we can't -- today it was all about the truth. cia source being pulled out because he speaks the truth about putin, russia and our election. the air force not being able to be truthful with regard to where they are staying. the weather not being truthful. bolton being kicked out of his role because he is likely speaking truth to donald trump. if we aren't respected for the truth, we aren't taking a lead around the globe. >> my thanks to frank for that last word. most of all, thanks to you for watching. that does it for our hour. "mtp daily" starts now. ♪ welcome to tuesday. it is meet the press daily and we begin with the breaking news that we've had since noon that john bolton is out.

we could have predicted this would happen and how it would happen by tweet of course. we just didn't know the actual end date and now we do. the exit wasn't just predictable because president trump sours on everyone eventually, and it wasn't predictable because the president has fired two other national security advisers, one was actually in court today's ronnicly. it was predictable because the president and john bolton have always head strikingly different views onwide range of foreign policy issues. from venezuela and iran and now the meeting at camp david, they have fundamental disagreements. bolton is a hard line more traditional conservative hawk if you will. not a secret in washington. and it was not a secret to president trump. >> john bolton is absolutely a hawk. if it was up to him, he would take on the whole world at one time. i have john bolton who i would definitely say is a hawk and i

have other people that are on the other side of the equation. john is very good. john is a -- he has strong views on things, but that is okay. i actually temper john, which is pretty amazing, isn't it? >> so then even more perplexing than the initial decision to hire john bolton is the white house's explanation for firing john bolton. the president today tweeted i disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions as did others in the administration and therefore i asked john for his resignation. and the white house spokesman reiterated the same statement. >> john bolton's priorities and policies don't line up with the president's. and any sitting president has the right to put someone in that position that can carry out his agenda. that became no longer tenable, so the president made a change. >> like we said, president trump knew he and bolton didn't share the same philosophical beliefs the day before he hired him. so the spin from the white house about so-called priorities and policies, that doesn't line up. and it is either completely

ridic rue husbar ridiculous or this is an incompetent explanation. and this is one day after the president insisted that there were no disagreements on the potential camp david meeting tweeting that the dishonest meeting likes to create the look of turmoil of which there is none. anyway, and as for whose decision it was to for bolton to leave, president trump said it was his but bolton has a different story texting repor r reporters to say let's be clear, i resigned. having offered to do so last night. let's try to ghet a bit of an answer to this question of who quit first. let's get to hallie jackson and carol lee. they have been unpacking this story all day. hallie, this no, i quit, no, he was fired, but -- what do we know? >> reporter: it depends on who you ask. what is very clear is that there were discussions between

president trump and ambassador john bolton over the last 24 hours related to bolton departing the administration. john bolton says that he was never asked specifically to resign but brought it up. the president said essentially let me think about it, we'll talk tomorrow. and then of course the tweet went out after bolton submitted his resignation this morning. the white house says that the president specifically did ask for john bolton's resignation alluding to a conversation that the two of them had. we know that bolton was not at work when this all went down according to what sources are he will itting us. we know his resignation letter was just two sentences long, very brief. he said basically i'm out, i'm offering my resignation to you. and he is moving on. it is not clear who will replace him. here is the back story here. and chuck, i just got off the phone with a good source who i think framed it well. you talked about what you described as the spin from the white house on this, the idea that there have been these policy disagreements between president trump and john bolton

from before he was even hired. here is one thing that the white house is saying that is true. that there are policy disagreements fundamentally on issues of national security and foreign policy between president trump and john bolton. those have been there since the very beginning. something happened over the last 48 to 72 hours that triggered the actual dismissal of bolton. that something were the talks with the taliban that had been set up camp david. our team reported that john boltondy see eye to eye with president trump or secretary of state mike pompeo among others to having the taliban to camp david to have these negotiations. that was the flame point. but as one person said to me, if it were just afghanistan, john bolton may actually still have his job. it was the slow burn if you will, the he slow build of all of these issues, all these disagreements, and this was kind of the last straw even though the white house will say no straws. >> carol, again, yesterday the president tweeting that the media is making up the idea that there is turmoil inside the

white house. obviously that was just another misleading tweet by the president. but it was interesting last night that when the president wanted to make the media story about camp david and the taliban seem like a made up story, he got mike pence to back him up. john bolton never tweeted a backup. is that the reason why john be bolton has been fired? >> it is among the -- yes and no. it is not the only reason. but it is something that -- >> is that the phone call last night where they supposedly were screaming at each other? >> we have not confirmed that they were screaming at each other as far as i know. but -- >> ambassador said that report was not correct. >> it didn't happen. but here is the thing about national security advisers, there are always disagreements in the white house. john bolton came in with very strong convictions and time after time he didn't get on board when the president always made a decision. and that was increasingly the

