>>> WELCOME BACK TO "HARDBALL." DURING THE CLOSING DAYS OF
MID-TERM CAMPAIGN WHICH ENDED
YESTERDAY, PRESIDENT TRUMP
PROUDLY CALLED HIMSELF A
NATIONALIST.
NATIONALIST. THAT’S THE NEW WORD HE LOVED.
HE SAID HE WANTED TO END
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, OF
COURSE THE 14th AMENDMENT RIGHT
TO EVERYONE BORN IN THIS COUNTRY
CITIZENSHIP.
CITIZENSHIP. AT HIS FREE WHEELING AND
COMBATIVE PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY
REFUSING TO TAKE ANY
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TONE THAT
HE SET IN THE CAMPAIGN.
>> HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR ROLE AS A
MORAL LEADER?
MORAL LEADER? MR. PRESIDENT, JUST HOW DO YOU
SEE YOUR ROLE AS A MORAL LEADER?
>> THERE’S SO MANY PEOPLE, I’M
SORRY.
SORRY. >> AS A MORAL LEADER, THOUGH.
>> I THINK I’M A GREAT MORAL
LEADER AND I LOVE OUR COUNTRY.
>> WHY ARE YOU PITTING AMERICANS
AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, SIR?
>> WE WON A LOT OF ELECTIONS
LAST NIGHT, WE DID VERY WELL
LAST NIGHT, AND I THINK IT’S
GOING TO HAVE A VERY POSITIVE
IMPACT.
IMPACT. >> MICHAEL COHEN REPEATCENTLY SA
YOU CALLED BLACK VOTERS STUPED,
AND THE RAPPER LITTLE JOHN SAID
YOU CALLED HIM UNCLE TOM.
>> I DON’T KNOW WHO LITTLE JOHN
WAS.
WAS. >> HE WAS ON THE APPRENTICE.
>> HE WAS?
OH, I SEE.
>> HAVE YOU EVER USED RACIST
REMARKS?
REMARKS? >> I DON’T USE RACIST REMARKS.
>> THE PRESIDENT ALSO LASHED
OUT, ACCUSING HER OF ASKING A
QUOTE, RACIST QUESTION.
AND HERE’S THAT EXCHANGE.
>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL YOU
CALLED YOURSELF A NATIONALIST.
SOME PEOPLE SAW THAT AN
EMBOLDENING WHITE NATIONALISTS
AND NUPEOPLEOW PEOPLE ARE SAYING
THERE’S SOME PEOPLE SAYING
YOU’RE SUPPORTING WHITE
NATIONALISTS BECAUSE OF YOUR
RHETORIC.
RHETORIC. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
>> WHY DO I HAVE AMONG THE
HIGHEST POLL NUMBERS WITH THE
AFRICAN-AMERICANS?
AFRICAN-AMERICANS? I MEAN, WHY DO I HAVE MY HIGHEST
POLL NUMBERS -- THAT’S SUCH A
RACIST QUESTION.
RACIST QUESTION. HONESTLY, I KNOW YOU HAVE IT
WRITTEN DOWN AND YOU’RE GOING TO
TELL ME -- LET ME TELL YOU,THETS
THAT’S A RACIST QUESTION.
>> YAMISH, THAT WAS A PRETTY
FRAUGHT MOMENT THERE.
TELL ME YOUR REACTION TO HIM.
>> Reporter: REALLY THE
PRESIDENT WAS FRUSTRATED BECAUSE
REPORTERS WERE DOING WHAT WE DO
BEST WHICH WAS ASK QUESTIONS AND
REALLY DEMAND ANSWERS.
SIS PRESIDENT AS YOU’VE SAID HAS
TALKED ABOUT ANY BIRTHRIGHT
CITIZENSHIP.
CITIZENSHIP. VUS TODAY A WHITE NATIONALIST, A
MAN NAMED PATRICK CASEY WHO
HEADS UP A GROUP WAS TWEETING
ABOUT VISITING THE WHITE HOUSE
AS SOMEONE WHO’S A
SELF-DESCRIBED WHITE
SELF-DESCRIBED WHITE NATIONALISTS.
NATIONALISTS. I THINK THE PRESIDENT’S ANGER
WAS BOILING OVER THERE, AND I
THINK MY REACTION WAS THAT OF
MOST REPORTERS WHICH WAS TO
PRESS ON.
