at whole foods market, we believe in food that's naturally beautiful and fresh. delicious and powerful, and full of nutrients. so there are no artificial colors... no artificial flavors... no artificial preservatives... and no artificial sweeteners... ...in any of the food we sell. we believe that the food we eat connects us to the natural world and to each other. we believe in real food™. whole foods market. it survived 4 food fights,ew but old, home: a one-coat wonder named "grams", and rolled with multiple personalities. number one rated marquee interior. behr's most advanced one-coat hide paint. only at the home depot.

♪ [brother] any last words? [boy] karma, danny... ...karma! [vo] progress is seizing the moment. your summer moment awaits you, now that the summer of audi sales event is here. audi will cover your first month's lease payment on select models during the summer of audi sales event.

or a little internet machine? it makes you wonder: shouldn't we get our phones and internet from the same company? that's why xfinity mobile comes with your internet. you get up to 5 lines of talk and text at no extra cost, so all you pay for is data. see how much you can save. choose by the gig or unlimited. xfinity mobile. a new kind of network designed to save you money. call, visit, or go to xfinitymobile.com. welcome back. we're just after the top of the hour. the president has moved past expressions of solidarity with people of charlottes, virginia, or even condemnations of the white supremacists and neo-nazis who made it so deadly over the weekend. instead calling them out for first time today, which he did, then refusing to do it a second

time later. squom complaining about the press coverage, quot. made additional remarks on charlottesville and realized once again the fake news will never be satisfied. truly bad people. worse than alleged nazis and homicidal driver, he didn't say. along with the protests greeting him tonight where he arrived from washington just a short time ago and is making his way to trump tower, as well as the second ceo departure from a presidential advisory council. the head of merck earlier today, the ceo of under armour saying his company is about sports, not politics. first the day in full in all the news. cnn's sara murray joins us now from the white house. do we know, sara, how the president's statement today which was clearly right off a teleprompter and very carefully worded, how it came about and compared to the statement he gave on saturday? >> look, anderson, we don't have all the details. we know a number of his advisers were encouraging him to say more. we know they wrote out this statement, crafted it today, and he delivered it from a teleprompter. but i think you can tell by the president's tweet that they certainly felt that the media

coverage, and frankly her critics on all sides were bearing down on them -- republicans, democrats. trump's backers on wall street have all come out and said that what the president said on saturday did not go far enough. and in many ways, trump's team underestimated the backlash that was going to surround his original statement, which is kind of shocking when you think about the fact that the president has been in this predicament before as a candidate and he has fumbled sort of handling these racial issues a number of times, and yet he and his team do nato really seem to be learning that less son. >> what else did the president say today? >> well, he was asked, basically, why did this take you so many days to reach this full-throated response? to specifically call out hate groups, to call out the kkk, to call out white supremacists. here is what the president said. >> president, can you explain why you did not condemn the hate groups by name over the weekend? >> they've been condemned. they've been condemned.

>> so no explanation as to why there was this delay. the president saying they have been condemned, and then making it clear that he wanted to move on to other issues. he spent the afternoon talking about trade policies and talking about the u.s. economy. anderson? >> sara murray, thanks. from the white house. let's bring the panel. ryan lizza, bakari sellers, scott jennings and jeffrey toobin. ryan, you said over the weekend, you tweeted on saturday that it was by far the most disgraceful day of donald trump's presidency. >> i think it was. i think the fact that the president of the united states, who is outraged by the most -- the smallest things, he has been more worked about rosie o'donnell or someone who complains about his ratings than he was about nazis and violence in charlottesville. so i think it's the bare minimum for a president to come out and talk about something like that. it's the bare minimum of what you would expect. that's why i tweeted that. i think the fact that it took him several days to come out and say what he said this afternoon, it's too little too late.

i mean one's initial response to something like this is the most important response, not after there is a media outcry and an outcry from republican leaders that you need to do this. it doesn't count. you don't get a mulligan as president of the united states. >> we're also talking about white supremacists and neo-nazis here. >> it's not a hard case. >> right. >> this is not a tough call. this is just the most -- the fact that we're even talking about it seems like it's not real life. we're talking about the president couldn't condemn nazis. >> i also think many americans who are persecuted by the same neo-nazis, many people who suffer under the thumb of oppression, who deal with this what has become america, which is white supremacy are not surprised by this at all. you take donald trump, whose father was arrested in 1927 in a kkk rally. you take donald trump who was sued by the department of justice for housing discrimination, the traditional park five. and then he becomes president. he involves and becomes

