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>>> JOINING US NOW, NBC NEWS
CORRESPONDENT HANS NICHOLS LIVE
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.
HANS, STARTING OFF I GUESS THE
PRESIDENT AND THE WHITE HOUSE IS
STEPPING UP THEIR ATTACKS ON
TWITTER NOW BY RETWEETING --
>> Reporter: YES.
>> -- REPOSTING THE PRESIDENT’S
PRETTY CRAVEN POST ON THE
OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE TWITTER?
>> YOU SAY CRAVEN POST, I MEAN,
HANS, THIS IS A POST WHERE THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
ADVOCATING THE GUNNING DOWN OF
AMERICANS.
>> Reporter: YEP.
>> OH, MY GOD.
>> FOR PROPERTY CRIMES.
LISTEN, WE HAVE SPOKEN OUT
AGAINST THE LOOTING.
WE HAVE SPOKEN OUT AGAINST ANY
RIOTS, BUT UNDER -- UNDER ANY
CIRCUMSTANCES LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICERS DO NOT SHOOT DOWN AND
GUN DOWN PEOPLE FOR PROPERTY
CRIMES.
THAT IS WHAT THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES IS ADVOCATING
THIS MORNING.
>> Reporter: AND HE’S ESCALATING
THIS FIGHT AND POURING MORE
GASOLINE ON THE FIRE BY NOT ONLY
HAVING THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL
TWITTER ACCOUNT RETWEET IT,
RIGHT, WHICH IS RETWEET IT WITH
COMMENT, WHICH IS WHAT THE
TWITTER GUIDELINES WERE.
YOU COULDN’T SIMPLY LIKE IT, YOU
HAD TO REALLY OWN THE TWEET.
SO HE’S RETWEETING FROM AN
OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE ACCOUNT.
YOU ALSO HAVE THE SOCIAL MEDIA
DIRECTOR DAN SCOVINO HAVING HOT
LANGUAGE WE CAN’T SAY ON A
MORNING SHOW.
WHEN YOU TAKE A STEP BACK, IT IS
SO CLEAR PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
LIKES THESE FIGHTS.
IT IS SO CLEAR IT IS EXACTLY
WEIGH WANTS TO DO.
IT IS A MULTI FRONT WAR.
HE IS GOING AFTER TWITTER.
HE IS OBVIOUSLY HAVING A FIGHT
WITH THE COMMUNITY IN
MINNEAPOLIS, TAUNTING THEM,
THREATENING VIOLENCE AS YOU SAY.
WE HAVEN’T EVEN MENTIONED THE
LATEST ON COVID AND WHAT THE
PRESIDENT IS SAYING THERE.
AND THEN THE SIGNALING FOR THE
PAST 24, 48 HOURS HERE AT THE
WHITE HOUSE IS THERE WOULD BE AN
ADDITIONAL FRONT IN THE
PRESIDENT’S WARS, AND THAT IS HE
WOULD BE GOING AFTER CHINA AND
ESCALATING IT, A RANGE OF
OPTIONS FOR THE PRESIDENT.
YESTERDAY HE WAS TALKING ABOUT A
PRESS CONFERENCE HERE AT THE
WHITE HOUSE TODAY.
ODDLY, IT WASN’T IN THE OFFICIAL
GUIDE, THE SCHEDULE THEY PUT
OUT.
I’M LOSING TRACK, GUYS, ON HOW
MANY DIFFERENT FRONTS THE
PRESIDENT IS OPENING UP, BUT DOY
GUYS KNOW AS WELL AS ANYONE,
THIS IS SOMEONE THAT RELISHES
THIS AND HE’S NOT AFRAID TO
CROSS THE BOUNDARIES THAT YOU
GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS
MORNING.
SO I SUSPECT TODAY WILL BE A DAY
WE LOOK BACK ON WHEN THINGS -- I
WOULD LIKE TO SAY REALLY CHANGE
AT THE WHITE HOUSE, BUT NOT
NECESSARILY.
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE HE IS
ESCALATING, ESCALATING,
ESCALATING.
I DON’T KNOW WHERE THIS ENDS.
GUYS.
>> YEAH.
>> WELL, AND, HANS, OF COURSE,
SO MUCH OF THIS AS WE’VE ALWAYS
SAID TO OUR VIEWERS, SO MUCH OF
THIS IS A DISTRACTION FROM THE
100,000 DEAD IN A PANDEMIC WHERE
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES HAD SAID IT WAS ONE
PERSON COMING IN FROM CHINA.
THAT’S WE’VE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE
THIS WEEK WHEN THEY CALLED UP
ASKING, WHAT IS HAPPENING.
I SAID, IT IS ALL A DISTRACTION.
