an audio obtained by the "washington post," nick mulvaney told a group that they'll be able to stave off a blue wave despite president trump he is unpopularity. a lot will depend on the likability of individual candidates. new york times headline on that private meeting centers on ted cruz and how mulvaney warned these donors that he could end up losing his senate race because he's not seen as likeable enough. it's unclear if president obama will travel to texas as part of his strategy to help democrats after making his debut back on the campaign trail this weekend. >> where there's a vacuum in our democracy, when we are not participating, we're not paying attention, when we're not stepping up, other voices fill the void. but the good news is, in two months we have a chance to restore some sanity in our politics. all across the country, you can feel the energy. you can feel people saying, oh, enough is enough. we're going to kick off our bedroom slippers, we're putting on our marching shoes. we're going to go up and start taking clip boards out. >> let's bring in julie man chebser an

nick mulvaney in the white house said this, according to "the new york times" said this in private. a very real possibility we will win a race for senate in florida and lose a race in texas for senate. i don't think it's likely but it's a possibility. how likeable is the candidate? that still counts. how much, errol, does that still count? >> i think he may have hurt ted cruz's feelings. it always counts and nick -- >> there are a lot of people that didn't like donald trump necessarily but they still voted for him. >> well, fair number of people who do like him and liked his style. look. the reality is it's politics 101. you have to be a likeable candidate or you've got no business in the voting booth. i think nick mulvaney, frankly, is whistling past the graveyard or the voting booth as the case may be because the generic polls show the republicans in a recent lead. that's not a good sign and not about personality when it comes down to that. >> we were reading in the texas tribune that ted cruz was talking about -- of course. he said something interesting here. his comments about t

david, here's what nick mulvaney was caught on this videotape saying to a room full of republican leadersl read it to you. he says you may hate the president and there's a lot of people who do but they certainly like the way the country is going. if you figure out a way to subject fr-- subtract your feelings, the chances go up dramatically. is that what you do, subtract your feelings? >> alisyn, that's not the case at all. as you and your viewers know, i am a very vocal and ardent supporter of the president. what mulvaney is talking about, historical trends in the midterms. you could say the same about president obama, president obama is out there helping his side, and president clinton and president bush got drummed. i said this, you know, yesterday and i said it repeatedly, if president obama is so shocked about why the electorate turned and voted for president trump, all he needs to do is look in the mirror. his presidency and administration were the cause for the rise of the electorate and supporting of president trump. >> i understand. every election is a reaction to the one before t

i want to read something that nick mulvaney, the director of the white house budget office, said.s is about the president. let's go to the one about the president, guys, the next full screen. he said the following. here is the quote from new york city. they obtained a recording. i mean, maybe that is true, but that is an interesting case to come from someone who is working there in the white house. just forget how much you hate the president. >> right, absolutely. that is a very interesting case and you almost need a magician to pull off that trick. obviously, many people are happy with the way the economy is going, but many people are not happy with the president of the united states and it's very hard for voters to somehow subtract who the president is from the state of our politics and many republicans, right now, especially in these house contests, that could be a big issue that flips the chamber to the democrats. so it's interesting to hear mulvaney say that, but i don't think it's going to be possible to make that separation. that is exactly what republicans are hoping for.

priceless, nick mulvaney, the president's budget director at a fund-raiser said this to "the new yorkikeable is a candidate? that still counts. that is dig for mick mulvaney at ted cruz. ouch! >> everybody knows that ted crews is unlikable but you don't say it outloud. >> the president is going tock texas to campaign for ted cruz. he is spending a lot of his precious presidential time in states like tennessee and texas and going to mississippi this week in another senate race. even though the president is going to spend a lot of time on the campaign trail he is playing a lot of defense each at a time where republicans should be on offense in the senate because they have such a favorable map. >> you asked why doesn't -- don't the economic numbers breck through more? part of the problem you see president trump at these rallies, the mentions of the economy improving and the things that are a regular political strategy gift would tell you to focus on dutiful. it's the red meat, the attacking "the new york times" or attacking cnn or, you know, going after the mueller and the investigators.

. >> nick mulvaney had that quote i'm still sort of laughing that was overheard from the fund-raiser, by the way, he said, if he could take the president out of the equation, republicans will be fine. okay. and if tom brady stopped being the quarterback of the patriots, the jets might win the division, right? >> you can't do that, and yet at the same time there's a number of people in the base who don't want to take the president out of the equation. >> probably a number of candidates that need the president in the equation. >> and he's going to be active on the campaign trail. i do think that given the position that his approval rating is in right now, it kind of underscores how important this hurricane moment could really be for him. because, you know, people expect -- this is when people expect the president to, you know, do the equivalent of fill the potholes, pick up the trash. this is important, on-the-ground stuff that affects people's lives. so if he gets the job done, he might not move incredibly up. did he doesn't, that would be really impactful. >> that's what's been odd h

the administration but you look at these people who have denied it, mike pence, steve mnuchin, nick mulvaney, many more, all sensible people that would all be left there to continue to goad the president is that opf ed somewhat undermined from the list of people that would have remained there anyway >> it is with some of the denials. so that's a good question if you assume that this person has a moral obligation to resign and announce publicly their frustrations with the president and declare to the world what's happening. then you could argue there'll be other people who are left in place. but the argument from the writer is that he or she needs to remain in place in order to continue to protect the country. that's an awfully big thing for someone to assert they know how better to protect the country than the duly appointed president of the united states that's why i said this morning this feels to me not like a constitutional crisis but an unconstitutional crisis. you have people inside the administration who are taking unconstitutional means, that are not expressly laid out means to addre

. >> according to an audio recording staffers, white house budget chief nick mulvaney, let's keep goingin florida and lose a race in texas for senate. i don't think it's likely but it's a possibility. how likable is a candidate? that still counts. so rick tyler, this one is for you. as the former cruz strategist it does seem as though the signs are that ted cruz might actually lose this race. >> it's possible. people will say, no, it's not possible because again you look at texas and you say it's a red state -- >> it's a democratic pipe dream. it's never going to happen. >> it's never going to happen. but mayor raurk has consistently outfunded and he's grabbed national attention. >> and jeff, the president said he's going to hold a campaign rally in the biggest stadium in texas. this is of course, there's been reporting that republicans down in texas they had to say to the president, hey, we realize you may run against this guy, you don't like him all that much but you've got to show up. >> a, the fact that ted cruz wants donald trump to help is amazing, and it's also sort of a reflecti

probably the biggest challenge for the republican candidates that they have a president that even nick mulvaney talking about the president or ted cruz? >> both. >> eugene robinson and robert costa thank you both. now to the state of emergency from maryland to carolinas as hurricane florence barrels towards the united states as a powerful category 4 storm. governors in north carolina, south carolina and virginia have issued mandatory evacuation orders impacting at least 1 million people ahead of the storm's land fall. let's bring in bill karins for more on this. >> this has all the elements to be a harvey type situation and irma. strong winds and storm surge plus on top of that rainfall that could be like 30, 40 inches of rain. so here's what we're looking at. still about 1,000 miles away from north carolina. 140 mile-per-hour winds. we still have about 60 to 72 hours before we see the real bad effects get into the coast. the hurricane center has that friday at 2:00 a.m. 130 mile-per-hour winds. somewhere between myrtle beach and cape hatteras. then the problem is the storm will stall for 24-48