all ash at this point. i appreciate you being there. thoughts are with the firefighters trying to battle the flames. and that's it for us. the news continues. we hand it over to chris for cuomo "prime time." >> i am chris cuomo. welcome to "prime time." florida ballot counting is taking a turn for the worst. again. this time it's two major races in the balance. governor separated from the senior senator by a raiser that i know margin. alleging there's cheating and fraud. we'll go deep and test both sides. not trumping up charges about the florida election the president picked a fight with the former fist lady. why michelle obama says she can never forgive trump. we have a new segment called doentd be a sucker. the president is telling you to believe something and he should not be believed. what they are and what the truth is.

so it's friday night. have one for me and let's get after it. all right here's the latest on the election front. new numbers that threaten what trump called a complete victory in the senate. arizona senate race is 20,000 votes. lock at the bottom. 15% of the vote to come in. the balance in the senate stands at 51, 46. between this race and florida. trumps celebration of doing really well in the senate could be short lived. florida is the real problem. vote counting, haunting that state. again. two high profile races appear headed to a recount. governor race is close enough to need a machine recount. senate race is closer. it's in hand recount territory. it is all confusing. with this much at stake and so

little respect among adversaries. you knew it was going to get ugly and it has. the governor and rue rubio. are alleging cheating and fraud and blaming the democratic machine. the governor and secretary of state are both republican. bottom line the election is now a mess. emergency court fights and protests. and russian twitter bots jumped in. stop the steal. broward county. florida and voter fraud. one of the folks in the middle is florida republican matt gates. congressman, thank you for joining us. your call for transparency. yes. more transparency. more better. the governor bringing a lawsuit demanding to have information about how the ballots are counted. where they came from. good. there was resistance. i understand why. i understand both sides. the governor won.

however, he's doing more than that. he's saying there's fraud. there's cheating. there's an attempt to steal the president echoes it. senator rubio echoes it. no proof so far. why say? >> it is hard to get the proof of fraud when the very proof itself is being hidden by the broward county supervision of election. it was an election where 8 million floridaens voted. 65 of the 67 counties did everything right and had the returns posted according to law. only in deep blue broward and palm beach county familiar to all of us who follow elections was there yet another persistent challenge. so here's what we're looking for. we want to know how many votes were cast. how much counted and how many out standing. >> reasonable. >> let's talk about what isn't. you are right, you should have transparency on all levels. more than we have had before.

agreed. you said something else that i can't agree with. it doesn't meet the test of logic. we can't get the proof of fraud because we kaen see the votes. that's not how allegation works. if you have proof of fraud. >> it is. >> no, you have to know something. to say something. >> i want to see the data. >> when litigants as you know as lawyers litigants hide evidence or destroy it. there are adverse inference drawn against the lit fants. this happened two hours ago. a 7:00 p.m. deadline in the broward county to allow an inspection of the information. 7:00 came and went. i was standing there. and governor scott team. myself being an on server were not allowed to engage in the inspection. they said come back 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. even though the judge order said 7:00 tonight. they said we have given you copies.

the order said we should get copies and an inspection. we speak in violation of the court order. and that's why i think rick scott needs to immediately suspend brenda snipes as spvs and have the chief election officer the secretary of state come in and put that in receivership for the sole purpose of transparency. for republicans and democrats the media everybody. >> i hear you. >> hold on. >> would you agree it's ridiculous it's friday? and we don't know how many people voted in broward county and how many ballots. >> no. the system is broken. it's been broken a long time. >> 65 of the 67 counties got roigt. it wasn't broken for them. >> orange county is huge. they got it right. >> hold on. >> two of the bluest counties. that's true. nothing to do with the size. >> you don't like the vote count there. you're suspicious of the vote

