ANTI-TRUMP.
I'M HOWARD KURTZ AND THIS IS
"MEDIABUZZ."
PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS
DRAGGING ON WITH LITTLE PROGRESS
BEING MADE AFTER THAT WEEKEND
MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP,
CHUCK SCHUMER AND THE NEW HOUSE
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI FOLLOWED BY
ANOTHER MARATHON WHITE HOUSE
NEWS CONFERENCE.
>> THE SHUTDOWN COULD GO ON FOR
MONTHS OR A YEAR LONGER.
DID YOU SAY THAT?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: ABSOLUTELY I
SAID THAT.
>> YOU RAN YOUR CAMPAIGN
PROMISING SUPPORTERS MEXICO
WOULD PAY FOR THE WALL AND THE
WALL WOULD BE MADE OF CONCRETE.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: BEAUTIFUL
QUESTION THOUGH IT WAS ALREADY
ASKED.
HOWIE: JOINING US, CAPRI CAFARO,
GUY BENSON, AND SUSAN FERRECHIO.
NANCY PELOSI GOT A WAVE OF
POSITIVE PRESS IN REGAINING THE
GAVEL.
BEN: I THINK TYPICALLY WHEN IT
COMES TO GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS
AND THESE FUNDING FIGHTS.
REPORTERS LEAN TO THE LEFT, AND
CHALLENGE CONSERVATIVE VIEWS AND
TALKING POINTS THAT DIDN'T WORK
LAST TIME FOR CHUCK SCHUMER WHEN
THE DEMOCRATS WERE CLEARLY
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHUTDOWN.
WHAT NANCY PELOSI IS SAYING WE
ARE GOING TO PASS WHAT THE
REPUBLICAN SENATE PASSED A FEW
DAYS AGO.
MITCH MCCONNELL WOULD NOT HAVE
BROUGHT THAT BILL UP IF THE
WHITE HOUSE HADN'T GIVEN HIM THE
GO AHEAD, THEN THE PRESIDENT
CHANGED HIS MIND.
THE MEDIA I THINK IS TREATING
THIS RELATIVELY FAIRLY BECAUSE
IT'S A SMART, NORMAL PLAY BY
NANCY PELOSI.
HOWIE: BEYOND THE INITIAL
HONEYMOON, FIRST FEMALE SPEAKER
FOR THE SECOND TIME.
ARE REPORTERS HOLDING NANCY
PELOSI AND HER PARTY AS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PARTIAL
SHUTDOWN?
SUSAN: NO, BUT THERE ARE
QUESTIONS ON THE HILL, AREN'T
YOU WILLING TO GIVE ANY MONEY
FOR WALL FUNDING?
WHAT'S BEING MISSED IS WHAT THE
TRUE FIGHT IS ABOUT.
WHAT'S THE COMPROMISE BETWEEN A
WALL AND NO WALL.
DEMOCRATS ARE STICKING TO THE
POINT OF NOT ALLOWING ANY KIND
OF WALL.
YOU CAN MAKE THE ARGUMENT THEY
ARE THE ONES NOT COMPROMISING.
THE QUESTION IS POSED,
MR. PRESIDENT, YOU ARE THE ONE
THAT'S NOT COMPROMISING.
HOWIE: THIS HAS BECOME A HIGHLY
SYMBOLIC FIGHT AND REPORTERS
KNOW THAT.
THE PRESIDENT SPOKE AGAINST
REPORTERS BEFORE LEAVING FOR
CAMP DAVID.
HE SAID THE MONEY WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT IS VERY SMALL COMPARED TO
POTENTIAL RETURNS.
BUT I SEE THE MEDIA BLAMING
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
CAPRI: PARTICULARLY THOSE IN THE
MAINSTREAM MEDIA, WHAT THEY ARE
BASICALLY SAYING IS LOOK,
PRESIDENT TRUMP AGREED TO THIS
CONTINUING RESOLUTION.
HE WAS FOR IT BEFORE HE WAS
AGAINST IT.
THIS IS THE INTERESTING THING
FROM THE MEDIA PERSPECTIVE.
MANY ON THE LEFT ARE SAYING YOU
KNOW WHAT CHANGED?
THE CONSERVATIVE MEDIA STEPPED
UP AND SAID LOOK YOU SHOULDN'T
BACK DOWN ON A WALL.
NOW DEMOCRATS ARE SAYING
PRESIDENT TRUMP YOU ARE
GOVERNING BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT
ANN COULTER AND RUSH LIMBAUGH
TOLD YOU TO DO.
WHAT IS THE MEDIA'S ROLE IN
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S DECISION
MAKING.
SUSAN: IT'S RIGHT THERE ON
TWITTER.
HE SAID I WON'T SIGN A
GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL UNLESS
IT HAS WALL FUNDING.
REPUBLICANS PUT THE BILL FORWARD
ANYWAY.
IT WAS NEVER GUARANTEED HE WOULD
SIGN IT.
I DON'T RECALL THERE BEING AN
UNDERSTANDING.
HOWIE: I WANT TO MOVE ON TO
NEWLY ELECTED DEMOCRATIC
REPRESENTATIVE RASHIDA TLAIB.
SHE WAS AT A RECEPTION WITH
MICROPHONES AND RECOUNTING A
CONVERSATION WITH HER SON.