YOU’VE GOT TO STAY FOCUSED ON
WHAT MATTERS, THE PANDEMIC
MATTERS.
OF COURSE, MINNEAPOLIS MATTERS
NOW, BUT IT IS JUST LIKE IN THE
SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY WHEN
NIKKI HALEY ENDORSED MARCO
RUBIO, THAT’S WHEN THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES PICKED HIS
FIGHT WITH THE POPE.
NOW HE’S MOVED FROM THE POPE TO
TWITTER TO CABLE NEWS HOSTS.
MY, HE’S GONE DOWNHILL QUICKLY.
>> Reporter: LOOK, GUYS, I DON’T
KNOW WHERE TODAY ENDS.
I SUSPECT WE’RE IN FOR A RIDE.
AGAIN, YOU KNOW, COVID IS
OBVIOUSLY VERY SERIOUS, YOU
KNOW, THE 100,000 DEAD
AMERICANS, A MAJOR, SAD
MILESTONE.
BUT WHEN YOU TALK TO EXPERTS IN
THE PENTAGON OR IN THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COMMUNITY, ONE OF THE
CHALLENGES IS HOW YOU GET THE
AMERICAN RELATIONSHIP RIGHT WITH
CHINA.
THAT’S GOING TO DEFINE THE NEXT
100 YEARS.
THE PRESIDENT SEEMS TO BE IN A
FIGHTING MOOD, AND WE’LL SEE
WHAT OPTION HE CHOOSES TODAY.
OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE CHANGES
TAKING PLACE IN HONG KONG WITH
THE LOSS OF AUTONOMY, SO IT IS
DECISION DAY FOR THE PRESIDENT.
WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP TALKING TO
ALL OF OUR SOURCES AND TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND,
HOPEFULLY, REPORT AS ACCURATELY
AS WE CAN.
GUYS.
>> NBC’S HANS NICHOLS.
>> HANS NICHOLS AT THE WHITE
HOUSE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> HOLD ON -- GO AHEAD, WILLIE.
SORRY.
>> THANKS.
I WAS GOING TO SAY THOUGH A BIT
OF HISTORY TO SPRINKLE IN HERE.
WHEN THE LOOTING STARTS THE
SHOOTING STARTS, THAT PHRASE IS
NOT A CREATION OR INVENTION OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
THAT WAS USED BACK IN THE 1960s
BY A POLICE CHIEF IN MIAMI.
HE COINED THAT PHRASE, HE USED
IT TO JUSTIFY BRUTAL CRACKDOWNS
ON WHAT HE CALLED HOODLUMS IN
THE SLUMS DURING CIVIL RIGHTS
PROTESTS AS THEY TURNED VIOLENT
IN SOME CASES.
SO THE PRESIDENT, A CALL-BACK TO
THE 1960s IN A TIME OF CRACKDOWN
ON CIVIL RIGHTS PROTESTERS.
>> Reporter: IT IS A CLEAR ECHO.
AGAIN, WE CAN ARGUE ABOUT THE
PROPRIETY AND HAVE OUR OPINIONS
ON WHAT IT MEANS.
WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT THE
PRESIDENT THINKS THIS HELPS HIM
POLITICALLY.
HE IS WILLING TO POUR MORE AND
MORE GASOLINE ON THE FIRE.
YOU GUYS REMEMBER BACK IN MARCH
WHEN HE HAD THE OVAL OFFICE
ADDRESS TALKING ABOUT COVID, NOW
IS NOT THE TIME FOR PAR SANSHIP.
HE PLEDGED TO PUT PARTISANSHIP
ASIDE.
THAT WAS, WHAT, 2 1/2 MONTHS
AGO.
DOES ANYONE THINK THERE’S LESS
PARTISANSHIP IN THE COUNTRY THAN
THERE WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF
THIS CRISIS?
YOU KNOW, COLOR ME AS NOT AN
OPTIMIST, BUT I DON’T SUSPECT WE
ARE GOING TO -- AND THE
OFFICIALS THAT I TALKED TO DON’T
GIVE ANY INDICATION THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS GOING TO
DE-ESCALATE AND THIS IS GOING TO
GET IN ANY SORT OF HEALING
SITUATION.
GUYS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
NBC’S HANS NICHOLS LIVE AT THE
WHITE HOUSE.
THE NEXT TIME WE SEE YOU, YOU
WILL BE WORKING FOR "AXIOS."
WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT.
CONGRATULATIONS.
HANS NICHOLS, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
>> Reporter: THANKS, GUYS.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> THANKS, HANS.
>> SEE YOU SOON.
>>> UP NEXT, AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION WITH FAITH LEADERS
DISCUSSION WITH FAITH LEADERS