PRESS ON. NEXT I ASKED ABOUT MIDDLE CLASS
TAX CUTS, BECAUSE I CAN’T ALLOW
THE PRESIDENT TO REALLY GO OFF
AND NOT REALLY STASTAY ON TARGET
AND DO MY JOB.
>> THIS PRESIDENT DOESN’T
OBSERVE WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL
TODAY IDENTITY POLITICS.
HE HAS DIFFERENT KNOCKS ON
DIFFERENT GROUPS.
DIFFERENT GROUPS. WHITE WOMEN ARE UGLY, HORSE
FACE, THE COMMENTS HE SAID ABOUT
AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARE LOW IQ OR
UNQUALIFIED, A YALE LAW GRADUATE
RUNNING FOR OFFICE DOWN THERE IN
GEORGIA WAS UNQUALIFIED.
DID YOU GET A SENSE FROM ALL OF
THAT THAT LED YOU INTO THE
QUESTION ABOUT THE TENOR HE
USED?
USED? >> I THINK THE PRESIDENT, HIS
ANGER WAS BOILING OVER BECAUSE
OF A LOT OF THINGS.
AT ONE POINT DURING THE PRESS
CONFERENCE HE WAS LITERALLY
PACING BACK AND FORTH.
I THOUGHT HE MIGHT WALK OFF.
I THINK SOME PEOPLE SEE THIS AS
THE PRESIDENT ATTACKING A WOMAN
OF COLOR.
OF COLOR. OF COURSE I’M A BLACK WOMAN.
HE WAS ALSO ATTACKING APRIL
RYAN, TELLING HER TO SIT DOWN.
JIM ACOSTA, AND CALLING
REPORTERS HOSTILE.
REPORTERS HOSTILE. I’M NOT SURE THE PRESIDENT WAS
SINGLING OUT PEOPLE BECAUSE OF
THEIR RACE.
THEIR RACE. BUT THE PRESIDENT WAS VERY
OBVIOUSLY UPSET WITH THE
REPORTING WE WERE TRYING TO DO
THERE.
THERE. AND I TALKED TO SOME WHITE HOUSE
AIDES WHO SAY THE PRESIDENT
FEELS PARTICULARLY AGGRIEVED
WHEN WE ASK ABOUT WHITE
NATIONALISTS BECAUSE HE FEELS
IT’S AN UNFAIR QUESTION.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. YOU COME FROM SOUTH CAROLINA,
AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT GEORGIA
AND FLORIDA WHERE YOU HAD
INCREDIBLE AFRICAN-AMERICANS
INCREDIBLE AFRICAN-AMERICANS CANDIDATES.
CANDIDATES. DO YOU THINK TRUMP’S TENOR AND
LANGUAGE FROM THE CARAVAN TO ALL
THE ETHNIC COMMENTS HE’S MADE TO
THE WAY HE SORT OF TALKS, TO PUT
IT LIGHTLY, DO YOU THINK IT HAD
AN INFLUENCE ON THOSE DEFEATS?
DID HE GIVE PERMISSION TO THOSE
VOTERS?
VOTERS? >> ABSOLUTELY I DO.
ABSOLUTELY I THINK IT WAS RACIST
TO SAY THAT STACEY ABRAMS IS NOT
QUALIFIED TO SAY ANDREW GILLUM
IS NOT EQUIPPED TO BE --
>> EQUIPPED.
>> EQUIPPED. >> EQUIPPED, RIGHT.
EXACTLY WHERE I WAS GOING.
AND THAT’S JUST FLAT OUT RACIST.
BUT I THINK HIS ATTACK ON
YAMICHE, YOU KNOW, SHE WAS
THERE, I WASN’T.
SO SHE FELT ANGER COMING OUT OF
THE PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT. TO ME IT LOOKED DELIBERATE, IT
LOOKED STAGED.
LOOKED STAGED. BECAUSE HE IS REINFORCING THIS
NOTION THAT HE’S ENCOURAGED THAT
THERE’S ALL THIS RACISM BEING
DIRECTED AGAINST WHITE PEOPLE.
AND THAT SORT OF REINFORCED
THAT.
THAT. I THOUGHT HIS WHOLE PERFORMANCE
TODAY, WATCHING IT ON
TELEVISION, LOOKED INTENTIONAL
TO ME.