president, and in his white house stephen miller and steve bannon. this whole kind of faux surprise and outrage is for many of us who see donald trump for what he is, this is nothing new. his reaction was exactly what we expected it to be. i am very pleased that now in charlottesville, what we saw in charlottesville is the face of white supremacy, and now america gets to see it. because these people aren't fringe. these people are loan officers. these people are fashion assistants. >> college students. >> college students. teachers. these people are those individuals in flint, michigan, who don't want people to get clean water. they're legislators in south carolina who have a quarter of shame. i mean, the economic injustices, the environmental injustices, the criminal justice system which is crippled, that is what we're talking about. but now america gets to see it, and its name is charlottesville. >> scott, i know you were critical of the president not going far enough saturday. what did you think of his statement today? >> i thought the president's statement today was correct. i would have been better had it been delivered on saturday. i thought when they tried to cram the charlottesville statement inside of another event on saturday, that was operationally incorrect.

i thought his tweet tonight was unproductive. i think the statement today, if you read it, if you listen to his words was very good. this is a moment that requires precision in language. i saw some people today criticizing the president for using a teleprompter. what was the alternative? send him out there again to ad lib? i've got two words for you on that strategy, in-sane, okay? he needs to use precise language at a moment like this. he is a republican president. he has to put on the mantle of being in the party of lincoln, and he has to get it right. so the statement today got it right. the tweet was not good. the saturday statement was not good. and now we have to see. what are we going to do next? the doj is investigating. his homeland security advisers have to watch out for these nazis and these white supremacists because i'm certain they're going to have rallies in other places. and what are we going to do now? there is more to do, and they've got to get it right. >> you know, as a political communicator, yes, reading -- if you had read his statement, you would have been oh, that's

great. if you watched it, he once again looked uncomfortable. he looked like he was forced to do it, that he didn't want to be bothered with it. his disposition was almost like i have to do this. and that does not instill confidence or unify the country when the president of the united states is basically forced to have to condemn white nationalism. that is -- but that's who he is. what you saw on saturday, that is who donald trump is. and for reasons that bakari listed with donald trump's history all the way to his father, to even more than that. you had racial discrimination against dealers in atlantic city in his casinos there. and comments that he has made in brooks he said he didn't want blacks counting his money. he never disputed the facts in those books that was written about him. donald trump, just his basic my african american, calling out a mexican judge, he was mexican-american, he can't be fair. donald trump has no credibility on this issue. and his continued intransigence

on this is just very disheartening. and what do you look, what do you see? as an american, i look at this and it make miss heart sick that we have people that are continuing to protest in front of donald trump's trump tower, that protests all over the country after we saw after he got inaugurated. that's heartbreaking for me to see as an american, because we are so far from united. and donald trump is not helping the situation. and his acolytes that are trying to continue to be enablers for him, it is not helping the situation. and he is who he is, though. this is who donald trump. he is never going to change. and i don't know how we as a country unify behind someone that behaves like this. >> i don't know. i'm still sort of in shock that you think saturday was worse than when he fired james comey. i think that was by far the worst day of his presidency. for the first time in american history, to have a president fire a guy who was investigating him, unless maybe the saturday night massacre when nixon

fired -- had archibald cox fired. but certainly i would say it was second. it was second. >> we heard from the white house over the weekend, you know, from unnamed people in the white house that he didn't want to dignify these groups by mentioning their names. but he held an entire press conference about ms-13. i've done tons of stories on gangs. and every gang cop will tell you the same thing when you're doing a story. they say please don't mention the name of the gang, because it just gives them credibility. it just raises them to a higher platform. he had no problem doing that on ms-13. to not mention the kkk? >> who buys that? he has already dignified them because he has hired them. >> come on. let's be fair. steve bannon is not in the kkk. >> no, but steve bannon is a white nationalist. >> all right. >> so let's be a little more fair. >> no, no, no. let's have a frank conversation about this. steve scalise, god bless his spirit. i'm really glad he is back on the road to recovery. he himself, who is the majority whip of the united states

congress said i'm david duke without the baggage. i mean, nobody finds offense to that? this is permeated throughout -- this is not something that's out of the realm of what we live in every day. this is our political structure. and yes, steve bannon is a white nationalist. and yes, and stephen miller is a white nationalist, and they need to be rooted out. it's a culture. with all due respect to everyone, and democrats are going to jump on me for saying this, this didn't start with donald trump. this is not a donald trump phenomenon. he is the embodiment of it. but this did not start with him. and now we have to deal with it as a country. >> i mean, i think it is worth drawing a distinction between the people who were literally in the kkk and american nazis and the alt-right. i'm not defending either one of them. but there are differences among them. i think what is in common is the president's refusal to disassociate himself with it. that's problematic.