count because they're democrat strongholds. that's one of the sensitivity. he's jumping to the allegation fraud without proof. i'm saying this system has been broken. you want the proof. you can't say you know what the proof is before you have the proof. don't make the allegation when you can't prove it. >> similarly, you can't say you're not allowed to allege anything has gone wrong unless you have the proof. the proof you are entitled to we won't give you. >> we're going in circles. you shall be able to see the ballots. 100%. you're entitled to it. it's a good law. here's the problem. you saent say fraud when you don't know. look at it and we'll be here. >> i haven't said fraud. >> the governor has. senator has and president has. here's the other thing. you don't have clean hands. you're a florida congressman on the federal level. you get a pass. scott, no pass. this woman who scott sued a

democrat. in broward county. she was asked to do the job by governor bush. and been there 15 years. eight of them underneath scott. he did nothing. the secretary of state is a republican. he did nothing. it's your state. you keep having problems. make the fixes. you have done nothing. you have the same problems. >> well, that is fair criticism of the counties. it's totally unfair of you to paint all of florida with the same brush. in 65 of the 67 counties including our most populated miami-dade. everybody did everything right. this isn't a florida problem. this is broward county problem. >> everybody didn't do everything right. >> they were reports of up and down both coasts. look at the governors race. >> what was the allegation? evidence that claim. tell me what the problem was on the other coast.

a single problem with reporting ballots and complying with court order. >> reports about people how they match the signature and county by county. the standards are different. some people went to some lips and didn't get in. >> what county? give me a county. >> a whole lawsuit. >> one county. >> a lawsuit from nelson. >> you can't -- it's so irresponsible to say there are problems throughout florida. when they are isolated to two counties. >> look at the pleadings. i'm not bringing the lawsuit. nelson is. >> yes. senator nelson is bringing litigation. so that he can a hand recount. >> he has it the ult tier yor motive. your guys are saying fraud with no proof. but that's okay. >> they're hiding the proof. playing hide the ball with the ballots. how are we supposed to prove the fraud when they don't allows

access? >> how can you say fraud when you haven't seen ballots? >> judge said 7:00. >> shame on them. >> it's not -- good. don't cast that same shame on every other county in florida. no evidence of wrong doing. even if nelson filed a lawsuit. >> you are asking both ways. you're saying we think there was fraud and we'll prove it if we see them we've never seen. nelson says i have proof people weren't able to verify ballots through signatures. and different in different counties. >> allegation. >> so is yours. >> that's all you have too. >> false. we have a judge who said you violated the constitution right. >> hold on. the judge said that not giving the information over violated the law. and one of the clauses in the

constitution. transparency. not fraud in the counting. not fake. not cheating. the judge said none of that. that's an allegation. >> you're right. >> if you're worried about the eco-system. >> this isn't about eco-system. this is about process. that doesn't work well enough. congressman. i agree with you. >> it works well in 65 of 67 counties. >> that's not what nelson says. >> he hasn't proven anything. >> neither have you. >> you yourself agree. this stage of the game we ought to know how many people voted. that's -- >> i do. we're doing research on this. the way the state works. we'll check. some of the states you have to the absentee ballot. >> you have to have that information posted. >> the trance parent si is no brainer. i'll never argue against that.

in some states. >> even when people frustrate transparency. we should assume they're doing everything else right and not assume -- >> you can assume whatever you want. you can't charge fraud if you can't prove it. that's what i'm saying. wait for the proof. analyze the ballot. >> they won't let me behind the curtain. i hope we get a chance to do that 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. >> if you don't let me know. i'll report on it. there are games on both sides. it's regrettable. it will under mine confidence in the election. all i was saying you said we should know by now how many ballots. in your state the absentee had to be received already. some have to be stamped by election day. we believe that's true about military and ballots from outside the country. you can make the argument. that you should have all the ballots in place. not having them counted you have until the 18th. to have the full record of the

vote. for a reason. >> right. >> secretary of state is a republican. that gives you comfort. it's your guy. >> they ought to come in and take over the election. the judge said we're entitled to know how many ballots are left to be counted. that's something we don't know. >> yes. >> that's not an allegation. that's a violation. >> saying there was fraud is an allegation. >> correct. let me be clear. i'm not alleging there's fraud. >> scott is. >> when you have fraud, you also have the lack of transparency. let's lift the vail. let republicans and democrats see the information. let's include the media. and turn the cards face up. what i'm uncomfortable with the violation of court order. if it turns out that governor scott didn't win. i'll be the first to say he didn't. you are not allowed to just will 80,000 ballots into existence.

