President trump become the third in American History to be impeached by the house. Phase one of that process is over. But what happens in phase two . The senate trial. Its anyones guess. Well get the labt latest on that in a moment. But first, the president giving a speech to an Advocacy Group for Young Conservatives called the turning point usa student actions summit. Didnt take long for him to talk about impeachment. Their own lawyer said theres no impeachment. What are we doing here . The world is watching. Crazy nancy. Shes crazy. No. No. So now, she says, you know, she has no case. She has no case. So lets not submit it. Thats good, right . Thats good. But you know what . So unfair. Its so unfair. She has no case. Did they look bad . They got up the same thing the constitution. They are violating the constitution. Joining me now, nbc news correspondent hans nichols, who is in west palm beach, florida. Hans, what can you tell us about turning point usa and what the president said at the event . He did not shy away. No, the president s in full battle mode. He is obviously on vacation but hes taking a little break from his vacation. It started off with the president getting a present that didnt really need to be wrapped. And a republican congressman, he is from texas second congressional district. The president called him up there. He went up and gave him a c i was the impeachment voted no on the articles of impeachment. That really provided an opportunity for the president to really go ahead and talk about impeachment and really focus on what he says is the incredible republican unity he touted the vote totals. Claimed that the other side had some defections. Talked about those three defections. So the president s still going here, gigi. He was a little bit late. He feels like hes midspeech. And i think were in for a long one. The record was 205 2 hours and 5 minutes. But i think he may eclipse that. But thats just a prediction. So i dont have that on good authority. I just have the president saying at the beginning of it, he wants to talk. Gigi. In the past, weve seen adversity emboldening the president. Hans, do you see signs of that here so far . Well, yeah, he likes to punch back, right . The president likes having a foil. Hes whoops. At show biden. Hes also mentioned Elizabeth Warren using a nickname he has for her. He likes to define himself through differences. And thats what hes doing in front of this audience. This is a friendly audience. It should be noted the crowd is lapping it up. And the its one of the things the president likes to do is challenge and mock his opponents to rile up his own base. So well see to what extent, what more news we get here. As you point out at the very top, he sort of criticized nancy pelosi for not sending the articles of impeachment. And once again, calling her crazy. Gigi. Hans nichols from west palm beach, florida. Thanks. President s remarks coming as Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to hold the articles of impeachment from the senate after a historic debate and vote in the house that showcased the severity of the political divide in washington. Today, as speaker of the house, i solemnly and sadly open the debate on the impeachment of the president of the United States. This isnt about some solemn duty tonight. Lets talk about what this is really about. This has been about a political vendetta. Some say this impeachment is about eight lines in a call transcript. But there is so much more. This was about a scheme that lasted months and involved dozens of Trump Administration officials. The real abuse of power here is on the part of the House Democrats. They have feverishly produced and pursued this impeachment 20 times faster than the impeachment investigation of bill clinton. Summons the courage to vote for our constitution and our democracy. I understand we will all not see the same conclusion. But to do less betrays our oath and that of our founders who pledged their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor. The matter before the house today is based solely on a fundamental hatred of our president. Its a sham, a witch hunt, and is tantamount to a coo against a dulyelected president of the United States. On this vote, the yeas are 230. The nays are 197. Present is one. Article one is adopted. We cannot name managers until we see what the process is on the senate side. So far, we havent seen anything that looks fair to us. Speaker pelosi suggested that House Democrats may be too afraid. Too afraid to even transmit their shoddy work product to the senate. Looks like the prosecutors are getting cold feet. Leader mcconnell claimed that the house ran, quote, the most rushed, least thorough, and most unfair impeachment inquiry in modern history. I know that thats the republican talking point. But heres the reality. Leader mcconnell is plotting the most rushed, least thorough, and most unfair impeachment trial in modern history. Interesting look at the political landscape. Lets turn to our panel. Politico reporter covering the white house, daniel litman. Political analyst, susan del percio. And former Watergate Special prosecutor and msnbc contributor, jill winebanks. Thank you all for joining us. Daniel, weve got politico reporting the president s really been on this emotional roller coaster lately. But mostly, that