case because the president's diverging from him on all of these policy issues specifically iran. and when it came to -- so you've seen him disagree and not only that, but somehow it is always out there what his views are and that they differ from what the president is moving toward. it was known he didn't agree with -- >> somehow it is out there. >> and yet you have a president saying that he wants to meet with the president of iran or he would with no pre-conditions. that is a far cry from where john bolton wants the president to be. and so john bolton not going out and saying no, at minimum, you know, i agree with the president or i'm on board with the president's decision or i support the president's decision, because the president ultimately makes the decision even if they disagree he with it, he wouldn't do that. and there is also some consternation over the fact that pence's name was out there.he w. and there is also some consternation over the fact that pence's name was out there. there was this -- he didn't like that his views were out there

and portrayed as aligned with bolton, there was a feeling that the president believed that bolton was trying to undermine the poly is and also, you know, exea expose divisions within his administration. >> and hallie jackson, last question to you. a lot of actings. what do we expect, will this be a revolving door for national security adviser for a while? the mick mulvaney acting guy for a while? >> if i could anxious that question, i'll buy lottery tickets and i'm out of here. listen, i think the president has said that he wants to name a permanent person to that position next week which is a fast time line. we've also heard very often the u.n. general assembly is coming up in a few weeks. you'd want to have a national security adviser in place. >> including the iran summit. >> right. and the fact that you do have somebody who just got bounced

from the administration on the record texting reporters with an administration that hates leaks i think is significant, i think it shows that the way this whole thing is going down. >> and i have a feeling that what has been chaotic day will probably carry over into another chaotic week. hallie and carol, good luck finishing off this story tonight. thank you. let me turn now to ned price and danielle planca. and you worked in and around mr. bolton off and on. so i want you to talk about the apparatus and you to explain mr. ebola o bolton. >> wow, a great job. >> let's start with this. he is not going out without a fight. how long does he keep the fight up? because the president likes to fight too. do you expect him to become anthony scaramucci and that he will keep this up or is this the slow torture of pushback?

>> i don't think john bolton is and anthony scaramucci. he never has been. what will be interesting to see is whether he can go back and take on his previous role which was a defender of the president. this is how he came to the president's affectionate eyes. >> was he doing that just to get this job? >> i don't think so, no. >> some people thought that maybe he wanted an in when he thought a job that no other republican president would have considered. >> the two are not exclusive. but if he is not willing to go back and he will be attacking the president, what place will he be doing it from, from conservative circles? it is a hard call for him. so i think that he will walk very carefully. he is shrewd guy. >> and there were disputes in the obama white house between national security council and defense at times. you'd hear pushback from the pentagon at times. but this seems like divides that make those look like small --

explain how that does regularly happen. >> well, in some ways the role of the national security council staff is to surface those disputes. the national security adviser in the best of times plays the role of honest broker, someone who doesn't come to the job with her or his own solid convictions but someone who has the clout, the respect, the authority to assemble literally around an oval table all of the heads of departments and agencies to surface their views and importantly to you surface disagreements. so that the national security adviser can then present to the president the consensus, in some cases it is unanimous, in some cases highly divided, but a consensus for the president to check yes or no. >> it is not clear that bolton ever set up a shop like that. >> no. >> whether we think that is a good idea or bad idea, he did not set up -- >> i think there is a misperception that the process under bolton was broken. it was actually absent. bolton didn't do what national security advisers are supposed

to come. it's been months since he held what is called a principals meeting, where the secretary of state, secretary of defense and other principles get together in the situation room to discuss issues that they then present to the president. this was an ad hoc process and involved essentially two people. john bolton and mike pompeo. others were brought in occasionally, but there was not this holistic process that surfaced disagreements and that hopefully arrived at consensus. >> given the type of personality donald trump is, shouldn't mike pompeo just say -- pull a henry kissinger and say i should be the national security adviser? and i don't know if the president he sees the dts tinks between t distinction between the two. >> to be fair, not just donald trump, but many presidents have had a national security adviser who viewed himself as a cabinet official. >> that is true. kissinger being the most infamous. >> absolutely. but plenty since republican and

