>> ALL RIGHT, KELLY O’DONNELL AT
THE WHITE HOUSE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AS ALWAYS.
CHUCK TODD IS NBC’S POLITICAL
DIRECTOR AND MODERATOR OF "MEET
THE PRESS."
CHUCK, GOOD MORNING, GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
LET’S START RIGHT THERE WITH
JOHN LEWIS.
I WENT BACK AND YESTERDAY WAS
WATCHING YOUR INTERVIEW WITH
JOHN LEWIS AROUND THE TIME OF
DONALD TRUMP’S ELECTION.
YOU WERE ASKING HIM WAS HE GOING
TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH DONALD
TRUMP.
JOHN LEWIS HAS BEEN CALLED THE
CONSCIENCE OF CONGRESS.
YOU OBVIOUSLY COVERED HIM FOR A
LOT OF YEARS, KELLY COVERED HIM
A LOT OF YEARS.
WHAT ARE WE LOSING IN CONGRESS?
WHAT ROLE DID HE PLAY IN THAT
BODY?
>> WELL, HE WAS REALLY -- I
WOULD SAY HE WAS DEFINITELY
CONGRESS’ SPIRITUAL LEADER
BECAUSE HE HAD AN ABILITY TO --
HE HAD AN ABILITY TO TOUCH
PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
AISLE.
IT WAS INTERESTING TO ME HOW,
YOU KNOW -- LOOK, I THINK IT
WAS -- THE CYNICAL SIDE OF ME,
SOME OF THESE REPUBLICANS WHO
WOULD REACH OUT TO JOHN LEWIS
WERE LOOKING TO BRANDISH THEIR
OWN CREDENTIALS OR TRY TO
IMPROVE THEIR OWN IMAGE, HOPING
THAT SITTING NEXT TO JOHN LEWIS
OR WALKING ACROSS THE BRIDGE
WITH JOHN LEWIS WOULD DO THAT.
AND IF JOHN LEWIS -- HE NEVER
CARED WHAT THE MOTIVE WAS IF
SOMEBODY WAS GOING TO MARCH WITH
HIM, IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO BE
EDUCATED WITH HIM AND NEEDED THE
PHOTO OP TO GO WITH IT.
I GUESS THAT’S WHAT MADE HIM, I
THINK, SO BELOVED ON BOTH SIDES
OF THE AISLE.
AS CYNICAL AS WE ALL ARE IN
WASHINGTON, HE NEVER QUESTIONED
THE MOTIVES OF OTHERS.
EVEN IF THE MOTIVE WAS OBVIOUS
RIGHT IN YOUR FACE, BECAUSE AT
THE END OF THE DAY I THINK HE
THOUGHT, YOU KNOW WHAT, IT’S ONE
MORE CHANCE TO EDUCATE ONE MORE
PERSON.
>> BOY, AS YOU SAY, IS THAT RARE
IN WASHINGTON RIGHT NOW.
WE’RE GOING TO TALK MUCH MORE
ABOUT JOHN LEWIS WITH JOHN
MEACHAM.
CHUCK, LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT’S
GOING ON IN THE CAMPAIGN.
A NEW POLL OUT OVERNIGHT SHOWS A
15-POINT SPREAD BETWEEN JOE
BIDEN AND DONALD TRUMP.
AN NBC/"WALL STREET JOURNAL"
POLL HAD IT IN DOUBLE DIGITS.
WE HAD THE DEMOTION OF BRAD
PARSCALE AND YESTERDAY WE SAW
TELERALLIES WHERE THE PRESIDENT
IS ON SPEAKERPHONE TALKING TO
SUPPORTERS, A FAR CRY FROM THOSE
BIG SOLD-OUT STADIUMS IN 2016.
WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN RIGHT NOW?
>> I THINK IT’S IN DIRE STRAITS
RIGHT NOW.
I THINK IT’S IN A ROUGH
SITUATION, AND THE QUESTION IS,
IS THERE -- DOES THE PRESIDENT
HAVE THE CREDIBILITY TO TURN
THINGS AROUND?
THERE’S TIME TO DO THIS, WILLIE.
IT’S NOT AN ISSUE OF TIME.
BUT WHAT IS DRAGGING HIM DOWN
ARE TWO ISSUES THAT HE JUST
DOESN’T SEEM COMFORTABLE
HANDLING.
ONE OBVIOUSLY IS THE VIRUS.
HE CONTINUES TO WANT TO DEFLECT
LEADERSHIP ON THIS, PUNT IT TO
THE STATES.
THE OTHER HAS BEEN RACE
RELATIONS.
THE TWO OF THEM IN COMBO CLEARLY
ARE PUSHING A GROUP OF VOTERS
AWAY FROM HIM.
WE’VE NOTICED IT.
IT’S SORT OF RIGHT-LEANING
SUBURBANITES, COLLEGE EDUCATED
VOTERS.
YOU’RE STARTING TO SEE A SPLIT
BETWEEN REPUBLICANS WHERE THOSE
WHO COUNT THEMSELVES AS TRUMP
SUPPORTERS AND THOSE WHO SAY
THEY’RE SUPPORTERS OF THE PARTY
OVER THE PRESIDENT.
THERE’S A 40-POINT GAP BETWEEN
THAT GROUP OF REPUBLICANS AND
TRUMP REPUBLICANS ON THE
HANDLING OF THE VIRUS.
THAT IS WHAT’S DRAGGING HIM
DOWN.
THERE’S TIME TO DO THIS, BUT THE
PRESIDENT HAS TO CHANGE COURSE.
IS HE WILLING TO DO THAT?
>> IT WOULD BE HARD TO DO AT
THIS POINT GIVEN THE FACT THAT
HE PROMISED IT WOULD MAGICALLY
DISAPPEAR, THE CORONAVIRUS.
PEOPLE SEE IN THEIR OPEN LIVES,
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS,
THAT’S NOT HAPPENING.
CHUCK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE WILL LOOK FOR MUCH MORE ON A
SPECIAL EDITION OF "MEET THE
PRESS" WHEN CHUCK TAKES AN