>> sorry, a quick break. we'll hear from scott when we come back. a quick note, the president just arrived at trump tower for the first time since moving to the white house. we're told he managed to avoid the protesters. we're going to take a break. coming up next, the mayor of charlottesville, who has been one of the president's sharpest critics in the past few days, questioned him. did anything the president say today change his opinion? and later, new job approval numbers for the president. a new record low. a look at how this latest tragedy can affect them as we continue. fees? what did you have in mind? i don't know. $4.95 per trade? uhhh and i was wondering if your brokerage offers some sort of guarantee? guarantee? where we can get our fees and commissions back if we're not happy. so can you offer me what schwab is offering? what's with all the questions? ask your broker if they're offering $4.95 online equity trades and a satisfaction guarantee. if you don't like their answer, ask again at schwab.

you're more than just a bathroom disease.

you're a life of unpredictable symptoms. crohn's, you've tried to own us. but now it's our turn to take control with stelara® stelara® works differently for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before or during treatment, always tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion, and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. we're fed up with your unpredictability. remission can start with stelara®. talk to your doctor today. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options for stelara®.

iso being cool comes naturally. on car insurance, hmm. i can't decide if this place is swag or bling. it's pretzels. word. ladies, you know when you switch, you get my bomb-diggity discounts automatically. ♪ no duh, right? [ chuckles ] sir, you forgot -- keep it. you're gonna need it when i make it precipitate. what, what? what? we're continuing to keep an eye on anti-trump protests here in midtown manhattan where the president is spending the next few days. he arrived a few moments ago. he is handling the charlottesville tragedy drawing most of the protesters' ire tonight. one of his sharpest critics has no doubt been the mayor of charlottesville. i spoke with democrat mike signer shortly before air time. >> mayor signer, this morning you told cnn about the president's comments had his opportunity and he whiffed. that was your expression.

did the president's comments today, specifically denouncing the nazis, the kkk, the white supremacists, did it make a difference for you? >> i'm really glad me made them. he is the president of the united states. and i'm glad he spoke up about the bigotry and the folks that we saw come to charlottesville this weekend. i think it was great. and now i think that we all should get started on the hard work of rebuilding and strengthening. that's kind of what i've been focused on today. it was a weekend of grieving and sorrow and mourning. that obviously is going to continue for a long time. but i really firmly believe that we all are going to start working on our democracy in different in new and very helpful ways, starting today. so that's really what i'm focused on. i'm glad he said what he did. >> richard spencer, the leader in the white supremacist movement, an organizer of this past weekend's rally announced today he plans to hold another rally in charlottesville. is that a rally that should take place? would you city grant the permits needed to hold it?

>> let me tell you about charlottesville. we are one of the greatest cities, and that is not an exaggeration in the country, if not the world. i will say that today, you know, after a weekend of mourning, getting back to work as mayor of this great american city, i've been working on three things. the first one is i think we do need to look at how we work on permitting for events like this if they are brought to a city like ours with the intent of incitement, with an unpeaceful intent. it's our job as officers of the constitution, i'm sworn to uphold the constitution to strike the right balance when we protect the first amendment, which is sacrosanct. well need even unpopular speech to be heard. but we also need to do it in way that is consistent with public safety. we have to do that. so that balance may be changing in a little way depending on what's coming to us. so i strongly think that we

should examine deeply how to have these first amendment events while they're safe for the public. >> mayor signer, i appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you. >> much more on that issue and all the complications surrounding it just ahead in this hour. back now with the panel. so the president -- the white house said the president is not planning to travel to charlottesville. is that the right thing? >> well, at least has he called the victims' families? i mean, he didn't even mention that. >> he hasn't said the name. in his speech he didn't say the name. >> right. it's like an after thought. he kind of glossed all over all of this. it just, again, i find it hard to believe that it has taken this long, and that the president of the united states needs to be chided into giving a full -- a full disavowel of white nazi group. >> previous presidents would go to a place like charlottesville in the aftermath of an event like this. >> yes. >> to calm the waters, to speak to the community. >> they wouldn't, though. barack obama didn't do it.

