hi, everyone, it's 4:00 in washington, d.c., where donald trump is awash in the after glow of his firstness. first president to take his daughter to north korea on a work trip. first president to say out loud he has no yrd what the term western liberalism means by dissing the west coast cities of the united states in response to a reporter's question about it. first president to pass along his pension for birtherism smear campaigns to his son, and, yes, first president to meet with a brutal north korean dictator on that bruin north korea's dictator's home turf and then lavage him with praise. >> it's just an honor to be with you, and an honor you asked me to step over the line and i was proud to step over the line. we heard the power of that voice. nobody's heard that voice before. >> the voice. and what a face, that look on donald trump's case fonding over

a dictator could be ripped from one of his realfy showity shows. but now president trump leaving the world to and woder are we less safe today than we were before trump decided to play nuclear negotiator? "the new york times" reports on the substance of u.s./north korea negotiations that trump may become the first american president to greenlight a north korea nuclear power, writing -- a freeze that enshrines the status quo and passively accepts the north as a nuclear power, something administration officials often said they would never stand for. and that is where we start today with some of our favorite reporters and friends. the director of korea, japan under obama and bush, and with us at the table former republican from california, now an independent, sam stein, the politics editor for daily beast

and with us from "the washington post," white house bureau chief phil rucker. phil rucker, i start with you, just tell anyone, anyone who was unplugged over the hot summer weekend, give us a little ticktock. take us through how this meeting came to be. >> president trump was always plan to go to seoul, south korea for a meeting with the president there. he went on twitter and said i'm going to be going to the demilitarized zone. kim jong-un if you're listening, if you're watching, come meet me there and say hello and we'll shake hands. >> does he not have a phone? russia, if you're listening, check me out on twitter. >> you have to think trump thought of this days, if not weeks before this. there were all sorts of rumors in washington he was planning to visit the dmz. in fact he let that out in an interview earlier in the week with the hill and the white house instructed reporters not to reveal that plan. of course, trump himself leaked it on twitter. >> of course. >> and he went ahead and did

this visit and kim jong-un was there with a full delegation of north korean security officials, propaganda photographers to capture it all. of course, it was pages and pages of propaganda in the north korea newspapers of kim jong-un getting an audience of not just the american president but his daughter ivanka trump stepping foot in north korea. it was a big win speaking in terms of propaganda for the north koreans. >> how are we here? big win in terms of propaganda for the north koreans? >> kim jong-un played president trump beautifully. he knows exactly how to get what he wants from the president. the president keeps talking about that loving relationship and all kim jong-un has to do is show up and say nice things. i'm not someone who thinks these warming relations between the u.s. and north korea are a bad thing, i think they're a good thing. when you look at where the president was over a year ago talking about fire and fury, he

was talking to the north korean leader. before that the only american to do that was dennis rodman. in actuality, that's a good thing. but i think what the president is doing in what is called the diplomatic booty call, which is -- from what a hear, pleasant for both parties but does not take the situation forward. it's untetherford aed from any or any discussion. they did say they would resume discussions but we will see when that happens. i think the lack of a strategy, the lack of a policy, the lack of a process, all we have are these atmospherics and that's a good thing. in the meanwhile, things are developing. >> and booty call is a good analogy and i won't take it too much further but the idea it doesn't mean anything to anyplace is an apped parallel.

>> that's it, kim jong-un swiped right in the app community. but to your point on strategy, i think that's the heartburn globally. two main issues, first, the presence of ivanka. you mentioned this and we make light of it, but the reality is the world is debating whether or not she's qualified enough to be in the room, the scary debate we should be having is whether ivanka trump is the most qualified person in the room. consider how donald trump approached him on twitter and left his national security adviser on a trip to mongolia, it was ivanka trump and jared and tucker carlson negotiating with a dictator. the heartburn around the strategy is this, typically in moments like this, the american people have been led domestically through the policy of what is our national security strategy. it is not unusual to go back and forth between isolationism against an adversary and warming. we see it in cuba and less in syria but questions around the red line, we had a national debate. cuba, do we have an embargo?