democrat. but all of us hear that mike pompeo is not necessarily long for the secretary of state's job, i doubt he wants to go into the frying pan and go into that particular fire. i certainly uwould not do that. >> jerry moran tweeted the following. i think that senators the country looks for stability, consistency. and it's another person out of the administration that we developed a relation shim, had a sense of where he was coming from and now he is not there. it is interesting to hear a whole bunch of people who weren't the biggest john bolton fans left and right but it does showdchaos of the administration. whatever you thought of bolton ideologically, you always knew where he stood. so now what. >> i think we had an incredibly depressing and ominous snapshot of this administration earlier this morning. there was a period of time where senior white house officials couldn't tell reporters and in turn the american public who the acting national security adviser was. president trump in his own tweet said that it would be until next week until he would name a

successor. and so you add this on top of the mounds of chaos, there is no director of national intelligen intelligence, no director of homeland security, no deputy director of homeland security. you can go on down to -- >> and a montage. >> exactly. >> the acting montage. it is unbelievable. >> but the point is this is just one more element of chaos in a central and pivotal role. >> and in many ways you are an evaluator of global risk. you have a president who i feel like some of these brush fires were there, some he helped instigate. but they are all over the world. are they ready for this? >> no. >> it does feel as if we've all just been lucky that this white house hasn't been tested international internationally. >> i think that you are right. and while we've spent the day on be sa

obsessing about was he fired or resign resigned, we have a situation in afghanistan, iranians returning to a nuclear program. >> and india. >> which is almost irrelevant to almost everybody. and i have to say, if i'm our allies, what i do is i look at this white house and i say what are you going to do next, who are you going to screw next. because they are all worried that donald trump has, you know, professed his support for this government, that government, and he won't be there tomorrow. >> and what i find interesting, you could be debating philosophically on all sorts of issues. you're looking at this as just 3r06 professionals going oh, my god. and that is what people need to see. this is a we've got to run the country. anyway, thank you both. we'll be right back with more on this white house shakeup, but first we'll share with you some breaking news. associated press is reporting a large explosion in kabul. close to the u.s. embassy. good news right now, there are no casualties reported.

it happened right after midnight wednesday local time which puts it on the exact 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. this of course follows the cancellation of the u.s. taliban talks over the weekend. unclear who is responsible for this attack, but u.s. officials did warn of possible escalation in the region after two deadly taliban car bombs in kabul last week. we'll of course bring you updates as it develops. even our own sources seem to think that we may have escaped major casualties. we'll be right back. doug ♪ hour 36 in the stakeout. as soon as the homeowners arrive, we'll inform them that liberty mutual customizes home insurance, so they'll only pay for what they need. your turn to keep watch, limu. wake me up if you see anything. [ snoring ] [ loud squawking and siren blaring ] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

should always be working harder.oney that's why, your cash automatically goes into a money market fund when you open a new account. just another reminder of the value you'll find at fidelity. open an account today. why fingerstick when you can scan? with the freestyle libre 14 day system just scan the sensor with your reader, iphone or android and manage your diabetes. with the freestyle libre 14 day system, a continuous glucose monitor, you can check your glucose levels any time, without fingersticks. ask your doctor to write a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. you can do it without fingersticks. learn more at freestylelibre.us ♪ ♪ ♪ applebee's handcrafted burgers now starting at $7.99 now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood.

is this national security team a mess? >> absolutely not. that is the most ridiculous question i've ever heard. >> welcome back. despite what secretary mnuchin just said there, john bolton's exit is emblematic. at 10:56 this morning, the white house released that john bolton would brief the press at 1:30. and then about an hour later,

president trump announced on twitter that he told bolton last night that his services consider no longer needed. so was it last night or this morning? joining me right now, anne gearan, lonnie chen, and howard fineman. as the reporter dealing with all of this, i'll start with you. what did you know this morning and when did you know it? >> well, you gave the time line of what we knew too. i was trying to organize how we were going to cover the 1:30 thing and asking questions about afghanistan, we knew that they didn't want to talk about afghanistan, but i mean hey -- >> this was the story, right. >> bolton and pompeo standing next to each other, two guys who disagreed over how the thing went down, what a perfect opportunity and so forth. and then literally another reporter across the newsroom announces at the top of his lungs trump just fired bolton! so yeah, that is how it went down. >> lonnie, i've had this theory

that one of the things that i think trump underestimates about his style is that not only does he exhaust the public, but that at some point all of these actings and all of the revolving door does raise the competency question. jimmy carter fired his entire cabinet. it always to me was one of -- he sent the message that he was an unstable manager. and he was well liked and thought to be principled. >> the question is what will stick with the american public. it seems to me that if you are you going to make the competency argument, you know, that is something that the democrats really haven't gone after yet. >> they haven't. jeb bush did it more than frankly on the right, but not -- >> arguably democrats will have a more capable messenger than jeb bush was in that sense. but i do think that it will be interesting to see what the democrats explore going forward. we've talked about all this stuff around investigating the

self dealing, will they go after compete competenc competency. >> voters do care about what that happening to them now, what their president is doing now. so i always thought focus on what he is doing as president. >> the competency and the lying matter when they affect voters. on the one hand you're saying hey, alabama, don't worry, you will get hit with a hurricane. and the people in alabama go outside and say there is no hurricane and we want accurate forecasts. those of us who live along the coastlines of america, this is bread and butter for us, is this a kitchen table issue. we want to know when there really is going to be a hurricane and when there isn't one. and when you screw it up, mr. president, you are affecting our lives. in terms of foreign policy.