george bush didn't do it. and they reason they don't do it is -- >> didn't do it where? >> barack obama didn't go i believe it was new orleans and baton rouge after flooding or after alton sterling. they don't make the moves because of the resources it takes away from the city. when donald trump moves, it's not as if donald trump is taking the nypd and two officers with him. >> that's a fair point. >> i will give him credit for recognizing or someone recognizing the fact that this may not be the best time for the president of the united states because of the resources necessary to go elsewhere for him to be there. >> i think when there is a natural disaster, there is a reason not to bring the secret service and all the rest there. i don't think that's the problem with charlottesville. the problem is you want a unifying figure to go and speak to the people there and so far donald trump has not been able to be that person. so it's not clear to me what he would use the bully pulpit for. >> according to the daily beast, one white house official when asked about that said why the hell would he do that? it would be used against him. which is also a very fair point that it would become something

to be used against him. >> i think it depends on what you're going to say. you're going to go there and are you holding your own event? are your attending someone else's event? what is the reason you're going there and how are you speaking? i think something that we should talk about tonight that is very important is the need for the republican party to separate itself from people who are literally marching around american streets carrying nazi flags. and i want to single out the chairwoman of the rnc, chairwoman mcdaniel. she made a very strong statement today saying if you're somebody out there trading on the name of donald trump or the republican party and you're carrying around a nazi flag, you're not in the republican party. we don't represent you, and you don't represent us. i think that was vital, vital that they do that. >> the president should have said that. >> for the republican party to come out against nazis isn't that great. but how about coming out for voting rights? how about not disenfranchising people. >> i'm sorry, if that hadn't happened, i shudder to think what you'd be saying to me right now. here is the reality. this event happened this weekend.

the president did not get it right on saturday. he did better today. i said this weekend i thought the chairwoman of the rnc had an absolute responsibility to delineate between actual republicans and these people. and she did it. and i wanted to bring it up because i thought it was the right thing to do. >> to quote a republican president, george w. bush, i think you are engaging in the soft bigotry of low expectations. the fact that republicans can do good work by condemning nazis i think is a very low bar. >> i agree with you. but i think that's partially because so many republicans have sold their souls to enable donald trump because any other time this wouldn't even have been a discussion. it's because donald trump has been so obtuse about this that we are even in a situation where republican elected officials have to come out and make this distinction. i agree. it's ridiculous. >> but to scott's point, had republican officials not come out. what would we be saying? damned if you do and damned if

you don't. >> david duke, spencer, the others are out here saying we're here to fulfill the promises of donald trump. >> that's right. >> we're here to make good on what he said we're going to do, take back our country. i'm not sure it would be wise for the president to utter david duke's name because i don't want this guy to be elevated to the level of having the president speak it. but i think it is vital from republican leaders from the chairman down to local republicans denounce it. >> and a lot of republicans did on saturday. >> i agree with them. but the fact that the level of discourse that we're at in this country, that the political dialogue that is happening within the republican party is hey, man, you should disavow the nazis today. that should be your goal today. we're at a point right now where it's very hard for us to talk about what white supremacy has permeated into, the systems like the criminal justice system that jeffrey and i talk about, how people of color are persecuted in the. it's hard to get to that level when we have a president who won't even disavow the people who are behind those systems. so i agree with it.

i just think that not only are we peddling in the soft bigotry of low expectation, but damn, anderson, we're at a point right now where in the united states of america we're having a conversation of whether or not the republican party is going to separate itself from nazis who many of us can say are part of their base. that is astounding. >> well, in fairness, as a conservative, that is a very, very small fringe part of the base. and this has only been elevated because of donald trump's inability to tell them to go back under the rocks they came out from. >> i agree, i agree. >> as the republican party, we cannot give any quarter on the political spectrum. >> exactly. >> to these people. >> that's right. >> and if we don't speak out against them, even though you say well, it's soft bigotry of low expectations, the bar is low, if we don't speak out against them, then they will do it again and again and again and again. and that's not acceptable. >> can i ask you a question, though? >> the president of the united states won't do it. >> can i ask you a question? just a honest question.

where were you in disavowing majority whip scalise when he said he is david duke without the baggage? where were you when that statement was made? and why all of the sudden now do we want to disavow? because god forbid we had a death yesterday. and she was out there fighting what i fight against every single day. but why does it have to take that? for example, nikki haley gets all this credit. >> that was years ago. yes it does. because that's the same thing about robert byrd and other democrats who have had come to jesus moments. >> he has changed. >> if robert byrd can change then steve scalise can realize. >> at least robert byrd vocalized that change. >> yes. and steve scalise came out -- >> my only point to both of you guys at this table is let's not be selective in our outrage. let's not try to root the cancer out just because it's offensive in our face today. i think that the republican party has a cancer in its base. and that cancer is not only debilitating to the republican party, that cancer is debilitating to the united states of america. >> we got the take a quick break. protesters topple a confederate

statue in north carolina tonight. this comes after the violent protests obviously in charlottesville over the confederate statue there. should these statues be taken down and are we erasing history? i'll get the panel's take after the break. she thinks she's the boss. she only had me by one grade. we bought our first home together in 2010. his family had used another insurance product but i was like well i've had usaa for a while, why don't we call and check the rates? it was an instant savings and i should've changed a long time ago. there's no point in looking elsewhere really. we're the tenneys and we're usaa members for life. usaa. get your insurance quote today.