what do we do in iran with the nuclear deal? is it pathway to iran or limits on a nuclear iran? with north korea the president has no strategy and has not brought the people to the moment we could embrace this weekend. had he done that, regardless of party affiliation, we would say a reduction of tensions with north korea is a good thing. instead it's seen as a destabilizing moment when it should be the opposite. >> that's a great point. i saw your comments in print coverage and other interviews and i want to ask you about that. i mean has donald trump by sort of prioritizing the optics of this relationship, which for skm reason he simpson reason he's just fixated upon. he reportedly takes his letters out and shows them to reporters. he talks about it at maga rallies. he talks about how they love each other when they see each other. he flatters his voice, he talks about no one heard his voice. the trump family talks about the

korean peninsula like the next boca. manage it developed with condos. it's really weird and you can get caught up in the glibness of the way they talk. but what are the serious dangers out on a policy level? >> i'm glad the promise between president trump and kim jong-un is alive and well but since the hanoi summit, it's been a year and we don't have even an agreed-upon definition or understanding on the definition of denuclearization. we don't have anything, roadmap, final line, declaration of a nuclear missile program. meanwhile they've been working on their nuclear missile program in the past year. where we're going from here is i'm afraid we're setting ourselves up for some sort of interim deal which might sound good in theory, where i can see kim jong-un offering something up on the negotiating table such as pyongyang or something beyond

that for relief but it's really like "the times" article said it's like a freeze deal in capping of the program but we don't know if they're really capping it. what that means is i think north korea is on its way of achieving its goal, which is to gain international acceptance of north korea as a nuclear weapons power. and we're not anywhere near achieving our goal, which is denuclearization. >> explain what you're talking about. you're talking about one facility but it's the belief of the intelligence community, which i believe donald trump said should go back to school the last time the intelligence community testified about north korea's nuclear progress and ambitions in the year since that sing po singapore summit but explain to our viewers what you're talking about with that one facility and weaknesses from a san francisco and policy level to focusing just on that. >> what kim jong-un has basically more or less offered in hanoi, one nuclear facility,

main nuclear facility that produces nuclear material. but they have many facilities, overt and skroecovert facilitie. so for north korea to offer just one agency on the table, this is not a good deal. especially if we're going to ease sanctions and easing of sanctions is what kim jong-un wants. kim may calculate this is a perfectly fine deal for him to offer up because he gets to keep all of his nuclear weapons and missiles. north korea has up to 60 nuclear warheads. what about their nuclear program and missiles? just offering up a facility they may not really need and for us to take that as a deal, that's not a good deal for the united states. >> assuming elise knows more about north korea than i do but here's the impression i have been left with donald trump as president. on a warm beer with a north

korean prisoner was beaten so badly, we decided not to play his parents' description of the way? which his son came home because it was too upsetting and people heard it before. donald trump saw to put on his parents and benefit political i from bringing their son's body home. they've been critics of donald trump's north korea policy for the very reason that everyone is talking about, that he now dans to legitimize and greenlight north korea as a nuclear power. my other sort of window into this regime was explaining some of this to sarah palin and showing her the satellite image, darkness over north korea. >> how was that? >> look, to her credit, you know, she was someone who understood the lack of morality and brutality of someone like kim. and to see hix come constantly disparage our allies and to talk about an adversary the way presidents reagan and obama and

clinton used to talk about our closest allies is jarring. >> sure. i think we're all old enough to remember that when president or candidate obama talked about meeting unconditionally with dictators to talk about these types of programs, there was an incredible amount of outrage, not just amongst conservatives but democrats as well. it was naivety, strategically improper, a rookie mistake so to speak. of course, trump's done exactly what obama had said he would do but never actually did in practice. if you think about the iran nuclear deal, there was a deal prior to the deal to get into the conversations for the deal. so all of these meetings that president trump is having with kim, they may be fine diplomatically. i believe there's nothing wrong with inherently talking with someone. but they are a missed opportunity cost. you're missing the chance to actually get a concession out of the north korean side in exchange for walking into the demilitarized zone. >> sam is exactly right. look, the fact he's the first president to step into the north korean side of the dmz, good for

him. and he's taking this risk. but you should be getting something for that. he's talking about inviting kim jong-un to the white house. that's -- you need to get a big concession for that. i do want to say one thing about this reporting about a possible willingness to accept a free, that's been on the table for years. and i don't think the president or any of the president's advisers would accept that -- >> why wouldn't trump do something that's been on the table for years? >> what i'm saying is we're talking about an interim step. i don't know that it's an interim deal. president obama, president bush were also talking about a free situation where then you would have a freeze during negotiations they were talking about, that during iran. so who knows? you're right. maybe he does accept that. >> i guess the difference the hanoi summit blew up because they couldn't even settle on a joint reality.

