"hardball" starts right now. the day of the rant. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews. four weeks into presidency, donald trump delivered epic rant. for an hour 26 mens he defended his administration, boosted about his win. slammed and the media. here he is. >> to be honest, i inherited a mess. it's a mess. at home and abroad. a mess. >> as he has done countless

times he returned to the topic of electoral victory. >> i put it out before the american people, got 306 electoral college votes. i wasn't supposed to get 222. 230 is impossible. 270 which you need that was laughable. we got 306. >> trump called reports about dysfunction at the white house false. >> i turned on the tv, opened newspaper and i see stories of chaos. it is the exact opposite. this administration is running running like a fine-tuned machine despite the fact i can't get my cabinet approved. >> he bragged about new administration's achievement. >> there's ne been a presidency

that is done so much in a short period of time. >> he attacked the media calling it dishonest, biassed and mean. >> the press has become so dishonest. we are doing a tremendous disservice. the media is trying to attack our administration because they know we are following through on pledges that we made. i have never seen dishonest mediaen that the -- i think that's right, in russia scam that you are building so you don't talk about real subject which a illegal leaks. it's a joke. i watched cnn it's so much anger and hatred.

i have to say fox and friends in the morning are honorable people, it's because they hit me also when i do something wrong rgs but they have most honest morning show. the public doesn't believe you people any more. maybe i had something to do with ha, i tonight know. tomorrow they will say donald trump rants and raves at the press. i'm telling you you're dishonest people. >> joining me now, i want to -- first of all, this attack on the immediate k media, he is not attacking a reporter for making mistakes, there's no angels in the press, just people doing their jobs. what is he up to. like "fox & friends" and crowd,

he only picks out the few that he things have been selling him lately. >> had is about delegitimizing the press. a lot has to do with if we uncover something with the russia story or russia and campaign and russia he wants it make the media seems as they we have been attacking him. i think in some ways it's working and a lot of ways it's making the media want to dig deeper. >> it's passing the buck. he says we inherited all of this. we had a bad court. asked about the russia thing i didn't talk to any of them he has to answer to the questions. so he has to create -- >> it seems like he against the idea of reporting. not just -- >> he against the idea of leaks

when the leaks are negative. >> when people during -- he like wikileaks a bit. he want to undermine anything that can be check and balance on him. that is the mainstream media, so that's what he is doing. >> especially when people are trying put his presidency into context. we're are telling people this is not normal. there's ng things this presidency is doing that breaks norms and could be dangerous. he wants people to look and say they are not real -- >> it's "new york times," right, you don't have to respond. it's often cnn, then he has favorites. fox and the new york post. >> he is angry and frustrated.

>> why did he get there today. what got to him? >> i cannot read his mind. but it's been one problem after another and it's only been one four weeks in the office. this is not going to smoothly and he looking for people to blame and the media is easy for him. >> he is frustrated with surrogates. he feels like i'm going to do it. he loves to have it's foil and relishs the combat. he was engaging in this during the campaign. >> there's element of jack

nickel son and you can't handle the truth. this is what i can't sleep about. this is what bugging me. he believes what he said. what he said was almost manic. >> the thing that struck me, you could have been -- he still talking about hillary clinton and -- >> he cannot get out of that rear-view mirror. he called fox and friends the honest show. let's watch him. >> in all fairness i watched dr. charles -- the other night say he was doing his job. and i agreed with him.

>> president trump singled out jeff zucker for criticism. >> ask jeff zucker how he got his job. but, i understand that. but you have to be at least a little fair that's why the public see it. they see it's not fair. you take a look at the shows and you see the bias and hatred and the public is smart. they understanding it. >> it's part of journalist. do you have an opinion? you are straight reporters. he is not fighting with people like charles crown hammer or george or anybody else, that's part of being in politics, you get reviewed. he seems to want to knock out

the guys doing the straight front page reporting. >> and delegitimize it as fake. we saw it yesterday and today where the reports, leaks, the information that's being reported that his administration says is true trump is saying it's all fake. >> he should say, everything is not do believe, nothing to believe, don't read the newspaper, by the way you're paper is doing great. can someone point out, something going on of the people are paying attention to this network. people are paying attention to trump and are in wonder of him. others are just depressed. other people are open-minded enough to say i hope he gets his act today. we have been through a couple of failed president and he are not good for the country.

