WILLIE?
>> ALL RIGHT, KELLY O’DONNELL AT
THE WHITE HOUSE FOR US, AS
ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
CHUCK TODD IS NBC’S POLITICAL
MODERATOR OF "MEET THE PRESS."
I WAS STRUCK WATCHING THAT PIECE
FROM KELLY, THE AD FROM TOMMY
TUBERVILLE INCLUDED AN INTERVIEW
BETWEEN YOU AND PRESIDENT TRUMP
WHEN YOU ASKED HIM IF HE COULD
HAVE ONE DO-OVER IN HIS
ADMINISTRATION.
HE SAID I WOULDN’T HAVE HIRED
JEFF SESSIONS, I WOULDN’T HAVE
APPOINTED JEFF SESSIONS, CALLING
HIM A SLIME, TELLING HIM TO GET
OUT OF THE RACE.
THE DIFFERENCE, AS KELLY POINTED
OUT THIS TIME, JEFF SESSIONS IS
PUFRMGING BACK.
I WOULD POINT OUT ALSO THAT JEFF
SESSIONS WAS THE FIRST UNITED
STATES SENATOR TO ENDORSE DONALD
TRUMP BACK IN 2015 DURING HIS
RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY.
>> IT WAS.
LOOK, THIS IS A BITTER PRIMARY.
TOMMY TUBERVILLE IS AHEAD AND
HE’S AHEAD IN SOME POLLS BY A
SIGNIFICANT MARGIN BECAUSE OF
THE TRUMP BASE.
THE PRESIDENT’S MOST -- YOU
KNOW, BIGGEST DEFENDERS, EVEN IN
ALABAMA, ARE SHOWING A
PREFERENCE OF TUBERVILLE OVER
SESSIONS, BUT THERE’S A PART OF
SESSIONS I THINK IF HE FIGHTS
BACK -- LOOK, IF HE GETS THROUGH
THIS PRIMARY -- I’LL TELL YOU
THIS, IF YOU’RE DOUG JONES, THE
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR WHO HOLDS
THAT SEAT RIGHT NOW, THE PERSON
YOU DON’T WANT TO FACE IS JEFF
SESSIONS BECAUSE JEFF SESSIONS
IS NOW ABLE TO SHOW SOME
INDEPENDENCE FROM TRUMP FROM
SOME OF THOSE MODERATE
REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED FOR JONES
THE LAST TIME.
SESSIONS IS A GUY THOSE MODERATE
REPUBLICANS WILL VOTE FOR.
THIS DIVISIVE END TO THIS RUNOFF
CAMPAIGN, IF TUBERVILLE IS THE
NOMINEE, COULD END UP GIVING
DEMOCRATS A SLIGHTLY BETTER
CHANCE THAN I THINK THEY EVER
HAD ANYWAY.
>> THAT RACE REALLY DOES HAVE
EVERYTHING DOWN IN ALABAMA
INCLUDING A FRONT-RUNNER WHO IS
A FORMER COACH AT AUBURN.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS
PRESIDENTIAL RACE BETWEEN
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND FORMER VICE
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN.
JOE BIDEN WAS ON A POPULAR RADIO
SHOW ON ZOOM CALLED THE
BREAKFAST CLUB.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD INTERVIEWED
HIM.
JOE BIDEN MADE COMMENTS HE’S
BEEN HAVING TO WALK BACK FOR TWO
DAYS WHERE HE SAID EFFECTIVELY,
IF YOU’RE EVEN CONSIDERING
VOTING FOR DONALD TRUMP, QUOTE,
YOU AIN’T BLACK.
OBVIOUSLY THAT WAS OFFENSIVE TO
A LOT OF PEOPLE.
IT GETS TO THE KIND OF CAMPAIGN
HE’S TRYING TO CONDUCT FROM HIS
OWN HOME, DOING IT VIRTUALLY
THROUGH THIS INTERVIEWS, YET
HE’S DOING WELL IN THE POLL.
A QUINNIPIAC AND FOX NEWS POLL
SHOWING HIM OPENING UP LEADS
AMONG MANY IMPORTANT GROUPS.
WHAT IS THE STATE OF THIS
CAMPAIGN FOR JOE BIDEN RIGHT
NOW?
>> BY THE WAY, JUST A QUICK SIDE
OBSERVATION
OBSERVATION, I’M STRUCK ABOUT IF
DONALD TRUMP MAKES THE SAME TYPE
OF GAFFE, HE BLOWS THROUGH IT,
PLOWS THROUGH IT, PRETENDS IT
NEVER HAPPENED.
JOE BIDEN, THE EXPECTATION IS,
HE’S GOT TO DEAL WITH AND HE
TRIED TO DEAL WITH IT.
IT’S A REMINDER THAT THIS IS NOT
THE FIRST TIME THAT HE’S SOME
TIME GOTTEN LOOSE WITH HIS
WORDS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT
COMES TO FEEDING INTO OLD
STEREOTYPES AT TIMES.
LOOK, I THINK IT’S A REMINDER.
RISK/REWARD OF THIS BIDEN IN THE
BASEMENT STRATEGY, OKAY?
I THINK THERE’S SOME ON HIS TEAM
THAT THINK IT’S BETTER TO STAY
IN THE BASEMENT, MAKE THIS TRUMP
VERSUS TRUMP.
TRUMP DESPERATELY WANTS TO MAKE
THIS TRUMP VERSUS BIDEN.
THE LESS YOU’RE OUT IN PUBLIC,
THE HARDER THAT WILL BE.
AT THE SAME TIME, HE WAS ABLE TO
SIT HERE AND MAKE A GAFFE WHILE
IN HIS BASEMENT.
THAT ISN’T A GOOD SIGN EITHER
FOR BIDEN, SO, LOOK, AT THE END
OF THE DAY IT’S A BATHOOD BAD ON
STORY BUT THE POLLS ARE THE
POLLS AND WE’RE SEEING THE MORE
THIS IS TRUMP VERSUS TRUMP, THE
BETTER FOR BIDEN.
>> THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN IS HAPPY
TO LET DONALD TRUMP HAVE THE
STAGE FOR THE MOST PART WHEN
THEY LOOK AT THEIR POLL NUMBERS.
CHUCK TODD, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY FOR YOU AND
YOUR FAMILY.
WE’LL LOOK FOR MORE THIS MORNING