>> BULLIES DON'T WIN.
I SAID BABY, THEY DON'T.
WE ARE GOING TO GO IN THERE AND
[BLEEP].
>> I THOUGHT HER COMMENTS WERE
DISGRACEFUL.
THIS IS A PERSON I DON'T KNOW.
I ASSUME SHE'S NEW.
I THINK SHE DISHONORED HERSELF
AND I THINK SHE DISHONORED HER
FAMILY.
HOWIE: THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF
PRESS COVERAGE OVER THIS.
AND PEOPLE ARE SAYING PRESIDENT
TRUMP ALSO INSULTS PEOPLE.
BEN: I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE TRY TO
WORK THE BEST WITH THE PRESS.
O'BRIEN WAS ATTACKING THE MEDIA
AND "NEW YORK TIMES" FOR
COVERING THIS.
HOWIE: A CNN ANCHOR.
BEN: BUT TO ME IT'S A SIMPLE
TEST.
IF IT WERE 2010 OR 2011 AND
THERE WERE A NEWLY ELECTED
FRESHMAN CONGRESSMAN WHO SAID
THAT SENTENCE ABOUT PRESIDENT
OBAMA WOULDN'T WE BE HAVING A
MASSIVE FIRESTORM IN THE PRESS
ABOUT CIVILITY AND COMPORTMENT
AND I THINK THE ANSWER IS
UNDENIABLY YES.
I DON'T THINK IT'S BEING
OVERBLOWN OR OVERCOVERED.
HOWIE: TLAIB TWEETED THAT SHE IS
UNAPOLOGETIC ABOUT IT.
THE "NEW YORK TIMES" RAN ALL THE
WORDS.
IT'S NOT JUST THE WORD, BUT THE
FULL-THROATED CRY FOR
IMPEACHMENT.
HERE IS THE "HUFFINGTON POST"
HEADLINE, "THE GOP FINALLY CARES
ABOUT LANGUAGE."
CAPRI: I THINK THE REAL STORY IS
NOT ABOUT THIS LANGUAGE.
WE HAVE BECOME DESENSITIZED.
IT'S NOT 2011, IT'S 2019 AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS SET THE BAR.
HOWIE: HE TALKS ABOUT MORONS AND
IDIOTS AND S-HOLE COUNTRIES.
CAPRI: I'M NOT SUPPORTING WHAT
SHE SAID.
BUT THE REAL STORY IS A WOMAN
WHO IS UNAPOLOGETIC WITH
IMPEACHMENT.
BUT PELOSI AND THE CHAIR OF THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, JERRY
NADLER, ARE SAYING WHOS, MAYBE
WE SHOULDN'T GO THAT FAR.
HOWIE: NANCY PELOSI WAS ASKED
ABOUT IMPEACHMENT OR INDICTMENT
OF A SITTING PRESIDENT.
SHE SAID IT'S NOT CONCLUSIVE.
THE PRESS DIDN'T REPORT THAT AS
AN AGGRESSIVE ACT.
SUSAN: I KNOW SHE DOESN'T WANT
TO DO IT AND NEITHER DO THE
CHAIRS OF THE COMMITTEES.
THEY WANT TO SEE THE MUELLER
REPORT.
THEY WANT AN OUTRAGE OVER
WHATEVER THE MUELLER REPORT
PRODUCES.
SHE CAN'T BE DOWN ENTIRELY LIKE
SHE DID THE FIRST TIME SHE TOOK
OVER AS SPEAKER.
AT THAT TIME THERE WASN'T SUCH A
STRONG CRY FROM HER BASE TO DO
THAT.
HOWIE: THE PRESIDENT MADE HIS
FIRST EVER APPEARANCE IN THE
WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING ROOM TO
MAKE HIS PITCH FOR WALL FUNDING
AND SO FORTH.
THEN HE WALKS OFF AND THIS
HAPPENS.
>> WE ARE NOT TAKING ANY
QUESTIONS AT ALL.
>> THE PURPOSE OF THE BRIEFING
ROOM IS TO TAKE QUESTIONS.
HOWIE: THE JOURNALISTS ARE NOT
HAPPY.
THIS IS A DAY WHEN NANCY PELOSI
WAS DOMINATING THE NEWS.
ONE REPORTER CALLED IT AN ACT OF
DESPERATION.
BEN: IT WAS MESSAGING.
THAT PARTICULAR MEDIA APPEARANCE
WAS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE
PIECES OF MEDIA WORK WE HAVE
SEEN IN A LONG TIME.
HOWIE: BUT YOU CAN'T CALL IT A
PRESS CONFERENCE.
BEN: SOME OF THE OBJECTIONS OF
HIM NOT TAKING QUESTIONS WERE
OVERBLOWN BECAUSE HE TOOK LOTS
OF QUESTIONS THE DAY BEFORE AND
THAT MORNING.
HOWIE: THE PRESS CONFERENCE WENT
ON FOR 45 MINUTES.
BUT YOU CAN'T ACCUSE THIS
PRESIDENT OF DUCKING THE PRESS.
CAPRI: HOW MANY TIMES YOU SEE
THESE MEETINGS.
LOOK AT WE DID WITH CHUCK AND
NANCY, OWNING THE SHUTDOWN.
HE DOESN'T DUCK FROM THE PRESS.