trouble breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. in patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes fatal crises can occur. the most common side effect is bone and muscle ache. so why go back there? if you'd rather be home, ask your doctor about neulasta onpro. >> hello, i'm wolf blitzer. it's 8:00 p.m. in jerusalem. wherever you are watching, thanks very much for joining us. president donald trump is on the way to mar a lago, the florida resort getting ready for his christmas vacation. before jetting off and leaving washington, he formally signed the reform bill into law. the oval office signing ceremony was not a typical end of year press conference like many past presidents have held, but president trump did take a few questions from reporters and at one point was asked about you

how much he plans to travel to sell the tax reform law. here's what the president said. >> i don't think we are going have to do much selling. i think corporations are giving billions and billions and many more are coming. that's really what is selling this and maybe better than anybody could including myself. come february when they open their checks and see, wow, what happened? i have a lot more money in here. that's going to be something very special. >> the president appeared to be in good spirits even at one point complimenting the news media, yes, the news media and offering them pens from the signing ceremony. >> many of you worked very hard. many of you have worked very, very fairly and we really appreciate that. here you go, folks. you want the box with it or not?

>> you were there in the oval office and invited in, did you get the sense that the president feels like he's ending this first year in office on a rather high note? >> we have that sense exactly. you can see the president in good spirits today, smiling as he gave that big tax bill a bit of a thump. it's about three inches taller so he was signing all of that going through the final passage here. it's really of course his biggest accomplishment and achievement of the year, but one of the few bills he has been able to sign. he was signing the continuing resolution that is the temporary stop gap measure to keep the government open. it has defense spending in there and the president was upbeat as he talked about the achievements and exactly what's included in the tax bill. he looked ahead to talk about 2018 and what he said will be a bipartisan agreement on infrastructure. let's watch.

i do believe we will have a lot of bipartisan work done and maybe we start with inf infrastructu infrastructure. i believe it can be bipartisan. >> that is a very interesting question and open question, wolf. if he will be able to work with republicans on infrastructure. a variety of different agreements and ideas on how to get this done and democrats have not shown anything interestingness to work with this president on much. i asked the president if he thought that this whole year would have been different if he would have started with an infrastructure bill to fix highways and airports with democrats and republicans and he wanted to save something easier like infrastructure for the second year. we will see how easy it is, but he was in high spirits as he left the oval office heading down to mar a lago. >> he will be coming back in early january from that holiday

vacation. thank you very much. let's go straight to the panel and joining us, reporter for "the washington post" blog, amber philipps, our director and cnn political analyst reporter for "the washington post." thanks very much for coming in. is infrastructure. >> i don't think it will be a piece of cake. they get bipartisan buy in around a series of issues. however, i don't think anything is going to be easy for president trump in terms of bipartisanship relations. here's why. he may have success picking off the deep red state democrats up for reelection. north dakota. they need a lot of trump voters.

you have to remember heading into the election year, the base is so fired up from an anti-trump energy that there is a real incentive for democrats to stay away from working with the president for fear of upsetting their own base of voters that as you have seen in this election have been swelling at the polls. >> infrastructure is critically important, but also not cheep. billions and billions of dollars coming on the heels of the tax reform that has a $1 trillion deficit, $1.5 trillion deficit. a lot of hawks will not be that enthusiastic about it. on new reporting in the new york times and your newspaper, "the washington post" about a heated meeting with trump advisers had for the mid-term elections in november. what can you tell us? >> the trump administration is trying to reassess. you have been through fairly

hard reality and political lessons coming out of the alabama senate race and figuring out where to go from here is a big consideration to make. there discussions happen being which direction to go in and which prevailing strategy will end up winning out. as much as they have a good map looking towards 2018, you can never be 100% assures of that given the president's approval ratings which are not high and they have played a role in a lot of these places where you expect potential republican performance to be better than it was. >> amber, the whole notion of concern among republicans was amp liified with this headline. republicans in 2018 blood bath. the republican party, a leader hand delivered a memo to the white house warning that they were losing support among women voters in part because of the president's support of roy moore

