RIGHT, WHEN WE GET IT RIGHT
WE’LL GET IT RIGHT.
WE’RE IN GOOD SHAPE.
>> JOINING US NOW, SENIOR WRITER
AT POLITICO AND CO-AUTHOR OF
"THE PLAYBOOK" JAKE SHERMAN, AN
MSNBC POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR, AND
AXIOS POLITICAL REPORTER AND
MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR ALEXI
McCAMMOND JOINS US.
JAKE, IF YOU TAKE OUT THE JOKE
HE MADE AT THE TOP I GUESS ONE
COULDN’T HAVE TOO MUCH OF AN
ISSUE WITH WHAT THE SECRETARY OF
STATE SAID.
YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> I DON’T KNOW IF IT WAS A JOKE
OR NOT.
HERE’S WHAT I WOULD SAY, AND WE
WROTE THIS IN "PLAYBOOK" THIS
MORNING, THERE IS NOBODY IN
WASHINGTON, NO REPUBLICAN THAT I
HAVE FOUND WHO ACTUALLY BELIEVES
DONALD TRUMP WON THIS ELECTION.
NOBODY BELIEVES TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF VOTES IN MULTIPLE
STATES ARE GOING TO BE
OVERTURNED.
THIS IS ALL PERFORMANCE ART AND
IT’S DANGEROUS PERFORMANCE ART
AT THAT.
TAKE THE SECRETARY OF STATE, FOR
EXAMPLE, I MEAN THERE ARE
FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS ACROSS
THE WORLD WHO ARE IN DANGEROUS
PLACES RIGHT NOW OF WHO TOHAVE T
ANSWER FOR THIS KIND OF STUFF
AND I WONDER WHAT THEY ARE
THINKING.
HE WOULD HAVE A BETTER PULSE ON
THAT THAN I WOULD.
BUT THIS IS ALL FROM THE STATE
SENATE TO THE HOUSE TO
ADMINISTRATION NOBODY BELIEVES
DONALD TRUMP WON THIS ELECTION.
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT LOOKING
FOR JOBS ON THE FRONT END.
JOE IS RIGHT, THE ENTIRE
ADMINISTRATION, ALEXI KNOWS
THIS, EVERYBODY IS LOOKING FOR A
JOB.
THEY ALL KNOW THEY’RE OUT OF A
JOB IN A COUPLE WEEKS.
WE’RE WATCHING A MOVIE THAT IS
BEING CONSTRUCTED AND THAT IS
UNFOLDING BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO
MAKE DONALD TRUMP HAPPY.
THAT’S WHAT THIS IS.
WHEN WILL IT END?
I DON’T KNOW.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE STRATEGY
HERE.
HE’S GOING TO LOSE ALMOST EVERY
CHALLENGE.
WHEN THAT HAPPENS IS THE THEORY
GOING TO BE THE ENTIRE COUNTRY,
EVERY STATE GOVERNMENT AND COURT
IS COLLUDING AGAINST HIM?
I MEAN I JUST DON’T THINK THERE
IS A STRATEGY AND IT’S ALL KIND
OF GOOFY.
>> CHRIS COONS, DEMOCRATIC
SENATOR, REPUBLICANS ARE SAYING
TO HIM, BECAUSE HE KNOW HE’S
CLOSE WITH JOE BIDEN, REPUBLICAN
SENATORS ARE SAYING TO HIM, TELL
JOE BIDEN CONGRATULATIONS, I’M
NOT ALLOWED TO SAY IT.
DOES THAT RING TRUE TO YOU?
>> TOTALLY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW JOE BIDEN,
NOT AS MANY JOE BIDEN WOULD LIKE
YOU TO THINK BECAUSE HE’S BEEN
OUT OF THE SENATE FOR 12 YEARS,
BUT THESE PEOPLE KNOW HIM.
PEOPLE LIKE RICHARD SHELBY,
VETERAN REPUBLICAN FROM ALABAMA
WHO SAID YESTERDAY, YOU KNOW,
BRUSHED ASIDE WHETHER HE HAD
TALKED TO HIM AND SAID HE DIDN’T
NEED TO TALK TO HIM OR SOME
VARIATION OF THAT.
