he's well equipped and prepared. everything will be good through tonight. >> so glad to know the nose is red. allison chinchar, thank you so much. thank you for starting your morning with us. >> happy holidays. >>" inside politics" with jong king starts right now. merry christmas, everybody. a big tax cut win to close out a rocky first year. >> we are making america great again. you haven't heard that, have you? plus, a threat is as the president is rebuked at the united nations. >> this vote will make a difference at how americans look at the un and how we look at countries who disrespect us in the un. this vote will be remembered. and a year-end warning from democrats who worry the president is looking to fire or discredit the special counsel.

>> these truly are red lines and we simply cannot allow them to be crossed. "inside politics," the biggest stories sourced by the best reporters now. welcome to "inside politics." i'm jong kihn king. for the viewers here and around the world, welcome. many are sharing in on the frustration after the republicans have a big win on tax cuts. >> this is the bill right here. and we are very proud of it. it's going to be a tremendous thing for the american people. it's going to be fantastic for the economy. >> when washington gets back to work, it will be an election year. the immediate challenge includes obamacare and immigration, putting the year-end republican union to a very quick 2018 test.

>> it is kind of a potpourri of year-end things that were not addressed yesterday that we'll have to turn to in january. and we'll work most of those out on the bipartisan basis and pass what we need to pass. plus, the russia investigation cloud as big as ever. some of 2017's biggest global charges will only loom bigger in the new year. >> for all the nations that take our money and then vote against us at the security council, or they vote against us potentially at the assembly, they take hundreds of millions of dollars and billions of dollars and then vote against us. well, we are watching those votes. let it vote against us, we'll save a lot. we don't care. >> with us to share their reporter and insights, julie pace, michael shear, saha kapur of bloomberg, welcome back to the east coast. we begin with two different

takes on president trump's first year and the country's. it starts with the signing of the big republican tax plan. >> i consider this a bill for the middle class and a bill for jobs. and jobs are through companies and corporations. and you see that happening. corporations are literally going wild over this. i think even beyond the expectation. >> the president has a year-end tax bill. >> i think obamacare is over because of that. and we'll keep up with something that is really going to be very clear. but the individual mandate was very unfair. >> the country does not share the president's glowing take on 2017. his approval ratings are historically low. and the president is cleared by a majority of americans as divisive and dishonest. the pollster peter hart summed up focus groups this way. it's been all about him and only

him from day one. the size of his inaugural crowd to the size of the attacks on anybody who has something negative to say about him. no event or person is too small for donald trump to attack, voters wanted change, not chaos. >> this was the president's best week legislatively for certain. he finally got the big legislative victory that presidents expect to get in the first year, there's no doubt it was a political success for me and for the republicans. but i think peter hart's analysis is spot on. this president has been presiding over an economy that is pretty strong at this point. he's had some success in reshaping the judiciary. he got kneniel gorsuch on the

supreme court. but it is overshadowed at every turn by his own words and his actions. and that is resonating with the public. they are taking that seriously. they get frustrated by the tweets. they get frustrated by the divisive rhetoric. so if he's complaining about his legislative agenda and his executive agenda being overshadowed, it is his own fault. >> the personal favorite is most tainted. when you look at the overwhelming americans asking about honesty or is he up to the job, is he a uniter or not a divider, is that it? the republicans worry about this, we'll talk about 2018 elections later in the program, but worried his brand is so bad, good things he doesn't get credit for. >> that's certainly a part of it. the fact that he was able to finish this year with the tripletr trifecta. but the economy as julia pointed

out is doing well in the sense that the stock market is booming and there is something close to full employment. the real test is going to be in what people are feeling. wages are stagnant. people are crushed with debt. but the test is, does this piece of legislation deliver the broad-based efforts that he's promised. if the bill says it works the way they say it will, it will be okay. but if it doesn't, we're in trouble. >> they say that, yes, but the trump brand is hurting everything they do. >> well, look, part of the irony here for a guy who both thinks, believes and wants to portray everything about him, right? the great irony is i don't know wlm the political establishment actually gives him credit for