down in alabama. what can you tell us about that? >> republicans behind the scenes and talking to reporters are terrified that they could lose both chambers of congress next year. politically a lot that could have gone wrong has. they lost a senate race in alabama. now the senate is in play for democrats. if you look at the generic ballot, that's asking the average person and independent swing voter and women and anyone around the country. would you vote for a nameless democrat or nameless republican? polls have been showing it's a democrat by double-digits at this point which is very notable. democrats are winning statehouse elections. dozens of them. things are lining up for democrats in a way that really concerns republicans. there is a moment republicans hope that the president will reassess his political strategy of doubling down on his base. >> he is getting competing

advice from different parties. the party that says to keep going conservative, there is now the establishment republicans in congress that are saying wait a second, we don't have to be so afraid anymore. that's not how we do business. they are going to be having the clash at a critical moment where everything matters. it's most of the year into into the election. >> there is a must read article in "vanity fair" that is generating a lot of buzz out there. the president's former strategic adviser on steve bannon saying according to the magazine interview, bannon thinks it's a realistic chance he won't run in 2020 for reelection. bannon only gives him a 30% chance of finishing this first term. that's significant statements coming from someone who is obviously still very influential

and also someone who is a top political adviser. >> he has been out with that figure since he walked out of the door of the white house this summer. he has a deep understanding as to where his mind is in running for reelection. the president is running for all intents and purposes and has a reelection campaign up and running, but the point about the different streams of advice coming in, mitch mcconnell made clear. on his way out of town, he mokd bannon as putting forth faux genius that gave away a senate seat to the democrats. no doubt as emboldened as donald trump feels leaving town, he has a big political legislative victory. mitch mcconnell feels emboldened

against the weight that is giving advice. >> they said earlier, i don't know if he holds to it, but he will fight against seven of the incumbent republicans up for reelection and support ted cruz, but that's about it. this is the reporter speaking with mcconnell asking him about steve bannon. listen to this. >> do you blame steve bannon for doug jones being elected in alabama? >> let me say this. the political genius on display throwing away a seat in the reddest state in america is hard to ignore. >> yeah. he's not mincing words. he knows. >> he is definitely saying it clearly. in a way this is a question of how they stick to their guns.

i saw people saying roy moore is not a good scannedidate and all the teenagers came out and said we will let of alabama decide. there will be many epicodes where there will be reason to be spook and they click to what they think they know. they don't think that is good genius or good political direction or advice. or do we see them staying to kind of a true plan for how to go through the selection or do they waiver? there is so many different things happening, there will be episodes for them to waiver if they are not going to stick to it. >> the bannon interview in "vanity fair," let's say this. let me read it. bannon has remarked on the toll the office has taken on trump, telling advisers his former boss has lost his step. he's like an 11-year-old child,

bannon joked to a friend in november. an 11-year-old child? >> he is playing with fire. you try to up stage the president with headlines and be super controversial, you are like anthony scaramucci, out the door. tom price with jets flying everywhere. bannon likes controversy and he is digging into it. >> he said it was a joke. still. >> thanks very, very much. coming up, u.s. ambassador to the un nicky haily is throwing a party for friends and allies, but not everyone is invited. there is a new development in the russia probe that former trump aides are being called up to capitol hill to testify. congressman is on the house intelligence committee and standing by live. we will discuss.

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>> asking the speaker to preserve the ongoing russia investigation. in a letter to the speaker, paul ryan and nancy pelosi said democrats are deeply concerned by the majority's efforts to sur tail the investigation and its overall fail tower address russia's meddling in the 2016 election. she also said we expected you will take urgent action to ensure this investigation can continue and justice can be pursued unhinder. ed congressman, thanks for joining us. >> thank you and happy holidays to all. >> thank you. to you as well. what evidence are you seeing of

republican push back or interference with your investigation? >> where to begin. i think first it's the rogue partisan investigations that they launched and have undertaken without talking to us about it. second -- >> what do you mean by the rogue partisan investigations. explain what you mean by that. >> look, the republicans are undergoing investigations of activities that took place a long time ago and when in doubt, they attack hillary clinton. they never spoke to us about going after the canadian uranium investigation and others. it's clear that their legal strategy is oh, yeah, what about you and hillary clinton? that makes it difficult to go forward on the russian investigation. and on the russian investigation, they are refusing subpoenas on key areas. we are dozens of witnesses that still need to come forward and

