WEBVTT 00:02.500 --> 00:04.733 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: But, first, back to the president's public appearances today, the state of his 00:04.733 --> 00:09.000 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% agenda, and his working relationship with congressional Republicans. 00:09.000 --> 00:14.000 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% For more on all that, we turn to Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report and Tamara Keith 00:14.466 --> 00:15.300 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% of NPR. 00:15.300 --> 00:16.300 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% Politics Monday. 00:16.300 --> 00:17.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Thank you both for being here. 00:17.633 --> 00:20.133 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% So, let's start. 00:20.133 --> 00:23.366 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% We heard a little of this earlier, but let's bore in on the president's earlier criticism 00:23.366 --> 00:26.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% of Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader. 00:26.033 --> 00:29.566 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The president had McConnell over to the White House today, as we saw earlier. 00:29.566 --> 00:34.566 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Over the weekend, though, the president's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, spoke 00:35.800 --> 00:37.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% at the conservative Value Voters Summit. 00:37.966 --> 00:42.800 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% He was combative about mainstream Republican senators whom he is vowing to unseat. 00:42.800 --> 00:45.433 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% Let's listen. 00:45.433 --> 00:48.433 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% STEVE BANNON, Former White House Chief Strategist: All you folks that are so concerned that you're 00:48.433 --> 00:53.433 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% going to get primaried and defeated, you know, there's time for mea culpa. 00:54.866 --> 00:58.233 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% You can come to a stick and condemn Senator Corker. 00:58.233 --> 01:03.233 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And you can come to a stick, a microphone, and you can say, I'm not going to vote for 01:04.366 --> 01:05.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Mitch McConnell for majority leader. 01:05.633 --> 01:07.600 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% SEN. 01:07.600 --> 01:08.800 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), Majority Leader: My goal, as the leader of the Republican Party 01:08.800 --> 01:11.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% in the Senate, is to keep us in the majority. 01:11.933 --> 01:14.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% The way you do that is not complicate it. 01:14.900 --> 01:19.200 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% You have to nominate people who can actually win, because winners make policy and losers 01:19.200 --> 01:21.733 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% go home. 01:21.733 --> 01:25.066 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: And so, Amy, I don't know whether it's complicated or not, but Mitch McConnell 01:25.066 --> 01:29.533 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% is saying the party is going to win the way it is, and Steve Bannon is saying, no, we 01:29.533 --> 01:30.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% have got to move to the populist right. 01:30.733 --> 01:32.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: Right. 01:32.133 --> 01:34.233 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Mitch McConnell is correct. 01:34.233 --> 01:37.300 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% His job is to protect the people in his party and the people in his caucus. 01:37.300 --> 01:42.300 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Steve Bannon's job is to protect the president, and what Steve Bannon sees as over-reliance 01:44.333 --> 01:46.200 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% on this establishment thinking. 01:46.200 --> 01:48.166 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% His job is to blow things up. 01:48.166 --> 01:50.233 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Steve Bannon's is. 01:50.233 --> 01:53.033 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Mitch McConnell's is to kind of -- is to keep things steady as they go. 01:53.033 --> 01:58.033 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% And this is, in sum, the relationship between the Republican Party and Donald Trump, which 02:00.233 --> 02:04.433 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% is a president who came in vowing to shake up the establishment, to do things very differently. 02:06.333 --> 02:10.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And the personnel who's committed to doing this in -- within their own party is Steve 02:11.400 --> 02:13.366 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% Bannon. 02:13.366 --> 02:15.866 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And it's Mitch McConnell whose job it is to try to keep these incumbents together. 02:15.866 --> 02:19.866 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And, as we saw, Mitch McConnell and his team have spent a whole lot of money trying to 02:19.866 --> 02:22.533 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% protect one of those, Luther Strange in Alabama. 02:22.533 --> 02:23.533 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Didn't work out so well. 02:23.533 --> 02:25.133 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Didn't work out. 02:25.133 --> 02:26.566 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% And Steve Bannon really is trying to help some other candidates. 02:26.566 --> 02:28.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: He is. 02:28.733 --> 02:32.766 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% He says that he wants to field candidates for basically every Senate race. 02:32.766 --> 02:37.766 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% He wants to go after people who are very conservative, who have never voted against President Trump 02:39.533 --> 02:43.500 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% on anything, but who are part of a leadership and support Mitch McConnell. 