>> we don't know that. >> they have to count. we have asked the documents and they haven't given them to us. we have to count. no one is arguing. >> that's a problem for you on the other side. nelson will make a case. we have to see how it plays out. that falls under the category of counting ballots. >> absolutely. >> keep me in the loop. transparency matters. forget red or blue. it's about being reasonable. >> at the protest someone said i'm far too nice to you on tv. and isn't that what's wrong? you think being nice to somebody is bad thing. i think when we disagree we should be nice. >> i always like having you on the show. know that. i look forward to seeing you again. >> thank you. >> be well. i love having him on. he's going to be tested. he comes and allows to be tested on things that matter. i can't tell you how many people

in power duck that opportunity. all right. the other side ahead. broward county democrat is here to justify the democrats charges of improper vote counting. and scramble to the courts. what we were discussing about the provisional ballots. do they have a case? you be the judge. this is big! t-mobile is offering the awesome iphone xr with an unlimited plan for just $40 bucks a month. unlimited. with the new iphone xr?! yeah, iphone xr included. for $40 bucks?! that is big.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ comfort. what we deliver by delivering. [woman 2] ..this... [man 1] ...this is my body of proof.

[man 2] proof of less joint pain... [woman 3] ...and clearer skin. [man 3] proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis... [woman 4] ...with humira. [woman 5] humira targets and blocks a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further irreversible joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. humira is the number one prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. [avo] humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. [woman 6] ask your rheumatologist about humira. [woman 7] go to mypsaproof.com to see proof in action.

♪ ♪ our new, hot, fresh breakfast will get you the readiest. (buzzer sound) holiday inn express. be the readiest. florida is a mess. again. the republicans are saying democrats are trying to cheat. democrats say there is cheating going on. not by them. time to test the other side. congressman ted deutsche. florida democrat. "prime time." especially on a friday night. >> great to be with you. >> i understand the governor scott litigation. feel free to disagree. i get the want for transparency. it's in the law. extracted from the state

constitution. they should make it available to whoever requests it. see where the ballots are what the counting is. we all should. do you agree? >> yeah, i agree there should be transparency sfwl okay. i'll take a short answer and move on. >> i do. >> no matter how gates wants to finesse it. you have to have evidence. on your side. >> hold on a second. if you don't mind. i listened to that segment. it's really important what just happened. what matt gates did is suggest that there is voter fraud. he said it's there. we just haven't found it yet. there is no evidence of voter fraud. none. >> right. >> and the whole goal is make sure that every vote is counted. it's one person one vote. every legal ballot needs to be counted. what happens when he does that,

what happens when rick scott the governor. >> rubio and the president of the united states. suggesting fraud. >> talk about stealing elections. and changing the out come of the elections. they're under mining the democracy in the state. there's no voter fraud shown anywhere. the fraud we have seen thus far is the fraud by the president. and rick scott and rubio. >> i don't know we have seen fraud there. >> against florida. >> what i'm saying. >> let me clear. what they're doing to under mine democracy. they talk about fraud in the election, they are taking a direct shot at our constitution. and ultimately at the knock si. there's no evidence. all we want is one person, one vote. we want every vote -- >> understood. >> however we come out. >> every vote that should be counted. >> whatever the result we'll live with them. i can't understand what they're doing. >> i understand.

they're saying give us the information. the person in charge in broward wouldn't give it to them. they had to go to court. hay were supposed to get it by 7:00 p.m. that was the order 7:00 p.m. friday. >> that's what they're saying in court. what they're saying on social media and saying on television. saying at rallies is that the democrats are trying to change the out come of the election. trying to steal an election. >> they have no basis. >> there is none. zero. >> i said that. i get into the back and forth. it's about point, counter point. the florida law enforcement. went to the department of state where the secretary of state is. the person who over sees the election in florida. a republican. they said we hear allegations of fraud. do you want help from us in