in the meantime, we probably need some of our key witnesses back. they answered key questions and they are rushing interviews without documentations. as of the time i left yesterday, there were no interviews scheduled for january and interviewed scheduled while we were undertaking votes out of the washington, d.c. area. >> as you know the fbi deputy director andrew mccabe testified behind closed doors this week. what can you tell us about the focus of the questioning and his response? >> it's really the third prong of why i believe the republicans are trying to create a shiny object or distraction or obstruction to the russia investigation. they have no shame. what they're doing is attacking a war hero and a person with impeckible credentials and support before mr. mueller.

they are going after the fbi and the justice department because frankly the investigation is getting scary. it's reached the white house. the indictments that have taken place and the plea deal that has taken place. it scares them and they are taking extreme measures going after those undertaking the investigation. >> what can you tell us if you can about whether the deputy director actually corroborated former fbi director james comey's testimony about conversations comey had with president trump. >> i honestly can't talk about what the testimony was. corroborating discussions has been intense. you believe all of this totality and it proves the point i made before. they are going after those accusing them of under mining the investigation. they literally have no shame.

>> bloomberg is reporting that steve bannon, the chief strategist and cory who was the former trump campaign manager will be called to testify before your committee. talk about that. have you been informed that the two of them will be coming before the house intelligence committee? >> it's interesting. i'm on the intel committee and often hear news first coming from news media sources. if that's the case, it's the first i'm hearing about it and honestly it would be become news. it tells me at some level the investigation is going to go forward. >> there has been some push back as you divide the republicans over the special prosecutor and the special counsel robert mueller's team. do you see this as a real challenge to mueller's credibility and this fear that at least some of your democratic colleagues have that it's possible that mueller will actually be fired? >> i think that the biggest

concern for 2018 is we face a constitutional crisis. i believe firing the investigator mueller would be a constitutional crisis. i fear that they will have firings or pardons by the president. he clearly gets under his skpin a skin and unnerves the president and frankly he certainly speaks in an irrational basis. it would have been a lot easier or productive that the president of the united states had acknowledged what the intelligence community already said a year ago now that the russians did in this to benefit his candidacy and to hurt hillary clinton and encouraging and requiring white house staff to cooperate and people who were involved in his campaign to cooperate. he has done just the opposite. i think elements of obstruction have taken place specifically,

for example, the firing of comey for what the president said was that russian thing. >> in the meeting with the russian foreign minster and the russian ambassador at the time to the united states. let's get to a different subject while i have you. you remember the house appropriations committee. the president tweeted this today. at some point and for the good of the country will wee will start working with the democrats in a bipartisan fashion. infrastructure would be a good place to start after having spent trillions in the mideast. he is worried about the wars in iraq and afghanistan. it is time to start rebuilding our country. so what's your response to the president? you have any indications that the republican leadership in the house wants to start working with the democrats to get major infrastructure legislation passed that costs hundreds or trillions of dollars in your

district in chicago and the suburbs of chicago? clearly you need major infrastructure and bridges and roads, etc. >> right. the roads are rated the worst in the country. you talk about infrastructure in p my district and working with republicans we were able to get a billion dollars to rebuild the cta. it carries more people in a month than amtrak does in a year. obviously really important. there is a willingness among some republicans to support bipartisan efforts to rebuild our country. i think we made it much more difficult when republicans passed a measure which is going to add a trillion dollars to our deficit. there is going to be a lot less revenue to do this. early indications were we were going to do tax repatriation and bring the tax dollars home to rebuild the infrastructure.