these victories, right? we know on capitol hill that they sort of feel like they got despite him. and the american public feels like there's no -- since the nomination of neil gorsuch. despite the fact that he always tweets and steps on the message, despite the chaos, the question is, yes, there's victories at the end of the year but i'm not sure people are giving him credit. >> it is interesting, i was doing door knocking in one of the midterm districts, and it was just fascinating to me that the people when they come to the door and you ask them about trump, that they often blame congress. obviously, this was before the big tax reform victory, but he was very successful in getting that narrative across to voters.

that it is standing in his way. that's what happens with the trump brand when he repeats things enough. >> there's no question, if you look at the president's dismal approval ratings. look at this, the whole list of the president. that's the president at the bottom in yellow. those are presidents going back to eisenhower on the chart right there. that is dismal. and that is what the american people think at this point. but you are right, congress is -- paul ryan and mitch mcconnell, even if they have questio questions, did the president learn any lessons? at times he had dysfunction with the relationship of his own party, including the majority leader. the president on the big signing week, the celebration of tax cuts, is this going to last?

>> paul ryan and mitch, it was a little team. we just got together and we would work very hard, didn't we? it seems like -- it was a lot of fun. it is always a lot of fun when you win. if you work hard and lose, that is not acceptable. >> i think he did, actually, a lot of less sons from the obamaca obamacare . he understands there are some things he has to give on. and he didn't go out to bash the bill or the lawmaker that is he needed in that moment. and he's evolved in asking about questions and what it takes to get an ex-lawmaker to say yes.

>> one of the lessons that the white house staff learned is there's expertise on capitol hill. that even though this is a white house that came in vowing to blow up the city, thinking that everybody in washington has been here forever as kind of a joke and can't get everything done, there are people working on tax reform for a very long time. paul ryan at the top of the list with the newfound respect from the leaders at the white house that the ability of the hill can wrappingle something this large and understand the plexty. >> he was calling out rob portman and others who understand the tax code. >> and one of the reasons he learns is not to get in the way. he called the house bill mean and then he is devlving into th

information. that was largely preserved as a broken promise, but at the end of the day, the president accepted it to be nominated. >> one of the things he was unable to do, a bipartisan campaign. this is what i'm going to do. he says this will be priority number one in year two. any reasons to remember with the president's numbers in the tank. that the democrats will cooperate? >> no. infrastructure, in this -- i want to be the voice of donald trump learning. learning suggest that s that yon a lot from her that. you have to know that mitch

mcconnell is not going to fire off another nasty moment. >> can we say that he won't necessarily change. >> amen there. it's the second week of january. that's your test right there. up next, the showdown at the united nations to close a trfrl world up stage. and the senate majority leader and the president are getting along better of late, but there are limits. >> reporter: do you have any plans to visit mar-a-lago over the holidays? >> no. no. the closest i'm going, i'm going to a bowl game in jacksonville. press brew. that's it. strong. bold. rich. i feel like you're toying with me.

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vision will govern our land. from this day forward, it's going to be only america first. america first. every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit american workers and american families. >> that's a memorable chunk of the president's inaugural address. and a reminder that america first has in this first year often translated to america alone, or america isolated. both the united nations security council and the larger general assembly rebuke president trump for officially recognizing jerusalem as israel's capital, accusing the united states of taking sides on a question long set aside to be settled in israeli/palestinian peace negotiations. the white house could have ignored the rebuke but instead relished the fight and promised there will be a price to pay for

it. >> the united states will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the general assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation. we will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the united nations. and we will remember when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit. >> interesting first year in the sense confrontation there at the united nations, confrontation with the nato allies, confrontation with the world walking away from the climate change agreement, and yet efforts despite the traditional republican policy to have more friendly relations with russia and china in the middle of the confrontations. >> that reminded me of a trip we were on when he went and spoke at the united -- at nato and was supposed to sort of hit up

article 5 and it didn't at the least moment. it was a similar kind of moment where what he wanted to say at the time and what nikki hailey said there was stressing the financial obligations that the united states has to the rest of the world and asserting they owe us. >> michael will remember this because we cover the obama administration for us, but president obama made a similar point. something happens in the world when there's money needed, and then the united states gets criticized. and the posture of the democratic and republican administrations previously was, well, yes, that burden is on to unfair. that's the rule in the world. trump has flipped it on its head deciding the playing field should be more equal.

