JOINING OUR CONVERSATION, FORMER
RNC CHAIRMAN, MICHAEL STEELE.
CLAIRE IS STILL HERE.
MICHAEL STEELE, LET ME START
WITH YOU.
I STARTED THIS CONVERSATION WITH
MARK McKINNON AND CORNELL
BELCHER, WHO KNOW A WHOLE LOT
ABOUT CAMPAIGNS.
AND I HAVEN’T HAD A CHANCE TO
ASK YOU ABOUT THIS, BUT THOMAS
FRIEDMAN LAST WEEK WROTE A
PRETTY POINTED PIECE THAT DONALD
TRUMP IS SEEKING TO WAG THE DOG,
BUT AS OPPOSED TO IN THE
FICTIONAL, DARK COMEDY, HIS WAR
TO DISTRACT FROM CRISIS IS ONE
BEING WAGED ON AMERICANS IN THE
STREETS OF AMERICAN CITIES.
DO YOU SEE IT THAT WAY?
>> I DO, NOT ONLY DOES HE WANT
TO WAG THE DOG, BUT BREAK HIS
LEGS AS HE’S DOING IT SO HE
CAN’T MOVE.
AND CAN’T COME BACK.
AND THAT’S THE ULTIMATE TAKEDOWN
HERE.
AND IT STILL FRUSTRATES ME TO NO
END HOW FOLKS OUT THERE ACROSS
THE COUNTRY CONTINUE TO PLAY
INTO A NARRATIVE THAT THEY’RE
BEING SET UP TO PLAY INTO.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER SITES
AND AREAS INSIDE PORTLAND AND
ACRO THE COUNTRY THAT AREN’T
FEDERAL.
DO NOT GIVE THE PRESIDENT THE
LINK HE’S LOOKING FOR TO CONNECT
THAT DOT.
GO TO STATE PROPERTY, GO TO A
MALL, GO SOME PLACE ELSE, BUT
YOU DON’T HAVE TO OPEN UP THAT
PANDORA’S BOX OF CRAZY THAT
TRUMP WANTS TO OPEN AND HAVE A
CELL PHONE THERE, READY TO
VIDEOTAPE YOUR ACTIONS AND
REACTIONS AND PLAY IT BACK IN
HIS CAMPAIGN COMMERCIALS TO SAY,
SEE, I TOLD YOU, THIS IS THE
AMERICA THEY WANT.
AND SO THERE’S A DIFFERENT WAY
TO APPROACH THIS CONVERSATION.
AND IT STARTS BY BEING SMART
ABOUT WHO YOUR OPPONENT IS.
DONALD TRUMP WILL ALWAYS TELL
YOU WHAT HE’S GOING TO DO.
HE DOESN’T SHY AWAY FROM THAT.
YOU KNOW WHY, BECAUSE HE
BELIEVES YOU CAN’T STOP HIM.
HE BELIEVES YOU CAN’T BEAT HIM.
AND CONSISTENTLY, FROM MUELLER
TO RIGHT NOW, WE’VE WATCHED
COUNTLESS INSTITUTIONS AND
INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS AND
ORGANIZATIONS PLAY INTO HIS
HAND.
THESE DOWN NOW, BUT THERE’S A
GREAT PIECE IN THE ATLANTIC THAT
TALKS ABOUT, HE’S NOT OUT.
AND THERE’S A LOT THAT CAN
HAPPEN BETWEEN NOW AND
SEPTEMBER, LET ALONE NOVEMBER,
THAT REPOSITIONS DONALD TRUMP TO
GET THE UPPER HAND IN THIS
CAMPAIGN.
AND THAT BIDEN UP BY 12 COULD
VERY QUICKLY BECOME BIDEN DOWN
BY 5.
>> I DO NOT DISAGREE WITH
ANYTHING THAT YOU SAID, BUT
HERE’S MY QUESTION.
HOW IS HE GETTING AWAY WITH
BLAMING ANYTHING HAPPENING,
ANYWHERE IN AMERICA, ON ANYONE
OTHER THAN HIMSELF?
THESE ARE IMAGES OF DONALD
TRUMP’S AMERICA.
THESE AREN’T IMAGES OF JOE
BIDEN’S AMERICA.
