Trust the president. New reporting on the president s humiliation of Jeff Sessions in the wake of the mueller appointment. And the Treasury Secretarys new excuse for asking the government to subsidize his honeymoon. They had to give up a lot to take these jobs. All in starts right now. Good evening from new york. Im chris hayes. The most prominent voices of the trump base discovered today what many of his Business Associates and customers learned long ago. If youre in business with donald trump, eventually youre going to end up on the wrong side of the deal. This afternoon in an offcamera session with reporters on Board Air Force one, the president defended his decision to work with democrats on a deal to protect undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children. In exchange for increased Border Security. Im a republican through and through, but im also finding that sometimes to get things through, its not working that way. And, you know, we got very poorly treated on the health care plan. We have to get things passed. And if we cant get things passed, then we have to go a different route. Since last night when Chuck Schumer and nancy pelosi emerged from dinner with the president , announcing theyd struck an agreement to extend daca, the obamaera deferred action for Childhood Arrivals Program which the president recently moved to end. Theres been an extended back and forth given the white house and capitol hill over what exactly was agreed to, if anything. The President Tweeting this morning, no deal was made last night on daca, massive Border Security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent, would be subject to vote. Minutes later he went on to advocate for the democrats position tweeting, does anybody really want to throw out good, educated, accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in military, really . Well, yes, actually, really. For instance, his own Attorney General. Who wants to do just that. Argued without basis that daca
recipients disadvantaged nativeborn workers. Candidate trump himself said Daca Recipients should stay with their families but they all have to go. Today the president told reporters he would agree to protect Daca Recipients even if he doesnt get his border wall in exchange. The wall will come later. Were right now renovating large sections of wall. Massive sections. Making it brandnew. Were doing a lot of renovation. We met last night with, as you know, schumer, pelosi, and a whole group. And i think were fairly close but we have to get past the Border Security. Mitch is on board, paul ryan is on board. Ryan and mcconnell agree with us on daca. Were very much on board. The reactions from ryan and mcconnell themselves were considerably more circumspect. Mcconnell saying in a brief statement, we look forward to receiving the trump administrations lins lave proposal as we continue our work on these issues. Ryan said the president and Chief Of Staff told him there was no agreement. But among the antiimmigrant
john poe dead sta was the chairman of Hillary Clintons president ial cam taken 2016, Counselor To President , who issued daca in 2012. Are you surprised by the developments in the last 24 hours . Of course, think everyones a little bit surprised. But i think we got to get out of the politics of this a little bit and remember whats at stake here. 800,000 young people, as President Trump himself tweeted this morning. Good kids, hardworking, in school, in jobs, in the military. And i think that last night he met with the two leaders, they struck a deal, and he should push forward with it. More Border Security in exchange for making daca permanent. That will be good for those young people. It will be good for the country. I think a majority of the public would support that. One point. Border security funding, we should say. Its unclear whether that will actually produce more Border Security. But in terms of the underlying truth of this, i agree with you. I think 800,000 actual
individual human beings with lives and but thats been the case throughout. I mean, its not like the politics are a sideshow. The reason barack obama had to issue daca as an Executive Order is because the votes werent there with the Republican Congress to do it statutorily. I agree with that. I think that the republicans have been reluctant to do it. But now they have a republican president hopefully who will be pressing them to do it. Hes gone a little bit back and forth on it through the course of the day. But he seems to settle in the evening again on the idea that these young people need relief. And hes promised to give to it them. And i think that if that means, you know, angering a couple of breitbart readers and some talk radio hosts, then he should go ahead and do it. Because these people need that relief. I think, as i said, he made the deal. Now we can see if he is a person who, you know it surprises me to say this, but well see