for a lot of republicans, that is troubling. and the fact that we do put more troops and effort into helping people around the world is part of the extraordinary nature of this country, not a burden. >> the tone matters so much. as julie pointed out, president bush viewed this as something to speak up about. it's a little bit of bullying and, don't mess with us. if you zoom out, it's america's first politics that pulls well outside the base. but there's a complex set of challenges to grapple with to make this work on the issue of middle east peace. president trump wants this yet he wants the most explosive issue at the attempt of making peace for decades on the issue of resettling refugees.

let's not reinvite them here, but he wants to cut ties. >> yet this past week we did see some progress with russia and china collaboration in cracking down on north korea and really understanding that threat. so will the trump administration get a lot of credit for that? i mean, it is just interesting that all these things happen. >> you're right. often china/russia may street o veto or abstain, but this is the first year on the confrontation on the world for -- this is the

man he calls the rocket man. >> if it is forced to defend our allies, we'll have no choice but to totally destroy north korea. rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. >> this is a textbook example of what we were just talking about. sometimes the president's words are not exactly matched up to the actions to match the tough words. they say that is part of the plan to keep people inbalanced and maybe a bigger threat than we begun. largely relying on sanctions, largely trying to get china to change its behavior and the trend line from north korea has

moved forward in their nuclear capabilities. and that has people so worried, that leveling more sanctions is not going to get the regime to back down. tough talk is not getting the united states anywhere. >> getting president trump to back away from the red line in syria. he put himself forth as the guy to follow-up his words with actions. and he's finding as many presidents do, these sort of intractable problems are for a reason. but the challenge is, when you add advance your rhetoric in an aggressive way.

>> the president said, we'll stay on this path. the major sub-plot from putin throughout the year. the president believes he's being sidetracked to the russia investigations. to having that, throughout the world. it has two plea deals as a national security officer. >> i think we get hacked by russia. but i think we also get hacked by other people. russia is a roos. the russian story is a total fabrication. i want nothing to do with prussia. that was a teblgt. >> russia is is a roos.

he was going to get a christmas gift and a letter of exoneration. this is expanding and not winding down. this is getting closer to the west wing, not farther from the west wing, right? >> absolutely. >> you saw don jr., if you noticed this past week, spreading conspiracy theories. and talking about -- that dax is getting banned from the administration. so it is very different from what the reality is. >> the president was told by his lawyer that when he shows up in january, that the mueller investigation is still joining gone. how would react to this?

>> jared kushner's legal time hiring a crisis manager, they all think this is going well into the 2018. >> we just hit on the two issues that could be the two big issues of 2018. how the president handles the russia investigation, what the verdict is. and the north korea direction. i don't know how devastating that will be. the republicans tell time at christmas and they come back to a lot of quick sand. both of thet challenging opponent was... pe blood clots in my lung. it was really scary. a dvt in my leg. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. my doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®... to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner... ...that's proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots from happening again. in clinical studies, almost 98% of patients on xarelto® did not experience another dvt or pe.