how do you carry on an interim step? >> look, you have to start somewhere. the u.s. wants what they've been calling for years is irreversible, verifiable -- i will get the order mixed up, but complete irreversible, verifiable disarmament. kim jong-un wants to give nothing. so you have to meet somewhere in the middle. or those negotiationless never start. >> and this goes to your point, the personnel surrounding the president is playing sagt role. i remember during the iran talks you had ernest mow knees, who understood the nuclear physics better than anyone on the planet. >> he was a nuclear scientist. >> exactly. he could get into the type of material iranians could still have, seasoned diplomats who understood the culture. right now have jared and ivanka. >> john bolton was in mongolia. whatever you think of him, he wasn't there. >> north koreans are not giving a declaration of all of their

facilities so you don't know if they're freezing or else they have. it would be a good interim step in north korea was playing in good faith but there's absolutely no way to prove that they are. >> i hear you. let me get phil rucker back in on donald trump. i think we can't have this conversation as though we're discussing a normal white house. donald trump has no idea that conditions are supposed to be met before you step into north korea. donald trump has no idea can -- donald trump doesn't even accept his own intelligence. what does this process look like, phil rutgers? >> you know what, it's a policy that's shaped almost entirely by his view of relationships, personal relationships with these leaders. the reason he wants to partnership with kim jong-un is he's in such of a deal, he's in search of history, he's in search of a nobel peace prize. >> he doesn't know what western liberalism means. >> i remember him talking to kim jong-un when they first had that summit is what inspired trump to

go around calling prime minister abe and others saying he should be nominated for the nobel peace prize by taking that step. he sees history in its grasp and he doesn't quite know how to get the deal but he knows if he has a relationship with kim jong-un and they're friends and they get along and love each other they can somehow ink something in paper that will fortify the deal. >> he doesn't get his history right. here he is lying about president obama. let made it to you. this is his comment about why president obama didn't take the bold first step he took. president obama wanted to meet and chairman kim would not meet him. the obama administration was begging for a meetingment they were begging for meetings constantly and chairman kim would not meet with them. were you the one doing the begging on behalf of president obama? were you begging? >> this is so untrue, furthest thing from the truth. president obama when he was a candidate said he was willing to

meet with kim jong-un if need be. but no, he wasn't begging. >> of course he wasn't. >> north korean does not ask to meet with u.s. presidents and there's a reason why no u.s. president met with a north korean leader. it boosts their legitimacy. so no, it's absolutely not true. and earlier discussion, the problem with interim deal is north koreans right now are looking for huge sanctions relief. it's fine if they're going to sort of give up something for a little something but what they're asking for is lifting of u.n. council resolution sanctions. so most of the sanctions to be lifted for one or possibly two facilities and it doesn't do anything with the nuclear missile program. they get to keep all of their programs. >> so it's a bad deal is what you're saying? >> yes, because they're looking for huge sanctions relief. that's the problem. the cost is too high.

>> david jolly, i think those of us who covered trump day in and day out understand bad deals are his brand. the idea he would sacrifice u.s. foreign policy, this is the obvious sort of tail to the head and body we've been following for three years. >> that's it. the unsettling part with this for many people is the pride in which donald trump stepped on north korean soil. the baked-in dishonesty in the narrative, the level of palpable ignorance that he demonstrated in doing so, and that it reflected somebody who is putting his own brand above the national security interests not just of the united states but of the region in which donald trump was visiting. the level of ignorance in that moment is conveyed to somebody who doesn't even have a working knowledge of foreign policy because for generations we've just trusted that our president does. what we saw in donald trump this weekend was a president who has no understanding of the complexities of geopolitical

strategy or national security. >> and it would seem on top of that, he has no personal moral compass. i have worked for politicians and a lot of people arrive in congress and are not well briefed. the american people can tolerate a steep learning kiv but what we never had before is a learning curve and somebody devoid of morals. if you look he at the khashoggi and wanting an understanding of the nuclear programs in iran, simply because of the obama deal, pair those two programs together. >> as i said to donald trump, it's about the ratings. and i go back to my point we have allowed as american people the presidents to approach these leaders with a great deal of uncertainty. some say it put off a nuclear mandate and others say it created a new pathway for iran. that's where the idea divulged. but there is no question president obama was making his

