So thanks to donny. Sayonara. Hardball with Chris Matthews is next. The pastors apology. Lets play hardball. Good evening. Im Steve Kornacki in for Chris Matthews. Tonight it is a primary tuesday, the marquee race out in arizona. Thats where senator john mccain is facing a challenger from the right who sounds an awful lot like donald trump. We look at where that race stands later in the show. Also tonight, the latest twists in the saga of maine Governor Paul Lepage. He told a local Radio Station today that he might not finish out his term but later tweeted a very different message. And Donald Trumps big immigration speech now just a day away. We will begin with the ongoing fallout today from that very controversial tweet from trump surrogate pastor mark burns. A warning here, the image might be offensive to some. His tweet showed Hillary Clinton in blackface and accused her of pandering to the black community. Yesterday on msnbc, pastor burns defended the tweet. I apologize for the offensive blackface image of that cartoon and the depiction of the blackface is offensive by itself, and as an africanamerican man in america, i dont stand by anyone portraying themselves in a blackface, but the message that
i intended, i still stand behind. But my apology is because i think my message got lost in the translation. Lets clarify. That was not pastor mark burns on msnbc yesterday. That was him today apologizing for that tweet. Pastor mark burns now joins us. Thank you for taking a few minutes. Let me start on the question of the apology. We played it there, little transcript on the screen. I want to be clear on this and i want you to be clear on this with our viewers. What exactly are you apologizing for here . Is it just the image or is it anything else . You know, im only apologizing for the blackface that was portrayed on the image, but i am not without a shadow of a doubt apologizing for the message that i was trying to get out to the public. I do not apologize for the message that it stood behind. Hillary clinton and the Democratic Party have and do
pander, do pander after black people in this country. Again, i apologize if it offended people. The last thing i want to do is create an offense. And for those that was deeply offended personally, for that i am sorry. But i do not apologize for the message. The message is clear. I stand by it. 100 . The message, thats an interesting point on the message. You are accusing her of pandering, accusing her of taking black voters for granted. A lot of people would say thats a legitimate question to raise and legitimate point of debate but the message went beyond that when you bring blackface into it, when you bring something that inflammatory into it and you couple it with your support of a president ial candidate who has called Hillary Clinton a bigot. Thats sending a message that says something a lot deeper and a lot uglier about Hillary Clinton. Doie positive iyou apologize fo aspersions on Hillary Clinton that way . Im a black man in america. I know what the blackface means. I know what it stands for. I dont stand behind i dont stand behind the imagery of the blackface. But once again, the very fact is the black vote, the voting bloc of the Africanamerican Community, the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton knows that that vote already largely belongs to her. What is more offensive, while were sitting here debating over a cartoon, whats more offensive is the very fact that Hillary Clinton doesnt own up to the failed policies that has impacted many in the Africanamerican Community. Lets be really honest here. I will be honest and say this here on msnbc. The very fact that we are talking about the Africanamerican Community as though we are one group of people and we are all the same, i think that is very offensive. Thats politically correct, p. C. At the highest caliber. Thats what donald trump stands for. We have to eliminate the language that creates this type of language that says hey, black people are the same everywhere. Thats not the case. We bleed red like everybody else. Im not let me say this one more step further. Let me say this. There is no such thing as the real Africanamerican Community. It doesnt really exist. Thats a myth because black people are just americans. A black person in oregon does not have the same issues that a black person who might live in the urban cities of baltimore. We put donald trump and other politicians in the same boat. They are darned if they do and darned if they dont. We say donald trump, how come you dont let me put it this way. One more point and ill be done. Let me follow up with this on the issue of this president ial race, on the issue of choice you are talking about here betweenHillary Clinton and donald trump, the black community, black voters do seem to be speaking with one voice. I can show you this. This is our most recent poll. Black voters in this country asked to choose between Hillary Clinton and donald trump, i have to tell you, i have never seen a number like this. 1 for donald trump. 91 for Hillary Clinton. When you look at a number like that, do you think donald trump, do you think donald trump has done anything to deserve just 1 support from black voters right now . I think the very fact we are forcing our politicians to come up with policies for a particular group like the africanamerican group, like it impacts all of us, okay. See, donald trump is darned if you do and hes darned if you dont. We will say donald trump, what is your policy to the Africanamerican Community and donald trump begins to talk to