i saw a guy with all sorts of problems go down. a mood of the country drops when the president fails. >> he talked about the tone, your ton is negative. what he does with his tone, is he sounds like a guidance counselor, he take the edge off about what he is saying so he doesn't sound like jack nickel son in a few good men. he telling the media, stop coming after me. >> there's something to be said about a about the that's saying there's nothing here. i'm on my way to melbourne florida, it's going to be great. we need to go deeper, that's why i think you are seeing journalism thrive right now

because people are saying please explain what's is going on. >> we are talking about the media instead of the controversy. >> the president openly solised what he called friendly reporter. can you give me a friendly question. let's watch. >> i want to find a friendly reporter. are you friendly reporter? >> can you talk about what melania dealt for the country and unique level in your administration by opening the white house visitor's office. >> that's a nice question. who are you with. >> melania is terrific. >> you are allowed to ask questions about the opening of the white house visitor's office. >> every time he goes out on the

limp with the blanket denial, he said flynn didn't do anything wrong. there's a "washington post" saying flynn mislead the fbi, i done think it's an accident two hours after he said that -- >> so whenever you can, go find youtube or whatever, if you watch the whole thing, you go what's is going on with this guy. it was like a guy almost like a -- explaining his problems to the shrink. it was strange. >> in some ways is a showman too. >> that's too much credit. >> that was not helpful. you think he was performing? >> i have a higher expectation. i have been wrong before.

thank you. coming up, much more president trump's news conference today. as i said he called it a rues and make news. big questions remain and congress is pushing for answers. plus the president whipped through list of top achievement today. can you hear the hum. after today's rant, trump is not over the 2016 election. he spent time on the attacks against hillary clinton. he blaming the daeemocrats. this is "hardball" where the action. say carl, we have a question about your brokerage fees.

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still to come president trump praises the man he fires. he can't let go of 2016 election campaign. "hardball" special report day of the rant continues right after this. ♪ lease a 2017 lincoln mkx for $369 a month. only at your lincoln dealer. when i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. liberty did what? yeah, with liberty mutual all i needed to do to get an estimate was snap a photo of the damage and voila! voila! (sigh) i wish my insurance company had that... wait! hold it... hold it boys...

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i can tell you speaking for me sel myself, i own nothing in wrush ya, i have no loans in russia. i don't have deals in russia. >> you defennively say -- >> i have no deals there. i have no anything. >> wow. welcome back to "hardball." that was donald trump when asked a third time the president answered the question more directionally to the best of his knowledge none of his advisers

made with -- >> with you say aware anyone who advised your campaign had contact with russia. >> dealing flynn was dealing that's one person. >> during the election. >> no, nobody i'm aware of. >> you're not aware during the course of the election. >> how many times do i have to answer this. russia is a rues. i have nothing to do with russia. i haven't made a phone call to russia in years. don't speak to russia, i don't have nothing to do with russia. to the best of my knowledge, no person that i deal with does. >> capitol hill investigates trump's national security adviser flynn. when asked specifically whether

he directed flynn the president he did not. but he went on to say he would have in flynn had not initiated call himself. >> did you direct mike flynn to discuss sanction with the russia ambassador prior to inauguration. >> no i didn't. >> if you have fired if information had leaked out. >> no i fired him because of the what he said to mike pence. he was doing his job and calling countries and his counterparts. it was okay if he did it. i would have directed lhim to d it if i thought he didn't because that's his job. >> this investigating michael fli flynn, he back in 1948 had he get caught as a spy for the

soviet union. to the best of my knowledge, not to the best of my recollection is way to avoid perjury. >> i didn't see the press conference oddly enough i was on a call with the constituents. one of them bigger question is what did the russia do, how did they do it in terms of our election. secondly were there contacts between the campaign and the russians during the period of the campaign, that's important part of the investigation that we owe to the american people to get to the bottom off. the president said not to his knowledge. there are indications there are unverified that there were such contacts ongoing basis during the campaign. we want it o know, what the content of the conversation were, and what the motivations