i'm not sure where they will find the resources to do this. they certainly don't want to raise revenues and taxes. you have to pay for this somehow. the president during his campaign talked about a public-private partnership and he backed off on that and embarrassed the vice president and said that doesn't always work, does it? he said it in a different manner. i would love to do it. it should be the highest priority. it's probably the easiest area to work on a bipartisan basis. they made it a lot tougher and you will see the deficit hawks come out of the republican base again. >> do you agree with the president that he said up to a trillion dollars was wasted in the middle east. was all that was money a waste? >> not all of that money was a waste. i think the war in iraq was a mistake and there was a tremendous amount of waste under

the bush administration starting that war and continuing it and in the manner in which we did. it's one of the things that has created this massive debt and deficit that we have to address. >> it was just the trillions of dollars and lives lost as well. tens of thousands came home seriously injured as well. it's interesting that the president said basically that awful that was foolishly spent at $7 trillion dollars. time to start rebuilding our country. he has very strong views on those wars. anything else before i let you go? >> i want to suggest or don't want to suggest that american lives were lost. i always respect our service members, particularly ones that we have lost. i do think it's appropriate to question why we ever got into the war and the extraordinary

loss of lives on both sides. the extraordinary financial cost that impair our ability to do anything else that have to do to take care of our friends. i think the scar that took place on the united states. that's something we will live with for a long time. >> congressman, thanks for joining us. merry christmas to you and heach new year. join the house in the lawmakers spending the long holiday at home, but how tough will it be for republicans to sell the tax cut back home and are democrats ready to work with the president and the republican leadership to get other issues addressed? we will discuss that and more when we come back.

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>> president trump is expected to arrive very soon in west palm beach. he will spend the holidays at his mar a lago resort in palm beach. the house and senate are oust session, but they left plenty of unfinished business behind. let's discuss this and more with rick santorum and to former president obama. for coming in, you see all the concerns and they could lose the house and the senate. how worried should your fellow republicans be? >> less worried now that they got the bill passed. this will be their signature accomplishment and i hope they get more done. if you listened to mitch

mcconnell, they don't sound like they want to do any more. he said we are pretty much done unless they get bipartisan things done. the chances are pretty small. this is what mitch mcconnell thinks they will run on. it will help them, but my recommendation is, keep working. you have a lot more work to do and people will take a crack at health care and do something on infrastructure. there a lot of other things that need to be done. >> for seven or eight years, middle class families will see a little bit bigger paycheck. that will have a positive impact for the republicans. >> i was in the obama administration when we gave a bigger tangs timeout can many little and lower class americans. we saw what happened in the 2010 mid-term elections. it's not only what they feel,

but what happens after. they go an entitlements like social security and americans. americans will see it as a give away to corporation and the super wealth we a tiny bit that goes back to them. this bill could have been done in a bipartisan way that would have been revenue-neutral and helped more middle class, but it wasn't. >> first off, the economy is much, much stronger and going to get stronger as a result of this bill going into 2018 and 2010 the economy was not in great shape. >> it was recovering. >> things were not looking big and unemployment was very, very high. record low levels. a lot of good things are happening. you saw how the corporations are responding and i find it funny saying this is a big break for corporations. when president obama pushed for a reduction in the corporate taxes, i don't think anybody, democrat or republican can say we should have the highest corporate tax in the world as our companies are leaving this company because of our tax

situation. we did the right thing here. i wish it would have been and should have been bipartisan, but it wasn't. they reduced taxes. corporations you now going to stay. many will come back and bring jobs back. there will be a good story to tell. >> remind me because i do remember and senator santorum makes a point that the reduction in the corporate rates go down from 35% to 21%. president obama and you weren't in his cabinet, he wanted to reduce it to 28% or even 25% from 35%, but what happened? the republicans didn't top the support him. >> it's fairly clear that after 2010 republicans were not going to support much of anything that president obama wanted to do. what's difficult about this bill is it becomes a messaging challenge for president trump. outside his base, epeople don't believe him. some of these people will make $65. every time he said this bill

doesn't help him and his family that further under cuts his credibility. >> what are do you make of this interview that steve bannon made in "vanity fair"? very blunt comments about the president. may not serve out his first term or run for reelection. he was joking maybe behaves like an 11-year-old. air force one has now landed in west palm beach. the president has flown from washington. what do you think about this battle going on between steve bannon and mitch mcconnell as far as reelecting incumbent republican senators? seven of the eight who are up for reelection, bannon wants to depose. >> steve bannon definitely has it if for mitch mcconnell. no question about that. >> and vice-versa. >> he believes mcconnell has not deliver and he has been ineffective and has not fought for conservative things. he is trying to rally the troops

