EMOTION WHICH CAN’T BE CAPTURED
OR REALLY PUSHED BACK AGAINST,
BUT I WANT TO START, CLAIRE, AS
A FORMER WHITE HOUSE STAFFER, AS
SOMEONE WHO WORKED FOR A
PRESIDENT, THE PRESIDENT LOOKED
LIKE A DOPE, THE PRESIDENT STOOD
IN THE ROSE GARDEN, TALKED ABOUT
STANDING FOR PEACEFUL PROTESTERS
WHILE HIS OWN GOVERNMENT WAS
LITERALLY GASSING THEM.
AND THEN HE MAKES THIS MORONIC WALK UNDER HEAVY MILITARY
WALK UNDER HEAVY MILITARY
PROTECTION AND WAVES AROUND A
BIBLE WHICH LIKE IT’S SOMETHING
HE’S NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
>> YOU KNOW, I AM SO SAD AND
ANGRY AND FULL OF EMOTION ABOUT
WHAT OUR COUNTRY IS GOING
THROUGH RIGHT NOW.
AND THE NERVE OF THIS MAN AND
THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM THINKING
IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO USE POLICE
ON HORSES AND TEAR GAS AND
FLASHBANGS TO MOVE A PEACEFUL
CROWD SO HE COULD GO OUT THERE
AND DO SOMETHING THAT’S IN ITS
ESSENCE SO PHONY.
WHAT’S MOST INSULTING ABOUT IT,
NICOLLE, IS THAT HE ACTUALLY
THINKS THAT AMERICANS BELIEVE
THAT HE IS SOMEHOW A CHRISTIAN.
HE’S NEVER READ THE BIBLE.
HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT’S IN IT.
HE DOESN’T -- HE HASN’T BEEN
SOMEBODY WHO HAS ATTENDED CHURCH
AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES.
HE’S NEVER ROLE MODEL CHRISTIAN
BEHAVIOR.
HE DOESN’T KNOW THE BEATTITUDES.
AND SO FOR HIM TO USE THIS
BIBLE, WHAT I CAN’T GET IS
PEOPLE AROUND HIM, WHO SHOULD
HAVE STOPPED HIM AND SAY, THIS
WON’T WORK.
THE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT YOU
NEED TO VOTE FOR WHO AREN’T FOR
YOU NOW, AREN’T GOING TO BUY
WHAT YOU’RE SELLING.
OH, MY LORD.
PARDON ME.
I’M AT A LOSS.
I’M JUST AT A LOSS.
>> YOU JEAN, I HEAR YOU
CHUCKLING, WE’RE STARING AT
IMAGES THAT ARE TOTALLY BEYOND
DONALD TRUMP’S CONTROL.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ON THE
STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY,
MOMENTS AGO, WE HAD A LIVE
REPORT, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
GATHERED ON THE STREETS OF
HOUSTON, DONALD TRUMP HAS LOST
THE THREAD ON THIS COUNTRY, THE
COUNTRY IS HAVING A CONVERSATION
ABOUT GRIEF AND RAGE ABOUT THE
WAY BLACK MEN AND WOMEN IN SOME
CASES, BOYS AND GIRLS, ARE
TREATED BY POLICE AND DONALD
TRUMP IS THROWING TEAR GAS AT
PEACEFUL PROTESTERS AND NOT EVEN
TRYING TO DIVE INTO THE STREAM
THAT’S COURSING THROUGH THIS
COUNTRY.
>> YES, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS A
WAY OF MAKING EVERYTHING WORSE
AND HE’S CERTAINLY DOING IT
TODAY AND DID IT YESTERDAY AND I
CAN’T -- YOU KNOW, I CAN’T SPEAK
WITHOUT FIRST TALKING ABOUT --
YOU SAID HE HELD THE BIBLE AS IF
IT AN ALIEN OBJECT, AS IF IT HAD
FALLEN FROM OUTER SPACE AT HIS
FEET AND HE PICKED IT UP AND WAS
EXAMINING IT, NO IDEA WHAT IT
WAS AND CERTAINLY NO IDEA WHAT
WAS IN IT.
BUT THE COUNTRY IS HAVING A
CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE, AN
IMPORTANT CONVERSATION ABOUT
RACE, WE DO THAT SCRATCH EDLY,
WE DON’T ALL GO TO OUR PUBLIC
LIBRARIES ON A GIVEN NIGHT AND
SIT DOWN IN A CIRCLE AND HAVE A
HEARTFELT CONVERSATION ABOUT
RACE.
WE, YOU KNOW, WE RUB UP AGAINST
EACH OTHER IN CONFLICTIVE WAYS
AND THAT’S UNFORTUNATELY THE WAY
WE MAKE ON -- AND THE COUNTRY
HAS DECIDED THAT THIS IS A
MOMENT WHEN WE NEED TO HAVE A
SERIOUS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE
WAY BLACK MEN AND WOMEN, BUT
ESPECIALLY BLACK MEN ARE TREATED
BY POLICE IN THIS SOCIETY.
WE HAVE HAD PROTEST IN ALL 50
STATES, MORE THAN A HUNDRED
CITIES, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE SPONTANEOUSLY TAKING
TO THE STREETS AND SAYING,
ENOUGH.
INCREDIBLY DIVERSE CROWDS.
THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I’M OLD
ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE RIOTS OF
1968 AND I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL --
THOSE WERE BY AFRICAN-AMERICANS
WHO WERE IN ANGUISH AND ENRAGED
AT THE ASSASSINATION OF MARTIN
LUTHER KING.