what has all of this changing of the cast time and time again, what has it gotten. i've made a list. does maduro still? venezuela? yes. russia still in crimea a? yes. kim still firing missiles? yes. china building islands? yes. is nato weakened, is the uk in shambles? what has he accomplished by the way of foreign policy. and when you are a president going for re-election, a foreign policy success, a major one can be a big benefit for you. he doesn't have it yet. >> i would argue on almost every single one of those items on your list, john bolton had a defined view before he came to this administration that quite often was at odds with the one that trump either had or came to. that is unsustainable. >> i assume the venezuela -- that he will start getting blamed for the venezuela. >> he already is. that is one where trump's view changed over time. the at first trump was perfectly happy to go along with the

bolton view -- >> because bolton said that it would happen fast. >> he wasn't the only one, but he cannot be blamed solely for that. but trump thought he had an opportunity to look like a big hero here by backing this very attractive opposition figure who had completely captured the white house imagination and then months and months later maduro is still in charge. >> and russians are still messing around. >> i think that the president liked john bolton but not the advice that skron ebogenera joh giving him. bolton has been arguing for what i think is a principled look at foreign policy and he has had that for a while and not a surprise to anybody that he would be arguing for regime change. >> he is a different kind of america first. that america needs to be first

around the globe. be the one running the show. >> in terms of street level polit politics, trump i think wanted bolton because he liked the idea that bolton would protect him with the zionists and evangelicals who care a lot about america first in the middle east. and when the other day essentially based on the reporting trump thought that bolton and even pence were not really supporting him, were not supporting him with those key constituent insicy constituencies, he at the ti time -- he felt threatened and so people need to leave. >> let's talk about the pence decide. that is why bolton is not there today. >> yeah, that was a line beyond which trump was not willing to go. >> in a weird way pence was

asked to do what he did on the taliban story. he does it, bolton doesn't, bolton is out. >> wilbur ross too. >> you hate to -- but the two stories look awfully familiar and related. >> i don't have reporting on the second so i won't go there, but yeah, i completely understand what you are saying. >> i mean, look, john bolton probably wasn't going to last and it was a question of not if but when. and so the precipitating event is the precipitating event. but what it comes back to, what are people to think of u.s. foreign policy when you have this pretty dissonant sort of set of views that the president is presented with and again, with bolton, no surprise and then the president says i don't want to hear that. >> in a way it made sense for a while where the president would kind of mock bolton and -- >> he was serious about it. >> yeah, guy wants to bomb every country, kind of funny, sflits b right? but then you could understand the decision making. bolton would argue something, trump would listen to it,

dismiss parts of it, not all of it. and bounce it off other people. >> when wbolton didn't defend trump on the meetings with the taliban, when he didn't defend him with the constituency that trump cares about, like the evangelicals, et cetera, that was it for him. >> and now i think we learned that. but i tell ya, between the countries no longer sharing critical intelligence with us because they are uncertain, america is on an island globally in a weird way. ten days before the big u.n. meeting. all right. stick around. up ahead, north carolina is on my mind. we have domestic politics that could be a big deal. why today's special election could signal what is coming in 2020. easy for you to get your windshield fixed. >> teacher: let's turn in your science papers. >> tech vo: this teacher always puts her students first. >> student: i did mine on volcanoes. >> teacher: you did?! oh, i can't wait to read it.

