>>> GOOD EVENING, ONCE AGAIN FROM OUR NBC NEWS HEADQUARTERS
HERE IN NEW YORK. DAY 216 OF THIS ADMINISTRATION,
SURE SOUNDED DIFFERENT THAN DAY 215.
TWO DAYS, TWO SPEECHES, TWO VERY DIFFERENT METHODS AND MESSAGES
FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP. TODAY HE SPOKE TO THE AMERICAN
LEGION, THEIR NATIONAL CONVENTION OUT IN RENO, NEVADA.
A SPEECH TONED DOWN IN STYLE, SUBSTANCE, AND SHEER VOLUME.
CERTAINLY COMPARED WITH HIS RALLY IN PHOENIX LAST NIGHT.
>> WE ARE HERE TO HOLD YOU UP AS
AN EXAMPLE OF STRENGTH, COURAGE, AND RESOLVE THAT OUR COUNTRY
WILL NEED TO OVERCOME THE MANY CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE.
WE ARE HERE TO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM YOU AS WE SEEK TO RENEW THE
BONDS OF LOYALTY THAT BIND US TOGETHER AS ONE PEOPLE AND ONE
NATION. >> THAT'S HOW IT WENT AND THAT
WAS HOW IT WAS WRITTEN IN FEW THAN 15 HOURS, THE PRESIDENT HAD
GONE, HOWEVER, FROM ATTACKING REPUBLICAN SENATORS AND
JOURNALISTS ALIKE SAYING THE MEDIA IS TRYING TO TAKE AWAY OUR
HERITAGE TO CALLING FOR HEALING AND UNITY.
>> IT IS TIME TO HEAL THE WOUNDS THAT DIVIDE US AND TO SEEK A NEW
UNITY BASED ON THE COMMON VALUES THAT UNITE US.
>> THEY WERE HAVING A HARD TIME WITH THAT ONE.
BECAUSE I SAID EVERYTHING. I HIT THEM WITH NEO-NAZI.
I HIT THEM WITH EVERYTHING. I GOT THE WHITE SUPREMACISTS,
THE NEO-NAZI, I GOT THEM ALL IN THERE.
LET'S SEE. KKK, WE HAVE KKK.
I GOT THEM ALL. >> WE ARE NOT DEFINED BY THE
COLOR OF OUR SKIN. >> IT SAYS I LOVE ALL OF THE
PEOPLE OF OUR COUNTRY. I DIDN'T SAY I LOVE YOU BECAUSE
YOU'RE BLACK OR I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE WHITE.
>> THE FIGURE ON OUR PAYCHECK. >> I WENT TO BETTER SCHOOLS THAN
THEY DID. I WAS A BETTER STUDENT THAN THEY
WERE. I LIVE IN A BIGGER MORE
BEAUTIFUL APARTMENT. >> OR THE PARTY OF OUR POLITICS.
>> SO THE DEMOCRATS HAVE NO IDEAS, NO POLICY, NO VISION FOR
THE COUNTRY. >> THE AMERICAN LEGION NOT ONLY
REMEMBERS HISTORY, YOU HELP KEEP HISTORY ALIVE.
>> AND YES, BY THE WAY, THEY ARE TRYING TO TAKE AWAY OUR HISTORY
AND OUR HERITAGE. YOU SEE THAT.
>> YOU STRESS THE NEED TO ENFORCE OUR LAWS INCLUDING OUR
IMMIGRATION LAWS. >> WAS SHERIFF JOE CONVICTED FOR
DOING HIS JOB? >> I'M PROUD TO REPORT THAT WE
HAVE WORKED WITH CONGRESS TO ACHIEVE A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN
DEFENSE SPENDING THIS YEAR. >> AND FOR OUR FRIENDS IN THE
SENATE, OH, BOY. >> THAT SPEECH TODAY WAS AN
EXERCISE IN RHETORIC AND VOCAL CONTROL THAT WAS REALLY MORE OF
A DECISION TO READ WHAT WAS WRITTEN ON THE TELEPROMPTER.
IT COMES AS A NEW QUINNIPIAC POLL FINDS REVEALS HOW THE
NATION FEELS ABOUT HOW THIS PRESIDENT REACTED TO THE HATE,
THE VIOLENCE, THE LOSS OF LIFE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA.
32% OF MEASURES APPROVE OF THE PRESIDENT'S RESPONSE.
60% DISAPPROVE. 62% OF AMERICANS THINK THE
PRESIDENT IS DOING MORE TO DIVIDE THE COUNTRY.