counting any of the ballots and looking for fraud? the secretary of state who is a republican said no. i need no such help. there's no credible allegation of fraud. so that part is clear. >> that's after. it's important. that's a really important point. that's after rick scott said he was sending out the florida department of the larpt. to take action against the voter fraud. there is none. after president trump tweeted about massive fraud and law enforcement going in. there is none. >> that was wrong to say. sfwl conspiracy theory. the fear of possibly having all the votes counted. we want every vote counted. >> i have to ask about the lawsuit. >> sure. >> the provisional ballot. no consistency of the signature mechanism. looking at your state history, this is how you do it. you have the county commissioners come up with the own process. that have to validate the ballots.

they have to worry about people not being the right match. you have to do the signature test. and that's how it's done. your lawsuit alleges that is somehow discriminate toir and unfair. where is that happening and why do you believe that's so? >> we want to make sure that every vote is counted. that means that every absentee vote by mail ballot that came in at the last minute is counted. that's why they're still counting. so many came in at end. we want to make sure the military and over sees ballots are still coming in. are also counted. >> you have until the 18th. >> right. and we want to make sure this is done in time. it's important to point out when matt gates as he just did started hyper ventilating about getting the voting done, take a deep breath. we have rules in florida they say tomorrow the saturday after the election. the first numbers are presented

by the counties. then there will be a recount if we're under.5%. which we will be. those come in by later in the week. and then if we're under .25%. there's a hand recount. it's going the way it's supposed to. the ballots that come in have to be checked. we want to make sure that every provisional ballot that is legal, is a vote cast. if someone cast a ballot because they thought they were registered and they're not. that gets tossed. if someone cast a ballot because they didn't have id. they cast a provisal. they'll go into the data base. and check the signature. we want to make sure that that process works. >> that is the way the process worked. why the lawsuit? >> we want to make sure all of the provisional ballots are counted and an opportunity to do it. there only counted -- this is

the difference. between the approaches. we want to count the ones that should be counted. and count make sure that every legal ballot is counted. there's no fraud here. the people have marched and fought and died for the right to vote. in florida. and around the country. we're just trying to be true to that. >> understood. >> we'll watch it every step of the way. it's not the first time we have been here. not in your state. let me know what you hear. hear what you know. we'll stay on this until the end. >> sounds great. thanks. >> congressman, be well. already. the president is in the mix. what do we know about fighting with words. rude sometimes and crude. and lewd. it does seem he has favorite targets. media of course. not just any media. three black female reporters. have been chastised by the president. is it a pattern? or par for the course. we'll do it in the great debate. next.

and i found out that i'm from the big toe of that sexy italian boot! so this holiday season it's ancestrydna per tutti! order your kit now at ancestry.com

you always get the lowest price on our rooms, guaranteed? let's say it in a really low voice. carl? lowest price, guaranteed. just stick with badda book. badda boom. book now at choicehotels.com ♪ whoa! (phone rings) daddy, mommy's on the phone! hi! how are you guys? at&t proudly offers wireless and tv discounts to military, veterans, first responders and their families. visit att.com/hero.

comcast business built the nation's largest gig-speed network. then went beyond. beyond chasing down network problems. to knowing when and where there's an issue. beyond network complexity. to a zero-touch, one-box world.

optimizing performance and budget. beyond having questions. to getting answers. "activecore, how's my network?" "all sites are green." all of which helps you do more than your customers thought possible. comcast business. beyond fast. the president doesn't handle criticism well. we know. does he have a specific problem with black journalists specifically female black journalists. no? why did he single out three just this week. in extraordinary fashion. take a listen. >> on the campaign trail you call yourself a nationalist. some people saw it em boldening white nationalists. >> such a racist question. >> same thing with april ryan. i watch her get up. you talk about somebody that's a loser. she doesn't know what the hell

she's doing. what a stupid question that is. stupid question. i watch you a lot. you ask stupid questions. >> the last one is abby phillip. she works here. let's take it up with angela rye and niger innis. >> we know he's nasty. he also attacks black people. particularly black women. almost 250 times. that is a number donald trump used the word dumb to refer to anybody on twitter. the problem is, he uses language insulting the intelligence of black people overwhelmingly. on twitter and person. low iq he called nmaxine waters. and questioned the intelligence of a widow mourning the loss of her husband. he has a problem with women of color.

