"HARDBALL" IS UP NEXT. >> A WORRIED KING.
LET’S PLAY "HARDBALL."
>> GOOD EVENING.
I’M CHRIS MATTHEWS IN
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. RATTLED BY THE U.S. ECONOMY AND
HIS PROSPECTS FOR RE-ELECTION.
AN UNSETTLED PRESIDENT TRUMP IS
WORKING THROUGH A WEEK OF
UNSETTLED CHAOS.
UNSETTLED CHAOS. HE’S PICKED STUPID FIGHTS WITH
AN ARRAY OF PERCEIVED
ADVERSARIES.
ADVERSARIES. HE IGNITED OUTRAGE BY SAYING
JEWISH AMERICANS ARE DISLOYAL IF
THEY VOTE DEMOCRATIC.
HE ACCUSED HIS ENEMIES OF
CONPIRING AGAINST HIM TO CRASH
THE U.S. ECONOMY.
HE’S GINNED UP A FIGHT WITH
DENMARK
DENMARK DENMARK, OF ALL COUNTRIES,
BECAUSE IT REBUKED HIS OFFER TO
BUY GREENLAND.
BUY GREENLAND. IS THIS THE BEHAVIOR OF A
LEVEL-HEADED LEADER?
LEVEL-HEADED LEADER? AS "THE NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTS,
SOME FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIALS IN RECENT DAYS SAID
THEY WERE INCREASINGLY WORRIED
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S BEHAVIOR.
SUGGESTING IT STEMS FROM RISING
PRESSURE ON MR. TRUMP AS THE
ECONOMY SEEMS MORE WORRISOME AND
NEXT YEAR’S ELECTION APPROACHES.
THAT MAY EXPLAIN WHY THE
PRESIDENT WENT OFF INTO LA LA
LAND DURING A 35-MINUTE Q&A WITH
REPORTERS YESTERDAY.
REPORTERS YESTERDAY. AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE
PRESIDENT CALLED THE PRIME
MINISTER OF DENMARK NASTY.
HE CONTRADICTED HIMSELF ON GUN
SAFETY MEASURES.
SAFETY MEASURES. AND HE DEFENDED HIS ACCUSATION
THAT JEWISH DEMOCRATS ARE
DISLOYAL.
DISLOYAL. WELL, THE PRESIDENT’S CHANGING
STANCE ON WHETHER TO SOUP UP THE
ECONOMY ONLY ADDS TO THE
CONFUSION THIS WEEK.
ON TUESDAY, TRUMP SAID HE WAS
CONSIDERING A PAYROLL TAX CUT TO
BOOST THE ECONOMY.
ONLY TO ROLL IT OUT 24 HOURS
LATER.
LATER. >> PAYROLL TAX IS SOMETHING WE
THINK ABOUT AND A LOT OF PEOPLE
WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT.
THAT VERY MUCH AFFECTS THE
WORKING -- THE WORKERS OF OUR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> WILL WE SEE A PAYROLL TAX
CUT?
CUT? >> I’M NOT LOOKING AT A TAX CUT
NOW.
NOW. WE DON’T NEED IT.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. EQUALLY CONFOUNDING IS THAT THE
SAME TIME TRUMP ATTACKS JEWISH
AMERICANS FOR VOTING DEMOCRATIC,
HE’S BECOME FLUMMOXED THEY’RE
NOT LINING UP TO SUPPORT HIS
RE-ELECTION.
RE-ELECTION. THAT’S ACCORDING TO "THE
WASHINGTON POST," WHICH REPORTS
THAT TRUMP LEAVES HIS SUPPORT
FOR ISRAEL SHOULD AUTOMATICALLY
TRANCE MATE TO ELECTORAL SUPPORT
FROM JEWISH AMERICANS.
MEANWHILE, ACCORDING TO A NEW
POLL, THE PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL
RATING HAS TICKED DOWN SLIGHTLY
TO 36% NOW, WITH 62% OF
AMERICANS DISAPPROVEINGDISAPPROV
AMERICANS DISAPPROVEINGDISAPPROV MORE THAN 3 OUT OF 5 DON’T LIKE
HIS PRESIDENCY.
HIS PRESIDENCY. I’M JOINED BY FORMER DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESSMAN DONNA EDWARDS OF
MARYLAND, SAM STEIN, POLITICS
EDITOR OF THE DAILY BEAST.
RON REAGAN, WELCOME BACK, RON.
AND SUSAN DEL PERCIO IS A
REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST.
REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST. RON, JUST IN FROM ITALY, I
ASSUME, AS ALWAYS.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
WHAT HAVE YOU MISSED?
HAVE YOU NOTICED THE STRANGE
ODDITY, CROTCHETY,IRE IRRITABLE
WOULD BE A STERILE WORD.
HE WANTS TO FIGHT WITH
EVERYBODY, INCLUDING THE QUIET
AMERICAN LOVING DANES.
WHAT’S UP?
WHAT’S UP? >> WELL, IT’S CRAZINESS, BUT I
TAKE A LITTLE UMBRAGE AT THIS
IDEA THAT WE HAVE TO ASCRIBE IT
TO SOMETHING LIKE THE ECONOMY OR
HIS ANXIOUSNESS ABOUT
RE-ELECTION.