59% THINK HIS DECISIONS AND BEHAVIOR HAVE ENCOURAGED WHITE
SUPREMACISTS. LAST NIGHT IN PHOENIX, HE TRIED
TO RELITIGATE HIS RESPONSE TO CHARLOTTESVILLE BY REREADING HIS
STATEMENTS AT THE TIME. THE PROBLEM IS, OF COURSE, HE
LEFT OUT THE KEY LINE THAT UPSET AND OFFENDED SO MANY AMERICANS
THAT BOTH SIDES OF THE DEMONSTRATIONS SOMEHOW DESERVED
BLAME. >> SO HERE'S WHAT I SAID.
REALLY FAST. HERE'S WHAT I SAID ON SATURDAY.
WE'RE CLOSELY FOLLOWING THE TERRIBLE EVENTS UNFOLDING IN
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA. THIS IS ME SPEAKING.
WE CONDEMN IN THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS THIS EGREGIOUS
DISPLAY OF HATRED, BIGOTRY, AND VIOLENCE.
THAT'S ME SPEAKING ON SATURDAY. >> ON MANY SIDES.
ON MANY SIDES. >> LAST NIGHT WAS A LIST OF
GRIEVANCES. THE PRESIDENT WENT AFTER BOTH
SENATORS FROM ARIZONA, BOTH REPUBLICANS.
HE SAID MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA ARE GUILTY OF WHAT HE CALLED
FORMENTING DIVISION IN THE UNITED STATES.
IT WAS NOISE GREETED BY MORE NOISE IN THE HALL BUT IT IGNORED
THE STEAD HUM OF THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION AND THAT IS BACK
IN THE NEWS TONIGHT. POLITICO IS ON THE BOARD WITH A
REPORT THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS CLASHED WITH MULTIPLE REPUBLICAN
SENATORS OVER RUSSIA. THEY SAY HE'S LASHED OUT ABOUT
SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA AND OVER LEGISLATION THAT COULD
PROTECT ROBERT MUELLER FROM GETTING FIRED BY THE PRESIDENT.
POLITICO REPORTS "TRUMP'S CHEWING OUT OF GOP SENATORS
ACCORDING TO PEOPLE BRIEFED ON THE CALLS REFLECTED THE
PRESIDENT'S FRUSTRATION THAT FELLOW REPUBLICANS WOULD MAKE
MOVES THAT COULD DAMAGE HIM PARTICULARLY ON AN INVESTIGATION
THAT HE DETESTS." ONE SENIOR GOP AIDE SAID "IT
SEEMS HE IS JUST ALWAYS FOCUSED ON RUSSIA."
LET'S BRING IN TONIGHT'S LEADOFF PANEL, SHALL WE?
FORMERLY OF THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL," WE ARE NOW SO PROUD TO
CALL HER OUR NEWLY MINTED NBC NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER
CARROLL LEE IS WITH US, FORMER CHAIRMAN CONFIDENT REPUBLICAN
PARTY, MICHAEL STEELE IS WITH YOU, AND WHITE HOUSE REPORTER
FOR "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL," ELI STOKALS.
ELI, YOU HAVE DESCRIBED THIS DYNAMIC ONE GUY, ONE DAY,
ANOTHER GUY THE NEXT. WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT
SPECIFICALLY AS HIS NEED TO RELEASE STEAM.STEAM.
GO INTO SOME DETAIL. >> YOU SHOWED THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN TRUMP AND TELEPROMPTER TRUMP AND JUST TRUMP.
AND YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU SEE BOTH IN THE SAME SPEECH WHICH IS
WHAT WE SAW IN PHOENIX LAST NIGHT.
PEOPLE AROUND THIS PRESIDENT WILL TALK ABOUT THE NEED TO
RELEASE PRESSURE, TO OPEN UP THE VALVE AND LET THE COMPRESSION
SORT OF SEE OUT. AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED A WEEK
AGO WHEN HE CAME DOWN TO THE LOBBY OF TRUMP TOWER AND WAS
SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE.
NOT TAKE QUESTIONS, INSTEAD TOOK ALL THESE QUESTIONS AND
RELITIGATED THE WHOLE CHARLOTTESVILLE A DAY AFTER HE
CAME OUT AND GAVE THE STATEMENT. HE WAS UPSET HE GAVE THE
STATEMENT CONDEMNING THE KKK AND NEO-NAZI BECAUSE HE FELT LIKE IT
MADE HIM LOOK WEAK. HE LET OFF STEAM AND NEEDED TO
DO IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT IN PHOENIX.