>> tech vo: so when she had auto glass damage... she chose safelite. with safelite, she could see exactly when we'd be there. >> teacher: you must be pascal. >> tech: yes ma'am. >> tech vo: saving her time... [honk, honk] >> kids: bye! >> tech vo: ...so she can save the science project. >> kids: whoa! >> kids vo: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace ♪ but allstate helps you. with drivewise. feedback that helps you drive safer. and that can lower your cost now that you know the truth... are you in good hands? walkabout wednesdays are back! get a sirloin or chicken on the barbie, fries, and a draft beer or coca-cola - all for just $10.99. hurry in! wednesdays are for outback. outback steakhouse. aussie rules.

that's where i feel normal. for outback. having an annuity tells me my retirement is protected. learn more at retire your risk dot org. i am royalty of racing, i am the twisting thundercloud. raise your steins to the king of speed. o♪ ozempic®! ♪ oh! oh! (announcer) people with type 2 diabetes are excited about the potential of once-weekly ozempic®. in a study with ozempic®, a majority of adults lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7 and maintained it.

oh! under 7? (announcer) and you may lose weight. in the same one-year study, adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. oh! up to 12 pounds? (announcer) a two-year study showed that ozempic® does not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or death. oh! no increased risk? (announcer) ozempic® should not be the first medicine for treating diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not share needles or pens. don't reuse needles. do not take ozempic® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to ozempic®. stop taking ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, itching, rash, or trouble breathing. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis. tell your doctor if you have diabetic retinopathy or vision changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase the risk for low blood sugar. common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation.

some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. i discovered the potential with ozempic®. ♪ oh! oh! oh! ozempic®! ♪ (announcer) if eligible, you may pay as little as $25 per prescription. ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. welcome back. tonight in 2020 vision, if it is tuesday, somebody is voting somewhere and tonight that is in north carolina where a special election is technically the last race of 2018, but it is really all about 2020. tonight's results will give us a big sign about whether the politic political winds are still blowing in the democratic party's favor and how fast that qui wind is blowing. the fact that the race between dan mccready and dan bishop is already bad news for the xwogop.

if the democrat win, it would e disas strus for the gop. could even see a shakeup on the agenda on the hill especially if members are out to protect themselves over and above protecting the president. could we see a senate majority leader mitch mcconnell be more likely to move on guns or the national emergency on border stuff without taking his cues from the president? seems unlikely, but if the result goes a certain way, you never know. could more republicans vote with the democrats on the emergency border declaration? highly unlikely, but tonight's results could have an impact. so yes, it is a different republican party tomorrow if they lose tonight -- maybe. we'll dig into that right after the break. i get it all the time. "have you lost weight?" of course i have- ever since i started renting from national.

because national lets me lose the wait at the counter... ...and choose any car in the aisle. and i don't wait when i return, thanks to drop & go. at national, i can lose the wait...and keep it off. looking good, patrick. i know. (vo) go national. go like a pro.

did you know you can save money by using dish soap to clean grease on more than dishes? try dawn ultra. dawn is for more than just dishes. with 3x more grease cleaning power per drop, it tackles tough grease on a variety of surfaces. try dawn ultra. that one?! no! what about that?! no! what about now?! no! that do it?! [ buffer stops ] still not working! how 'bout now?! no! i just don't know. i mean, i don't know who labeled this thing. yeah?! no!

it is a giant victory tomorrow right here in the great state of north carolina with your support, tomorrow we take the first steps to firing speaker pelosi and winning back the house in 2020. >> welcome back. that was president trump last night in north carolina ahead of today's special election where republicans are trying to hold on to a house seat that should not be as competitive as it is. leigh ann caldwell is in north carolina and she has been talking to voters all day. so is -- in this do-over of an election, it is a general election, it is a revote if you will, though with a different republican nominee. what turnout is going to be like? does it feel like a special election turnout, higher than usual, what are we seeing there? >> reporter: expectations were pretty low, chuck. this of course is a special election this race has been

going on for more than two years now. there is a sense that there might be some fatigue here. but if you gauge this precinct that we are at, they were saying that they expect 3500 people to vote today. right now there is a line out the door. people are still coming in. there is a few more hours left and more than 700 people have already voted. and so it seems to be that enthusiasm is up. now, the president is saying that he is not on the ballot, that this was not a precursor to 2020, but talking to these voters today, the president is absolutely a motivator. the voters we talked to coming in and out of this polling booth, they said that they walked into that building behind me with the president in mind both republican supports and the democratic supporters. the president is a huge, huge reason people are voting today, chuck. >> and look, you just set up the

conversation. lonnie chen, if republicans can't hold on to this district, i think just four or three others that are more republican than this that democrat holds. or it is just -- not something that -- doesn't seem like one that she should be gthey should. what does a loss do considering this is a trump referendum? >> it is. and the other thing to think about, is this an election taking place in a different set of economic circumstances than in 2018. is this the first race that happens under the backdrop of an economy that might be slowing. and if the president primary rationale has to do with the state of the economy, i look careful at those exit polls -- >> they are not doing them. >> we have to figure out how voters think about the state of the economy because that is a relevance factor as we go into gone. >> and north carolina is battleground state because the three in the midwestern -- blah