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i guess it is really simple when you think you haven't heard this expression, but we are making america great again. you haven't heard that, have you? >> i hadn't heard that. pictures do speak a thousand words, or maybe a million. and the tax cut celebration at the white house was genuine. republicans from the president on down are thrilled they closed 2017 with a big win. it is good for team morale. good for a de-spirited republican base and good for the economy as a global standing. but the gop glow will face giant media tests in 2018. midterm election year is already tilt in the democrats favor. to get that tax cut celebration and a holiday break, they guaranteed early election fights on issues quick sand or worse within the republican ranks. the senate, for example, left for january a disaster relief bill some conservatives labeled

full of deficit exploiting pork. they are also at odds over pentagon spending caps. and they promised votes on obamacare fixes. and even if it comes with border wall funding, some plan to protect the so-called dreamers as amnesty. so they celebrated their christmas tax cut, but they got a lot of coal, especially for republicans. there are tough issues for the democrats as well, but given the 2018, given the dynamic and the president's polling numbers, it looks like a wave could be coming for the republicans. how do conservatives walk back to the capitol and grant what some of them call amnesty, spend more money, how do they keep it together? >> this right now is the calm before the storm. they kicked the negotiation and all the issues they have to deal with into january. and once they get there, they have to do, you mentioned something with government funding, defense and non-defense caps, flood insurance, two obamacare stabilization bills, daca and young undocumented people, disaster relief, v.a.

medical care, they have to lift the debt limit. other than that it is a light agenda. but it is going to be very difficult. the promises were made to get the tax bill through. they are eager to go home and celebrate without money running after the children's health insurance program, which is why they had a $2.8 billion patch not to deal with the awful headlines. how to deal with this next year in the face of the primary when a lot of conservatives won't vote for obamacare stabilization. >> if you keep the promises, you blow up the republican party. if you break them, you blow up the republican party. >> all these things are big and divisive and whatever. but the immigration fight they are going to have over daca, in some ways, trump's election pushed back the reckoning that the republican party has been having to struggle with over the changing demographics of america and the fact that hispanics have more than a decade been pushing hispanics away from the republican party.

and there were voices in the republican party before trump that said, let's try to fix that. and they are going into a fight that is highly emotional. you know, you have this really sympathetic group of young dreamers and come march, at the beginning of march, many of them will be facing deportation, but not only facing deportation, facing an administration that doesn't -- it is not just a theoretical concern, they want to deport people. the administration is sending out the enforcers to go find people and round them up. and you're seeing the beginning and it happening all over california and in the interior of the country. so this is a fight that in an election year, the republican party is going to take on. and i think there's a lot of deep concern among part of the party that understands the way this comes out may be bad for them long-term. >> the democrats are eager to take on. many of them wanted to take on and push chuck schumer to get this done in december because they feel like it's a political winner for them.

and to michael's point, we're living in this sort of strange moment where all of the trend lines that republicans know are coming in have been a bit paused by the trump administration. but when you look at the numbers, not just for hispanics but for young people, it is devastating for republicans long-term. and democrats are very willing to pick a fight and try to define the party on this issue. >> on top of that, the president added the suburb problem by the way he conducts himself in office. you have the long-term dem grac demographics you're dead right about. and then a democratic senator in a couple weeks in the suburbs. please. >> it is interesting in contrast to trump's rhetoric during the campaign, if you talk to people who have talked to him recently about immigration, he is really open to a lot of these ideas that you wouldn't expect from him. you know, on the daca fix, that was very important to jeff flake. he was a holdout on the tax bill

until he got a commitment from mitch mcconnell they would have a vote on that in january. so i think that's going to happen. and it's going to be difficult for democrats if there's a true fix for the dreamers, it's going to be very difficult for the democrats to back away from that. >> immigration is one of the issues with trump where he follows a pattern. his own instincts about it that trend to let's make a deal to help to find these people. and when he hears from people like steve bannon who represents with his base and is reminded of the fact that immigration was such a motivator for his voters. and he's told about the risks of disappointing that base, that idea hangs over trump really heavy. >> but he can brag about the wall. >> right. >> he can brag about the wall, whatever kind of wall it is, however high it is, then i think he can emphasize that with his base. and potentially bring some more people on board in the middle for the midterm elections with the daca fix. >> but he's not going to get a