we were in a german dance group. i wore lederhosen. so i just started poking around on ancestry. then, i decided to have my dna tested through ancestry dna. it turns out i'm scottish. so, i traded in my lederhosen for a kilt. ♪ ♪ award winning interface. award winning design. award winning engine. the volvo xc90. the most awarded luxury suv of the century. this august visit your local volvo dealer to receive sommar savings of up to $4,500. this august visit your local volvo dealer my dad called them up and asked for "the jennifer garner card"

which is such a dad thing to do. after he gave his name the woman from capital one said "mr. garner, are you related to jennifer?" kind of joking with him. and my dad was so proud to tell her, "as a matter of fact, she is my middle daughter". so now dad has the venture card, he's earning his double miles, and he made a friend at the company. can i say it? go ahead! what's in your wallet? nice job dad.

in durham, north carolina tonight, protesters toppled the statue of a confederate soldier engraved with the words "the confederate states of america." north carolina's governor roy

cooper just posted this tweet supporting demonstration. he wrote, the racism and deadly violence in charlottesville is unacceptable, but there is a better way to remove these monuments, #durham. back with the panel. should these monuments be taken down? >> in louisville we just took one down. there was a statue in honor of confederate soldiers. that was originally at the turn of the century, the last century put in the middle of a field, but wound up over time in the middle of the university of louisville. for many, many years the town debated whether to take it down. and finally the mayor and the old president of louisville took down the confederate monument there is still another one in louisville we're debating on now. and the mayor of lexington, kentucky has come out and said we should take down the monument. this is going on in towns all over the southern united states. there are confederate monuments everywhere. i suspect because of the weekend events, we're going to see more of these today. >> i don't think people who live in the north, people like me have any idea. >> exactly. >> how many memorials there are like this. here are a couple examples.

in alabama, they don't celebrate martin luther king's birthday. they celebrate a joint martin luther king/robert e. lee holiday. there is a confederate memorial day holiday. a war to preserve slavery. and you go anywhere in the south, you go to the grounds in austin of the state capitol, there are enormous memorials to the confederate. i don't know where you would start, but you should start somewhere and get rid of them. >> interesting bilingual politically about the debate is there are so many democratic mayors of cities, it's a debate that is happening within the democratic party, especially in the south. but look at the difference -- >> the argument for some cities is, and in charlottesville, the mayor was telling me earlier they had appointed a commission, a majority african american commission who looked into this issue for a long time and decided not to take down the statues because the african american members on the commission felt that it was basically kind of pretending that history never happened.

>> right. >> and keeping it as a memory of what happened. >> i actually have feelings about this. my mom and i were talking about this over the weekend based on what happened. but i think you can't erase history. but i think there has to be a way where you can use them as teachable moments. maybe put them in museums then, perhaps. if towns decide that they want the take these monuments down, then by all means do it. this is a new century and the symbolism of these things are horrible for a lot of people. so you know what? maybe we shouldn't be honoring these folks. don't erase history, though. put them in a museum. or somewhere reserved that way where they're not honored but it's educational. there has to be a happy medium. i don't like seeing people just tearing down statues. it reminded me of the saddam hussein statue coming down in iraq there is just something about that that is a little untoward to me. i don't like the mob justice here. there's got to be a more civilized way the do it since that's the message we're supposed to be sending by taking them down.

>> i don't think anyone is trying to erase history. i think people are trying to not glorify the extreme of the extreme. i mean, when we're talking about these southern governor, when we're talking about these southern united states senators from back in the day? i mean pitchfork ben tillman, for example, a statue in south carolina. john c. calhoun. you know what john c. calhoun's nickname was? they called him john c. kill a coon. that's what they called him. after president roosevelt met with booker t. washington, he said "the action of president roosevelt in entertaining that nigger will necessitate a our killing a thousand niggers in the south before they learn again." this is something revered with a statue who simply says he was a governor. he was a senator. he created our state constitution in south carolina there is no truth to that. and so for someone who is a little brown boy in south carolina, i mean, i mean people have to understand that oppression. and you were right how geographical that, jeffrey. >> brian stevenson is a civil

