♪I’m comin’♪ >>> ON FEBRUARY 15th, THE
COMMITTEE WILL COME BACK AND IF
THEY DON’T HAVE A WALL, I DON’T
EVEN WANT TO WASTE MY TAME READI
READING WHAT THEY HAVE BECAUSE
IT’S A WASTE OF TIME BECAUSE THE
ONLY THING THAT WORKS FOR
SECURITY AND SAFETY FOR OUR
COUNTRY IS A WALL.
>> WITH NEGOTIATIONS TO AVOID
ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
APPEARING STALLED, PRESIDENT
TODAY TOOK DEMOCRATS TO TASK FOR
BLOCKING HIS WALL, AS YOU HEARD,
PREDICTED CONGRESS WOULD FAIL AT
THEIR NEGOTIATIONS AND CLAIMED
THE WALL IS ALREADY A REALITY,
ALL IF A SPAN OF JUST A FEW
MINUTES.
MINUTES. >> I DON’T THINK THEY’RE GOING
TO MAKE A DEAL.
I SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING.
IF THERE’S NO WALL, IT DOESN’T
WORK, AND WE’RE BUILDING THE
WALL RIGHT NOW.
I MEAN, A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T
KNOW THAT, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF
WALL UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
WE’VE GIVEN OUT A LOT OF
CONTRACTS OVER THE LAST THREE,
FOUR WEEKS.
FOUR WEEKS. GOOD CONTRACTS.
GOOD CONTRACTS. A LOT OF WALL IS SOON GOING TO
BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
>> NBC NEWS HAS FACT CHECKED
THAT CLAIM.
THAT CLAIM. JUST TO BE CLEAR HERE, "THIS IS
FALSE.
FALSE. THE WHITE HOUSE HAS NOT YET
BUILT ANY NEW SECTION OF BORDER
FENCING OR WALL."
THEN THERE’S TRUMP’S CHOICE OF
WORDS.
WORDS. THIS IS TRUMP IN RECENT WEEKS.
>> THE ONLY THING THAT’S GOING
TO STOP THAT IS GREAT BORDER
SECURITY.
SECURITY. WITH A WALL OR A SLAT FENCE OR
WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.
AND WE’LL CALL IT A BARRIER
INSTEAD OF A WALL.
AND I’M OKAY WITH THAT, TOO.
I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU CALL IT,
BUT IT’S GOT TO BE THERE.
THE WALL, THE BARRIER, WHATEVER
YOU WANT TO CALL IT IS OKAY WITH
ME.
ME. THEY CAN NAME IT WHATEVER THEY
CAN -- THEY CAN NAME IT PEACHES.
I DON’T CARE WHAT THEY NAME IT,
BUT WE NEED MONEY FOR THAT
BARRIER.
BARRIER. >> BUT THIS WAS TRUMP ON TWITTER
TODAY AND WE QUOTE, "LET’S JUST
CALL THEM WALLS.
FROM NOW ON AND STOP PLAYING
POLITICAL GAMES.
POLITICAL GAMES. A WALL IS A WALL!"
WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT,
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI
MAINTAINS A WALL IS A
NONSTARTER.
NONSTARTER. >> THERE’S NOT GOING TO BE ANY
WALL MONEY IN THE LEGISLATION.
>> NOW, REGARDING HIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH PELOSI, THIS
IS WHAT TRUMP TOLD "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" TONIGHT.
TIMES" TONIGHT. >> I THINK NANCY PELOSI’S
HURTING OUR COUNTRY VERY BADLY
BY DOING WHAT SHE’S DOING.
AND, ULTIMATELY, I THINK I’VE
SET THE TABLE VERY NICELY.
>> WENT ON TO SAY, "I’VE
ACTUALLY ALWAYS GOTTEN ALONG
WITH HER, BUT NOW I DON’T THINK
I WILL ANYMORE."
IT’S A LOT TO TALK ABOUT
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. WE HAVE TWO PROFESSIONALS TO DO
THAT.
THAT. JACKIE ALAMONI IS WITH US,
POLITICAL REPORTER FOR THE WOEST
WOEST.
WOEST. "WASHINGTON POST."
"WASHINGTON POST." AUTHOR OF "POWER UP."
ALAN GOALENMAN BACK WITH US.
"USA" REPORTER.
"USA" REPORTER. JACKIE, I WAS GOING TO DO DUE
DILIGENCE AND ASKED YOU WHAT
YOUR REPORTING IS REGARDING THE
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE, WHETHER
THEY’RE OPTIMISTIC THAT THEY’RE
DOING THEIR JOBS.
NOW WE HEAR IT’S A WASTE OF
TIME.
TIME. WHERE DO YOU PUT THE STATE OF
PLAY?