were. >> can you get information from all the data being collected, electronic, you can access to everything? >> yes. we should be able -- we have identified a lot of groups and documents that are part of the intelligence agencies, by the way, when you gather that information that's not leaks that's what we are supposed to be doing. the focus on the leaks are real but the stories ares rues. it's a legitimate issue and one that should be investigated. that doesn't negate the fact there's a real story. we have known this since october, director and home land

security issued october 7, russians were involved they went to the highest level russian government they were trying to interfere with our election, it's serious stuff and demands serious response. >> thank you, very much. sir, there was a little bit of am by ambiguitity today. made a call to the russian ambassador, but it's not clear what he said. by the way, check out we're going to calm things over on the sanctions front. >> right. he was on ramble news conference, he was disciplined about that, he was careful not to talk about sanctions and he said discussion about sanctions which could potentially violate

the law. he was careful not no use the weighs sal words. >> his son talk gd about the money he made out of russia. he said i never had dealings with russia. those are different statementsch. >> i'm sure what he will do is parse it to say he was talking about himself not the members of his family. >> he doesn't talk to his son about what they were doing in russia. >> -- that's true, he did. >> he had business dealings. >> you have to run hotel run, that's a lot of -- that's a lot of money under the day. >> i assume it is. >> the president said the media has made it hard to improve his relation with the russia.

he wants good relation but the press screwed it up. here he is. >> the false reporting by you people, the false horrible fake reporting, make it's harder to make a deal with russia. and probably putin said, you know, he sitting behind his desk, he saying you know, i see what's going on in the united states. i follow it closely. it's going to be impossible for president trump to get along with russia because of the pressure he has to the fake story. okay. that's a shame. >> as far as you know he standing le standing behind the story. >> yes. putin thinks this he is going to do that. this is president of the united states he doesn't have to buckle to pressure that the news media puts on him.

he setting up a rubric to blame us for actions -- >> thank you, michael. nbc news reporting tonight. retired navy admiral turned the job down. he was offered the job but express concern they would not be able to staff national security council the way he wanted to. he was unable to -- two different reasons are given. up next bizarre boast and laundry list of accomplishments. administration is running like a fine-tuned machine. that's ahead when special report continues. this is "hardball" where the action is. escape from monotony.

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are they fighting here? whatever it is... it's hunting. the great wall. rated pg-13. i'm here today to update the american people on the incredible progress that has been made since my inauguration. we have made incredible progress. there's ever been a president who in short period of time who has ton what we have done. plans and factories are starting move back into the united states and big league. i worked to install cabinet you

seen what they done over last long number of years. that will be one of the great cabinet ever assembled in the history. this administration is running like a fine-tuned machine. >> welcome back to "hardball." the president feeling confidence. boasting about what he said he achieved in office. listing each victory one by one. >> i want to list you some of the things we have done in short period of time. we withdrawn from job killing disaster known as transpacific partnership. we directed elim nation that undermine manufacturing and called for permits needed for america and american

infrastructure. we imposed hiring freeze on non-essential federal workers. we improsed a temporary moratorium on new federal regulation. we issued game changing new rule, two old must be eliminated. makes since. nobody has ever seen regulation like we have. we directed task force for reducing crime in america including the horrendous situation, take a look at chicago and others, taking place in our inner cities. we order home land security and justice to destroy criminal cartelless coming into the united states with drugs. we are becoming a drug infested nation.

they are becoming cheaper than candy bars. we are keeping our nation and tax dollars save and are in the process of beginning to build a wall on the southern border. >> political analyst and author of game change. tomorrow you first, i have to believe he thinks that tweets have done the job. here he is walking into east room and reciting this middle grade stuff, he says we have to know. >> that was the list of executive actions, executive order. and clearly he wanted to reset. he has not had a chance to publicize his accomplishments or the things he sees as his accomplishments. because there's been so many distractions. other presidents have done roll

outs of the signature items and he hasn't been able to do that. he held the press conference to say look, i have done these things, somebody pay attention: i. >> let's watch. >> i'm here following through on what i pledge to do. i put it out before the american people. got 306 electoral college votes. i wasn't supposed to get 222. they said there's no way to get 222. 230 is impossible. 270 which you need, that was laughable. we got 306. because people came out and voted like they never seen before. i guess it was biggest electoral college win since ronald reagan.

