CAPITAL. THAT’S WHY HE MOVES WITH HIS
EXECUTIVE POWER.
EXECUTIVE POWER. >> ELISE, MELANIA TRUMP WENT
DOWN TO THE BORDER TODAY, SEEMED
TO HAVE -- SEEM TO HAVE BEEN
WELL RECEIVED.
WELL RECEIVED. I WAS REMINDED OF HER FIRST
INTERVIEW AFTER THE ACCESS
HOLLYWOOD TAPE CAME OUT AND HOW
SHE’S BEEN DEPLOYED AT SOME OF
DONALD TRUMP’S LOWEST MOMENTS.
LET’S WATCH HER TRYING TO CLEAN
THAT ONE UP.
>> AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE TAPE,
THE CAMERAS WERE NOT ON.
IT WAS ONLY A MIC.
AND I WONDER IF THEY EVEN KNEW
THAT THE MIC WAS ON BECAUSE THEY
WERE KIND OF A BOY TALK AND HE
WAS LEAD ON, LIKE EGG ON FROM
THE HOST TO SAY DIRTY AND BAD
STUFF.
STUFF. >> SO, I THINK INDISPUTABLY,
THAT WAS THE LOWEST MOMENT OF
HIS CAMPAIGN.
HIS CAMPAIGN. BEYOND DISPUTE, THIS IS ONE OF
THE LOWEST MOMENTS OF HIS
PRESIDENCY.
PRESIDENCY. ONCE AGAIN, MELANIA BAILING HIM
OUT.
OUT. >> WHEN THE TRUMPIAN MOVE IS
DEFLECTING, IT’S NEVER THEIR
FAULT, THEY’RE NEVER THE ONES
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE I ALONE CAN
FIX IT AT THE RNC CONVENTION.
HE DOESN’T HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER
THE POLICIES HE IMPLEMENTS, IT’S
THEIR FAULT, IT’S PRESIDENT
OBAMA’S FAULT.
OBAMA’S FAULT. SHE TOOK THE TRIP TODAY.
I WAS HEARTENED BY IT.
SHE SEEMED GENUINE, CARING,
SAYING THE RIGHT THINGS.
THEN I’M GOING TO BE HONEST, I
DON’T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THE
JACKET.
JACKET. >> WHAT’S WITH THE JACKET?
>> IT WAS VERY OFF MESSAGE.
THE PICTURE OF HER JACKET FROM
ZARA.
ZARA. I DON’T CARE IN WHITE LETTERING
ON THE BACK OF THE GREEN CARGO
JACKET.
JACKET. SHE DIDN’T WEAR IT AMONG THE
CHILDREN, BUT SHE WORE IT
BOARDING THE PLANE.
THIS ISN’T HER FIRST RODEO
HEADING TO A CRISIS ZONE AND
BEING CRITIQUED FOR HER
CLOTHING.
CLOTHING. SHE WORE HIGH HEELS --
>> THIS IS A PICTURE OF MELANIA
TRUMP BOARDING AIR FORCE ONE TO
HEAD DOWN TO McALLEN TEXAS TO
VISIT SOME OF THE CHILDREN BEING
HELD IN DETENTION CENTERS.
SHE’S WEARING A GREEN JACKET, WE
BELIEVE THAT CAME FROM THE
CLOTHING STORE ZARA.
ON THE BACK IT’S WRITTEN IN
WHITE, I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO
YOU?
YOU? IT’S ON THE BACK OF HER JACKET.
NICK?
NICK? >> LOOK, THE FIRST LADY
SPOKESMAN SAID IT WAS NOT MEANT
AS A STATEMENT.
I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IT WAS NOT
MEANT AS A STATEMENT.
BUT, IT DOES SPEAK -- IT DOES --
>> SHE CARES, IT’S JUST A
JACKET.
JACKET. SZ
SZ SHE’S A MODEL.
SHE KNOWS THE POWER OF CLOTHES.
>> SHE DOES.
THE IMPORTANT THING IS IT DOES
SPEAK TO THE LAYERS OF THEATER
THIS PRESIDENT DEPLOYS.
ONE THING THEY’RE GOOD AT, THIS
IS PROBABLY CONSPIRATORIAL, A
SPLIT SCREEN PRESIDENCY.
ONE SCREEN FOR DIFFERENT
AUDIENCES AND ONE IS WHAT WE SAW
AT THE RALLY, THE OTHER IS THE
FIRST LADY MAKING NICE AT THE
BORDER.
BORDER. MAYBE THE THIRD MESSAGE IS HER
WEARING THE JACKET ON THE WAY TO
THE BORDER.
THE BORDER. WE’RE ALL OBSESSED WITH IT FOR
GOOD REASON.
GOOD REASON. THEY NARROW CAST THESE MESSAGES
FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES.
>> THAT’S AN INTERESTING
BEARING.
BEARING. I DON’T THINK IT’S
CONSPIRATORIAL.
CONSPIRATORIAL. KIDS CAN’T WEAR T-SHIRTS WITH
WRITING ON THEM FOR CERTAIN
REASONS BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS
SAYING SOMETHING.