WHY IS THAT? THERE'S THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION, THE DETERIORATION OF HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH SO
MANY REPUBLICAN SENATORS. THERE'S THE DRIP, DRIP, DRIP OF
REPORTING ABOUT ALL THE CHARITIES THAT ARE LEAVING
MAR-A-LAGO AND MOVING THEIR BENEFITS ELSEWHERE.
THERE ARE JUST SO MANY HUMILIATIONS AND THINGS THAT
TRIGGER HIM IN THE MEDIA HE IS STILL CONSUMING, YOU KNOW, EVEN
IF JOHN KELLEY IS CONTROLLING THE THINGS THAT COME ACROSS HIS
DECK, HE FEELS, OBVIOUSLY, MORE ISOLATED, MORE ATTACKED, AND
WHEN YOU SEE THAT, THERE'S A LOT OF PRESSURE THAT BIDS UP ALMOST
CONSTANTLY. SO YES, HE LET A LOT OF THAT
STEAM OFF LAST NIGHT. WE SAW HIM STICKING TO THE
TELEPROMPTER PRESIDENT TODAY. IT PROBABLY WON'T BE LONG TILL
HE'S BACK TO GOING OFF SCRIPT AND AD LIBBINGING.
> CAROLYN, A GUY WHO I RESPECT LOOKED AT THE PRESIDENT'S SINS
AS HE PUT IT LAST NIGHT THIS WAY.
HIS APPEARANCE CAUSED QUESTIONS ABOUT STABILITY.
IT WAS ALL ABOUT HIS GRIEVANCES. HE ATTACKED REPUBLICAN
INCUMBENTS. HE HAD UNREALISTIC GOALS LIKE
CHANGING THE FILIBUSTER THRESHOLD AND GOVERNMENT
SHUTDOWN AMONG THEM. HE HAD NO MESSAGE.
NO FOLLOW ON ON AFGHANISTAN FROM 24 HOURS EARLIER COMMITTING
YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO WAR. NO MENTION OF THE SAILORS ON
BOARD THE "USS JOHN MCCAIN." SO MY QUESTION IS, IF ALL THAT
IS TRUE, WAS THIS AT ALL A CHASTENED TELEPROMPTER PRESIDENT
WE SAW TODAY, IN YOUR VIEW? >> NO, I DON'T THINK SO.
WHAT YOU SEE IS YOU KNOW, HE STARTED OUT MONDAY, THE
PRESIDENT GAVE A VERY STUCK TO THE TELEPROMPTER, GAVE A VERY
SOMBER SPEECH. HE ALSO TALKED ABOUT UNITY IN
THAT SPEECH WHEN HE ANNOUNCED HIS AFGHANISTAN POLICY.
YOU GET TO TUESDAY AND HE'S IN A DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT AUDIENCE
THAN HE WAS TODAY AND ON MONDAY WHERE HE'S TALKING TO VETERANS
AND ACTIVE MILITARY AS OPPOSED TO IN AN ARENA SURROUNDED BY HIS
SUPPORTERS WHERE HE JUST, HE FEEDS OFF THE CROWD.
AND YOU GET AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TRUMP AND YOU GET, YOU
KNOW, A MORE COMFORTABLE TRUMP IF YOU LOOK AT THE WAY THE
PRESIDENT CONDUCTS HIMSELF WHEN HE'S HAVING TO USE THE
TELEPROMPTER AND FOLLOW THE SCRIPT, HE'S NOT VERY
COMFORTABLE. AND HE'S EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE
IN THE PHOENIX RALLY WHERE HE, YOU KNOW, HE'S -- HE'S A
PRESIDENT WHO THINKS ABOUT -- WHEN HE'S THINKING ABOUT THINGS,
HE'S NOT THINKING ABOUT UNITIEN AN HOW TO UNIFY THE COUNTRY.