HE’S LITERALLY AT THE MOMENT NOT
IN CHARGE OF ANYTHING.
>> BECAUSE HE’S THE GRAND MASTER
OF WRITING THE SCRIPT AND THE
NARRATIVE, PAINTING THE PICTURE.
HE IS PT BARNUM ON STEROIDS,
RECOGNIZING THAT NOT ONLY IS
THERE A SUCKER BORN EVERY
MINUTE, BUT THERE ARE COUNTLESS
SUCKERS BORN EVERY MINUTE.
SO HE KEEPS PLAYING THIS
NARRATIVE OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
AND IN HIS SPEECH TO ME, THE ONE
THING THAT I THINK NICOLE WE
CAN’T LOSE SIGHT OF ABOUT THIS
ELECTION, THERE ARE A LOT MORE
PEOPLE WHO LIKE WHAT TRUMP IS
DOING THAN WE WANT TO ACCEPT OR
WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE.
AND HE KNOWS THAT.
AND THAT’S WHY IT WORKS.
AND THAT’S WHY IT CONTINUES TO
WORK.
THESE PEOPLE AREN’T -- THEY’RE
OUT THERE PROTESTING DONALD
TRUMP.
HE FLIPS THE SCRIPT AND MAKES IT
AS IF THEY’RE PROTESTING AGAINST
AVERAGE EVERYDAY AMERICANS,
HARD-WORKING AMERICANS, ORWHO AR
JUST TRYING TO GET A PAYCHECK.
OH, BY THE WAY, YOU HAD A HAND
IN CUTTING OFF THOSE PAYCHECKS
BECAUSE OF HOW YOU RESPONDED TO
COVID-19, AND HOW YOU RESPONDED
TO THE ECONOMY, BUT THAT’S NOT
PART OF THE SCRIPT.
AND THAT’S WHAT WE NEED TO BE
SMART ABOUT, I THINK.
>> CLAIRE, ARE DEMOCRATS BEING
SMART ENOUGH ABOUT IT TO GUARD
AGAINST WHAT MICHAEL STEELE
DESCRIBES, A TURN, A CHANGE OF
FORTUNES IN THE POLLS FOR JOE
BIDEN.
>> WELL, DONALD TRUMP IS GOING
TO HIS PLAYBOOK THAT WORKED IN
2016.
IN 2016, HE HAD TO CREATE AN
ENEMY, AND HE MADE MEXICANS AND
MUSLIMS THE ENEMY IN 2016.
NOW HE’S TRYING TO MAKE
AMERICANS -- HE’S DECLARING
AMERICANS THE ENEMY THAT ARE
PROTESTING RACIAL INJUSTICE.
SO HOW DO WE KEEP FROM ALLOWING
HIM TO MAKE AMERICANS THE ENEMY?
WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS
TO HAPPEN HERE IS WE IN THE
MEDIA ALSO HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO
TELL THE STORY ACCURATELY.
I SAW IN FERGUSON, THERE WAS A
TENDENCY OF THE MEDIA TO PLAY
THE SAME B-ROLL OVER AND OVER.
AND THE B-ROLL, MANY TIMES, WAS
THE MOST DRAMATIC.
BUT THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF
FOOTAGE OF HOUR AFTER HOUR OF
GRANDMOTHERS AND CHILDREN
PEACEFULLY PROTESTING, HUNDREDS
AND THOUSANDS OF THEM.
I KNOW THAT IS GOING ON IN
PORTLAND.
IT’S BY AND LARGE A PEACEFUL
PROTEST.
BUT WHAT IS BEING PUT IN FRONT
OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IS WAY
TOO MUCH OF THE FOOTAGE OF THE
FIREWORKS AND THE SHIELDS AND,
YOU KNOW, TEARING DOWN THE
FENCE.
AND THAT’S ATINI TEENY PORTION O
THE PEOPLE.
I’M WITH MICHAEL.
IT’S NOT SMART FOR THEM TO BE
PICKING A FEDERAL BUILDING.
I’M ALL FOR THE PROTESTS.
I THINK IT’S GREAT, BUT THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING VIOLENCE
AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
DESTROYING PROPERTY ARE REALLY
DAMAGING THE LEGACY OF JOHN,