and particularly women of color. women of color who have the opportunity to question him. and challenge him on antics and lies. challenge him on the policies he pushes out that are racist. bigoted and he has an issue with black women. >> let's flip it. to you think you can say with 100% certainty the president is not influenced at all by any opinions about race when he makes comments like this to people of color? >> i can't say that about you. or angela. or myself. i can't dig into the soul of a particular individual. what i can say is donald trump unlike a lot of republican, virtually all republican presidents does not take any gruff from anyone. in the media. regardless of color and gender. for years for decade republicans

have been treated unfairly. by the many in the main street press. and take it. >> the president the way he dealt with it -- yamiche asks the question. it wasn't racist. the problem with him calling himself a nationalist. is the only people who use that term are bad people. including white supremacist and nationalist. we know that. it is not up for debate. why does he say to april ryan. seg way to me. i have been beating him ore the head with it all week. >> yamiche who i know. is a straight reporter. >> 100%. handled it like a pro. >> straight reporter. >> why did he go to april ryan? >> i think he misstepped in both cases. who i know is a little different. she's been spicy. with the president. >> what does that mean?

>> people are spicy. >> what's spicy? >> why go to april ryan. shes tough. why seg way to april ryan? why? >> him saying that what yamiche said was a racist was a reaction. to those who compare american nationalism to automatically equating it. >> there's no american nationalism. >> patriotism is the word you're looking for. >> let me go back. and help you on spicy. it's a flavor of hot cheetos. a buffalo wing. not a human being asking a question demanding accountability. from the highest person in the land. demanding answers. i know you don't want to hear what i have to say. it's right. i'm telling you the truth.

you don't like it. yeahment i'm telling you spicy is not what to call a human being. bro, that's not it. >> i'm not calling a human being spicy. her behavior is spicy. she does it on purpose. by the way that's not an insult. it can be a compliment. she has life the way she goes after the president. she went after obama a couple times. that's the way of conducting questions. >> i take issue with you saying that she's going after someone by saying asking a straightforward question. that was yamiche. i don't know how we got onto april. she wasn't even there when he was talking to abby about pril ryan. how are we connecting. the common thread is clear. black and woman. threatening. >> tell your friends. you all know each other. set up the meeting with the black caucus.

>> outrageous. >> is that the way the president should talk to an african american? >> it's no laughing matter. >> talk to your people for me. >> don't do that. >> you know myself and my father before me are very hesitant to use a word that is overly use td. which is racist or bigoted. we read the story, boy who cried wolf. and the problem comes you keep using it over and over again. >> i hear you. >> what happens when the real wolf comes. >> the behavior. we don't need labels necessarily. he said to april ryan. >> i'll label him. >> set up the meeting with the black caucus. >> your friends. with your friends. >> if we were advising anybody in a petition of power and here's what i'm going to say when the african american reporter asks me. set up a meeting with your people. like he was talking to a tribe. you would never say that.

>> if he said that to abby or to yamiche. i would say there's there there. april ryan is african american. she represents urban american media. black media. >> let me help you. >> it's not a stretch to say, set up a meeting. >> it's not a stretch. it's a leap. let me say as someone who served as executive director in general counsel for the congressional black caucus. i wish he would. if he said it to me that would be different. april doesn't work for them. she never has. it's disrespectful. maybe she does represent urban radio net work. that means the urban communities over the country that expect april to ask as you would call buffalo wing spicy questions. she demands answers on questions america wants to marhear from.

on affordable housing and the different countries. we are taking issue with for no reason. she asks the question. it doesn't malk her a representative of the caucus. i don't know how we got down the road. the road is does he have an issue with black women. the answer is yes. and called himself a nationalist. let me help you. there's a. your boy is is it. >> malcolm x called himself a black nationalist. >> different. and you know the difference. >> it can lead to chauvinism. >> are you comparing him to malcolm x? >> that's the standard. >> by the way. the president we have a moment of agreement here. i do believe the president needs to be careful. particularly because he did so well with black women in florida.