case. there is no case president trump is making other than i was the first. i was the first and i'm talking to kim jong-un and no other president has. it reflects an ignorance and we shouldn't be celebrating it, particularly as other networks are this week. >> also super quit, he's priding his relationships on getting the deal, he's a deal maker. where are the deals? >> there are not deals. i want to give you the last word and put you on the spot. do you have any friends or former colleagues back in the nsc or back in the state department who are uncomfortable with this direction in policy and wondering if they can sort of continue to do their work? >> i'm positive there are many that's uncomfortable with the direction this is headed. because as i mentioned before, i think we are on the path of north korea achieving its goal. interim deal or drag this out, wait it out, and they will get there. we're not anywhere near achieving our goal. we don't have anything.

it's been a year since singapore. we had three meetings and big made-for-tv moments and that's about it. >> do people who do the kind of work you are deveeted doing, would they resign or quit before they're a party of what you just described? >> i think individually they're making different decisions but i will tell you the intelligence community or some of my former colleagues from the agency, the morale has to be low. for the president to just consistently throw intelligence community under the bus, and the president is your ultimate -- that's why you're doing this, right? you're trying to tell the truth to power. your analysis to the policymakers and they're throwing your analysis out the door, that's very demoralizing. >> it sure is. thank you so much for spending some time with us. after the break, as we've been discussing ivanka trump on the world stage engaged in diplomacy with north korea but sounding like a condo publicist

as she touts a golden era of the korean peninsula. news you have to hear for yourself to believe. also ahead, the new birtherism conspiracy. this one aimed at surging presidential candidate kamala harris. and final advantage, mayor pete buttigieg had a topsy turfer headline but a boost in money. lieve it. that karl brought his karaoke machine? ♪ ain't nothing but a heartache... ♪ no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my car insurance with geico. ♪ i never wanna hear you say... ♪ no, kevin... no, kevin! believe it! geico could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. geico could save you fifteen percent with moderate to severe ulceratiyour plans... crohn's, can change in minutes. your head wants to do one thing...

but your gut says not today. if your current treatment isn't working... ask your doctor about entyvio®. entyvio® acts specifically in the gi tract, to prevent an excess of white blood cells from entering and causing damaging inflammation. entyvio® has helped many patients achieve long-term relief and remission. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. entyvio® may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection caused by a virus may be possible. tell your doctor if you have an infection experience frequent infections or have flu-like symptoms, or sores. liver problems can occur with entyvio®. ask your doctor about the only gi-focused biologic just for ulcerative colitis and crohn's. entyvio®. relief and remission within reach.

we like drip coffee, layovers- -and waiting on hold. what we don't like is relying on fancy technology for help.

snail mail! we were invited to a y2k party... uh, didn't that happen, like, 20 years ago? oh, look, karolyn, we've got a mathematician on our hands! check it out! now you can schedule a callback or reschedule an appointment, even on nights and weekends. today's xfinity service. simple. easy. awesome. i'd rather not. as we've been discussing, another aspect of the president's north korea trip turning heads. ivanka trump and tucker carlson

was spotted and national security adviser john bolton was not. this video released by the french government appears to show the president's daughter at the g20 summit trying to insert herself into a conversation with the leaders of canada, uk france and ims. >> that wasn't the only time ivanka sought to immerse herself into the substance of the g20. "the washington post" describes her constant presence this way -- ivanka trump was everywhere, at her father's side when other leaders' spouses were present. melania trump skipped the trip. in meetings with her presence puzzled others and giving an awkward readout with trump's

meeting with prime minister modi. avarpgia was one of the first americans to cross over into north korea calling it surreal. and john bolton, where was he? he was in mongolia during the time of the president's trip to north korea. the table is so weird. >> highly unusual, nicolle. i'm so amazed that video came out. what incentive would the french government have to release that video other than to embarrass ivanka trump. there's nothing macron gains by having that conversation out there. it is an embarrassment for her. the white house has been defending her role on the trip saying her haters out there in other countries and in the media are out to get her by making a big deal out of this. but it is striking to see the first daughter there in such a formal role. >> let me just defend her fans, i would guess even if you're a fan of the trump family, you want the best people.