he is really angry which we just saw. What are you hearing about the overall mood of the president . Those around him and how he is handling this . Well, he was a little surprised that democrats actually had the votes to impeach him in the house. He expected that more democrats would turn against their own leaders and vote to acquit him. And so some of his top advisors, like eric yuland, had to tell him the reality which is that democrats were going to stick together. And that they thought it was important to impeach him. And now, he really wants that fullthroated acquittal by the senate. And so he is angry if he does not get that. And so you can expect him to probably pressure Mitch Mcconnell to hold a trial anyway even if pelosi does not send those articles to the senate if she thinks that its it continues to be a unfair trial. And that is the leverage possibly that shes hoping for. So, jill, why dont you talk to us about this bloomberg reporting . Its pretty interesting that trumps lawyers are exploring the idea of whether pelosis decision not to send articles to the house means that there was never any impeachment in the first place. Is this at all possible . Would this argument hold up in a court of law . That would not hold up in a court of law. Once he is impeached by a vote of the house, majority of the house, he is impeached. In the same way that if he had been indicted by a grand jury, because thats what the house was acting as is a grand jury, if he had been indicted. If the department of justice would have allowed that, then he would have been indicted. And it doesnt matter whether the indictment is held in secret for a period of time while hes arrested. It still would have been an impeachment. And its important to know why that is. And why the action was necessary. It is necessary because otherwise you have an unfettered president acting on his belief that he is entitled to do anything he wants under the constitution. And that is not how it is. I am sure that the people in germany, when hitler first took over, thought that it could never happen to us. We dont have to fight back now. We can wait. Im telling you, we cant wait. He will continue to do this. Hes shown his proclivity by saying, russia, if youre listening, do this. China, you should investigate. And then directly asking ukraine to do it. And if he isnt stopped, he will continue to do things that violate the constitution. So we must take action. Okay. Pretty heavy comparison. Were going to talk about former senator jeff lake. He wrote this oped, susan, thats getting a lot of attention. Basically, asking his former republican colleagues to stand up against the president. Heres what he wrote. I urge you to remember who we are when we are at our best. Do you think anyone is going to be listening to them . Does does this open up the possibility . Well, i think for former senator flake to bring it up, its fine. But lets face it. Hes former senator flake. He shouldve stayed in the fight at least given it a try if he wanted to have the credibility there. Thats not to say that we wont see republicans in the senate look for some fairness. Now, i think, unfortunately, it will only be a handful. But we could see Susan Collins or cory gardner for reelection. We know mitt romneys a big fan of the constitution and probably wants to hold the president accountable. And lastly, lamar alexander. Hes another one who is not running for reelection, who has the ability to to be reasonable, i think. And hopefully, that they will take this seriously and say we refuse to bow to donald trump. We owe it to our country to put it first. It will be interesting to watch. Daniel, lets talk about strategy for the democrats. When it comes to holding those impeachment articles from the senate, are democrats unified in this effort . Do you think some are concerned about it . Im sure theres some democrats who view this decision right now to hold these articles as a mistake because they just want to get impeachment over with. And then the nations attention can move to the 2020 campaign and whos going to win iowa and New Hampshire. But there is there are Many Democrats who support Speaker Pelosis efforts to to not have that senate trial because they dont want trump to take a victory lap. And so right now, hes been impeached but he hasnt been acquitted. And if the senate and theres no chance, right now, that the senate would vote to convict him. And so pelosi doesnt want to have trump take the biggest victory lap youll see ever see a president take if once he gets clear from impeachment. Remember, clinton was impeached in the second term and now trump, he really wants that trial so that he can his supporters will feel vindicated. And theyll want to exact revenge on democrats in 2020. Without that trial, its makes it much harder for him to do that. Certainly, a political, risky move for democrats to hold back those articles. Susan, we have to talk about, before we close, Mitch Mcconnell saying he cannot be impartial in this trial. How is he going to reconcile that with the fact that he is going to have to take an oath that says hes going to be to have to be impartial . Hell take the oath. Hell say hell do it. Hell say that was just rhetoric. We live in the trump era and thats what republicans can get away with now and its sad and unfortunate but that is