he got nearly one out of the republican rather desantis got nearly one out of the five black women supported the republican. >> what? >> he has an extraordinary opportunity. >> that's a fact. >> facts from breitbart? >> 18% of black women supported the desantis in florida. that's a fact. >> we don't know anything. about the election. not yet. >> somebody polled them. >> we'll know. >> let's leave that there. breitbart is okay. info wars. both of you thank you for being with me on friday night. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> all right. trumps choice to run the doj is a man named matt whisker. will he make it through the weekend. and will trump regret what he just said about michelle obama. we'll discuss it with the ax. next.

this is not a bed. it's a revolution in sleep. the new sleep number 360 smart beds are on sale now during sleep number's veterans day sale. it senses your movement, and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. it even helps with this. so you wake up ready to put your pedal to the metal. and now, during our veterans day sale, the queen sleep number 360 c4 smart bed is only

$1299 - save $400. plus, 36-month financing. ends monday. sleep number. proven, quality sleep.

jeff sessions is out. now we have an acting attorney yen. his name is matthew whitaker. the way he was installed raises legal questions. what he said and done if the past raises political questions. then comes the clearest sign of trouble. we call it the trump two step. here it is. >> i don't know matt whitaker. he worked for jeff sessions. he was always extremely highly thought of and still is.

i didn't know him. >> i can tell you he's a great guy. i know matt whitaker. >> whoops. president trump goes bad on you. bad things generally follow. or am i wrong? let's discuss with david axelrod. >> you're not wrong. that is if i'm matt whitaker, i don't feel good about that. as the president took off for paris. that wasn't a good sign. >> nope. because look a analysis shows he knows who she. he's been to the white house many times. he's briefed him. he's been on the phone with him. he's been in person. he's friends with friends of his. he was put in the position because of his familiarity with people close to the president. so the president knows who he is. he's obly stepping away. does he make it through the weekend? >> i don't know. how long he's going to make it. there's certainly watching the president has to be watching this unfolding story. every day there are revelations

that are really troubling. revelations about his business dealings. revelations about his really strange views of jurisprudence including dismissing a foundational decision. upon which all of american jurns prudence and the balance between the branchs of government is based. suggesting that the courts are a lesser branch of government. and all of his comments relevant to the mueller investigation he is charged with over seeing. it's a heavy load. you don't see a lot of people, republicans racing to defend him at this moment. so i think he's acting. the president could appoint someone else. he by passed the people who should have been in the order of succession. apparently because he didn't trust them. one thing about whitaker was

that he apparently was the president's eyes and ears in the justice department. keeping an eye on sessions. had trusted him to over see the sensitive matters. >> that goes a long way. and got the nod from rod rosenstein. he was in the white house after whitaker was given the nod. they had a discussion. then he's asked about whitaker. rosenstein and the guys have a little bit of beef. no sign of that. he says he'll do a great job. let me ask you about another fight the president picked. michelle obama writes in a new book. talks about the birtherism and saw thinly vailed race im. and talks about you in the book. and how you dealt with different situations. and what should be and shouldn't be done. the president hears about what she said about him. and she can't forgive him for birtherism and he said i can't believe the president for what he did to the military.

right fight to pick? >> there's a trump fight to pick. he never finesses anything. he never steps back. a normal person would say look, i understand that she loves her husband and believes in him. there were legitimate issues i raised. i understand the way slaekted to that. that would have been the normal way to react to that. that's not the trump way. to react. his thing is if he's attacked he'll hit back. and he thinks he thought this was clever to hit back in that way. absurd. but i will say this, i lived through all of that. the birtherism thing. and i know how much it troubled michelle. and others. around the president. he was generally the case much cooler about the things. but she took it very hard and

for the reason she said in the book. it stirred up hatred and bubbling to the surface lately. i fully understand why she wrote what she wrote. >> yeah. she wrote it because it was true. ax, i appreciate you being with me on friday night. i wish you the best. >> have a great weelkd. >> you too. michelle obama. throwing bombs in the new book. president trump saying let's get it on. more of what's in the book. and bring in don lemon to diagnosis the drama. next. how can we say when you book direct at choicehotels.com

you always get the lowest price on our rooms, guaranteed? let's say it in a really low voice. carl? lowest price, guaranteed. just stick with badda book. badda boom. book now at choicehotels.com but super poligrip gives him a tight seal. snacking can mean that pieces get stuck under mike's denture. to help block out food particles. so he can enjoy the game. super poligrip.