wall if democrats have anything to say about it. they need 60 votes in the senate and don't have anywhere close to that on the republican side. this is so central to president trump's base. he was the one person out of 16, 17 democratic candidates and that is where the power is in the republican party right now. if he does help the dreamers, which he said rhetorically he said he wants to do, if he does that, he will face some backlash in his base. the loudest voice, even if they are minority, it will be difficult. >> remember the calendar, it's an election year. the president's approval ratings are already and huge dangerous sign for the republican. the majorities are at risk. they will make the decisions in january, february and march. still much time, but not the primary challenge. you have republicans asked to cast votes and the efforts of steve bannon to say, go ahead, cast a vote i don't like and i'll find someone to vote against you. >> also, how much juice does bannon have at this point? >> we'll find out.

>> it should be a great 2018 test. speaking of juice, when the president wants to share, where does he do it? on the internet. the president and his tweets when we come back. jimmy's gotten used to his whole room smelling like sweaty odors. yup, he's gone noseblind. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this... luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. and try febreze unstopables for fabric. with up to twice the fresh scent power, you'll want to try it... ...again and again and maybe just one more time. indulge in irresistible freshness. febreze unstopables. breathe happy. he's a nascar champion who's she's a world-class swimmer who's stared down the best in her sport. but for both of them, the most challenging opponent was...

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i'm a person that does well with that kind of a thing. and i doubt i would be here due to social media, to be honest with you. somebody says something about me, i'm able to go, bing, bing, bing and take care of it. >> bing bing. you learn a lot about the president in 2017, including the very, very vocal bipartisan chorus urging him to tweet less, think more, was a waste of time. up before sunrise, the presidential tweets are what is first and foremost on the president's mind. in all, 2400 tweets from the president of the united states and up counting since taking audience. some attack the fake news media. i've never met a reporter who wants the president to stop tweeting. this would not pass the fact check. and he has pitched a conspiracy theory accusing his predecessor of tapping the wires at trump

tower. the president calling it mccarthy-ism that hasn't been proven to have happened. and sometimes he goes after members of his own party, senator bob corker, that he calls the incompetent head. throughout the year, reading tweets like this, this lesson was learned. if you do not want to be on the receiving end of a tweet storm, say nice things. >> it's been a year of extraordinary accomplishment for the trump administration. >> something this big, something this generational, something this profound could not have been done without exquisite presidential leadership. >> mr. trump, i have to say that you're living up to everything i thought you would. you're one heck of a leader. and we're all benefiting from it. >> it was an important lesson, was it not of the year? if you don't want to get

thumped, be nice. that's one thing we learned. what else? >> we learned that the president tweets very early and that has changed the way washington works. you were right when you said that you don't know any reporters that want to stop tweeting because what has been amazing is you can read his mood, you can read real thoughts about a situation. you start to figure out the trends in it. you know when something is bubbling up and getting intense on the russia investigation, in particular, when he starts going after mueller and trying to throw distractions out there. it is really reshaping the way we cover the presidency at sometimes in not-so-good ways, but the access you get to the realtime thinking of the president has been astonishing. >> that's amazing but also incredibly difficult because they are so illured from the rest. the conference was going to be at 3:00, it was not then but it was at 1:00.

when your editor says there's a press conference at 1:00 tomorrow, oh, maybe. it is possible. and you think, if that little thing is difficult, think about what world leaders are trying to do when trying to decode what is really truth. >> that has been, from day one, we saw this during the campaign, some people thought it would be different when he took his hand off the bible as president of the united states. from day one, this is a president sometimes big, sometimes small, snims the midd -- sometimes in the middle, sometimes he doesn't tell the truth. >> it was the biggest electoral college win since ronald reagan. the taxes are crazy. the highest taxed nation in the world. we're going to turn that around very quickly. we've signed more bills, and i'm talking about through the legislature, than any president ever. for a while, harry truman had us. and now i think we have everybody.