rights leader in montgomery, alabama. many people know the equal justice initiative. he is building in montgomery a memorial to the victims of lynching there are no -- there is no memorial to the victims of lynching in the united states. montgomery has dozens of memorials to the confederacy. that may be one answer. that you don't take the other memorials, but you add other memorials. >> in southampton, virginia, there is no memorial to nat turner who led a slave revolt that didn't last very long, but was an important chapter in history. there is one little roadside marker. there is, you know, there is a lot of monuments obviously to the confederacy there. >> a democratic mayor who took a different approach than the mayor of charlottesville is mitch landrieu in new orleans. new orleans is a place where slaves were sold. it was one of the capitals of the slave trade. and there are no real monuments to that in new orleans. there are dozens of confederate monuments.

he gave a very important speech a few months ago that a lot of democrats. >> an incredible speech. >> and there are a lot of us. i'm waiting on mitch landrieu to call me. so he can come to south carolina. >> some people wants him to run for president. >> that catapults him into another stratosphere. someone had the audacity to have culture to stand up against something that is pervasive in our culture right now. >> a huge deal in new orleans, too, which has a history -- we were talking about this during the break -- of not removing the names and sort of adding to it. but not actually taking it down which they're now doing. >> he made a very important point in that speech. he said there is a difference between reverence of history and remembrance of history. and a lot of the confederate statues in new orleans and other states and cities were put up during the cult of the last cause period in american history. not during the civil war itself, but later to revere the confederacy and to revere the lost cause. and that changes what the meaning of those statues. it was basically a way to lie

about history and to tell a tale about american history that's not actually accurate. >> but at least there is a bipartisan effort even with what nikki haley did in south carolina and what we're seeing what happened there in kentucky. at least we're seeing a bipartisan effort to do something about this since culturally it seems to be something that is important to a lot of people. so i get it. >> it's true in kentucky republicans have actually been the ones who have been on the forefront of wanting to take jefferson davis out of the state capitol rotunda. there is a statue of lincoln and there is a statue of jefferson davis. kentucky birthed both of them there is an obelisk in the western countryside marking where jefferson davis was born. it's a state park. but in the state capitol rotunda there is both men there has been an effort to move jefferson davis out. it's been resisted by some democrats. matt bevin the governor, senator mitch mcconnell have both called for it to be taken out. so there is a bipartisan effort in some places. but it is a really interesting wrestling with history that is going on in a lot of southern states right now. >> we got the take a break. more with the panel.

we're keeping an eye on the situation a few blocks away from our studio. where crowds have gathered outside of trump tower, not exactly welcoming the president home. we'll have the latest on the president's approval numbers. a new low ahead. fl[ gasps, laughs ]c, progressive gives you options based on your budget. you ever feel like... cliché foil characters scheming against a top insurer for no reason? nah. so, why don't we like flo? she has the name your price tool, and we want it. but why? why don't we actually do any work?

why do you only own one suit? it's just the way it is, underdeveloped office character. you're right. thanks, bill. no, you're bill. i'm tom. you know what? no one cares.

the president's approval rating is the lowest of his administration so far, according to multiple polls. last we reported the latest cnn polling showing his approval rating at 38%. now the latest gallup tracking poll is even lower. just 34%, that's the lowest of his administration so far. back now with the panel. i mean, at what point do key republicans start to, you know, just look at these numbers and back away? >> well, the truth is the country is so divided that there are a lot of republicans who just happen to be in places where trump is very popular, right?

so a lot of the senators that might be running next year in red states where this national poll doesn't actually matter. but historically, it's really rare for a president to be that low this early. >> right. >> i think barack obama never actually reached 34% in gallup. it took george w. bush to the very end of his term when the iraq war was very unpopular after katrina, a very, very low point in george w. bush's term to get to that point. so the fact that halfway through the first year, he's hit that point? often when presidents hit that low, they don't really recover. so historically, that's a tough place to be. but because of the sort of structural advantages a lot of republicans have, they -- that number looks worse nationally than it does district by district and state by state. and that keeps a lot of republicans, you know, fairly solid. >> what makes this number i think even more extraordinary is look at the economy. >> yeah. >> the economy is by historic standards very good shape. unemployment is 4.3%, something like that. inflation is low.

we are not in the middle of a war with a lot of troops, which is what brought george bush down in 2007-'08. it's all because of how trump is conducting himself as president. i've just never seen before. >> just to contradict myself a little bit, the danger sign many this poll is that the recent loss is among republicans. it's among his strongest supporters. >> that's right. >> there is a path back. and first of all, some presidents have recovered. bill clinton got down. >> never as low. >> he was in the 30s. and he did come back. so it has happened be. the way back here is to do stuff. go back and try to get health care right. pass tax reform. do the things that they ran on. i think part of the reason you're seeing a degradation in the numbers is the republicans who elected this government are concerned that the promises are not going to be fulfilled. and so the way you reverse those trends is to fulfill the promises there is time to do that.