all right. former first lay day obama rips into trump. writing quote the whole birther thing fts crazy and mean spirited. under lying bigotry. hardly conceal. it was dangerous. meant to stir up the wing nuts and cooks. she adds what if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to washington. if the person went looking for our girls? donald trump with his loud and reckless was putting my family's safety at risk. for this i'll never forgive him. trump was told the quote said the former first lady was a credit to the country. i respect her service and opinion. i wish her and president obama all the best. ha. he didn't say anything like that. here's what he said. >> he wrote a book. she got paid a lot of money.

they insist you come up with controversial. i'll never forgive him for what did to the united states military. by not funding it properly. it was depleted. it was old and tired. i had to fix it. >> he hasn't fixed it. it's not true. if you do apples to apples it's not true. that's not the point. let's bring in don lemon. we knew there was no way. imagine if he said what i said he is. imagine how different our lives would be. >> you got me for a second. did i miss that? i was doing my home work for the show. i didn't see that all day. that would be understandable. taking the high road is not something the president is acquainted with. he needed gps to the high road. i do have to say the -- if he said that people would be like oh wow. that's big of him. how can you deny what the first lady said?

it's what he did. >> the point is as president of the united states. you do not take -- we're living this lie. he's a counter puncher. no leader no biggest man in any room. forgive me women. for using the male metaphor. he's a man. no >> no biggest person takes on anybody else. they don't have to. they're the biggest person, so when people challenge them they look at them and say okay, i'm the biggest person. he does not do that. that's the point. >> i thought it was interesting today when he criticized reporters and i'm not, you know, singling out any single reporter, but he said something to the effect of you come into the oval office or come into the white house, you have to respect the white house and respect the -- you have to respect the office and the presidency. well, i'd like to play those words back to him for himself because as you and i have talked about and i've said it many times, it's really tough to --

i'm just being honest -- to call the president of the united states a liar. like, that's hard to say or to actually say, you know, the president is being dishonest with you or the president as i have said, the president of the united states is racist. those are tough things to say, and i don't do it without evidence. so it's hard to have more respect for the office than the person who is actually sitting in the office. so i would say to him that he should -- he take his own words into account about having respect for that office. >> well said, d. lemon. >> that's all i have to say, and the first lady, that's not all i have to say. i have a lot to say. the first lady of the united states is actually right. he didn't think about the consequences of the people he might affect by lying, again, about birther, using it for political expediency. it was all about him. there's a family. there's children there, and he

is revving people up. this president is something other than american saying that he is a secret muslim. nothing wrong with being muslim but it's not true. he's neither of those. he is an american, and he is not a muslim. as a matter of fact, he's a christian. i knew him in chicago. very christian family. speaking of this book, one of the reporters who got the first copy of this book for "the washington post" and wrote that article last night that everyone is using, right? everyone is riffing off of, she's coming up on this program. >> beautiful, look forward to it. thank you very much, my friend. >> see ya. >> when we come back, we've got the closing argument. stay with us. gain no cover up spray here... it's the irresistibly fresh scent of febreze air effects. cheaper aerosols can cover up odors, burying the smell in a flowery fog. switch to febreze air effects! febreze eliminates even the toughest odors from the air. and it uses an all-natural propellant to leave behind a pleasant scent you'll love.

use anywhere odors can spread. freshen up, don't cover up. febreze air effects. welcome to emirates mr. jones. just sit back, relax and let us entertain you... ...with over 3,500 channels of entertainment, including the latest movies and box sets from around the world. ( ♪ ) we even have live sports and news channels. ( ♪ ) and your free wi-fi will start shortly. enjoy your flight mr. jones. world's best inflight entertainment. fly emirates. fly better.