wall, we focus on florida is florida. the fifth closest state was north carolina. it sort of gets lost in the arizona mix and all of that. >> and barack obama won it the first time in 2008. narrowly lost it in 2012. >> and they got everything on the ballot. >> and it is a mega state that has in many ways is as diverse as the rest of the country. what will matter is are the voters at the edge of the suburbs of charlotte and on into the rural areas. that is where the battleground is, that was true in the midwest states as well. i think that it is obviously about trump, but i think that what the democrat is trying to do is keep to health care, we need health care without a revolution but you need medicaid. we need better education support. bread and butter stuff. centrist democrat of the kind that should have a chance to win that district and if it does, it

is a message not only to the country and donald trump, but the democratic party. >> and this white house gets involved in races that i don't understand why they do. it is sort of like they didn't have to. i give them credit for they put themselves on the line sometimes politically when i don't think they need to, this was one of them. >> and there is kind of a simple answer for that. trump likes to do this. >> yes, he does. >> and he knows that he is a referendum issue. >> great, it is all about me. >> no, i mean, for reasons that are not only about ego. he likes that that is the conversation. he thinks that -- >> i think it is about ego, but -- >> from his perspective, that is the right conversation to be having. and they are having it here, so he wants to be in the middle of it. and the republican argument for why he was coming at all was that he was going to remind a state that has been dealing with this for two years, in the middle of a hurricane and so forth, that there actually is a

vote happening and that appears to be the case. >> what has been the republican message? i know mccready has run as howard outlined as sort of the generic democratic suburban message of '18, focus on health care, focus on this, deal with trump only when you have to. not all the time. what has been the republican message in trying to frame anything with congress? >> reporter: so i spoke with dan bishop today and his message is that the democrat is way too far left and they are going to stand with the national democratic party and he is saying that he is too far left and it scares voters in this district. i also want to say that at the rally last night with the president, he really leaned into this issue on immigration. it is the same thing that dan bishop is doing too in his final hours of this campaign. as you know full well, this is the exact same playbook that republicans used in the 2018 midterm elections where they

lost 40 house seats. and so of course this district is more conservative -- on the more conservative end of the numbers of seats that democrats won in 2018. but it is an issue that they are playing again and hoping it works here. >> lonnie, that is what i don't understand, which is why use the same message that didn't work the last time which is an immigration caravan. i guess it is because republicans feel like if they can't win with trump, they don't know how to do it without him. >> i think there is two issues. one is how do you run in a district where you have to have a separation from the president but you president might not want to allow for that. and the second issue is now there is a little more definition around who the democratic nominee could be and what that democratic alternative could look like and this will be more salient next year when there is a democratic nominee. so in 2018, they didn't have that. they had nancy pelosi and everyone was like, oh, nancy pelosi. but now it could be elizabeth warren, it could be bernie sanders, that is a different

dynamic. >> and this is the first test of that. republicans are like all right, let's see if -- pelosi didn't work in '18, maybe owe amailhan will. >> they are adding the squad to it, they are calling every democrat a radical socialist. and that will be their play regardless of -- >> trump himself is questioning that strategy, is that right, that he thinks that the socialist strategy may play to -- that like maybe some of his people like it? >> well, i mean, he may be questioning it because it hasn't seemed -- >> hasn't seemed to have worked. >> but he really likes it himself. he thinks that it is funny, it is -- it goes to a lot of things that he likes do and sort of pointing fingers. >> and and i have always had the theory that the democrat had a hidden vote because there are voters who may never vote for him again who just think that he was ripped off and cheated and may give them this time, but not

vote for him in 2020. is there any way to measure that phenomenon? >> not yet. probably not though. i mean, turnout will be lower than it was in the general reaction in 2018, so we may never know that. but what we do know is that the voters are -- the voters here, they are really taking into consideration the president. and i talked to a voter today, a woman the key demographic, 35 years old and she was a republican, voted for trump in 018, switched her patrty registration and voted for mccready today. >> we'll see if he found enough of them tonight. hope you joilenjoyed the trail there. up ahead, president trump's newest primary challenger, mark sanford joins me live just ahead.