SAYING SOMETHING. AND I WONDER WHAT YOU MAKE OF
MELANIA TRUMP AGAIN GETTING SENT
IN TO DO CLEAN-UP, BEING WELL
RECEIVED, AND I THINK BEING
GENUINE THERE.
GENUINE THERE. I DON’T HAVE ANY DOUBT THAT SHE
WAS THERE AS A HUMAN BEING, BUT
THE FACT THAT SHE HAS TOUGHOUT
SO MANY OF THESE CRISES PUT OUT
MESSAGES THAT SEEM TO STAND IN
SUCH STARK CONTRAST TO HER
HUSBAND’S.
HUSBAND’S. WE FOUND HER TWEET AFTER
CHARLOTTESVILLE.
CHARLOTTESVILLE. SHE SAID OUR COUNTRY ENCOURAGES
FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
LET’S COMMUNICATE WITHOUT HATE
IN OUR HEARTS.
NO GOOD COMES FROM
VIOLENCE, #CHARLOTTESVILLE.
VIOLENCE, #CHARLOTTESVILLE. SHE WAS WELCOMED, WARMLY
WELCOMED AT BARBARA BUSH’S
FUNERAL.
FUNERAL. THERE IS A PICTURE OF HER
STANDING NEXT TO FORMER
PRESIDENTS.
PRESIDENTS. NONE OF THE THREE FORMER
PRESIDENTS VOTED FOR DONALD
TRUMP.
TRUMP. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MELANIA’S
VOGUE, BUT NOT ROGUE RESISTANCE?
>> THE JACKET DOES CONFUSE
MATTERS.
MATTERS. WE’VE SEEN SO LITTLE OF HER
REESE ENTALLY.
REESE ENTALLY. AFTER THAT SURGERY, SHE
DISAPPEARED OFF THE MAP FOR MORE
THAN A MONTH, I BELIEVE.
THEN SHE HAS SLOWLY REENTERED
THE PUBLIC SPHERE IN THE LAST
WEEK OR TWO.
BUT SHE DOES PLAY A ROLE, SHE
USED TO BE PRETTY POPULAR.
HER POLL NUMBERS ARE GOOD,
HIGHER THAN HER HUSBAND’S.
SHE HAS USED THEM TO CHANGE THE
SUBJECT, TO GIVE A SOFTER EDGE
TO DONALD TRUMP’S VERY BLUNT,
SHARP SENSE.
SHARP SENSE. WHAT’S ALSO STRIKING, THOUGH, IS
WHATEVER BEHIND THE SCENES ROLE
SHE HAS PLAYED HERE ON THIS
DECISION.
DECISION. SHE OF COURSE DID TWEET A FEW
DAYS AGO THE IDEA THAT SHE WAS
UPSET BY THESE IMAGES OF THE
PARENTS AND CHILDREN BEING
SEPARATED.
SEPARATED. IT’S ALSO A SPOTLIGHT HAS BEEN
CAST ON IVANKA TRUMP WHO OF
COURSE HAS MADE HER PORTFOLIO IN
THE WHITE HOUSE.
SHE BILLED HERSELF AS A FORCE
FOR GOOD IN THIS ADMINISTRATION,
IN THE WEST WING AND WITH A
PARTICULAR FOCUS ON PARENTS AND
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. BUT SHE WAS SILENT THROUGHOUT
THIS CRISIS.
THIS CRISIS. OBVIOUSLY IT IS HARD FOR A WHITE
HOUSE ADVISOR -- AND SHE’S PAID
STAFF, NOT JUST THE FIRST
DAUGHTER, SHE’S PAID STAFF -- TO
PUBLICLY DISAGREE WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THAT SAID, IT ALSO PERHAPS
SPEAKS TO THE LIMITS OF HER
INFLUENCE, BUT THIS COULD HAVE
HAPPENED ALL ALONGTION,, PARTICU
ON AN ISSUE SHE SAYS SHE’S
PASSIONATE ABOUT.
PASSIONATE ABOUT. WE ONLY HEAR FROM HER PUBLICLY
AFTER IT’S RESOLVED.
>> THE LIMITS OF HER INFLUENCE
IS LAID BARE IN THE PARIS
CLIMATE ACCORD.
CLIMATE ACCORD. IVANKA TRUMP, TELL ME A DEBATE
WHERE SHE’S PREVAILED.
>> VERY FEW.
>> ARE THERE ANY?
>> THERE IS WASHINGTON CLICHE,
EVERY TIME THERE IS A MOMENTOUS
THING, SUDDENLY FRIENDS OF
IVANKA, ANONYMOUS AIDES, WHITE
HOUSE OFFICIALS, PEOPLE FAMILIAR
WITH HER THINKING PRESS -- GO TO
THE PRESS AND SAY, WELL, SHE
TRIED HER BEST BEHIND THE
SCENES.
SCENES. SHE LOBBIED.
SHE LOBBIED. SHE MAY HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL,
SHE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN.
THAT IS SOMETHING SHE DID.