isn't that what you signed up for, the best people. even if you're a fan, i don't think you think ivanka is the best person to negotiate with north korea on nukes, do you? >> i would assume ivanka would tell you she's not as qualified as a top american diplomat to do that because she's not. she's been in business but -- >> she's not as qualified as a secret service agent who are at least briefed on the security threats. what is she doing there? >> it kind of cheapened the moment. to bring your daughter there. oh, it's -- look at us! we're tipping toe into north korea. like it was a serious moment for a u.s. president to be doing it. we talked about the climate surrounding it but to bring ivanka trump in and jared kushner, that have absolutely no place, i thought it was inappropriate and also look, i understand why john bolton wasn't there because he's really been against this embrace of north korea and the negotiations but where was secretary pompeo?

and i mean, secretary pompeo was the one that should have walked in or maybe the nuclear negotiator. but i think ivanka trump, if you want to give her a role, she's been doing some stuff on global entrepreneurship and capital for women, that is really been well received, even when she talks to world leaders and such. but to put her in that situation i think does her a disservice, i think it does american diplomacy a disservice, and i just think it was poorly -- >> that assumes someone put her in that situation as opposed herself putting herself in that situation. >> the president probably said come on, let's go! >> i guess if you're being the most generous you could possibly be about this, she's a calming influence on her father o she's someone he with trust. and maybe having her around serves a purpose in that regard. beyond that, it is so fundamentally wrong to have her on a trip of this magnitude and if this were any other administration, it would be a huge scandal. but, of course, this is -- to borrow her words, this is a surreal time we live in and so

gets to go and accompany him across the dmz. >> there's been a body of reporting about how she and jared have driven out everybody and they also repelled any talent. >> the context of this is former secretary of state rex tillerson recently testified before the house foreign affairs committee transcript reveals at various points in his tenure he felt like his mission was not just thwarted but undermicroscoped by jared kushner. jared kushner was taking these meeting without giving him a heads up whatsoever, crafting a palestinian peace agreement without any input from the secretary of state's office. here you have another case in which a member of the first family is playing a lead in geopolitical roles without any actual expertise on the subject matter. and all of the experienced diplomats are off on the sidelines. >> and it sets up this thing where this is what the u.s. denounces in egypt and other places or saudi arabia where they just moved the son in. >> i want to ask you about someone else there, tucker carlson emerged last week as one

of the leading influencers on donald trump's iran policy. he also happened to be on the sidelines of this trip as a leading voice. i mean why -- to go back to elise's sort of dating, why all of the flirting? let's just bring him in. they have like 700 openings. >> and tucker carlson, who in his overnight reporting from the region, said that sometimes leading a nation means you have to kill people. >> right. >> that sounds -- unlike all of the people that didn't do spousal abuse and other crimes, tucker should fly through, right? >> he's perfectly qualified. >> but seriously, he's got the impulses donald trump has. they're primal. >> sure. and a focus on sirn trump brand above all else. look, having tucker carlson there, ivanka there, jared kushner there. i rarely check my opinions at the door. i'm happy to share them. this is one where i have nothing nice to say. what i would say about this moment for the american people

is that in times of international consequence, this is the best the nation has to offer under donald trump. this is what donald trump leads with in times of international consequence. tucker carlson, ivanka trump and jared kushner. if you're happy with that, i'm sure you'll vote for the president again. if not, this is a call to the ballot box next november. >> i totally agree. i think even his supporters deserve more than this. even his supporters thought they were getting some figure in business and his friends will tell you was always a scam. he's a guy who sat in his office without a computer and sharpie. he was never who people thought he was. but this is where the scam is revealed. these are where people have to look at the picture and say yeah, the emperor is butt-ass naked. >> yes. i remember bring up the iran deal again, i was in congress at the time and opposed to it and i went to the house floor and said so.

on syria, the red line, i thought the president didn't handle it right, i went to the floor and voiced my opinion. but i never questioned president obama's capabilities, qualifications, national security team around him. there were disagreements but i knew the nation was safe. this is not the mark of a safe nation. >> not that. >> when this is your national security team meeting a brutal dictator adversary, this is the best we have to offer. this is a blight moment and very consequential one for our national security. >> i couldn't agree more. elias, that you for spending some time with us. none of us will get over the boo booty call analogy. >> absolutely. and currently men to stir up wing kooks and another trump raising questions about another presidential candidate. s about presidential candidate

stop fearing your alarm clock... with zzzquil pure zzzs. a drug-free blend of botanicals with melatonin that supports your natural sleep cycle so you can seize the morning. zzzquil pure zzzs. when it comes to reducing the evsugar in your family's diet,m. coke, dr pepper and pepsi hear you. we're working together to do just that.