TO ME. IT LOOKED LIKE HE CAME IN THERE
READY TO PICK A FIGHT.
HE CALLS ON JIM ACOSTA, YOU
KNOW, HIS GREAT ANTAGONIST
KNOWING WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN.
THEN HE GOES TO PETER ALEXANDER
WITH WHOM HE’S HAD, YOU KNOW,
BACK AND FORTH.
HE YELLS AT APRIL RYAN, KNOWING
SHE’S GOING TO YELL BACK.
IT LOOKED TO ME LIKE A GUY WHO
WANTED TO BE SEEN HAVING A FIGHT
WITH THE MEDIA.
>> YAMICHE IF HE WANTS TO MAKE
THE PRESS LOOK LIKE HIS ENEMY,
HE DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB.
IT DOES SEEM LIKE HE LOST THE
ARGUMENT, LOST THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE REST OF
HIS TERM HERE.
HE LOST THE BIG ARGUMENT IN THE
POPULAR VOTE LAST NIGHT.
CLEARLY THE POPULAR VOTE OF THIS
COUNTRY WENT AGAINST HIM, BUT HE
WANTS TO SOMEHOW START ANOTHER
WAY OF JUDGING THE WAY THINGS
ARE.
ARE. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOU AND
EVERYBODY ELSE TODAY, GOING HEAD
TO HEAD WITH HIM IN THE PRESS
CONFERENCE?
CONFERENCE? >> I THINK TWO THINGS.
I THINK FIRST THE PRESIDENT DOES
FEEL WOUNDED BY THE FACT
REPUBLICANS LOST CONTROL OF THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. THIS WAS A PRESIDENT WHO
CAMPAIGNED, EVEN THOUGH HE’S
SAYING THAT HE FOCUSED ON SENATE
RACES, HE CALLED A LOT OF HOUSE
CANDIDATES UP ON STAGE WITH HIM
AND WAS BARNSTORMING ACROSS THE
COUNTRY MAKING SURE REPUBLICANS
HELD ONTO THE HOUSE AND SENATE.
AND HE LOST ONE OF THE BIG
CHAMBERS.
CHAMBERS. AS FAR AS GOING BACK AND FORTH
WITH REPORTERS I THINK HE WAS IN
SOME WAY LOOKING FOR A BIT OF A
FIGHT.
FIGHT. HE DIDN’T GET A FIGHT OUT OF ME.
I WASN’T FIGHTING THERE.
WHAT I WAS DOING WAS POSING A
QUESTION WHICH IS WHAT REPORTERS
ARE GOING TO DO.
THERE WAS A WHITE NATIONALISTS
TODAY TWEETING ABOUT BEING AT
THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY.
SO MY QUESTION WAS TIMELY AND IT
WAS FAIR AND IT’S WHAT I DO.
>> WHAT DID YOU SEE IN HIS EYES
WHEN HE’S LOOKING AT YOU?
>> I MEAN I SAW SOMEONE WHO I
THINK WAS VERY, VERY FRUSTRATED
AND VERY, VERY ANGRY AT THE FACT
I WAS BRINGING UP THE FACT THAT
SOME PEOPLE THINK HE’S
EMBOLDENING WHITE NATIONALISTS.
AS EUGENE SAID, I THINK THERE
WAS SOME PERFORMANCE THERE.
BUT HE WAS GENUINELY FRUSTRATED
WITH REPORTERS BECAUSE HE’D JUST
FINISHED YELLING AT APRIL RYAN,
AND ACOSTA AND PETER ALEXANDER.
>> IT’S AMAZING TO WATCH
SOMEBODY I KNOW LIKE YOU
FIGHTING IT OUT WITH THE
PRESIDENT ON EQUAL TERMS.
IT’S SOMETHING ELSE.
I GUESS THAT’S GOOD FOR
DEMOCRACY DESPITE ALL THIS OTHER
HELLISH STUFF WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT.
ABOUT. IT WAS AWFUL WHAT HE SAID IN THE
CAMPAIGN, AND I DO AGREE WITH
YOU AND YOUR REPORTING ABOUT
THIS NATIONALIST THING HERE.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE BEEN IN
THIS COUNTRY A LOT LONGER, BY
CENTURIES THAN MOST WHITE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. THE IDEA THAT YOU’RE NOT PART OF
THE NATION IS AN ABSURDITY AND,