whats going to happen. I have a little different take on whats going on with nancy pelosi. Im not sure why she delayed the articles of impeachment to go to the senate but i think they will get there when they get back from break. Then Mitch Mcconnell is going to use from now until then to convince the president to not have a lengthy trial. So thats what hes focused on. He knows if this goes long, it will hurt the president and hurt the republicans. Okay. Jill, im going to close it with you. A recent Morning Consult poll finding 50 of the public wants the senate to hear from witnesses. Whats the reason for n well, there is a precedent for that. But this case is sort of unprecedented. I think Speaker Pelosi is right to withhold until there is going to be a fair trial because witnesses have been ridiculously withheld. Without any constitutional basis. And if those witnesses testified, clearly, they would be opposed to what the president is saying. If they were going to exculpate him, then he would have had them testify before the house. And so we need to hear from them. It might change the minds of a few senators. And i think theres enough senato senators who would vote for allowing there to be witnesses. Okay. David litman, thank you. Susan and jill, stay with me for some more informative constitution. Im really enjoying it. Coming up, were going to turn our attention to the 2020 race. Just a month and a half to go until the iowa caucuses. Mayor Pete Buttigieg is enjoying a boost in the polls. But with that comes more attacks from his opponents. Stay with us. 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Billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States. This is the problem with issuing purity tests you cannot, yourself, pass. I do not sell access to my time. I dont do call time with millionaires and billionaires. Senator, your president ial campaign right now, as we speak, is funded, in part, by money you transferred. Having raised it as those exact same bigticket fundraisers you now denounce. Did it corrupt you, senator . Of course not. Joining me now are nbc road warriors. A ali vitali is in iowa following senator warren. And vaughn hillyard, following buttigieg who is reaching out to africanamerican and latino voters with events in nevada. Vaughn, tell us more about mayor petes events today and how you think this might help him with voters. Or what is he trying to do . Exactly. You saw the back and forth under the big bright lights of los angeles on thursday night. But now, were in a strip mall here in las vegas, nevada. He is currently talking with folks in the black community here in las vegas. Hes currently at this soul Food Restaurant here right behind the doors behind us here. Over in las vegas. Hes going to be meeting with Latino Community leaders later this afternoon. After meeting with folks from the teamsters this morning, as well as last night he met with asianpacific islander americans. So this is Pete Buttigieg holding these more intimate events with folks and really engaging more in backandforth dialogue. Were 44 days away from the iowa caucus and of course nevada will be the third state to get its hand at picking the next democratic nominee. But this is Pete Buttigieg. You know, you look at those polls in iowa for the last month and a half, hes sat atonigp th polls. But when you look beyond, thats where buttigieg, the mayor of south bend, indiana, has continued to see a need to expand his reach. You go around to a lot of parts of this country and folks have maybe never even heard of buttigieg. Or there are a couple folks waiting to eat at the restaurant here behind me. Theyre still struggling to pronounce his name. So this is the type of campaign Pete Buttigieg, sure hes got his name in the likes iof iowa and New Hampshire. Ali, as we mentioned, warren really targeted buttigieg sharply at the debate thursday. Weve, you know, seen the headlines as mayor pete continues surging in iowa. Does the Warren Campaign see him as their biggest threat . Look. Youve got a race right now where there are four people who are consistently atop the polls, all of them jockeying both in state polls and nationally. So as we saw in the debate stage, this is the season where theyre going to start mixing it up. We know that warren and buttigieg mixed it up on that question of what were previously closedoor fundraisers. The warren team after that debate saying they wanted to focus on corruption because that is her key underlying campaign message. They also point out thats what the president was just impeached for himself. And so that was clearly the warren focus on this stage. Of course, buttigieg and warren werent the only ones mixing it up on that stage. But that is the exchange that had the attention of one undecided voter i talked to at the last warren event that i was at. Listen to what he said. And that means we need kind of been playing nice to a certain point. And like well, i think in some cases, you know, like i dont think mayor buttigieg had been really challenged on his donations. And the private fundraisers. The closedoor fundraiser. Does that disqualify him Going Forward . Maybe not. Maybe it depends on your take on that. But, like, but i think its good to at least have the conversation. And, look, that is a conversation that they had on the debate stage. Its unc