>> that's not true. president obama's clinton, bush and all enjoyed victories greater than trump. to correct the president ask how he can be trusted to provide correction even even on this. >> you say biggest electoral votes, president obama got 365 -- >> president obama 332, bush, 426. why should -- [ inaudible ] >> i guess the question is why should americans trust you when you accuse information -- >> i have seen that information.

>> john r, you have begun coverg for a couple of decades, why would a president say something that's untrue. these numbers are not most important things but why is he bragging in a way that is untrue. why we he keep saying. you can't believe a guy on the basic, why believe lim him on the complicated. >> yet, he has been saying this since election day. he has repeatedly making this claim of giant historic landslide for four months.

he has a systemic problem with the truth. we all feel compelled to call out misstatements, lies, falsehood, we should call them out. every times he makes one it gives us something to talk about. i will say a list of accomplishments some of those task force these are reading a press release boilerplate, there's no progress on infrastructure bill, repealing obamacare, nowhere on this list. i don't think it serves the call well, but he does it every day, says something false. >> they talk about bla b, bla r

bla. >> -- all he has are the executive order because he hasn't sent legislation up to congress. >> he keeps dump on schumer, instead they having pooe contest in you will. why isn't he preparing himself to achieve is this. >> partly because fundamental thing is he said administration is run like a well-oiled machine, the pro fusion of leaks what well oil administration you covered has leaks like this. if it was were it would not be

leaking in a way that urks him in the way it does. the wlohite house is in disarra. he is not prepared because the house is not in order right now. >> wouldn't you be worried about leaks if you were captain of the titanic. >> he keeps going back to the rear-view mirror. why is he going back and beating that story up. you've earned your medicare. it was a deal that was made long ago, and aarp believes it should be honored. thankfully, president trump does too. "i am going to protect and save your social security and your medicare.

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debates. can you imagine seriously, can you imagine if i received the questions? it would be the electric chair, okay. he should be put in the electric chair. i didn't do anything for russia. i have done nothing for russia. hillary clinton gave them 20% of our you ra-- you rain yum. i would have fired him so fast. he said terrible things about her. >> well, it left critiques wondering if the president was made that presidential pivot for being president. >> gentlemen, thank you. we were enjoying the strange,

get it off your chest kind of thing. >> yes, it was one of those things are you sitting there why are we relitigating the past again, why are you not focusing on the administration to do xyz, there are no words to give it context at this point. i cannot say this is something to get used to, because we shouldn't. >> do you remember jackie glaen son when he would go into rapts about everything. >> yes. >> your spouse remembers everything you did wrong. >> when he talking about hillary, he is like the guy that tells, do you remember when i won the state championship, we

heard that. can you talk about something else. >> okay. he is president. that should be it. >> right exactly. >> why is he going over the electoral count? >> because he needs to. >> it's a sense of validation. you don't appreciate why or how you won. because he kept talking about the american people elected me to do this and that. there's a good narrative for the administration to go out to the public with. the media is going to the media. they make -- if you say true to what the core mission is, which is to bring about the change you talked about. >> you got the mup pets. talk about the work. what i notice is amongst my

friends, my midwestern people are quiet this week. why? because he is not doing anything. >> president trump was opportunity attacker. here he is going after ryal party. >> so if the democrats, look at where they are right now, the only thing they can do is delay. because they screwed things up royally. believe me. >> well, here is president trump goes over new york senator chuck schumer. >> nice to have a lot of people wait for me. that's all they are doing is delaying. and you look at schumer and the mess he has over there. and they have nothing going. the only thing they can do delay. >> if -- you can argue they have

been slow, they have been slow walking, the democrats. >> talk about your job. talk about what you are going to do. we decide we are going to took care flynn, that's your job. you don't scream and yell about what you have not done. >> that's a critical point. if it you come in and layout this is what we're trying to do, yes, schumer we need you to get on the stick, that's works. >> narrow your attacks. >> right. >> i have never seen anything like this. you have to go on c-span to watch the whole thing. when you return we'll make sense of what we saw from president trump today. tom bar rick will try to explain what happened today.