africanamericans and he says in some areas you can walk down the street and you can get shot and you can die. Then once he says a very true fact because it just happened, just happened a couple days ago, very sad story in chicago, and when he says that, you know, the Community Rises up and said oh, my god, how could donald trump talk to all black people like we are all fearful of getting shot. So then hes either darned for not talking about the afrinamerican community and then hes darned for talking about the Africanamerican Community because we say not all of us are like that. Why is he talking to all black people like we are all one, like all of us are fearful of our lives. The fact of the matter is this. Im going to say a very real reality. Most people may not want to talk about it. Im sure people will want to argue it. But theres no such thing as the Africanamerican Community. We are only americans. We are only americans. It is only until we stop forcing our politicians to pander after particular groups and just start
talking to us as we, the people of the United States. Thats when we begin to eliminate the divisions within our communities and the Democratic Party are doing a wonderful job in keeping us divided and the more they divide us, the more they can control us and the more they control us, the more they keep a welfare state to millions of blacks in this country to where welfare never creates prosperity. It only creates dependency. Let me i will never give you enough that you will thrive. Your indictment of the deckic party again is you are saying the Democratic Party takes black voters for granted in this country. Abuse them transactionally, as votes for an election and thats it. Let me show you this. Im sure you have seen it. Donald trump upon learning the news that the cousin of dwyane wade, the nba player, had been killed in chicago over the weekend, donald trump tweeted this. Dwyane wades cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby
in chicago. Just what i have bn saying. Africanamericans will vote trump. Does that not send a clear message from donald trump to black voters that he views them transactionally, mainly as votes, that his reaction to learning about a murder, to learning about the death of a black person in chicago, is to say more votes for me . Listen, i will say this. Li listen, if i am telling you dont go down that street because if you go down that street you will fall in a ditch. Dont go down the street because if you go down the street you will fall in a ditch. Dont go down the street because if you go down the street you might fall in the ditch. And you go down the street and you then fall in the ditch, the first thing im going to say to you is i told you so. Im telling you right now. Dont go down the street. Now you are in the ditch. Thats all donald trump was saying. It is a sad tragic event that took place. Now four children are without a
mother. Four babies are without a mother. Donald trump has been declaring, it is not nothing brand new. The very fact we wait for dwyane wades cousin to die and her name was miss aldridge, by the way, she was a real person and now there are four children did donald trump send that message with a tweet that immediately says more votes for me . He didnt seem to be treating her as a real person. No. No. What donald trump is simply saying is i am telling you it is a very fact. You all want to say oh, my god, donald trump said you could walk down the street and get shot. Oh, how, hes racist for saying that. Then a couple days later, a woman who was doing nothing, walks down the street and gets shot and the sad part about, this is the real tragic event, the very sad part about it is, it is only because it was dwyane wades cousin that we are even talking about it. When before her, six, seven people were killed. The very fact we are talking about the deaths that have been taking place in the south side of chicago is not nothing brand new. The fact that this is what i mean by pandering after the races because we should have been discussing that if it wasnt just a black issue but we make it an american issue, all eyes will be marching down there. It wouldnt be that black lives matter would be leading the fight but all lives would be leading the fight because what happens to you as an american happens to me. We have the greatest Strongest Military in the whole world and one of the creeds of our great Strong Military is that we leave no man behind. Men have died in trying to rescue just one man. Just one man. The very fact is, if we thats why we together pledged allegiance to the flag of United States states of america. And to the republic for which it stands. Hear me. One nation under god, indivisivable with liberty and justice for everyone. Pastor mark burns, appreciate the time. Thank you. Joined now by michael steele, former chair of the Republican National committee and msnbc political analyst. Well, michael, donald trump, theres been some debate about what the motive here is in the Trump Campaign in terms of this outreach to black voters. Are they actually going after black voters, are they going after these College Educated white suburbanites they have been losing, is this a way to look more inclusive, more open to them . Big picture, what is your assessment of this move from the Trump Campaign and what youre hearing from mark burns . I think its a little bit more of the latter. I think it is recognition that white female suburban voters are going to be the linchpin in this election. Right now they are not feeling