bringing you more great tasting beverages with less sugar or no sugar at all. smaller portion sizes, clear calorie labels and reminders to think balance. because we know mom wants what's best. more beverage choices, smaller portions, less sugar. balanceus.org many, many people have

questions and very serious questions. so perhaps he was born in this country, and that is a very big chance or, who knows? >> you real believe this guy -- >> i don't want to answer the question. i don't want to answer the question. >> about obama -- >> his mother is a u.s. citizen. is he a natural born citizen? >> who knows? who knows? >> we all did but when you lay out years and years of donald trump's birther attacks like that, it's easy to notice a pattern. never quite goes all in rhetorically speaking. as he would tell it, he's just asking a question. the racist, baseless conspiracy theory question said if you think of the trump kids as hostages to their own dna, it should surprise no one that donald trump jr. started asking the same kind of questions. questions the president's son-in-law retweeted from an alt right online personality saying kamala harris wasn't, quote, an american black because of her ancestry. with a comment, is this true?

wow. and people noticed. donald trump jr. later deleted that tweet and a spokesperson for him -- imagine that job -- later called it a misunderstanding adding this -- don's tweet was simply asking, asking if it was was true kamala harris is half indian because it's not something he have ever heard before. once he saw folks were misconstruing the intent of his tweet, he quickly deleted it. by the way, talking about kamala harris, in the last hour brand-new polling conducted over the weekend after the debates has her surging into second place, five points behind first place joe biden. joining our conversation, alicia menendez, co-host of pbs's amanpour & company. what is going on, my friend? >> oh, my goodness. so many things going on. >> i know. take your time. >> going back to february, kamala harris was on the show "the breakfast club" and at the

time she called this out i will face the questions of whether or not i'm black enough as barack obama faced. that's one piece. >> women always know, right? we know what's coming. we can write the attacks on ourselves. >> so she did. and now there's the birtherism question getting a second life, which is meant to discredit her candidacy as more dangerous should she win the primary and generaling, it discredits her as a leader and becomes an ongoing question without would be her presidency. and then there's another piece that we're not able to deal with misinformation. this tweet goes out. there's a university of bot net that's retweet it. on top of that you have someone very close to the president of the united states treating it. do that does not help. but this is a structural issue on top of the other issues we haven't fully grappled with. >> i watched that montage of trump, which made me really sad.

i'm part of the problem. i admit it fully. if you think back here was a man who wasn't yet a candidate for president and spouting ostensibly racist stuff, lies about the president, and he got a mega phone. he got a mega phone for me and from a lot of other people. he wasn't challenged enough and called out for what it was at the time. i think we learned an important lesson. i'm glad we're calling it out as racist because it objectively is. but what do you do with disinformation? is it enough to call it out? where do you put it on a telecast like this. i'm glad we talked about north korea first because i think it's important. >> maybe not. should we have started with this? >> i don't know. these are difficult editorial decisions we grapple with every day. i wish people understood about how critical they were because there are strong opinions about how we should do it but it's complex. how do you ignore the president's son pushing a racist theory -- >> we didn't ignore him. >> you have to call it out for obvious reasons. you have to call untruths

untruths and racism racism. the question how do you editorialize it and con texturize it? >> and there are people who follow donald trump jr. on twitter, let's face it, who don't watch the 4:00 p.m. how do you get to the -- >> that's a question for twitter. what we can control is the meetings we're on and where we write and talk. but everyone in this university, and it's a vast university, has to really think about what they did when donald trump did this to obama and whether that was the right position and what they will do going forward when it happens are to kamala harris. >> this is a case study for what we're going to have to go through for the next year plus of this campaign. talking to trump's advisers they're determined to run a brutal campaign, modeled after the win in 2016 against hillary clinton and whoever the nominee is, whether it's kamala harris or joe biden or bernie sanders or elizabeth warren, they're going to be pulverized by trump and his allies and his machine, his political machine, on social media and everywhere.

