about whats going on in the world right now and that he wants to engage in that discussion. But i do want to go back to one thing, don, which is mcconnell. And, you know, trump ran as an antiestablishment candidate. Mccanal is the ultimate establishment man, as mark pointed out, he needs mcconnell to some degree. But he loves having steve bannon out there strutting around in his johnny cash outfit threatening to gun everyone down and calling mcconnell sees ar and calling for brute i says to step up and do away with him and so on. He knows that hes got a gun cocked at mcconnell, figure ra actively speaking. In this day and age i shouldnt use that language. But hes got this implicit threat that bannon represents. So if im mcconnell im standing up there feeling deeply uncomfortable with trump says bannon is a friend of mine and hes doing what he thinks is right because theres a game being run here and Mitch Mcconnell is caught in the vice. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Don ive got to go. Im sorry. Next time, april. Well see you soon. When we come back, an emotional john mccain joking up tonight as he blasts who would abandon americas leadership in the world nor the sake of what he calls half baked spurious nationalism. Theres more and its very powerful and youll see it next. S tries to get in my way . Watch me. Ive tried lots of things for my joint pain. Now . Watch me. Think id give up showing these guys how its done . Please. Real people with active Psoriatic Arthritis are changing the way they fight it. Theyre moving forward with cosentyx®. Its a different kind of targeted biologic. 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Do you have a girlfriend . Uh, im actually focusing on my career right now, saving people nearly 600 when they switch, so. Wheres your belly button . [ sighs ] ive got to start booking better gigs. This ones below market price and has bluetooth. Same here, but this one has Leather Seats use the cars. Com app to compare price, features and value. You should sit down and really watch this because senator john mccain made an impassioned plea tonight for the United States not to turn away from its role as an international leader. It really was amazing to watch. He was awarded john mccain was awarded the Liberty Medal tonight and in his acceptance speech he took a shot at President Trump. Watch this. The fear in the world we have organized and led for threequarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of International Leadership and our duty to remain the last best hope of earth for the sake of some halfbaked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dog ma of the past that americans con signed to the ash heap of history. We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil. We are the custodians of those ideals at home, and their champion abroad. What do you think . I thought it was strong. Its an extraordinary i really urge people to listen to or read the whole speech. Its extraordinary. Eloquent. He really tells it like it is. And you could tell it comes from the heart. And it really is i mean, one hates to plit size it, but it is a frontal attack on donald trump. And it is a frontal attack really on Donald Trumps essential world view. If you go back to trump the businessman, taking out ads in the New York Times in 1980s, it was all this very selfish, narrow view of america in the world. Were being tape advantage of by the japanese. Were being taken advantage of by our nato eye lies. And mccain is essentially frontalel assaulting him. What america has been about for the last 75 years is the opposite. It has been about a country that tries to uphold International Order, to try to create a word of peace and prosperty and rules. And if you think about its coming at the end of a week where trump is trying to pull out of the iran deal, where he has pulled out of the paris agreement, where hes pulled out of the transpacific partnership, where we learn nafta is on the brink of being of collapse. We are watching the foundations of that International Order that john mccain was praising. Were watching it crumble. Theres so much to talk about. First, lets talk about the blood and soil, because that was a direct reference to whats happened in charlottesville, those white supremacists. I think it was clearly tied to that. Its that idea of european nationalism, which has always been about blood and soil. And what he was contrasting it with was mirk, which has always been based on ideas and ideals, not blood and soil. In the last segment i was sitting there, asked april how frustrating it is because as i sit at home before i come in i watch these speeches before i come on, thats not true, thats okay, he has a point about that. But ive never had to fact check in my mind speeches or comments by a president of the United States ever. And people will say, oh, well, the news is just being antitrump. The news needs to point out that is our job to point out inaccuracies and false tiz and lies. And it happens so many in just one speech today. What is going on, fareed . Well, you even saw it as you know, ive always said that the problem with trump is there is no such thing as truth and lies. Hes just making this stuff up. Hes make tg up on the spur of the moment. Its almost like Performance Art and i i dont want to keep using the same word, but we all know what it is. You saw this moment where he looks down and he says, you know, james dewitt james lee wi