RE-ELECTION. HE’S ACTING THE WAY HE’S ACTING
BECAUSE HE IS WHO HE IS AND WHAT
HE IS.
HE IS. AND WE HAVE TO STOP BEING
SURPRISED ABOUT ANY OF THIS KIND
OF STUFF.
OF STUFF. IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE AS
WE GET CLOSER TO THE ELECTION
AND MORE PRESSURE MOUNTS ON HIM.
LOOK, THE ECONOMY MAY BE HEADING
INTO A RECESSION.
THAT PUTS PRESSURE ON A
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. YOU KNOW WHAT TRUMAN SAID ABOUT
HEAT AND KITCHENS.
THE PRESIDENCY IS FULL OF
PRESSURE.
PRESSURE. IF THIS IS ENOUGH TO PUSH HIM
OVER THE EDGE, REALLY, LET ME
STATE THE OBVIOUS, HE DOES NOT
BELONG IN THIS OFFICE.
>> I’M GOING TO ARGUE WITH RON
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A COUPLE
MONTHS HERE BECAUSE OF THIS.
I THINK GOING TO WAR WITH
DENMARK IS STILL FREAKING NEWS.
I’M SORRY.
I’M SORRY. IT STILL MAKES MY LIST.
THIS IS LIKE A MEL BROOKS MOVIE.
I MEAN, WHAT?
I’LL GO BACK TO YOU, RON.
WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S OKAY OR
THIS FITS THE PATTERN OF OUR
LIVES NOW.
LIVES NOW. HE WANTS TO GO TO WAR WITH
GREENLAND.
GREENLAND. IF YOU WROTE THIS DESCRIPTION IN
HOLLYWOOD, NOBODY WOULD BUY IT.
>> IT’S NOT THAT IT’S OKAY.
IT’S NORMAL FOR HIM.
I MEAN, YES, THIS IS COMPLETELY
CRAZY, OF COURSE.
BUYING GREENLAND, LIKE IT’S A
CHUNK OF MANHATTAN REAL ESTATE
OR SOMETHING YOU CAN PICK UP FOR
A SONG.
A SONG. BUT THIS, YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME I
COME ON THE SHOW WHEN I GET BACK
FROM EUROPE, WE HAVE A
DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW CRAZY
DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN WHILE I
HAVE BEEN GONE.
I THINK IT’S ABOUT TIME WE
ACKNOWLEDGE HE’S BEEN CRAZY
BECAUSE HE IS CRAZY.
AND IT’S JUST GOING TO KEEP
GOING.
GOING. >> IF WE WERE IN A HOSPITAL AND
A GOOD NURSE OR DOCTOR, WE WOULD
HAVE A CHART, A VERY STRONG
DIAGONAL LINE HEADING UP SKYWARD
IN THE CRAZINESS DEPARTMENT.
>> I AGREE.
>> LET ME GO TO SUSAN, BECAUSE
SUSAN, I NOTICED YOU READING ONE
OF THE MAGAZINES I READ LIKE
"VARIETY" THAT JAMES CAGNEY’S
50-ACRE ESTATE IN MARTHA’S
VINEYARD IS FOR SALE.
THAT’S WHAT TRUMP SHOULD BE
LOOKING AT.
LOOKING AT. NOT GREENLAND.
NOT GREENLAND. PRIME REAL ESTATE.
RETIREMENT REAL ESTATE IN
MARTHA’S VINEYARD IS WHAT HE
SHOULD BE LOOKING AT.
YOUR THOUGHTS.
YOUR THOUGHTS. >> YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT,
CHRIS.
CHRIS. THE PRESIDENT, NOW I’M NOT A
DOCTOR SO I’M NOT GOING TO GO
INTO HIS MENTAL HEALTH AND WHERE
HE MAY BE, BUT THIS IS A
PRESIDENT WHO IS ACTING AS HE
ALWAYS HAS.
ALWAYS HAS. HE’S SCARED.
HE’S SCARED. HE GETS DEFENSIVE.
HE’S NOT A LEADER.
NO ONE EVER FOLLOWS HIM.
HE MAY GIVE ORDERS, AND PEOPLE
MAY FOLLOW THEM, BUT THEY’RE NOT
INSPIRED BY HIM.
HE’S LIVING IN THE LAND WHERE
ONLY SUFFKNTS SURVIVE.
THAT’S ALL HE HAS AROUND HIM.
THAT PLUS THE ECONOMY PLUS THE
POLL NUMBERS COMING OUT AGAINST
HIM, HE’S NOTHING MORE THAN A
FRIGHTENED CHILD WHO HAS A LOT
OF DANGEROUS THINGS HE CAN DO.
>> DO YOU HAVE THAT FROM THE
INSIDE, FROM THE KIND OF PEOPLE
WHO SIT IN THE OFFICE FROM HIM?