PLAY? >> WELL, THE PART OF MAGGIE AND
PETER’S FANTASTIC INTERVIEW WITH
THE P THATRESIDENT THAT I HONED
WAS THE PRESIDENT SAYING WE MAY
OR MAY NOT DECLARE THIS NATIONAL
EMERGENCY BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT HE
IS SUGGESTING THAT HE’S LEANING
INTO, RIGHT?
INTO, RIGHT? IF THERE IS NO DEAL, THAT HE’S
GOING TO SIGN THAT THE COMMITTEE
CAN PUT TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, HE
SAYS THEY’RE SS SS THERE’S STILL
WALL.
WALL. HE IS SUGGESTING HE’S GOING TO
DECLARE A NATIONAL EMERGENCY,
BUT I WAS -- AS SOON AS THAT
ARTICLE BROKE, I WAS WRITLITERAL
ON THE PHONE WITH A SOURCE FROM
THE HILL.
THE HILL. THIS IS EVEN SOMETHING THAT EVEN
THOSE ON THE FAR RIGHT FLANK ARE
INCREASINGLY AGAINST BECAUSE OF
THE ABUSE OF POWER THAT IT
SHOWS.
SHOWS. YOU KNOW, WHAT IS A FEW SOURCES
INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE AND ON
THE HILL BOTH SAID THAT, YOU
KNOW, WHAT IS TO STOP DEMOCRATS
IN THE FUTURE FROM GOING FORWARD
FROM USING THIS NATIONAL
EMERGENCY DECLARATION AS A MODEL
OF THE WAY THAT THEY WOULD
GOVERN WHEN IT CAME TO, YOU
KNOW, A MASS SHOOTING OR
MEDICARE OR OTHER VARIOUS ISSUES
THAT DEMOCRATS COULD
POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, MIMIC
TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY CLAIMS
AND SAY THIS IS A NATIONAL
SECURITY PROBLEM, PEOPLE, WE’RE
GOING TO, YOU KNOW, USE THIS
ABUSE OF POWER.
SO IT’S, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT JUST
NANCY PELOSI AND THE DEMOCRATS
HERE.
HERE. THERE ARE PROBLEMS THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS FACING WITHIN HIS
OWN PARTY, WITH THE ACTIONS THAT
HE’S TAKING.
HE’S TAKING. >> OKAY, ALAN, YOU GET THE FUN
PART.
PART. THE CRASS POLITICAL THEORY IS
WHAT MAY BE GOING ON HERE IS
PRESIDENT DECLARES A NATIONAL
EMERGENCY, IT’S STOPPED
INSTANTLY BY THE COURTS, IT’S
HUNG UP IN LITIGATION, PERHAPS
EXCEEDING HIS TIME IN OFFICE, HE
IS ABLE TO SAY TO THE BASE, I
GOT STOPPED BY THE SWAMP, IT’S
IN COURT, I TRIED FOR THE WALL,
WE’LL GET WHAT WE CAN GET.
ALAN, WE’RE NEVER ABOVE GOOD,
CRASS POLITICS ON THIS
BROADCAST.
BROADCAST. DO YOU PUT CREDENCE IN THAT?
>> I DO BECAUSE I THINK ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT THE TRUMP BASE
LIKES AS MUCH AS THE WALL, IS
TRASHING THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM.
YOU KNOW, THE 9th CIRCUIT COURT
OF APPEALS OUT IN THE WEST IS
ONE OF TRUMP’S FAVORITE TARGETS.
HE’S CRITICIZED JUDGES LEFT AND
RIGHT EVERY TIME THEY RULE
AGAINST HIM OR HIS FOUNDATIONS
OR HIS UNIVERSITY.
AND SO IF HE CAN JUST STAND UP
THERE AND SAY, HEY, LOOK, I
TRIED, BUT THESE ACTIVIST JUDGES
DID IT AGAIN, THEY HELD US UP,
THAT, I THINK, IS ENOUGH FOR
HIM.
HIM. I MEAN, THEY -- YOU KNOW, IT’S
REALLY HARD TO OVERCOME THAT.
THAT LEGAL PROCESS WILL TAKE
SOME TIME BECAUSE AS WE’VE SEEN
SO MANY TIMES IN THIS TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, TRYING TO
DECLARE A NATIONAL EMERGENCY TO
BUILD THE WALL IS SOMETHING WE
HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
SO THAT WILL GET TIED UP IN
LEGISLATION.
LEGISLATION. AND THERE ARE ARGUMENT ON BOTH
SIDES, AND IT REALLY HASN’T BEEN
TESTED WERE SOMETHING LIKE THIS,
SO IT COULD GET TIRED UP FOR THE
ENTIRETY OF HIS PRESIDENCY, BUT
THAT DOES KIND OF GIVE HIM THE
COVER THAT HE NEEDS AND IN A WAY
COULD KIND OF GET US TO MOVE ON
TO REALLY WORKING ON A BROADER