>>> YOU SAID THE CONFEDERATE
BATTLE FLAG BELONGS IN A MUSEUM.
DO YOU STILL BELIEVE THAT?
>> ALL I SAY IS FREEDOM OF
SPEECH.
MY ATTITUDE IS FREEDOM OF
SPEECH.
VERY STRONG VIEWS ON THE
CONFEDERATE FLAG.
WITH ME IT’S FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
LIKE IT, DON’T LIKE IT, IT’S
FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
>> WOULD YOU BE COMFORTABLE WITH
OUR SUPPORTERS DISPLAYING THE
CONFEDERATE BATTLE FLAG AT
POLITICAL EVENTS?
>> I’M COMFORTABLE WITH FREEDOM
OF SPEECH.
IT’S VERY SIMPLE.
>> YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THE FLAG
IS A PAINFUL SYMBOL FOR MANY
PEOPLE BECAUSE IT’S A REMINDER
OF SLAVERY.
>> WELL, PEOPLE LOVE IT.
I KNOW PEOPLE THAT LIKE THE
CONFEDERATE FLAG AND THEY AREN’T
THINKING ABOUT SLAVERY.
I LOOK AT NASCAR.
YOU GO TO NASCAR.
YOU HAD THOSE FLAGS ALL OVER THE
PLACE.
THEY STOPPED IT.
I JUST THINK IT’S FREEDOM OF
SPEECH, WHETHER IT’S CONFEDERATE
FLAGS OR BLACK LIVES MATTER OR
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO TALK
ABOUT.
IT’S FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
>> DONALD TRUMP TODAY CONTINUING
HIS CAMPAIGN TO RESTORE THE
GLORY OF THE CONFEDERACY,
DEFENDING THE FLAG AND STATUES
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH CBS NEWS.
HE ALSO SPOKE ABOUT THE PROTESTS
SURROUNDING POLICE REFORM AND
TOOK ISSUE WITH THE QUESTION OF
WHY BLACK AMERICANS ARE STILL
DYING AT THE HANDS OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> WHY ARE AFRICAN-AMERICANS
STILL DYING AT THE HANDS OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT IN THIS COUNTRY?
>> SO ARE WHITE PEOPLE.
SO ARE WHITE PEOPLE.
WHAT A TERRIBLE QUESTION TO ASK.
SO ARE WHITE PEOPLE.
MORE WHITE PEOPLE, BY THE WAY.
>> JOINING US NOW, BECAUSE I
HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO START,
FORMER DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN
DONNA EDWARDS AND FORMER CHIEF
SPOKESMAN FOR THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT, MATT MILLER.
DONNA?
>> WOW, THE PRESIDENT IS ALWAYS
CREATING THESE FALSE
EQUIVALENCIES WHEN IT COMES TO
RACE AND EVEN THE CONFEDERATE
FLAG.
LOOK, A MAJORITY OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE
CONFEDERACY WAS A TREACHEROUS,
TREASONOUS REGIME AND THEY
AGREED WITH STATES TAKING THEM
DOWN, INCLUDING THE STATE MOST
RECENTLY OF MISSISSIPPI.
THE PRESIDENT CONTINUES TO
DISPLAY THAT HE IS COMPLETELY
OUT OF TOUCH WITH WHERE THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE.
AND A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS
AGREE WITH THE IDEAS OF THE
BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
CALLING ATTENTION TO THE BRUTAL
AND OFTEN MURDEROUS TREATMENT OF
POLICE ON BLACK PEOPLE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT
CAN SIT IN HIS GLORY DAYS
DEFENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST BLACK
PEOPLE AT THE HANDS OF POLICE
OFFICERS, OR HE CAN WEAR A LAPEL
PEN WITH THE CONFEDERACY OR A
T-SHIRT WITH THE CONFEDERATE
FLAG ON IT.
BUT IT’S OUT OF STEP WITH WHERE
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE.
HE’S JUST WRONG.
AND, FRANKLY, HE DEMONSTRATES
YET AGAIN THAT HE IS WILLING TO
DIG DOWN INTO THE MUD AND
DISPLAYING RACIST COMMENTS
RATHER THAN UNITING THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
IT’S JUST TIME FOR HIM TO GO.
>> YOU KNOW, MATT, DONNA IS
CALMER THAN I FEEL.
I MEAN, IT’S DISGUSTING THAT HE
MAKES UP -- I DON’T THINK HE
KNOWS WHAT THE FIRST AMENDMENT
IS, BUT FOR SOMEONE TO WRAP
HIMSELF IN THE FIRST AMENDMENT
AFTER PRACTICALLY BULLDOZING
PEACEFUL PROTESTERS OUT OF
LAFAYETTE SQUARE IS JUST BOLD,
YOU KNOW WHAT.