(alarm beeping) welcome to our busy world. where we all want more energy. but with less carbon footprint. that's why, at bp, we're working to make energy that's cleaner and better. we're producing cleaner-burning natural gas. and solar and wind power. and wherever your day takes you... we have advanced fuels for a better commute. and we're developing ultra-fast-charging technology for evs.. at bp, we see possibilities everywhere. so we can all keep advancing. our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy! whoo-hoo! great-tasting ensure. with nine grams of protein and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. ensure, for strength and energy. and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. you should be mad that this is your daily commute.

you should be mad at people who forget they're in public. and you should be mad at simple things that are unnecessarily complicated. but you're not mad, because you're trading with e*trade, which isn't complicated. their app makes trading quick and simple so you can strike when the time is right. don't get mad, get e*trade and start trading today. yesss, i'm doing it all. the water. the exercise. the fiber. month after month, and i still have belly pain and recurring constipation. so i asked my doctor what else i could do, and i said yesss to linzess. linzess treats adults with ibs with constipation or chronic constipation. linzess is not a laxative, it works differently. it helps relieve belly pain and lets you have more frequent and complete bowel movements. do not give linzess to children less than 6, and it should not be given to children 6 to less than 18, it may harm them. do not take linzess if you have a bowel blockage.

get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. the most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. if it's severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. other side effects include gas, stomach area pain, and swelling. i'm still doing it all. the water. the exercise. the fiber. and i said yesss to linzess for help with belly pain and recurring constipation. ask your doctor. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. i wish i could shake your hand. granted. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

welcome back. tonight i'm not obsessed, but i am considering the possibility of investigating whether i may potentially be obsessed at a later date. you see, i'm taking my cue from the house judiciary committee. they unveiled their potential inquiry on impeachment. i say inquir potential because s

tho inqui no inquiry. >> we are in the mirds of an investigation. >> essentially the impeachment inquiry has already begun. >> we're simply putting in to effect certain procedures to make the investigation more effective. >> i know, pretty hard to tell from all of that. but the house judiciary committee has not actually officially launched an inquiry. but that is not stopping them from voting on the rules. they plan to do that on thursday. which begs the question, if there is no formal investigation, what exactly are you voting on? to quote politico, it is the first he was by lawmakers to acknowledge the committee's consideration of whether to recommend trump's impeachment. have you got that? so to recap, the house judiciary committee is launching an impeachment investigation for the purpose of investigating the possibility of opening an impeachment inquiry. and now they are taking a big step to formalize the rules of

that potential impeachment inquiry. an inquiry that, yes, does not officially exist yet. but one that democrats say they have been doing and and that no they're going to do even more seriously, to potentially recommend articles of impeachment to the house, which of course the senate is not going to consider no matter what. or to just put it more succinctly, congress is back in session, folks. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ award winning interface. ♪ ♪ award winning design. ♪ ♪ award winning engine. ♪ ♪ the volvo xc90. our most awarded luxury suv. ♪ ♪

who got an awful skin condition. with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you feel like you're itching all the time. and you never know how your skin will look. because deep within your skin an overly sensitive immune system could be the cause. so help heal your skin from within, with dupixent. dupixent is not a steroid, and it continuously treats your eczema even when you can't see it. at 16 weeks, nearly four times more patients taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin compared to those not taking it, and patients saw a significant reduction in itch. do not use if you are allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, a severe reaction. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision. if you are taking asthma medicines, do not change or stop your asthma medicine without talking to your doctor. help heal your skin from within. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent.

we really pride ourselves on >> temaking it easy for youass, to get your windshield fixed. >> teacher: let's turn in your science papers. >> tech vo: this teacher always puts her students first. >> student: i did mine on volcanoes. >> teacher: you did?! oh, i can't wait to read it. >> tech vo: so when she had auto glass damage... she chose safelite. with safelite, she could see exactly when we'd be there. >> teacher: you must be pascal. >> tech: yes ma'am. >> tech vo: saving her time... [honk, honk] >> kids: bye! >> tech vo: ...so she can save the science project. >> kids: whoa! >> kids vo: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace ♪ ♪ go where my baby lives b[ growl ]olle♪s good boy.

hey. hey. you must be steven's phone. know who's on your network and control who shouldn't be with xfinity xfi. simple. easy. awesome.

you're going to run for president against donald trump in the republican race? >> i am. i am. >> why? >> because i think we need to have a conversation on what it means to be a republican. i think that as a republican party we have lost our way. >> welcome back, that was former south carolina governor congressman and former congressman mark sanford. president trump's newest primary challenger. the field against president trump now stands at three. it's quite crowded when you look at these resumes, we've got a couple former governors, former massachusetts governor bill weld, joe walsh also in the race. president trump says these challengers have no credibility, pointing to his sky high approval rating with republican voters. as we've seen in the past, a primary opponent can spell general election problems for a sitting president. joining me now is former south carolina republican governor, newly minted presidential candidate mark sanford. congressman, governor, which title do you prefer these days, dad, mark, grandpa, you know?