against him. as far as his comments on trump, they were more scratch your head and i don't understand what the objective was there going after the president that he served. there is certainly ample reason for conservatives to be upset with going on in the senate. connell made a mistake by saying the only thing we are going do is bipartisan. a lot of things need to be done, particularly health care next year. he tried once and gave up. there was an attempt to redo it in september. he didn't necessarily support that much. now he is saying it's over. i think the base is working men and women who will be very upset if we don't fix the problems of obamacare. >> with the repeal, he said for all practical purposes, there is no more obamacare. he is wrong on that. >> he is absolutely wrong on that. >> having laned in west palm

beach, the president will be spending the next several days of his holiday vacation at mar a lago in palm beach. more news we are following. save the date. the u.s. ambassador, nikki haley said she is hosting a party and only a few select friends in the united states will be invited. we will explain. . think of all the things that think these days. businesses are thinking. factories are thinking. even your toaster is thinking. honey, clive owen's in our kitchen. i'm leaving. oh never mind, he's leaving. but what if a business could turn all that thinking... thinking... endless thinking into doing? to make better decisions. make a difference. make the future. not next week while you think about it a little more. but right now. is there a company that can help you do all that? ♪ i can think of one. ♪ almost think of the note prior to it as being your most important note. so [singing]... if you nail that, then you're golden. ♪

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to the united states. those countries who voted to condemn, no invitation for them. john kirby was the state department spokesman during the obama administration. also the pentagon. press secretary as well. we want to show live pictures while we are talking air force one landed in west palm beach. the president getting ready to spend the holidays at his resort. the u.s. ambassador to the un, nikki haley said this yesterday at the un. >> america will put our embassy in jerusalem. that is what the people want us to do. and it is the right thing to do. >> if you look at the brand-new cnn poll out this hour, 44% of those asked approve of the decision to recognize jerusalem to move the embassy and jerusalem being israel's

capital. 45% disapprove, 11% were unsure. when she said the american people, the american people seem to be divided on this division by the president. >> what she means and should have said was our voters or the trump base wanted to see the embassy moved to jerusalem. clearly the people of the united states are divided on this. that's understandable. as you well know, you have been covering that part of the world for a long time. it's a confusing and complex issue. there is a lot of emotion and not a lot of certainty about the best way forward. to say that the american people wanted that by our poll is not true. >> the invitation for the reception and friends who didn't vote against the united states, very interesting. 128 nations in the un general assembly condemning the decision. nine no, including the united states and israel. 35 states abstained. 35 nations abstained.

21 nations were absent. 64 invitations will go out. those who voted no, those who abstained and those who were absent. some of the closest allies weather the uk or france or germany or italy, they voted against the united states. they will not be invited. >> i don't think they are all that worried about that. i don't think they are taking it as a snub at all. they voted not just on conscious, but in terms of policy that they have been supported for 50 years and it was important for them to restate their own governments and own people where they were on the un resolutions. the fact that the status of jerusalem has to be settled as an out come and not predetermined before that. >> the president is now on the tarmac at the palm beach international airport which happens to be in west palm beach. they call it palm beach international airport. let's see if we hear what he

says. >> it's hard because of the engines of the plane. still pretty loud and a crowd is receiving the president. he is just wearing a little suit when he left wash he was wearing an overkoechlt much colder here in washington than in palm beach. he will spend the christmas holiday and new year's down there when they get back to washington. it's interesting. when he was in the oval office signing the legislation and the bills into law earlier including the tax cuts, he made a point of saying he has a lot of work to do and pointed out north korea and he pointed out the middle east. there is a lot of issues on his plate. >> absolutely. no president even when they are on vacation really goes on vacation. they are president 24-7. he will bring a team with him and stay in touch with secure communications as needed. clearly the crisis in north

korea is not going to take a holiday for us. neither are the tensions in the mideast. i was encouraged to hear him say that and not surprised at all. in keeping with the past president from other commanders in chief. >> when the president is on vacation, there are advisers there who brief the president and they stay on top of the crisis. let's talk about north korea for a moment. this is a tense situation. about as tense as i have ever seen it on the korean peninsula. >> the sense of urgency is more sharp than it has been before. no question that president trump inherited a much more perilous situation than any president has. his security team has done a good job trying to manage this. working with the international community. they have got more and tougher sanctions than ever before. they pressured china to do more and china can do more, but they pressured china to quite some