i don't know they're all prepared for it, the democrats are, and it's bog to be a challenge for them as wells the media and social media institutions to police false information out there. but it will be a brutal year for us. >> it's an extraordinary sign of the weakness of the case that donald trump has to take to the public, that he's so reliant upon the lies and the racial smears. it's sign of incredible trepidation, fear that his prospects heading into 2020 are worse than 2016. he's behind all of the top tier democrats we showed and he doesn't have a case to take to the public. whatever you think of the wall, that was his big idea. whatever you think of just about everything except judicial appointments, you can argue he followed through on that. but he does not have a case to take to the public. he needs these smears. >> that's exactly right. and to your earlier question the story, in my opinion and you all are professionals at this, is the president's son advanced a racial narrative on social media that was amplified among the

president's followers. because when kamala harris said it didn't work last time, it's not going to work this time. there was a lot of it that did work last time. there's fertile ground within today's republican party to accept this narrative so the president's son knew that, otherwise he would not have done that. he was stoking the flames in a party where they've given permission for this type of racism. the other story coming out of it, it's a remarkable contrast between donald trump jr. and trump as candidate and everyone else who denounced it. understand what kamala harris did thursday night, she hurt two people very badly. she drew blood from joe biden and she showed she could go toe to toe with donald trump. joe biden responded saying it's wrong to peddle racist narrative. he called it out. donald trump's family actually amplified and that's the contrast between the two candidates. >> that's a great point. if you demonstrate that between the two parties, that is the choice. there's now an entire party that stands for the amplification of

racist smears and an entire party -- that's a brutal primary fight. they're being civilized to one another because they view that in interest of the party but they want it badly. >> trump jr. offered an excuse, not an apology. you have to believe if this was in the other direction, donald trump would have been all over twitter announcing what happened. this is part of 24their brand. and despite controversy, mayor pete is still very much in the mix. that story is next. [ alarm beeping ]

wake up! there's a lot that needs to get done today. small things. big things. too hard to do alone things. day after day, you need to get it all done. and here to listen and help you through it all is bank of america. with the expertise and know-how you need to reach that blissful state of done-ness. so let's get after it. ♪ everything is all right what would you like the power to do?® ♪ all right

a very, very sign for mayor pete buttigieg today. his campaign said he brought in almost $25 million over the past three months. a spvery impressive second quarr haul, nearly triple what he earned the first quarter of the year. campaign ads got money from 230,000 new donors.

that's a big number. >> that's a big number of new donors. the summit itself is large but the number of people who he attracted in his campaign, if you look at relative to first quarter, three times the number, that's all very impressive. i'm eager to see the rest of the numbers. >> you guys were all talking about that at the break. >> it speaks to the debate performance. you have booker's team, harris' team, castro's team out there saying they had impressive numbers in terms of who came to the table, some of the best numbers since they announced. so this looks like he could be in the game for a really long time and he doesn't have to make the strategic choices up top other people who don't have the cash do. he will be able to play deep and broad. >> i think the number of donors is actually more impressive than even the number here because he was always considered sort of the fancy of the tech elite in the democratic party and finance ears and people who -- even

obama had gone to mayor pete's campaign. the big money would be there but the question was whether he could build the grassroots foundation for that. and those donors extensively can get give and again and again. what he's essentially done is created a model that beto o'rouke had done. obviously not quite up to snuff with bernie sanders but that type of foundation is important for staying in a primary more so than the actual number dollar figure you have. >> phil rucker, it would appear this is another one of those sort of flashing yellow lights for the trump campaign, which i heard what you heard, they're going to be brutal. they're going to be savage and money will not inoculate the opponent but it will help. >> it will help a lot and trump's raking a lot of money. i forgot his total but he had a huge number that was announced right after the orlando kickoff. >> in fact, it was $24.8 million. that money was for the rnc victory fund but it was a huge amount. >> they will have money.

the trump strategy is just drown the democratic nominee in ads and organizing underground, they're organizing in all kinds of states, including states that lean republican and including states that lean democratic so the democrat will need to have money and mayor pete is showing that he's able to raise it. >> he's got it. i don't have any idea how this primary contest ends. it certainly was -- we ordered last week some of the debate performances but mayor pete buttigieg will be around for a long, long time. >> yes, he's in through iowa, new hampshire and south carolina. what this assures him is infrastructure and air time. he will have the resources to provide for both. and he's kind of notionally towards that top tier. he's coming off air very bad couple of weeks. this number reflects his cinderella run where there was a lot of energy coming into him. a lot of people declared him a winner out of the debates. i think he showed he was a little rattled, the shine was off. this was the only issue kind of in his opposition research

