THEY’RE GOING >>> ALL RIGHT.
32 PAST THE HOUR.
JOINING US NOW NBC NEWS CAPITOL
HILL CORRESPONDENT AND HOST OF
"K.C. D.C." ON MSNBC.
>> DOWN IN HOUSTON YESTERDAY,
TEXAS A MAJOR SUPER TUESDAY SITE
TO CATCH UP WITH MIKE BLOOMBERG
WHO, OF COURSE, SAW HIS COMPLAIN
TAKE A REAL HIT AFTER HIS FIRST
DEBATE PERFORMANCE, BUT THEY
THINK THEY ARE BOUNCING BACK
HERE AS WE MOVE FORWARD, AND ONE
THING THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT ALL MORNING THAT I
STARTED MY CONVERSATION WITH HIM
ABOUT WAS THE CORONAVIRUS.
THIS IS SOMETHING WHERE HE
ARGUED ON THE DEBATE STAGE THAT
HE IS BETTER PREPARED TO TAKE ON
DONALD TRUMP BOTH IN THE GENERAL
ELECTION AND ALSO, OF COURSE, IN
THE COURSE OF THE PRIMARY,
BECAUSE THE EXPERIENCE HE HAD IN
NEW YORK CITY.
THAT’S JUST ONE OF SEVERAL
THINGS I TALKED TO HIM ABOUT.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> LET’S START WITH THE NEWS
TODAY, CORONAVIRUS.
TODAY, CORONAVIRUS. >> YES.
>> YES. >> SPREADING RAPIDLY.
DO YOU TRUST AND SHOULD
AMERICANS TRUST PRESIDENT TRUMP
TO DEAL WITH THIS CRISIS?
>> NO.
>> NO. HE IS NOT PREPARED FOR A CRISIS
LIKE THIS.
LIKE THIS. QUITE THE CONTRARY.
HE FIRED THE PANDEMIC SPECIALIST
TWO YEARS AGO.
HE’S DEFUNDED OR UNFUNDED OR
REDUCED THE FUNDING FOR THE
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL.
HE’S HAD 1,600 SCIENTISTS LEAVE
THE GOVERNMENT IN THE FIRST TWO
YEARS OF HIS OFFICE.
YOU DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT’S
GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT YOU HAVE TO
HAVE TRAINED PEOPLE WHO HAVE
PRACTICED WORKING TOGETHER AND
ESTABLISHED TRUST IN EACH OTHER
AND KNOW WHERE TO GO SO THAT YOU
CAN HAVE A TEAM THAT CAN, AT THE
LAST MINUTE, ADJUST YOUR
SOLUTIONS TO WHATEVER PROBLEM
ARISES.
ARISES. >> DO YOU THINK PRESIDENT OBAMA
DID A BETTER JOB HANDLING EBOLA
THAN PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS DONE
HANDLING CORONAVIRUS?
HANDLING CORONAVIRUS? >> I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU ANSWER
THAT.
THAT. PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD IN PLACE
TEAMS LIKE I JUST DESCRIBED SO
HE WAS MUCH BETTER PREPARED.
SOMETIMES A LOT OF THIS STUFF IS
LUCK.
LUCK. IT EITHER HITS OR IT DOESN’T.
GONE LEFT SHOULD HAVE GONE
RIGHT, LEFT BY ACCIDENT AND THAT
WAS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO, BUT I
THINK OBAMA HAD A MUCH GREATER
UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU CAN’T DO
EVERYTHING BY YOURSELF.
THE WAY I JOKE ABOUT IT IS, I
SPELL TEAM T-E-A-M, NO "I" IN
THE WORD TEAM I KEEP LECTURING.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SPELLS TEAM IS
JUST WITH THE HE "LETTER "I."
YOU SAW THAT WHEN HE TOOK OUT
THE GENERAL.
THE GENERAL. THERE WASN’T ANYONE TO GO TO FOR
ADVICE BECAUSE HE FIRED EVERYONE
IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND EVERY
OTHER PLACE.
OTHER PLACE. >> TALK ABOUT BERNIE SANDERS YOU
HIT AGGRESSIVELY ON THE DEBATE
STAGE AND YOU’RE HEADING INTO
SUPER TUESDAY.
SUPER TUESDAY. THE MODERATE VOTE IS POTENTIALLY
SPLINTERING.
SPLINTERING. DID YOU SPEND $400-PLUS MILLION
JUST TO HAND BERNIE SANDERS THE
NOMINATION?
NOMINATION? >> I DON’T KNOW WHY YOU THINK --
LOOK, BERNIE SANDERS HAS BEEN
RUNNING FOR YEARS, AND THIS,
THESE FOUR ELECTIONS I DIDN’T
PARTICIPATE IN.
PARTICIPATE IN. I HAD NO SAY IN BERNIE SANDERS.
HE’S BUILT A GROUP OF PEOPLE
THAT FOLLOW HIM, AND --
>> DON’T YOU SEE YOURSELF
SPLINTERING THE OTHER --
SUPPORT?