THESE PEOPLE SERVED WITH HIM FOR
30 YEARS IN SOME CASES, SO, OF
COURSE, IT WOULD MAKE SENSE
THEY’RE SENDING THEIR WELL
WISHES BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP IS
LOSING IN EVERY STATE THAT HE’S
CLAIMING HE MIGHT WIN IN.
I MEAN, SOMETIMES IT’S GOOD TO
GROUND OURSELVES BACK IN REALITY
AND UNDERSTAND THAT THERE’S NO
FEASIBLE WAY AT THIS POINT THAT
WE CAN UNDERSTAND BASED ON THE
INFORMATION AT HAND THAT DONALD
TRUMP HAS LOST THIS ELECTION.
I’M LAUGHING WITH YOU BECAUSE
THE CONTENTION IS SO BIZARRE.
>> WE WALKED THROUGH THE VOTE
SPREADS IN THE STATES THEY’RE
CONTENDING, IT’S JUST NOT CLOSE
IN MOST OF THEM.
JONATHAN LEMIRE, THE PRESIDENT
IS THE ONE PERSON WHO TOOK MIKE
POMPEO SERIOUSLY PERHAPS I GUESS
IN WHAT IS BEING PORTRAYED AS A
JOKE, VERY DRY, NOT GOING TO GET
HIM A NETFLIX SPECIAL OFF THAT,
BUT THE TWEET FROM DONALD TRUMP
WHERE HE SAID THIS IS WHY MIKE
POMPEO WAS FIRST IN HIS CLASS AT
WEST POINT, THAT WAS A SIGNAL
FROM MIKE POMPEO TO ONE MAN AND
HE TOOK IT AS SERIOUS.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THAT’S THE PHRASE, AUDIENCE OF
ONE THAT WE HAVE USED SO OFTEN
IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, WILLIE,
AND THAT’S WHAT THIS MOMENT
CLEARLY WAS.
YEAH, SECRETARY OF STATE MAYBE
HE WAS JOKING, BUT DONALD TRUMP
DIDN’T THINK IT WAS A JOKE.
AND THIS IS CLEARLY THE
SECRETARY OF STATE TRYING TO
KEEP THE BOSS HAPPY IN THE SHORT
TERM, BEING NOT WANTING TO BE AN
ADVISER THAT CROSSES HIM HERE,
NOT WANTING TO BE SOMEONE WHO IS
SEEN AS CONTRADICTING THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
BUT, OF COURSE, POMPEO IS -- HAS
HIS OWN POLITICAL AMBITIONS.
HE’S WIDELY THOUGHT OF
ENTERTAINING HIS OWN
PRESIDENTIAL RUN IN 24E AND HE--
2024 AND WANTS TO KEEP DONALD
TRUMP HAPPY AND DOESN’T WANT TO
DISCUSS THELE HIS OWN BID ACROSS
IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE IN 2023
WHERE AT THE VERY LEAST PLAYING
THE ROLE OF KING MAKER.
WE HAVE TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND
NOTE WHAT SORT OF SIGNAL IS THIS
SENDING TO THE REST OF THE
WORLD?
LET’S TAKE A THOUGHT OF WHAT WE
WOULD THINK IF THIS WAS
HAPPENING IN A DIFFERENT NATION
A FOREIGN MINISTER OF A
DIFFERENT STATE MAKING A SIMILAR
JOKE ABOUT A LEADER TRYING TO
HOLD ON TO POWER AFTER HE HAD
BEEN DEFEATED IN A FAIR AND FREE
ELECTION.
THERE WOULD BE ALARM BELLS IN
FOGGY BOTTOM.
STATE DEPARTMENT WOULD BE SAYING
THIS IS A CRISIS AND WE NEED TO
MONITOR CLOSELY.
THAT’S A MESSAGE A LOT OF THE
WORLD IS SHOWING AN JOE BIDEN IS
PROJECTING CONFIDENCE AND CALM
AND OUR ALLIES SEEM TO BE
DRAWING REASSURANCE FROM THAT.