whether that when he sits across the table from the Democratic Leaders and makes a promise, whether hell make good on it. Well. Yeah, i mean, i wouldnt i wouldnt bet too much on that, given his history. But heres a question. You were in that white house with President Obama. You watched him work on a variety of issues and get stonewalled. You were Campaign Chair for Hillary Clinton. Had she been elected president likely would have worked in the white house, Chief Of Staff, Something Like that. You and i both know theres no way there would be a single republican vote for a dream act to be cemented into law if Hillary Clinton were president. Ryan and mcconnell would never bring that to the floor. How do you understand that . How do you understand the fact that in that universe, the same bill would be a nonstarter, but if donald trump signs on, they can probably pass it . I was with in the white house with President Obama in 2014 when he tried to get comprehensive immigration reform. And there was clearly a majority of votes in both houses. There were republicans who favored it, there was a solid
the entire Democratic Caucus would have voted for it. But at that time, congressman boehner, speaker of the house, couldnt bring it forward because he was afraid of the right wing in his party. I think the same thing was probably true of senator mcconnell. Now i think that President Trump is pressing them and saying, look, i will take the flack from the right if you push this forward. And well see if hes got the gumption to go forward with it. Certainly hope that he does. As i said, at the end of the day the politics are sort of sometimes the white house looks a little bit like a clown car, youre never sure whos getting out the door. But at the end of the day, he said he would provide relief to these people. They need it. And he should make good on that. I raise the Hillary Clinton question, Hillary Clinton of course will be a guest of rachels just later on after this show. She has a new book out. How do you understand what would
be different in this country if she were president right now . Well, i think everything would be different. I think wed have a different Foreign Policy. A different domestic policy. She certainly put forward an Economic Program that was focused on providing trying to focus on raising wages for the for working people, for the middle class, to raise the minimum wage, et cetera. Instead we have a white house that really has been dominated up to this point by special interests. People who are really more interested in getting favors for his friends in the business community. Theres been essentially nothing passed through congress. And on the Foreign Policy side, i think weve had an erratic Foreign Policy. In which our allies are really confused about where the president wants to go. He thinks thats like keeping everybody guessing. I think mostly it keeps people offbalance in knowing how to
deal with the major threats from russia, from north korea, et cetera. So i think she would have been a steady hand in foreign affairs. I think most importantly she would have been fighting for the working people that he claimed to argue for in the campaign, but has been really i think abandoned since hes gotten to the oval office. Thank you, john podesta. Thank you. For more on the backlash to a potential daca deal, jennifer rubin, Washington Post. Lonny chen, Senior Adviser on marco rubios 2016 president ial campaign. A few of my favorite reactions. Hannity blaming congressional if the reports true 100 , i blame rs. They caused this, they wanted him to fail, and now pushed him into the arms of political suicide, if true. Breitbart calling him amnesty don. What do you make of the reaction . Im having a wonderful time, i must say, chris. Listen, the republicans made a deal with the devil and now theyre getting bit. This man they knew was unreliable, they knew was a narcissist, who had no principles, and now hes pulled the rug out from under them. So listen, donald trump will say yes to whoever is in front of him and whoever he thinks is going to give him the most applause. So this is where he is. Poor Jeff Sessions who was called an idiot but stayed on so he could deal with ilLegal Immigration and Legal Immigration hows that going, jeff . Trait, i think whats happening now is something very positive. Thats kind of need the surface. As reported today you have both the house bill and now a senate will. Championed not by two gang of eight republicans, not two rhinos, but people like jim langford of oklahoma. And tom tellis of north carolina. Rocksolid republicans. They have a bill, a little tougher than the dream act, but its within the parameters that chuck and nancy talked about. Theyre going to be dropping that next week. And this is going to go forward. The question is will paul ryan
balk and get paralyzed and frightened by his Freedom Caucus . Or put something on the floor . So i think despite himself, were probably going to get through with amnesty don and get something tort dream efor the d. Sure, rush him bah and ann coulter and those folks will be upset. Think the trump base, actual voters, will be fine with it. Heres some evidence. A Policy Analyst at demos, a great analyst, he cited research from byu saying, telling Republicans Trump supports liberal Immigration Policy makes them support liberal Immigration Policy. Like he could tran substantiate things into being a tough populist Trumpian Position by virtue of Him Advocating it. I think youre absolutely right. Im not convinced this really hurts trumps standing with those who supported the president. Look, heres the thing. You look back to 2013. Donald trump met with a bunch of