SUPPORT? >> I THINK -- WELL -- I BELIEVE
THAT IF BERNIE SANDERS GETS THE
NOMINATION, HE WILL LOSE TO
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. HE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE
SENATE STAYS IN REPUBLICAN
HANDS.
HANDS. HE WILL FLIP THE HOUSE BACK TO
THE REPUBLICANS, AND EVEN DOWN
BALLOT, HE’S GOING TO HURT THE
DEMOCRATS.
DEMOCRATS. SO YOU WILL HAVE A LOT OF
GERRYMANDERING DOWN BALLOT WHICH
IS, IN STATES, WHICH WILL HURT
THE COUNTRY FOR A LONG TIME, BUT
WORSE, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL YOU
WILL HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF
JUDGES, PROBABLY EVEN TWO
SUPREME COURT JUSTICES, THAT THE
REPUBLICANS WILL APPOINT AND
THOSE JUDICIAL DECISIONS THAT
COME OUT OF THAT WILL BE
DEVASTATING FOR THIS COUNTRY FOR
DECADES.
DECADES. >> WOULD YOU VOTE FOR BERNIE
SANDERS OVER DONALD TRUMP?
>> WELL, I’VE CRITICIZED THE
PARTY LOYALTY WHERE THEY SAY YOU
HAVE TO VOTE FOR THE CANDIDATE.
EVERYBODY GETS ONBOARD, OF
COURSE, I’LL VOTE FOR HIM AND
THEY DON’T REALLY MEAN IT, AND I
THINK -- DONALD TRUMP GOT
ELECTED BECAUSE OF THAT KIND OF
LOYALTY TO THE PARTY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE PARTY
DIDN’T LIKE HIM, BUT IN THIS
CASE, THE ALTERNATIVE TO THE
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES EVEN
BERNIE SANDERS IS SO BAD I’VE
SAID THAT I WILL VOTE FOR THE
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE, EVEN IF
IT’S BERNIE SANDERS.
NOW, I’M A LITTLE OFF --
>> YOU MIGHT HAVE TO HOLD YOUR
NOSE AND DO IT?
>> TURNS OUT I MIGHT HAVE TO
VOTE FOR HIM BUT THE OTHER DAY
HIS STAFF FOR REASONS BEYOND ME
SAID I DON’T WANT BLOOMBERG’S
HELP.
HELP. I GUESS I’M OFF THE HOOK.
>> WERE YOU PREERNPARED TO HELP
BERNIE SANDERS?
BERNIE SANDERS? >> YES.
>> YES. I MADE A COMMITMENT I WOULD KEEP
OFFICES OPEN THROUGH NOVEMBER
3rd.
3rd. >> HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD YOU
PREPARED TO SPEND ON --
>> I HAVE NO IDEA.
YOU’LL SEE WHAT’S NEEDED.
WENG
WENG WENG
WENG WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN SPEND
IT EFFICIENTLY AND WHETHER OR
NOT THEY WANT IT OR NOT.
GETTING A DECENT NUMBER OF
VOTES.
VOTES. NOT GOING TO CARRY CALIFORNIA.
BERNIE SANDERS BY ALL POLLING
RESULTS SAY HE WILL CARRY
CALIFORNIA, BUT YOU WANT TO MAKE
SURE WE HAVE TIME TO GO FORWARD
IN THE OTHER ELECTIONS, AND WIN
MORE DELEGATES, AND IF NOBODY
HAS A MAJORITY, JUST A
PLURALITY, THEN THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY HAS SOME RULES ABOUT YOU
GO TO THE CONVENTION IN
MILWAUKEE AND THEY TAKE ONE VOTE
AND NOBODY HAS A MAJORITY.
THEN THERE IS A TRADING, HORSE
TRADING, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO
DESCRIBE IT, A PROCESS, THAT THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY SPECIFIED.
>> ARE YOU COMMITTED TO STAYING
IN THROUGH THAT ENTIRE PROCESS?
>> AS LONG AGENCY YOU HAVE A
CHANCE OF WINNING, ABSOLUTELY.
WHY WOULD I SPEND ALL OF THIS
MONEY AND ALL THIS TIME OUT OF
MY LIFE AND WEAR AND TEAR YOU
KNOW -- WHICH I LOVE,
INCIDENTALLY.
INCIDENTALLY. REMINDS ME OF MY THREE CAMPAIGNS
IN NEW YORK FOR MAYOR, WHICH I
DID LIKE.
DID LIKE. THE DIFFERENCE I HAVE TO FLY
FROM EVENT TO EVENT AND THERE I
USED TO DRIVE FROM EVENT TO
EVENT.
EVENT. SURE I’D LOVE IT.
I’M GOING TO STAY IN IT UNTIL
THE END IF I HAVE A CHANCE.
>> AND A PLURALITY YOU’LL STILL
STAY IN?
STAY IN? >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. ONE VOTE AWAY FROM MAJORITY YOU
HAVE TO START THINKING ABOUT IT,
BUT, YEAH.
BUT, YEAH. IF IT’S JUST A PLURALITY, YOU’VE
GOT TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT.
ANYBODY THAT GOES -- I’M RUNNING
A RACE, AND I’M BEHIND WITH ONE