>> YEAH, LOOK, HE HAS ALWAYS HAD
A FEW OF ALL CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHTS, JUST AS HE HAS A VIEW OF
LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THERE OUGHT TO BE ONE SET OF
RULES THAT APPLY TO HIM AND
ANOTHER SET THAT APPLIES TO
EVERYONE ELSE, ESPECIALLY WHEN
IT COMES TO HIS POLITICAL
OPPONENTS.
WHEN I LOOK AT THOSE COMMENTS, I
THINK A FEW THINGS.
LOOK, IT DOES STAND CORRECTED
THAT THE PRESIDENT IS JUST
WRONG.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE 2 1/2
TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE KILLED
IN ENCOUNTERS WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT THAN WHITE AMERICANS
ARE.
THAT’S JUST A FACT AND THE
PRESIDENT DOESN’T WANT TO ADMIT
THAT.
NUMBER TWO, AS A POLITICAL
MATTER, WE -- I THINK WE
CONTINUE TO SEE THE PRESIDENT IN
HIS REMARKS DEFENDING THE
CONFEDERATE FLAG AND HIS REMARKS
DEFENDING CONFEDERATE STATUES
AND CONTINUING TO CAST DOUBT ON
THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
AND THE NEED TO REFORM POLICE,
HE SEEMS TO BE MAKING THIS
POLITICAL ASSUMPTION FOR HIS
RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN THAT A
MAJORITY OF WHITE AMERICANS ARE
JUST AS RACIST AS HE IS AND IF
HE CONTINUES TO MAKE RACIST
COMMENTS LIKE THIS AND APPEAL TO
RACISTS AND RACISM, THAT HE’LL
BE ABLE TO COBBLE TOGETHER
ENOUGH WHITE VOTES TO WIN, MAYBE
NOT A MAJORITY OF THE ELECTORATE
BUT A PLURALITY AND THAT’S
ENOUGH.
THE PROBLEM WITH THAT POLITICAL
STRATEGY OTHER THAN JUST THE
BASE IMMORALITY IS THAT POLLS
CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT THE
COUNTRY HAS CHANGED.
NOT JUST SINCE THE ’50Ss AND
’60s BUT SINCE 2016.
THERE’S BEEN SOMETHING OF AN
AWAKENING ON RACE.
AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, FOR
VERY GOOD REASON, JUST DON’T
AGREE WITH HIM ON THIS.
AND THANKFULLY SO.
>> DONNA EDWARDS, PICK UP ON
THAT THREAD.
DONALD TRUMP HAS DEALT HIMSELF
OUT OF THE CONVERSATION ABOUT
THE LARGEST HEALTH CRISIS THIS
COUNTRY HAS FACED IN MULTIPLE
GENERATIONS.
HE’S DEALT HIMSELF OUT OF A LOT
OF NATIONAL SECURITY
CONVERSATIONS BY REMAINING
SILENT ABOUT BOUNTIES PLACED ON
THE HEADS OF ACTIVE DUTY
AMERICAN SOLDIERS AND HE’S DEALT
HIMSELF OUT OF A CONVERSATION
THAT 67% OF AMERICANS IN ONE
POLL, 74% OF AMERICANS IN
ANOTHER POLL, SEE ONE WAY.
THEY SEE THE AIMS OF BLACK LIVES
MATTER AS YOU SAID AS JUST AND
THEY SEE RACIAL INJUSTICE IN
THIS COUNTRY AS A PROBLEM.
>> WELL, LOOK, I THINK THE
PRESIDENT HAS, YOU KNOW, I AGREE
WITH MATT THAT HE MADE A
COMPLETE MISCALCULATION ABOUT
WHERE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE.
BUT THE OTHER THING THAT HE’S
DONE, FOR SOMEBODY WHO CLAIMS TO
UNDERSTAND AND GET, YOU KNOW,
WHERE PEOPLE ARE AND TO BE ABLE
TO TAP INTO THAT -- THE PULSE OF
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
HE JUST GETS IT WRONG EVERY
SINGLE TIME, AND I THINK RIGHT
NOW, HE IS, YOU KNOW, THROWING
WHATEVER AGAINST THE WALL.
AND MOST OF IT IS MUCK AGAINST
THE WALL IN ORDER TO WIN A
RE-ELECTION.
HE CLAIMS THAT HIS POLL NUMBERS
ARE GOING UP AND AS MATT SAID,
AND THE EVIDENCE OF THAT IS NOT
TRUE AT ALL.
AND HE SEES AN OPPONENT IN JOE
BIDEN WHO IS A COMPLETE CONTRAST
TO HIM WHERE IT COMES TO
CHARACTER, WHERE IT COMES TO
IDEAS, WHERE IT COMES TO LOOKING
TOWARD THE FUTURE.
AND HE’S TRYING TO RUN A
CAMPAIGN IN 2016, AS I’VE SAID,
A CAMPAIGN IN 2020 THAT’S MORE