02:43.500 --> 02:48.500 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The thing about today that was fascinating to me is, President Trump in his Cabinet meeting 02:50.600 --> 02:54.300 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% was asked about Bannon and says that he was sort of sympathetic to Bannon's position, 02:56.300 --> 02:59.066 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% that he felt like there were some senators that -- you know, some are good people, he 02:59.066 --> 03:01.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% said, but some of them need to go. 03:01.600 --> 03:06.500 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% And then he goes out, has this impromptu press conference in the Rose Garden with Mitch McConnell, 03:08.033 --> 03:10.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and basically was like, yes, I'm with Mitch McConnell. 03:10.733 --> 03:12.333 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% We're on the same team. 03:12.333 --> 03:14.500 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% Mitch McConnell is Steve Bannon's public enemy number one. 03:14.500 --> 03:17.500 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, you set this up perfectly, because we were going to show -- we are going 03:17.500 --> 03:21.600 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% to show what the president had to say, both at the Cabinet meeting and later with Senator 03:21.600 --> 03:22.600 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% McConnell. 03:22.600 --> 03:24.633 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% Here it is. 03:24.633 --> 03:25.600 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: I can understand where Steve Bannon is coming 03:25.600 --> 03:27.633 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% from. 03:27.633 --> 03:29.600 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And I can understand -- to be honesty with you, John, I can understand where a lot of 03:29.600 --> 03:33.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% people are coming from, because I'm not happy about it and a lot of people aren't happy 03:33.100 --> 03:34.633 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% about it. 03:34.633 --> 03:36.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Steve is doing what Steve thinks is the right thing. 03:36.733 --> 03:40.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Some of the people that he may be looking at, I'm going to see if we talk him out of 03:40.100 --> 03:42.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that, because, frankly, they're great people. 03:42.600 --> 03:47.600 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% What Mitch will tell you is that, maybe with the exception of a few -- and that is a very 03:49.500 --> 03:52.466 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% small few -- I have a fantastic relationship with the people in the Senate and with the 03:52.466 --> 03:54.133 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% people in Congress. 03:54.133 --> 03:56.800 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% Just so you understand, the Republican Party is very, very unified. 03:56.800 --> 03:58.900 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% (LAUGHTER) 03:58.900 --> 04:01.766 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Amy, as Tam said, which side is the president on here? 04:01.766 --> 04:06.100 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% AMY WALTER: You don't hold a press conference in the Rose Garden to say that you are really 04:06.100 --> 04:11.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% unified with the person standing next to you if you are really unified, because we would 04:11.833 --> 04:13.866 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% know you're unified. 04:13.866 --> 04:16.500 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% You don't need to stand out in front of a bunch of cameras to tell people that you're 04:16.500 --> 04:18.466 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% unified. 04:18.466 --> 04:21.533 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% It's pretty clear why they did this today, because the story over the weekend of Steve 04:21.533 --> 04:25.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Bannon and then the constant attacks of the president on Mitch McConnell. 04:25.133 --> 04:30.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% More important, the president's agenda is not exactly lining up with where the Republican 04:31.100 --> 04:32.600 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% agenda is. 04:32.600 --> 04:34.666 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% What Mitch McConnell wants to do, number one, save the Senate. 04:34.666 --> 04:38.500 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Number two, the way they think they're going to save the Senate is by passing tax cuts, 04:38.500 --> 04:41.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% tax reform, whatever you want to call this. 04:41.466 --> 04:43.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% That's what they want to focus on. 04:43.466 --> 04:46.666 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The president, meanwhile, is throwing a whole bunch of other things on their plate, which 04:46.666 --> 04:51.666 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% could deter them, whether it's from DACA, Iran, and now of course on Obamacare and the 04:53.400 --> 04:55.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% payments to the insurance companies. 04:55.133 --> 04:57.100 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Tam, the president does keep bringing up health care. 04:57.100 --> 04:58.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% He brought it up again today. 04:58.633 --> 05:00.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He said the short-term, we're going to maybe get something. 05:00.766 --> 05:05.500 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% It may take -- it left us all wondering, what exactly is going on with regard to health 05:05.966 --> 05:07.233 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% care? 05:07.233 --> 05:08.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% TAMARA KEITH: And that is not entirely clear. 05:08.433 --> 05:10.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% It kind of depends on the minute. 