degree. they get credit for that. they have been undermined quite frankly by the president himself and his tweets and impulsive nature and the comments he makes pulling the rug out from under text tillerson as he pushes negotiations forward. they will need to continue to do that through the holiday. >> you do give the president credit for squeezing the chinese. >> i do. i absolutely do. >> if you told me a year ago that the chinese would cutoff all natural gas and importing seafood from north korea, they would put pressure on the oil exports to north korea to the degree they have, i would have laughed at you. i wouldn't think that was possible. they wouldn't have been able to do that. more work needs to be done. i am encouraged when i heard them talk about diplomatic efforts being in the lead.

if there is maneuver space. that makes me feel better. >> you see the president there on the tarmac. deplaned air force one and he is in west palm beach. a short drive over to palm beach. he is spending the next several days there during the christmas holiday as well as new year's before coming back to washington. whenever a president -- whenever they land they have supporters there. it gives them a boost, doesn't it? >> sure. this is a nice way for him to head off to the holiday season. he is going back home where he is comfortable and to be greeted by people who are supporting him and want to let him know that they are happy for the job he has done. that's a terrific thing for the president to start his holiday season. as you pointed out, it's not just going to be rest for him and it shouldn't be. there is a lot on his plate and a lot of things for him to worry

about. we need to hope he stays just as connected as possible in mar a lago to the effects going on around the world. >> a retired admiral. >> i am. >> you spent how many years in the u.s. navy? >> 29. >> you were thehe national secu >> i know certain people on the team. i know general kelly, worked with him. >> white house chief of staff. >> when he was senior military assistant. i still know people at the pentagon. still know people at the state department. i can tell you ones i've talked to in the last few days, they plan on working hard too over the holidays. they noah awful lot going on. and expectations are they will stay connected and plugged in and continue to explore options for the president. >> what about the whole middle east situation when the president says there is it a lot going on over there. and when he basically says that, and in his tweet this morning, that the u.s. wasted $7 trillion

in the mird ddle east, he's referring to the wars in iraq and afghanistan. how does that play to the families of the men and women who couldn't came home or came home badly injured? >> i wouldn't speak for allstate familie all the families, but there will be people bothered by that. loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice or returned changed many ways. many don't believe it was a waste of money or effort. and frankly wolf, like the vice president was in afghanistan just yesterday, when you go there and make the progress we are making, though it isn't as whole somas e as we want it to it's hard to say it's all for naut. and we can agree it's better for

the region. >> our cnn intelligence former cia operative. we are seeing the president on the tarmac, west palm beach, at the palm beach international airport just landed, getting ready to drive over to magnitskmagnitsk mar-a-lago, his resort. the president says 16 years, after foolishly spent $7 trillion in the middle east, referring to wars in the middle east, but after 16 years, bob, the vice president can't go to afghanistan unless it's very secret, no advance word, under the highest security. the same for iraq, by the way. if a president or vice president went there or a secretary of state, they make no announcement. it's been 16 years, the longest war in u.s. history, so when the president, bob, says after foolishly spent $17 trillion in the middle east, does he have a

point, after all these years, a vice president like mike pence who showed up yesterday can't show up with advance word that he's coming to afghanistan? >> yeah, president trump often has a point, that war has gone on way too long. it was won in october and november 2001 in afghanistan. the problem is pacifying the country. it is virtually impossible to occupy afghanistan. it's not because we've lost any battles or made any great mistakes, it's just the country is impossible to occupy t a. and he doesn't have an exit strategy. he can only do the same things we've been doing for the last 16 years, which isn't going to work. so this president has to come up with a new strategy in afghanistan. and right now he's not. >> he's made significant progress over the last year, john, in defeating isis in syria and iraq. but what does it say to that you a vice president still can't go there, iraq, or afghanistan,