WHEN HE COMES OUT WITH THESE
IDEAS, DO PEOPLE SHAKE THEIR
HEADS AND GO AND GET IN THE
OTHER ROOM AND TALK ABOUT HIM,
OR WHAT IS THE HUMANITY LIKE
AROUND HIM?
AROUND HIM? >> FROM WHAT I HEAR, PEOPLE TRY
TO KEEP THEIR HEAD DOWN.
THE ONES I KNOW OF JUST TRY TO
GET THEIR JOBS SS DUP AND NOT LE
HIM CAUSE DAMAGE.
THERE’S ALSO THOSE WHO ARE
ENABLERS.
ENABLERS. LET’S NOT FORGET, DONALD TRUMP
IS NOT -- HE DOESN’T DO
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. I WISH HE WOULD DO SOMETHING.
HE LETS TRUMP BE TRUMP AND LET
HIM MAKE HIS PHONE CALLS TO
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. YOU KNOW, AND CALL HIS FRIEND
JIM, WHOEVER THAT IS, AND GET
OPINIONS.
OPINIONS. >> HARVEY.
>> HARVEY. HARVEY, THE RABBIT, FOR ALL WE
KNOW.
KNOW. >> FOR ALL WE KNOW.
SO THAT’S WHERE WE ARE.
>> OKAY, LET ME GO TO DONNA ON
THIS.
THIS. YOU’RE A POLITICIAN.
FIRST OF ALL, THERE JEWISH
COMMUNITY, GENERALLY SINCE I WAS
BORN, ESPECIALLY DEMOCRATIC
GOING BACK TO THE FDR TIMES.
NEW DEAL DEMOCRATS, GENERALLY.
THEY ARE, THEY’RE SOCIALLY
LIBERAL, BLAH BLAH BLAH.
TRUMP THINKS HE CAN BUY THEM BY
MOVING THE EMBASSY.
I MEAN, LOOK WHAT HE’S DOING.
HOW COME THEY’RE NOT BEING
BOUGHT?
BOUGHT? IT’S ALL TRANSACTIONAL WITH HIM.
HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THE
ACQUISITION MENTALITY OF HIS.
I ACQUIRED YOUR VOTES.
WHAT GIVES HERE?
>> THIS IS THE THING, IT IS
ABOUT A TRANSACTION, SO HE’S
MAKING THE TIC TAUK LIST OF ALL
THE THINGS HE’S DONE, AND DARN
IT, WHY AREN’T YOU WITH ME?
IT TURNS OUT JEWS LIKE A WHOLE
BUNCH OF OTHER VOTERS DON’T JUST
VOTE ON ONE THING.
THEY VOTE ON A LOT OF THINGS.
AND YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT
MY OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
JEWISH COMMUNITY ACTUALLY GOES
BACK TO CHILDHOOD WHERE JEWS AND
BLACKS LIVED IN THE SAME
NEIGHBORHOODS BECAUSE WE
COULDN’T LIVE ANYPLACE ELSE, SO
WE LIVED TOGETHER.
THOSE SORT OF THINGS, AND HE
DOESN’T FACTOR ANY OF THAT STUFF
IN.
IN. NOT ABOUT HISTORY, NOT ABOUT
RELATIONSHIPS.
RELATIONSHIPS. IT’S ALL ABOUT WHAT DID YOU DO
FOR ME, BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT I
DID FOR YOU?
>> WHAT CAN I BUY FROM YOU?
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" POINTS ALSO
AFTER CASTING OFF ADVISERS WHO
DISPLEASED HIM AT A RECORD RATE
IN THE FIRST TWO AND A HALF
YEARS IN OFFICE, MR. TRUMP NOW
HAS FEWER AIDES AROUND HIM
WILLING OR ABLE TO CHALLENGE
HIM.
HIM. MUCH LESS RESTRAIN HIS -- YOU’RE
AN EXPERT ON THIS, WELL, YOU
ARE, BECAUSE YOU KNOW POLITICS,
AND THE DAILY BEAST KNOWS ALL
ABOUT THIS STUFF, THIS INTRIGUE.
WHO IS LEFT THAT CAN SAY,
MR. PRESIDENT, I THINK YOU HAVE
LOST IT?
LOST IT? WHO IS WILLING TO SAY TO HIM,
ARE YOU SURE?
>> NO ONE, REALLY.
THIS IS PARTIALLY BECAUSE PEOPLE
HAVE LEFT AND THEY HAVEN’T
BACKFILLED THE POSITIONS.
IT’S PARTIALLY BECAUSE TRUMP HAS
EVOLVED IN THE OFFICE.
>> SCARAMUCCI WAS TOO SANE FOR
HIM?
HIM? THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO LEFT.
THESE ARE NOT EXACTLY BUTTONED
DOWN PEOPLE.
DOWN PEOPLE. >> SO WE DIDN’T START IN A GREAT
PLACE.
PLACE. WHEN TRUMP DID TAKE OFFICE, HE
WAS HUMBLED TO THE DEGREE THAT
DONALD TRUMP CAN BE HUMBLED.
>> OMAROSA.
>> OMAROSA. TOO RESTRAINED FOR HIM?
>> HE HAS HIS GENERALS.
>> AND THEY’RE GONE.