05:10.033 --> 05:12.600 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% So, President Trump says, yes, maybe we can get this short deal. 05:12.600 --> 05:16.900 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And, as you reported earlier, Patty Murray and Senator Alexander, Senator Murray and 05:16.900 --> 05:21.900 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% Senator Alexander, working on some sort of bipartisan maybe fix. 05:21.900 --> 05:26.900 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% But then you have the president's budget director in an interview with Politico on Friday -- this 05:28.900 --> 05:31.366 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% is Mick Mulvaney -- making it very clear that the president isn't going to accept some sort 05:31.366 --> 05:33.400 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% of small ball bipartisan deal. 05:33.400 --> 05:34.533 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% He wants more. 05:34.533 --> 05:36.600 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% He wants to extract more. 05:36.600 --> 05:40.266 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% You know, when the president has talked about, well, maybe we can do something with Democrats, 05:40.266 --> 05:45.266 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% he has typically still wanted to repeal Obamacare, and that's not something that Democrats are 05:46.466 --> 05:48.466 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% interested in talking about. 05:48.466 --> 05:51.333 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% AMY WALTER: And this is the real danger for Republicans, which is, the president is very 05:51.333 --> 05:56.166 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% intent on showing that he's followed through on his promises and protecting the Trump brand. 05:56.166 --> 05:59.566 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He's not as interested in protecting the Republican brand. 05:59.566 --> 06:01.400 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% He's not on the ballot in 2018. 06:01.400 --> 06:03.433 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% His party is. 06:03.433 --> 06:07.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So, Mitch McConnell obviously is much more concerned about what happens to his Republicans, 06:09.333 --> 06:11.666 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% the president much more concerned about what happens to the President Trump brand. 06:11.666 --> 06:14.266 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% TAMARA KEITH: And he's still -- he's talking about 2020. 06:14.266 --> 06:16.233 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% JUDY WOODRUFF: Right. 06:16.233 --> 06:20.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% TAMARA KEITH: Today, in that press conference, he was saying, oh, I hope Hillary Clinton 06:20.100 --> 06:21.266 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% runs in 2020. 06:21.266 --> 06:23.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% The president is very focused on 2020. 06:23.500 --> 06:28.433 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% And driving a wedge with Republicans in Congress and the establishment is great for his brand 06:28.433 --> 06:32.900 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% for 2020, but his presidency is contingent on what happens in 2018. 06:32.900 --> 06:37.566 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Yes, it's -- and the different messages, the signals coming out of the White 06:37.566 --> 06:42.300 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% House out of Steve Bannon, who we know still talks to the president, leaves us al scratching 06:42.300 --> 06:44.833 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% our heads. 06:44.833 --> 06:48.066 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% I do want to ask you both about the reporting on CBS and The Washington Post over the weekend, 06:48.066 --> 06:53.066 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% really disturbing reporting about the links, the pharmaceutical industry, certain companies 06:54.200 --> 06:58.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that ship drugs, Amy, to retail stores. 07:00.400 --> 07:05.333 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% They lobbied heavily to prevent any sort of slowdown in what they were doing because of 07:06.700 --> 07:09.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% the opioid -- with the opioid epidemic. 07:09.300 --> 07:13.666 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And fingers are reported at certain Republicans and a few Democrats on Capitol Hill. 07:13.666 --> 07:15.766 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% AMY WALTER: Right. 07:15.766 --> 07:19.166 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% A lot of this started under -- the bill that was actually passed was passed under the Obama 07:19.166 --> 07:22.200 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% administration, so this is not just a partisan issue. 07:22.200 --> 07:26.233 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The real question is whether Tom Marino, the congressman who shepherded this bill through 07:26.233 --> 07:31.233 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% Congress, is being -- right now has been nominated as the drug czar for President Trump, whether 07:33.266 --> 07:36.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% he becomes now -- either he is pulled out or at the very least a lot of very sharp questioning 07:38.200 --> 07:39.200 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% at his hearings. 07:39.200 --> 07:40.666 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% TAMARA KEITH: Yes. 07:40.666 --> 07:42.933 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And President Trump says he's going to look into it. 07:42.933 --> 07:47.033 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Meanwhile, the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, as well as Joe Manchin from West 07:47.033 --> 07:49.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Virginia are saying that he should withdraw. 07:49.300 --> 07:51.966 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And President Trump didn't dismiss that out of hand. 07:51.966 --> 07:53.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% He says, we're going to have to look into Tom. 07:53.500 --> 07:56.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Tamara Keith, Amy Walter, Politics Monday. 07:56.433 --> 07:57.433 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% Thank you both. 07:57.433 --> 07:58.433 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% TAMARA KEITH: You're welcome. 07:58.433 --> 07:58.566 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% AMY WALTER: You're welcome.