as much about donald trump as they did say six, eight months ago. That definitely is at play here. I also think after talking with some folks in and around the campaign that there is a genuine effort afoot, albeit late, to open up this conversation, to begin to peel back a little bit some of the rhetoric that typically attends these types of president ial discussions. Oh, we want the black voters. You just heard the reverend, one side saying youre taking the vote for granted, the other side saying you just ignore them. I think trump is trying to split that hair a little bit as well. I think this is more political calculation. Again, there is nothing wrong with that. But i think we just need to understand really what it means. In terms of the approach trump is making, we were talking about this a minute ago, he uses, talks in addressing black voters, says you live in war zones, he says, he makes what
sound like sweeping generalizations that say hey, if you are black and living in this country, you are surrounded by crime, you are stuck in poverty, you have no opportunity. He doesnt say anything positive, doesnt seem to stress a positive message there. Is that a mistake . I think it is. I think we need to be careful as well. Remember, barack obama himself has laid out and indicted the community on some of his statistics that really are problematic for the black community as a whole. Its recidivism rates, education, graduation rates, job rates, all of these things, the president himself has talked about. But heres where i think your int positi point is an important one. You can lay out, you can indict and say what is wrong. Lord knows we live in the community and we know whats wrong. But we are also looking to you to see what you think some of the solutions should be. So there is an aspirational
component here that needs to be addressed as well that failing that, you do come off sounding as if you are haranguing and indicting the community for the sake of indicting the community to score political points with a group of americans largely white who look down on us to begin with. So i think you have got to be very specific and very careful in how you open up this particular conversation. Again, a little late to the game. Appreciate you wanting to have it but you have got to still have it the right way. Michael steele, former rnc chair, msnbc contributor, thanks for the time. You got it. Still ahead, democrats are within striking distance of control of the u. S. Senate. With donald trump at the top of the ticket that could cost the republicans. John mccain is one of them. Hes in a primary fight tonight even if he prevails, can mccain and other endangered republicans survive the year of trump . Thats ahead. Plus, outspoken trump supporter and maine Governor Paul Lepage now says rumors of his political demise are greatly
exaggerated. This after he suggested he might step down after targeting a democratic lawmaker with a vulgar voice mail. But the calls for his resignation continue to grow. New information on how the Clinton Campaign is preparing to debate donald trump. They are working with trumps ghostwriter, the writer who helped trump put together the art of the deal 30 years ago, working with him to try to bait trump into embarrassing blunders on national television. Finally, the hardball roundtable will be here to tell me things about this Election Campaign that i dont know. Many people clean their dentures
with toothpaste or plain water. And even though their dentures look clean, in reality theyre not. If a denture were to be put under a microscope, we can see all the bacteria that still exists on the denture, and that bacteria multiplies very rapidly. Thats why dentists recommend cleaning with polident eveday. Polidents unique micro clean formula works in just 3 minutes, killing 99. 99 of odor causing bacteria. For a cleaner, fresher, brighter denture every day. New poll numbers for you from the key battleground state of pennsylvania. Lets go to the hardball scoreboard. This from monmouth university, their respected poll. Hillary clinton has an eight point lead over donald trump in pennsylvania, 48 for clinton, 40 for trump. Gary johnson sitting back at 6 . Moving to the senate race, democrat Katie Mcginty with a
fourpoint lead over incumbent republican pat toomey. 45 for mcginty. 41 for toomey. Thats within the margin of error. Well be right back. Investigate and invest in vests. Or not in vests. This is my retirement. Retiring retired tires. And i never get tired of it. Are you entirely prepared to retire . Plan your never tiring retiring retired tires retirement with e trade. Wheyou wantve somto protect it. E, plan your never tiring retiring retired tires retirement at legalzoom, our network of attorneys can help you every step of the way. With an estate plan
including wills or a living trust that grows along with you and your family. Legalzoom. Legal help is here. Welcome back to hardball. Donald trump is set to deliver his big immigration speech tomorrow night. His running mate mike pence is promising trump will lay out his plan in great specificity. Meantime, trump surrogates have been forced to interpret his message as best they can. Earlier today, former georgia congressman jack kingston, trump supporter, saying on msnbc his plan will include a Deportation Force. Why doesnt the campaign know yet whether a Deportation Force is part of his immigration policy . Is it or is it not . It is part of it. We are going to learn more wednesday. So there will be a Deportation Force . Craig, i cant let the opportunity go, though, to remind you Hillary Clinton hasnt had a press conference in 270 days. It would be great to know details on any of her plans. Trumps Campaign ManagerKellyanne Conway had a very different take when i asked her about it this afternoon. I think you have to go back to mr. Trumps speech at the convention in cleveland which was just a month ago and to see theres no Deportation Force mentioned in there. He speaks for himself and his campaign. Hes the face of th