i better say think otherwise they will give you pinocchio. i don't like pinocchios. >> he's got an lot of pinocchios. that's what they use when the president tells a lot of lies. lies versus obama. trump versus obama trump 100 in ten months. obama has 18 in eight years. >> not a lot of them play up to cultural wars and have the knack for stoking grievances the way he does. the feuding with everybody from mccain, to a beauty pageant co contesta

contestant. >> that is what makes it so hard. some call it lies. both say it could be the neo nazis that started this. >> this really bothers the midterm voters that they are going to need to hold control of the house and senate. you know, you go out and talk to people and they just can't stand the tweeting and top exaggerations and the tone. so it just is going to be maybe one the election will partly be about. >> that's a fascinating 2017 behind us and a fascinating 2018 ahead of us. when we come back, the russian investigation is a giant cloud over the white house. as the reporters shift their notebooks, why does this motivate republicans to get things done and soon? these birds once affected by oil

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one last time around the

table, our reporters are asked to share something out of their notebooks. julie pace? >> one of the really important things lost in the conversation this year about the russian meddling in the 2016 election is whether there have been any lessons learned and steps taken to protect campaigns going forward against hackings from russia or other state actors. and i have talked to a lot of people who will be involved in 2018 midterms and there's a real fear that when we have been discussing the prospect of collusion or president trump's involvement, there hasn't been enough discussion about helping the parties and the campaign actually protect themselves. this is not just at the presidential level but at the midterm elections. i expect a lot of discussions behind the scenes on how to have the campaigns protect themselves from north korea, russia and other potential actors out there. >> it would help if the white house cared. michael? >> i'll go local as a virginia reporter. come wednesday will be one of the most remarkable moments in

elections where in virginia a house of delegate seat that was, that ended up after several tens of thousands of votes exactly tied, will be decided when election officials draw a name out of a hat, essentially. they are putting the names in little film canisters and whoever they pull out is the next delegate. but it is also important because it will decide this race and the outcome of this race decides the balance of power in the entire virginia house of delegates, who becomes speaker, how many people get -- which party gets the majority on the committee. it's a big moment. still probably some lawsuits to come, but it's -- that's politics in america. >> sometimes every vote actually does count. >> president trump jetted off to mar-a-lago on friday after signing the tax cut bill, a major legislative achievement to cap the year. he said a few things i would like to fact check. he said the largest tax cut in history. it is smaller in real dollar terms than the one obama sign in

2013. as a sign of the economy, it is significantly smaller than the one reagan signed in 1981. the most legislative approvals of any president up to this point in his presidency. he's actually signed the fewest bills of any president since dwight eisenhower according to the independent analysts. the tax bill is selling itself becoming popular. that's not the case yet. quite the opposite. americans approve of it by a wide margin. this is a key sales job that the republican leaders have between now and the 2018 election. can they make the public like it? >> you are entitled to your own opinion but not the facts. >> we have been talking about all the big legislative priorities that republicans have going forward. and it's not just that they feel emboldened by the tax reform victory. there's actually some fear among republicans that there are rumblings that mueller is closing in on don jr. and they want to get as much done with the president's help before that point because a lot of them are very worried about

what he might do if his son ended up in legal jeopardy. and that would potentially not make him a very good partner in legislation. >> understandable if that would become the case. i want to close by saying thank you to the tiny but tireless teams in washington and atlanta that get "inside politics" on the air every week. many juggle their schedules to share their reporting with us and you. and thank you for sharing your time with us. we know you are busy and have choices. we are grateful. i am grateful for your time and support. have a safe and merry christmas. that's it for "inside politics." sit tight if you can. senator bernie sanders is joining jake tapper next. ♪ tired of wrestling with seemingly impossible cleaning tasks? using wipes in the kitchen,

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sweeping tax bill. president trump celebrates his first major legislative victory. >> it's the largest tax cut in the history of our country. it is always a lot of fun when you win. >> but democrats are hoping voters won't buy what the republicans are selling. >> it is a victory for billionaires like donald trump. this is a disaster for the american people. >> one of the biggest critics of the new tax law, senator bernie sanders, is here next. plus, another swipe. president trump taking aim at his predecessors. >> we have