portfolio was this issue of policing back home and having fired or terminated an african-american police chief and front and center having to wrestle with this issue again. he's a remarkable south carolina. the question remains what happens after that. >> i think the other thing that i am reminded of is that it isn't what happens to you when you're running for office. you are judged by the voters for how you respond to it. and it would suggest that some of what people saw in just -- you do it instinctively, but just listening. going home and listening was something that at least -- i don't know that it helped him, but it shows that he's still in it. >> well, and it has a pure authenticity that you know from the moment you see him. and the greatest contrast was between him and biden when confronted on some tough questions. mayor pete said i didn't get it done. biden went reflectively to defense. when the easiest thing he could

have done over these past three weeks is say, look, 2019 is different than the 1970s. i've been a champion since every day that i've served, but it's different now than it was then, and i'm learning from it. >> it always works. maybe more politicians should try it. >> we are hearing more about the inhumane facilities the united states is using to host migrants at the border. you can. but sometimes life gets in the way, and that stubborn fat just won't go away. coolsculpting takes you further. a non-surgical treatment that targets, freezes, and eliminates treated fat cells, for good. discuss coolsculpting with your doctor. some common side-effects include temporary numbness, discomfort, and swelling. don't imagine results, see them. coolsculpting, take yourself further.

car vending machines and buying a car 100% online.vented now we've created a brand new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old, we want to buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate, answer a few questions, and our techno-wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot, and pick up your car. that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way-- at carvana.

for a restless night's sleep. pain settle there's a better choice. aleve pm. the only one to combine a safe sleep aid and the 12-hour pain-relieving strength of aleve that dares to last into the morning. so you feel refreshed. aleve pm. there's a better choice.

there is chilling new

reporting from nbc news on the conditions that a detention facility where migrants are held in el paso, saying that agents feared riots and arm themselves because of dire conditions and that trump administration officials were warned in may about those dire conditions. today congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez visited border facilities in el paso and she tweeted this about what she witnessed. quote, now i've seen the inside of these facilities. it's not just the kids, it's everyone. people drinking out of toilets, officers laughing in front of members of congress. i brought it up to their superiors. they said officers are out of stress and act out sometimes. no accountability. i'm just thinking to where we started with ivanka whose mission was going to be children. they literally have the blood of children who have died in u.s. custody and children who are sick on their hands. >> it's heartbreaking, it's devastating. and when you talk to advocates who are working on this issue every day, part of what they'll

say is the challenge now is that you're having these many debates in congress around funding that shouldn't be debates. and instead you're not having the debates you need to have which are around the complete contours of how you actually fix this problem in a big picture long-term sense. so even though it's now getting the attention that it deserves, it's not getting the conversation and the debate that it deserves inside the chamber that can do something about it. >> how are there not people down there until children are put into humane conditions? >> this is not a funding issue, this is an administration issue. mike pence admitted they have money for toothbrushes and toothpaste. maybe donald trump instead of going to north korea he should go to a detention center. instead of going to the southwest and viewing the wall he wants to build, maybe go to a detention center. we will wait to see some of the reporting around this as it emerges, but, democrats, focus on this issue. >> to answer your question the reason is because the cruelty is the point. they want to use this as a

deterrent for people to come here. they don't mind that kids are in cages and there's no toothbrushes. >> we have to sneak in our last break. we will be right back. back.en u distracted teenager has the car. at subaru, we're taking on distracted driving [ping] with sensors that alert you when your eyes are off the road. the all-new subaru forester. the safest forester ever. woman: (on phone) discover. hi. do you have a travel card? yep. our miles card. earn unlimited 1.5 miles and we'll match it at the end of your first year. nice! i'm thinking about a scuba diving trip. woman: ooh! (gasp) or not. you okay? yeah, no, i'm good. earn miles. we'll match 'em at the end of your first year.

yeah, no, i'm good. you should know the location of a decent bathroom.ation, my gut says, take new benefiber healthy balance. this daily supplement helps maintain digestive health naturally while relieving occasional constipation and abdominal discomfort. new benefiber healthy balance

or psoriatic arthritis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur.

tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ready to treat differently with a pill? otezla. show more of you. mi thanks to my guests and most of you all for watching. it does it for us. "mtp daily" with chuck todd starts right now. if it's monday, a shake-up in the democratic primary race. kamala harris and elizabeth warren now surging while joe biden's lead is shrinking and fast. plus, after a historic meeting at the dmz is president trump about to make a