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welcome back to "hardball." what was president trump up to? joining us now for the answer in los angeles is a good friend of president trump, tom barrack, he was recently the chair of the presidential inaugural committee, he's going to help us understand what we saw today. i've been playing offense. i want you to play offense and defense both. tell us why donald trump seemed to be on a rant today. >> chris, i think it's just trump being trump and doing what he believes he was sent there to do. so the dialogue is upsetting but at the end of the day, the parry and thrust is a great thing. there's never been a greater interest in journalism or the first amendment, there's never been a greater understanding how does a white house administration move legislation.

what is an executive order? what's happening. and he's doing in the a cadence and vocabulary that's disturbing. in his mind that's what he was sent there to do. you're too young to remember -- >> i remember everything. i remember reagan, he was a conservative and he had a lot of revolutionary ideas but he was very seductive, he got along with the press, he had a chart to make sure he had everybody's name right. he got along with the democrats, he developed friendly relations with his adversaries on the hill and he got a lot done for the conservative cause. wouldn't that be a good template for your friend trump. >> it's what we all hope for. it's what we're all praying for. reagan at the beginning of his administration he had the same problems. he was californian, an outsider, he lad some california, some reaganites, some not. he had to learn how to use the mechanisms in the white house.

he had james baker, mike deaver, ed meese and richard allen. you remember richard allen, national security advisor, he had to fire in the fist seven months of his regime saying death by leaks. even though the bureaucratic leaks ha happen are a good thing -- >> do you think the long standing civil servants are out to get the president? >> i don't. i don't. >> he thinks so. >> i think the bureaucrats and the establishment does what it needs to do which is protect itself from people like us. going in and trying to move the deck chairs for two or three years, it stabilizes things so inertia is a kind of protection mechanism. what this president was stlent to do is get rid of inertia, to change it, to influence it, that's unsettling to anybody. so i think the president is right when he says the attacks of leaking is what's happening, of course it's impossible to stop. it doesn't have anything to do with the adjudication of the

facts but bureaucratic death by sabotage and leaks is an old form of survival for the establishment. it's the same in media. i don't think the media is out to get him either. but it's a cadence and dialogue of a man talking like a normal man, not with the consideration and slow thoughtfulness of eight years of president obama. the problem there was efficacy. we got considered thought and not much action. hopefully here you'll get action. >> you got your shot in there, thank you, mr. barrack. come back in a month we'll talk about it. we'll do an update every once in a while. when we return, let me finish with trump watch. you're watching "hardball."

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trump watch, thursday, february 16, 2017. i watched along with the rest of the media the president's news conference early this afternoon. let me say that kellyanne conway had it about right when she called the event "epic." because epic it was. i've watch misdemeanor a presidential press conference from eisenhower's mystifying syntax through jack kennedy's wit to the most recent president smooth displays of no drama obama. and i can recall only one event like today's. it was when richard nixon under assault over watergate said "people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. well, i'm not a crook." that one was hard to beat and today's will prove harder. i hope.

i'm in wonder of this new president's lack of discipline. more than that, the lack of a coherent administration. there's a good deal of action, i'll give him that, but not the reassuring rhythm that lets people, even his fans, sleep at night. this presidency rattles the nerves and fails at the most important job of any chief leader, to spread confidence down through the ranks to give the people soldiering on for him the feeling that the man at the top knows exactly where he's taking us and has a sol it grip on how he's going to get us there. i have to offer a small confession here, like anyone who served in big time politics, there are times when i wish i was in the room with this new president and say you know, ronald reagan was a strong leader and he knew some things you should know. he knew he got so much done not by barking at people but finding ways to work with them, to quietly and courteously build the ties that get things done. and that includes showing respect for those whose profession and honor it is to tell the american people what and how you're doing it. mr. president, the media that

you call us are neither angels nor devils, they're just trying to get the story. why don't you help them get the trump administration story straight instead of damning their right under the first amendment to tell it. that's "hardball." "all in" with chris hayes starts right now. tonight on "all in" -- >> the leaks are absolutely real. the news is fake. >> the president finally meets the press. >> i have nothing to do with russia. to the best of my knowledge no person that i'll do with does. >> the stunning cross-examination of an american president over his campaign's reported ties with russia. >> reporter: you're not aware of contacts during the course of the election? >> and explosive new reporting that the president's former national security advisor misled the fbi. >> reporter: did you direct michael flynn to discuss sanctions with the russian ambassador? >> no, i didn't. >> tonight, the top democrat on oversight, elijah