>> i think it was you who said several months ago on a panel we were having, if the president can accomplish two other things. >> yeah. >> he's got the neil gorsuch nomination. two other things under his belt, he can run on that. >> there are always one to two issues away from being successful. and right now the most recent taste in the mouth of republican voters is well, they failed on health care. so they've got to go back and reverse that failure. i think the failure to repeal obamacare, if left to stand is going to absolutely depress republican votes. so getting that right and then getting tax reform right and infrastructure, whatever. but if you go to the midterms having done the supreme court, having repealed obamacare and replaced it, and having made done something on tax reform, that's a very successful record. but they're not there yet. they've got to get to that point to recover. >> as a democrat, i don't have a lot of faith in these numbers as saying that donald trump all of the sudden is vulnerable. because what i remember is prior to november 8th, donald trump, over 60% of the american public

thought he didn't have the temperament to be president. 60% said he was unqualified to be president. i mean, you had all of these numbers where donald trump just plummeting, and he still won on november 8th. and republicans, no matter his intellect, his qualifications or his temperament, still came out and voted for him. so i would watch that republican number. but until donald trump bottoms out, or until there is a republican like paul ryan or a mitch mcconnell who has the fortitude to stand up against donald trump and say hey, or a donor, whomever that may be and say hey, you're driving the country into a ditch, these numbers to me, i mean, they don't really -- they don't indicate much. >> you're right. and those numbers actually are still high for people that don't think that donald trump is bringing up -- i think in that poll also, david brought it up earlier there was a question embedded in there about whether you think he is elevating the office of the presidency. and the majority of the people said no.

people are looking at donald trump, and they don't trust what comes out of the white house. something else in that poll said only 24% believed anything coming out of the white house was absolutely true. so the confidence in what used to be measurements that mattered is not there. but yet i think it's 79% of republicans are still supporting donald trump strongly. now the white middle class, the noncollege educated middle class numbers, they have dropped, which is interesting from a full -- i think it was up to 79% or 73%, and it's down to 59% that strongly support donald trump because they're frustrated, as scott said, with nothing being done. well, you promised all. you said it would so easy to do all these things. we're not reaping the results of that. we don't see it. donald trump has to be careful. don't think he doesn't see what is going on. they know what is going on with the polls. that's why he is going the talk about infrastructure tomorrow. that's why he talked about china

today. those are things that he knows rally the base. >> we've got to take care of another quick break. continue the conversation in a moment. we'll talk what is going on with chief strategist steve bannon. are his days numbered in the white house? that's next. but they're different. it's nice to remove artificial ingredients. kind never had to. we choose real ingredients like almonds, peanuts and a drizzle of dark chocolate. give kind a try. ♪ hey ron! they're finally taking down that schwab billboard. oh, not so fast, carl. ♪ oh no. schwab, again? index investing for that low? that's three times less than fidelity... ...and four times less than vanguard. what's next, no minimums? ...no minimums. schwab has lowered the cost of investing again. introducing the lowest cost index funds in the industry with no minimums. i bet they're calling about the schwab news. schwab. a modern approach to wealth management. you're more than just a bathroom disease. you're a life of unpredictable symptoms.

crohn's, you've tried to own us. but now it's our turn to take control with stelara® stelara® works differently for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before or during treatment, always tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion, and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. we're fed up with your unpredictability. remission can start with stelara®. talk to your doctor today. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options for stelara®. will people know it means they'll get the lowest price guaranteed on our rooms

by booking direct on choicehotels.com? hey! badda book. badda boom! mr. badda book. badda boom! book now at choicehotels.com the lincoln summer invitation is on. it's time for a getaway. now get our best offers of the season. on the agile mkc. on the versatile midsize lincoln mkx. or go where summer takes you in the exhilarating mkz. the lincoln summer invitation sales event. ask about complimentary pick up & delivery servicing. right now get zero percent apr plus 1,000 dollars summer savings on the lincoln mkx, mkc and mkz

. chief strategist steve bannon one of the president's inner circle. he's the head of breitbart which in the past bannon called a platform if the alt-right. he's caused to be ousted, separate from the controversy charlottesville situation kelly has sowered on bannon who seemed to be doing his on agenda.