>> whatever, yeah. >> hey, you, right? >> yeah. >> let me ask it this way. the history says someone of your stature challenging a sitting president dooms that president's re-election chances, and yet you're running anyway. fair? do you hope to doom his re-election chances? >> you can't own what you don't own in life. i've talked to a number of different republican colleagues and friends and said look, this is not a good idea. you need to hold back. we need to circle the wagons around our guy. i said well, that pruesumes it' all about our guy. what about the hopes and dreams of my four boys, a lot of kids and grandkids i don't know. ultimately politics ought to be about improving the lives of those that we represent, and if so it ought to be about ideas, so there's a robust debate going on on the democratic side on what it means to be a democrat. there always to be an equally robust on what it means to be a republican.

and so i just think that, you know, think about high school football. i mean, there are a bunch of teams in south carolina right now out there scrimmaging because they know they'll play that much better on friday night as a consequence of those scrimmages, and so i've said to my republican friends, no this is about improving the ideas that the republican party stands for, about improving the level of national debate, whether you're a republican or a democrat. it's -- you know, i don't own what i don't own. some people say this could hurt his chances. it could make him better, how about that? >> what -- articulate -- there's debt and deficit, which i know where you are on that. in what other ways do you think he has damaged the republican brand? >> well, there are a lot of boats that go in and out of the port in charleston here, and he is damaging world trade. as late as friday "the wall street journal" had a report on how a full percentage point of gdp growth had been lost due to trade uncertainty. are we the party of protectionism now?

are we a party that looks inward rather than out ward? we have to have a conversation on political norms and institutions. that's the glue that's held our balance of power in place for more than 200 years, and when he goes out and says the fed chairman is an enemy of the state, we're challenging political norms like you can't believe, and finally, i'd say this. we've got to have a conversation on tone in politics. you know, you look at the first congressional district as a referendum to his tone, there are a lot of working women, there are a lot of young millennials who turned away in droves, and so this district went democrat for the first time in 50 years. i think there are a bunch of things to be discussed on the republican side of the ledger. >> why do you think, though, there is so little appetite at least publicly for this? you're not wrong among elected officials. i talked to elected republicans and every one of them off the record would love a robust primary challenger. would love at a minimum a real debate here and a maximum, i think they wish for something

else completely, but as you know, there is no public appetite for admitting this. you're a pariah for even admitting that you want to challenge the president as you know. >> well, that's the important part about breaking the ice. they say the hardest step in a journey is the first step. >> yeah. >> i mean, i think it's important to go out there and try and force the issue, which i'm going to try and do and i think others are as well, and all of a sudden there begin to be fissures. the fact that they closed down the debate in south carolina, which has historically been a point of great pride in our state, first in the south primary is amazing. there's no way you have a 90% win and don't take it but that's what they're going to do here in south carolina. >> i'm curious your reaction to john bolton's either firing or resignation? how does it make you feel as a republican? >> line him up. i mean, again, you could like or dislike john bolton, the bigger point is rex tillerson, general mattis, general kelly, it's an

endless list of people who have come and left this administration based on, i guess they're all idiots or i think his term for tillerson, though he ran exxon which is a rather large company, dumb as a rock i think was the president's expression. everybody is stupid compared to the president, and there's something wrong with that, and so yet he's another casualty of this rather enormous, well, keep going, i'm sorry. were you about to say? >> when you were on my shoi a couple of weeks ago on the sunday show and i asked you the point-blank question if you're unsuccessful in the primary, will you still support him for president? you said yes. the amount of feedback i got about that left and right, the uniform response was perplexed. >> that's fair enough. but let me, again, explain more clearly what i'm talking about because in one sentence phrases. >> i know, i'm going to be cutting you off here in a second, but go. >> okay. what i'd say is i'm an idea guy,

and i'm going to vote for the person that is ultimately the closest to me on debt, deficit, and government spending. >> all right. well, it will be interesting then to ask you the question if it ends up trump and biden versus trump or warren. mark sanford, sir, stay safe on the trail, and that's all we have for tonight. we'll be back tomorrow with more "meet the press" daily. good evening, ari. >> happy election day, good evening to you. >> yes. >> we have a lot in the beat tonight, white house disarray with the president ousting his top national security adviser via tweet and reports trump is already lying about the dispute. house democrats starting to subpoena the pentagon after officers used u.s. tax dollars to stay at a trump resort, a story that keeps picking up legs, and republicans facing this doover election after getting busted for election fraud, which has trump on defense. but we begin with the breaking news out of washington.