trying out something new tonight, a segment i want to call don't be a sucker where we look at obvious distractions and abuses of truth by those in power. i call it that because the phrase nails it, and it echoes the title of that propaganda film i showed you from world war

ii. so let's get a few things straight here. let's start with an easy one, the president of course, and his statements about his knowledge of matt whitaker, the newly installed acting ag. take a listen. >> i can tell you, matt whita r whitaker's a great guy. i know matt whitaker. >> i don't know matt whitaker. matt whitaker worked for jeff sessions, and he was always extremely highly thought of, and he still is, but i didn't know matt whitaker. >> so let's start with the obvious. one of those two statements is a lie. whi which? the second. the man has met trump, been on the phone with trump, briefed trump. trump knows him. he's stepping away because whitaker is a problem. now, that bs video tweeted out by the white house of a cnn reporter at a press briefing. here's what the president said. >> nobody manipulated it. give me a break. see, that's just dishonest reporting. all that is is a close-up. >> info wars manipulated it.

in fact, you get too many breaks for lying, like this reporting because it's dead accurate. that's the truth. and it's not just a close-up. it was sped up. experts looked at it. it was doctored to make it look like the reporter did something that he didn't, and the worst part is that sarah sanders would stoop to copying that jack ass on info wars. that's what our white house has become? a very wise african-american woman, maya angelou once told us when someone shows you who they are, believe them. when it comes to black women, it's not just omarosa who says trump has a problem. here's the reality. >> you want him to rein in robert mueller? >> what a stupid question that is. what a stupid question. but i watch you a lot. you ask a lot of stupid questions. >> he's talking to abby phillip, african-american women. it's not a stupid question. it's the main question in the

whitaker swap. we all know it. the answer is the problem, and this wasn't a one-off. tw days earlier, he did this. >> on the campaign trail you called yourself a nationalist. some people saw that as embol n emboldening white nationalists. >> i don't know why you would say that. that's such a racist question. >> it's not a racist question. nationalists are not patriots, okay? they're not sin no, ma'ams. stallen, hitler, the japanese during world war ii. these are nationalists. the question isn't racist and using race to go back at a person of color does not signal good intentions, and neither does this. >> the same thing with april ryan. i watch her get up, i mean, you talk about somebody that's a loser, she doesn't know what the hell she's doing. >> i wonder why he put those two people together. i wonder if it's because they're both black women. and then there was this line today that really got me. >> when you're in the white house, this is a very sacred place to be. this is a very special place. you have to treat the white

house with respect. you have to treat the presidency with respect. >> the presidency that he allows to tweet out poppycock propaganda. the hypocrisy between what the president said and what he does would be laughable, but none of this is a joking matter. please don't mistake harshness and disrespect for toughness. it isn't. mr. president, you just got clobbered in another popular vote. millions more people voted against you than for you, and this time by an even bigger margin than two years ago. what you're showing here is why. the choice is simple. you can lead by example or you can be an example of how never to lead. the choice is yours. thank you for watching, cnn tonight with don lemon starts right now. >> you have to treat the office with respect. let's see, kanye dropped an f-bomb in there with the president. the russian ambassador was in the oval office with him, and i

can go on. he says the question is stupid, but he's a stable genius. if you're a stable genius, you should be able to answer any question. no? >> that's true. if you're a stable genius you don't need to say it. >> i stand by the fact -- well, two things. it's interesting that you have cable news hosts and tv correspondents and anchors, or news correspondents and anchors who are saying to the president of the united states not responding to him by saying i don't want to punch down. imagine that. you don't want to punch down to the president of the united states because you know his behavior. and then every time he says something like you're racist or you're stupid, it's simple projection. every time he says something or you're corrupt or you're crooked, every time he says something about someone else it's really about him. it's quite simple. it's projection, and i can't believe we -- you know, most people, maybe most people have, i don't know, but we keep pretending that it's something other than what it is as we sit he