THIS IS A PRESIDENT THAT SIT IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND HE GOES OVER
WHO HE FEELS IS SLEIGHTING HIM, WHERE HE FEELS THINGS ARE NOT
FAIR, WHO IS NOT DEFENDING HIM ENOUGH AND THEN HE GETS OUT AND
WHEN HE GETS INTO A CROWD LIKE THE ONE THAT YOU SAW YESTERDAY,
YOU KNOW, HE JUST UNLEASHES. AND YOU KNOW, THERE ARE
CONSEQUENCES IN TERMS OF WHETHER PEOPLE QUESTION HIS ABILITY TO
LEAD, BUT THERE'S ALSO POTENTIALLY SOME SIGNIFICANT
LEGISLATIVE CONSEQUENCES WHEN HE LASHES OUT AT REPUBLICANS AS DID
HE LAST NIGHT. >> MICHAEL STEELE, FORMER CHAIR
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WHO MUST ANSWER FOR ALL REPUBLICANS ON
THE PLANET FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE, TO QUOTE OUR FRIEND PHIL
RUCKER IN THE "WASHINGTON POST," AGAIN AND AGAIN, THE PATTERN HAS
BEEN THE SAME. THE MOMENTS WHEN TRUMP STAYS ON
MESSAGE AS WITH HIS AUGUST 14th STATEMENT IN THE WHITE HOUSE
ALMOST INHERENTLY SERVE AS A PRECURSOR FOR MELTDOWNS SUCH AS
HIS NEWS CONFERENCE THE NEXT DAY.
PART WHAT HAVE CARROLL WAS SAYING, PART WHAT HAVE ELI WAS
SAYING. IT'S PAY THE TERN.
>> IT'S THE REALITY AND THE FACT THAT FOLKS ARE LOOKING AT THIS
PRESIDENT THINKING THAT THERE'S GOING TO.
SOME SHIFT OR CHANGE DOWN THE ROAD, THAT THE OVAL OFFICE IS
GOING TO IMPACT HIM IN A WAY THAT MAKES HIM MORE PRESIDENTIAL
OR TO SEE HIMSELF THAT WAY, I THINK IS JUST LUDICROUS AT THIS
POINT. WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE
COVER, HOW DO WE TALK ABOUT, HOW DO WE ASSESS THE POLITICAL
LEADERSHIP HAS TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO THEY GO FORWARD AND PUT OUT
LEGISLATION THAT CAN ACTUALLY GET DONE.
WITH THE PRESIDENT WHO IS MERCURIAL AT BEST IN THE SENSE
THAT WHEN HE'S FORCED TO HAVE TO DO THE PRESIDENTIAL THING AS WE
NOTED, HE'S AS YOU GOING TO LOOK FOR THAT RELEASE VALVE BECAUSE
WHEN HE DOES THE PRESIDENTIAL THING, SOMEWHERE HE'S GOING TO
SLIP INTO OWED TRUMP. AND THEN THAT'S THE MOMENT
WHETHER IT'S ON CHARLOTTESVILLE OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT HE THEN
GETS DEFENSIVE ABOUT IT. AND THEN HE'S BACK INTO THIS
SPACE WHERE HE NEEDS TO RELEASE THAT IS ENERGY.
AND IT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS. SO I'VE STOPPED TRYING TO FIGURE
IT OUT. YOU KNOW, I CAN'T FIGURE OUT
CRAZY ANYMORE. WHAT I HAVE TO DO NOW IS JUST
FIGURE OUT HOW THE PARTY ADJUSTS AND ADAPTS TO THIS HAVEN'T
BECAUSE THE TOLL IT'S GOING TO TAKE GOING INTO NEXT YEAR AND
BEYOND IS PERMANENT. THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT -- YOU
JUST DON'T GO BACK INTO COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND GO OH,
GEE, ALL THAT STUFF GO CHARLOTTESVILLE.
>> THIS ISN'T JUST ONE CYCLE WORTH OF DAMAGE.
>> NO, I DON'T THINK SO. >> PERMANENT IS A BIG WORD.
>> AND POLITICS,ER. THE MEANS YOU'RE LOOKING AT
TWO, THREE CYCLES DOWN THE ROAD. WE'RE ONLY DEALING WITH
DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS ANYWAY THAT THE PARTY HAS TO ADDRESS WITH
SFIKS AND OTHER COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
NOW YOU SORT OF BROADEN THAT SWATHE OF FOLKS THAT YOU'VE GOT
TO GO BACK TO AND TRY TO BUILD A AN RELATIONSHIP WITH.
I DON'T KNOW, HOW DO YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH ANYONE IN THE
BLACK COMMUNITY WHEN THE PRESIDENT SEEMS TO GIVE COVER
AND CREDENCE TO THE KKK? HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU COME UP WITH?
>> IT'S A TOUGH CONVERSATION. >> TO MAKE SOMEONE GO, OH, I GET
IT. IT'S JUST NOT THERE.
SO THIS IS THE REALITY FOR THEIR ADMINISTRATION.
IT'S THE REALITY FOR THE PRESIDENT.
I MEAN FOR THE CONGRESS. I THINK THE