dreamers in his office. I remember working during the 2016 campaign for marco rubio. This was an issue during that campaign. Ted cruz and others brought it up in an effort to discredit donald trump. But i actually think at core this idea of helping dreamers, this is probably something that donald trump has always at core wanted to do. The challenge is now hes facing political headwinds because there are republicans that dont want to do it. The republicans at this point politically are in a very, very difficult position. And donald trump is the one whos put them there. Because theyre going to have to basically support this thing if donald trump supports it, certainly. And even if he flips at this point, the republicans have been put in a very tenuous position. Its the right policy by the way to help these dreamers which brings me back to chuck and nancy, which is that no one here should have any illusions about whether this deal happens, how long this rapprochement is going to last. I feel like im a little skeptical of the any new trump story seems to me suspect, jennifer. Yeah, i dont think they
trust him one whit. I think they snookered him. I think they put him in a box on this and he tripped up himself and the republicans. I think chuck and nancy did not just fall off the turnip truck. They know exactly what they are dealing with. And they are trying to figure out ways to, first of all, increase the divisions within the republican party, and boy did they succeed in doing that today. And secondly, see if there are ways, big ways, little ways in which they can get something that they want. If they get dreamers, these people would be heroes. They control nothing and they would save the dreamers without a wall . That would be remarkable. Lonny, where do you think this goes next . Yeah, you know im not quite sure where it goes next. As with anything in the trump is thecy, who knows whats going to happen tomorrow. I think republicans at this point its a very difficult situation. Because there is this base pressure. And while chris to your point donald trump may not face that base pressure, guess what, Congressional Republican dozen. Thats right. Which is why theyre so squeezed. If he puts them in position to abandon their principles or go against him, theres like no daylight for those folks which is what makes it so fascinating. Jennifer rubin and lonny chen, thank you both. I wrote some more thoughts on daca that couldnt fit in the show. Find them on our Facebook Page at all in with chris. Breaking news, north korea fired a Ballistic Missile east ward. Japanese government said the missile flew over the island of hokkai hokkaido. This is the second missile fired by north korea over japan in the past three weeks. The launches came as north korea continues to threaten the u. S. Pacific territory of guam. The white house says President Trump has been briefed on this latest episode. Michael moore is coming up. And the incredible story about the time President Trump called Jeff Sessions an idiot to his face. Thats next. I count on my dell Small Business advisor
the president angered by sessions decision to recuse himself in the russia probe and by the appointment of a special counsel, told mr. Sessions that choosing him to be Attorney General was one of the worst decisions he had made, calling him an idiot, and said he should resign. Mr. Sessions would later tell associates the demeaning way the president addressed him was the most humiliating experience in decades of public life. According to the times, Administration Officials convinced the president not to accept the resignation and sessions decided to stay on for the chance to crack down on immigration. Which he got earlier this month when he, to great fanfare, announced the end of daca. An achievement that might be shortlived, considering the president and democrats are now reportedly hammering out a deal to make daca permanent. Glen thrush, new york times, is working on a book about the president. Ashley parker. Glen, this is operate great reporter here. The humiliation seems a particular recurring theme in the lives of trump subordinates. Well, i think if you sign on with donald trump, you got to wear a flack jacket, to say the least, maybe even a cup and a helmet. Look, i think the issue with sessions is once trump sours on somebody, and my colleague Maggie Haberman and i reported earlier in the spring that trump had been infuriated with sessions for recusing himself from the investigation, which by the way was a nobrainer. And virtually no one else, apart from donald trump, thought that sessions did Anything Wrong with that. Once you have established yourself on the wrong side of donald trump, thats the first ingredient. The second ingredient is once you have not stood up for yourself in a sufficiently stout way, he will purchasish you aro. I think that story extends to the president. Jeff sessions, every time he goes out on a limb, as he did with daca, when he stood there and made the announcement himself, he heard behind him the sound of donald trump sawing the tree limb out from under him. Thats actually i got to
think that its not coincidental. I remember thinking to myself, when sessions was made the point person for this, this is weird. People commented. It is very weird the president s making one of the most consequential decisions of his administration and he is not the public face for that. Instead it was Jeff Sessions. Now it doesnt seem so accidental. On this decision especially. It was a decision that the president told friends, aides and confidants that really he wants to get out of. He wanted to not make a decision at all. He really does see both sides of the dreamer issue. Keep in mind this is a pres