unless it's really, really i. quiet? >> i think to bob's point, it points to the fact that it's still a dangerous point and still a war going on. and it would be foolish of us to take any risks with people on the ground or vice president and his party. so obviously there is still work to be done. and if commander in afghanistan was here he would tell you the same thing. while progress made, there is still a lot more work that needs to be done. interestingly, though the president complains about this $7 trillion, but clearly they are trying to get afghanistan into a better place. while i agree with bob, difficult thing to do, and a lot more work, i'm glad to hear he's still committed to the afghan people. >> i suspect, i haven't spoken to the president, but i suspect he's upset that both afghanistan that have received lots of money

in aide, they both voted against the united states to condemn the jerusalem decision? >> iraq is no surprise, under the thumb of iran, and this is important issue for jerusalem, iran. i could see that coming right away. as far as afghanistan that surprises me a bit, because that government exists because we prop it up. so that was a big decision on them to vote against us on jerusalem. but iraq is the same way and same way with syria. this president, let's be fair, inherited a mess, and fixing it is not going to be easy. >> president still enjoying himself over at the palm beach international airport with a lot of his supporters showing up. he's taking pictures and signing auto graph autographs, smoozing with them, this will put him in a much better move than washington. although he left washington very pleased by the passage of the

tax reform resolution, continuing resolution that will prevent the government shutdown at least through january 19th and they'll have to do it all over again. emergency defense funding, he signed that as well. so he had significant achievements over the last couple of dale's. but something li days. >> and they are saying nice things to him and smiling, he clearly relishing these moments, john, as he obviously should. >> no question about it. i mean, like you say, he isn't a politician, but certainly is one, and this is what they like, they like the support they get for people that vote for him and proud of the work they are doing, and clearly he's relishing that. as he should, he's heading off on vacation, and he did get some wins here toward the end of the year. i'll criticize the wade they behaved in the u.n. i think that was abominable, but he has secured this big tax bill and is

heading off to the holidays a little bit on the upswing. >> ending the year on an end note with the passage of this legislation. and you worked in the intelligence community for a long time, when the president is critical of the intelligence community, or the president doesn't accept the analysis of the intelligence community, for example, on russia interference in the u.s. presidential election or the law enforcement community for that matter, what's the reaction amongst your former colleagues? >> well, wolf, it's demoralizing. they are categorical russia interfered in our elections for trump. it's very clear. no one doubts it. the fbi is doing a great job in investigating in spite of one or two agents expressing their pol political views on fbi phones which is always going to happen. and for them the president is refusing to give briefings on russia hacking, which opens up

the question what will they do dm 2019 and 2020. this was an attack. he must say. it's a huge mistake on his part. >> how do you say it? >> same exact way. i don't have the experience he does, but they feel demoralized when they hear the president talk about them in this way and refuse to give appropriate briefings. it's not only not good for them but not good for them, commander in chief, he needs their support, and seems self detreating to me he would do that. >> and don't forget the state department. you know better than i it's completely demoralized. >> definitely morale problems at the state department. he talks about competitive diplomacy, whatever that is, but not prioritizing it, and secretary tillerson is letting a

30% cut go unchallenged and that's having effect on for ten services as well. >> that was a pretty well thought out many aspects, and you read it, were pretty well thought out, and many parts of it similar to the strategy during the obama administration. >> absolutely. and i read from obama 2015, and almost the same, and the large big chunks are the same, prioritizing homeland defense, missile defense, those kinds of things. there are some key difference, particularly climate change is one of them, that i found particularly disturbing, but in general, and the big chunks, it's not all that different from previous national security strategies. and again i think in that, there is some encouragement. >> we have seen these live pictures coming in from the palm beach international airport. the president is now there in

florida spend the nicks severex days in florida, he has the mar-a-lago resort, no doubt playing some golf but major work as well. that's it for me. i'll be back 5:00 p.m. eastern in the situation room. newsroom with brooke baldwin starts right now. lfrall right. you are watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin friday before christmas. and for the first time in 15 years the president of the united states held no end of the year news conference although he is certainly enjoying taking pictures and shaking hands, as he's about to get r & r with his holiday with his family. mentioned moments ago, obviously the president landed there in west palm beach to spend the christmas holiday at mar-a-lago. the president did take a couple questions in the