macmaster dodged questions on bannon. >> can you and steve bannon still work in this white house or not? >> i work together with a broad range of talented people. >> you didn't answer can you and he work in the same white house? >> i am ready to work with anyone who will help advance the president's agenda and advance the security, prosperity of the american people. >> do you believe steve bannon does that? >> i believe that everyone who works in the white house, who has the privilege, the great privilege every day of serving their nation should be motivated by that goal. >> can i translate? >> yes, please. >> no that's what it says. >> he got an a plus in training right there. that was a way of avoiding the obvious answer. >> it wouldn't that natural it was pretty obvious. >> well. >> it was painful. >> i mean, there's all these reports, steve bannon's not on thin ice buzz those reports have

been around a long time. >> he has survived lots of turn overs in the white house. there's the same kind of reports and leaks he was on his way out, everybody thought he was about to be fired and he survived. he survived scaramucci coming in and they were at war with each other. and then he survived kelly coming in and scaramucci leaving. he is the one person that has survived a lot of turmoil and change many that white house. it was very interesting today he was not at an event that was very important to him, this event about china and trade. >> she's been very involved with. >> push that had. >> and he wasn't at bed minister with the president -- >> was not. what's really interesting is if bannon leaves it's not going to be because all these liberal groups are saying he shouldn't be in the white house, it's going to be for much more personal reasons, trump has lost faith in him, not related to

anything on racial issues. >> i think bannon is leaving, this whole climate's kind of creating an exit for him and he gave himself a timetable but which he would leave so i think that will fit in there. i think one of the fears donald trump have, and rightly so, when you have someone on your team that is a wild card or maverick like bannon, what do they do when they're on the outside and how badly do they burn you when they're not under your every single day. i have to go back to this, i don't care if he's ana zee or white nationalist i put them in the same category together. steve bannon is a cancer to america and i have a problem with someone whose a editor and chief of breitbart and gave a platform to that. if he leaves he needs to go. >> i agree with you. and, you know what steve bannon represents is something that i shuddered to think about him sieving tax payer dollars,

working in the white house in that position of power and influence like that. ryan and i were talking about the over or under whether bannon was going to stay owner. i think the difference this time is that the pressure is coming from other places. rupert murdoch it was reported told trump bannon should go. there's this battle between him and macmaster and what's beginning on wtn s a. trump has come out and backed him on the national security council. he's shown support for macmaster not necessarily bannon. so bannon now, he's losing allies in the warehouse. reince priebus isn't there anymore, and the fact that i think that question he could be dangerous on the outside because of his influence in the altd right and the media circles like that, that is potentially a problem because steve bannon i think has as much for himself -- i think there's a certain

selfish motivation -- >> what the president's -- remarks reflection on steve bannon? >> a lot. >> he wouldn't there. megan reported earlier that in general bannon has warned the president about speaking out too much against foreign rights group who are a small part of his support. >> everyone should be raeld joshua green's terrific book, definitely's bargain which is about steve bannon and his role in the trump campaign. what you see is how much bannon was the architect of using immigration, using these undeis of resentment. and how important he has been to creating the base that donald trump cares so much about. if you look at how trump organizes his presidency it

seems all about keeping the base happy. that's one reason i would -- i wouldn't count steve bannon out so quickly because he's the ambassador to the base. >> there's only one qualification to this job, do you have the pleasure of the president. i don't know mr. bannon but the bank rus thing right now if it was attributed to him, the debacle that was on saturday, it's easy for a president to say well, you messed that up you're out. also the end of the day reading tea leaves, pressure, the only thing that matters is whether he has the comfort of the president. >> and his daughter and son-in-law. i think it's important. >> right. he battled with jared kushner, they didn't get along -- hold on one second. the president also rebuked steve bannon for leaking stories and wreaking havoc and shares

stories about others so he has been rebuked by the president. >> got to take a break. be right back. day 13. if only this were as easy as saving $600 when you switch to progressive. winds stirring. too treacherous for a selfie. [ camera shutter clicks ] sure, i've taken discounts to new heights with safe driver and paperless billing. but the prize at the top is worth every last breath. here we go. [ grunts ] got 'em. ahh. wait a minute. whole wheat waffles? [ crying ] why!

thanks for watching time to hand thing over to don lemon. "cnn tonight" starts right now. see you tomorrow. here's a live look at trump tower in midtown manhattan. you see the protesters. president trump arriving there a couple minutes ago. protesters greeting him on the streets a moment ago. they're angry it took him days to condemn the crime violence in charlottesville, virginia. this is kwn tonight, i'm don lemon. the president reading a scripted statement at the white house. here's part of it. >> racism is evil, and those who ca