THESE DEMONSTRATIONS THAT WE’RE
SEEING NOW ARE -- ARE MUCH MORE
DIVERSE AND MUCH MORE WIDESPREAD
IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF CITIES
AND CITIZENS INVOLVED.
BUT NO ONE IS ANGRY AND NO ONE
IS HEARTFELT -- THE COUNTRY IS
GOING TO HAVE THIS DIALOGUE AND
YOU KNOW, THE SAD THING IS THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS GOING TO GET
IN THE WAY OF THAT DIALOGUE BUT
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE IT NO MATTER
WHAT HE DOES.
>> YOU KNOW, JONATHAN, I THINK
YOU JEAN
EUGENE IS RIGHT, THIS IS A
CONVERSATION WE’RE HAVING AS A
COUNTRY, THIS IS WHAT’S ON
TELEVISION AROUND THE CLOCK AND
THE ONLY OTHER STORY I THINK
THAT’S URGENTLY NEEDING TO BE
TOLD IS THE ONGOING THREAT OF
CORONAVIRUS, WHICH IS A THREAT
THAT WAS MADE WORSE FOR EVERY
AMERICAN BY DONALD TRUMP’S
BOTCHED HANDLING OF EARLY
WARNINGS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
OF THIS YEAR OF JUST HOW LETHAL
AND JUST HOW DANGEROUS THAT
VIRUS WAS.
THE TWO BIG CONVERSATIONS, THE
TWO BIG CRISES IN THIS COUNTRY,
TWO AREAS WHERE DONALD TRUMP HAS
EITHER COMPLETELY FAILED OR
RENDERED IRRELEVANT, NOT PART OF
THE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS BY HIS
OWN DESIGN BY HOW WE TEST AND
TRACE AND REOPEN THE COUNTRY IN
A SAFE WAY AROUND CORONAVIRUS
AND AS EUGENE JUST SAID, THIS
PRESIDENT REALLY HAS NOTHING TO
SAY AND WHEN HE DOES OPEN HIS
MOUTH, MANY AFRICAN-AMERICAN
LEADERS AND DEMOCRATIC LEADERS
THINK HE MAKES IT WORSE AROUND
RACE.
>> CERTAINLY THIS WHITE HOUSE
WOULD MUCH RATHER BE TALKING
ABOUT THIS -- THE VIOLENCE IN
AMERICAN CITIES AND THE
PROTESTS, MOST OF THEM PEACEFUL,
THAT’S NOT WHAT THEY’RE FOCUSING
ON, RATHER THAN THE PANDEMIC.
QUICK NOTE ABOUT THAT, THE
PRESIDENT HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR
WEEKS TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT.
DID NOT WANT TO REVISIT AGAIN
THE WHITE HOUSE ADMINISTRATION’S
FAILURES AND ITS TRACK RECORDS
IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY AND
EARLY MARCH TO PREPARE THE
COUNTRY FOR WHAT WAS COMING.
OTHER THAN A COMMENT ABOUT THE
VACCINE, THE WHITE HOUSE ISN’T
TALKING ABOUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH
ASPECT, THEY’RE STILL PUSHING
FOR THE ECONOMY TO REOPEN,
EVERYTHING THE PRESIDENT IS
DOING OF COURSE IS EYE -- WITH
HIS EYE ON RE-ELECTION, FIVE
MONTHS OR SO AWAY AND THAT
INCLUDES THIS, HE AND HIS
ADVISERS FEEL LIKE THIS IS A
CULTURE WAR THAT HELP THEM,
EXCITE THEIR BASE AND PERHAPS
THEY BELIEVE IF HE EMBRACES THE
MANTLE OF THE LAW AND ORDER
PRESIDENT WHICH WE SAW HIM DO
YESTERDAY IN THE ROSE GARDEN,
AGAIN TODAY ON TWITTER, THERE
WILL BE SOME AMERICANS WHO ARE
NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE
SEEING UNFOLD ACROSS THE COUNTRY
WHO WILL BE DRAWN TO THAT IMAGE
THE BIDEN CAMP OF COURSE IS
PLAYING THIS VERY DIFFERENTLY.
THEY’RE SHOWING JOE BIDEN A
COMPASSIONATE CANDIDATE,
PRESIDENT TRUMP HASN’T DONE
THAT.
WHAT WE SAW YESTERDAY WAS AN
ATTEMPT AT A DISPLAY OF
STRENGTH, OF AMERICAN MIGHT, OR
AT LEAST HIS PERCEPTION OF
AMERICAN MIGHT, TO TURN FEDERAL
FORCES ON AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO
AT THE TIME AT LAFAYETTE PARK
WERE PROTESTING PEACEFULLY, BUT
THE PRESIDENT AND THE TEAM THEY
WANTED THAT PHOTO-OP.
THEY WANTED TWO PHOTO-OPS.
THEY WANTED THE AWKWARD ONE IN
FRONT OF THE CHURCH HOLDING THE
BIBLE, THAT’S A NOTION OF A
RECLAIMING TERRITORY OUTSIDE THE
WHITE HOUSE, A NOD TO HIS
EVANGELICAL SUPPORTERS.
BUT HIS ADVISERS TOLD ME TODAY,
THEY ALSO WANTED THE PHOTO-OP OF
THE PARK BEING CLEARED, THEY
WANTED TO SEND THE MESSAGE THIS
