Skip to main content

tv   State of the Union With Jake Tapper  CNN  December 31, 2017 6:00am-7:00am PST

6:00 am
trump's first year. we look back at key moments from the president's historic year in office. >> we have more legislative victories than any other president. >> and what year two might bring for his presidency. >> he's going to surprise people. >> president trump's former communications director anthony scaramucci will be here. plus, the investigation continues as president trump continues to attack the fbi and dismiss the russia probe as a hoax.
6:01 am
>> there is absolutely no collusion. >> special counsel robert mueller and his team press forward with their probe. we discuss the latest details with legendary investigative journalist bob woodward and carl burnstein. and majority in trouble? republicans end the year with a major legislative victory on taxes. >> this is going to give the american economy the jolt of energy it needs. >> but is the gop at risk of losing its hold on congress next year? >> we're in a very challenging midterm environment. >> we'll break down the political map for 2018. hello, i'm dana bash in for jake tapper in washington where "the state of the union" is making resolutions. after enjoying ample time on the golf course during his holiday break in florida, president trump is heading into a critical election year with a schedule that is already filling up.
6:02 am
shortly after returning to washington, the president plans to huddle at camp david with the house speaker, paul ryan, and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell to strategize for the new year. and the president is already expressing optimism that he can be a deal-maker in 2018. he told "the new york times," we can do bipartisan health care, we can do bipartisan infrastructure, and we can do bipartisan daca. also already on the books for january, the president's first formal physical examination and his first state of the union address. joining me now to discuss the president's first year in office and what lies ahead in 2018 is his former white house communications director and someone, i guess it is fair to say, in his inner circle, anthony scaramucci. anthony, thank you for joining me. happy new year to you. >> dana, great to be here. happy new year. >> you still speak to the president, how is he feeling about his first year in office? >> listen, i think the president
6:03 am
feels great. i talked to him last monday. and he's very happy with what happened as it related to the tax reform bill that was put in place recently. and so listen, i think 2018 will be a big year, a big year for the republicans, and because we both know, dana, that the midterm elections for a first-term president always go to the other side. i think the president will surprise here by delivering very strong results alongside of the republicans in the congressional midterms. >> let's talk about tax reform. one of the most controversial aspects of this new tax bill is the cap it puts on state and local deductions. this week president trump told "the new york times" that it might have turned out differently if democrats had been willing to work with him. here's what he said, he said, i could have done something with salt or made it less severe, but they were very ineffective, they meaning the democrats. the president seems to bed a mitting he could have made the
6:04 am
tax penalty less severe. was it about punishing blue states? >> no, i don't think it was about punishing. i think all the president's saying there is that there are always chips on the table for bargaining purposes. and so because they weren't willing to deal with him, a lot of the chips that they could have used were left on the table. so that is actually a signal from the president. he's trying to signal the democrats that he's ready to work with them. and that whatever chips are on the table for health care or for daca, he's there to negotiate with them. i mean, i think that's been the hallmark of his entree prer neural success as a business leader, he's a great negotiator, and he's trying to signal to these guys, listen, there's stuff that we can do together. as it relates to the salt situation, i know people on the democratic side will say that was a punishment for the blue states, i don't think anybody sees it that way. i think we're past that as it relates to tax strategy. the good relationship with secretary mnuchin. the goal there was just
6:05 am
basically to find ways to lower the overall rate. that would also make everyone a little more competitive and accountable on their budgets at the state and local level. so to me, long-term, that is probably short-term states, short-term paying for the states like i live in, new york. but it will make them more entrepreneurial. so it's a good thing by and large. >> the president has recently stepped up his attacks on his own fbi, calling it tainted, saying its reputation is in tatters, this week a republican congressman took that to a new level. listen to what he said. >> i would like to see the directors of the agencies purging. >> do you agree? should there be a purge at the fbi? >> not close enough to really make a judgment there for me personally. but i think what the president is expressing is some level of frustration at what we know from
6:06 am
our lives and what we read in the social textbooks about due process, i think what the president is probably ask for is a dewho litization of the agencies and to go through the rule of law as opposed to what we say from the political agendas. so for me, i hope that that's the case, because i think it is just better for our society. cicero once said we are slaves to the law in order to be free. and nobody is above the law. and i think the president understands that and wants to hold people accountable to do process. that's where the rhetoric is coming from. >> and you don't think the rhetoric is coming from the fact that despite his saying that he doesn't think that he's going to be in any trouble, he is actually worried about whether the investigation is going? >> i really don't think he's worried about it. i've had the opportunity to be in the campaign, i was in the transition, i guess they are calling my period in the white house a mooch. it was 11 days.
6:07 am
>> you are a verb now, congratulations. >> yes, i became a verb now. we'll see what happens in 2018. but in my interaction with the president and his staff, i'm certainly not worried about it. i know he's not worried about it. he said to "the new york times" a couple days ago that he expects the investigation of mueller to treat him fairly. my guess is that will be the case. when you really uncover the data and the information, you'll find that the president was nowhere near the russians as it related to the campaign, the election or anything thereof. so i'm not worried about it. i don't think he's worried about it. i think he's frustrated about it and doesn't like the scandals that go on in washington where we find the scan doll du joir to try to distract our political opponents from the their political agendas by picking on them personally. that has to stop on both sides. if senator clinton became president, they would be
6:08 am
attacking her on her e-mails and uranium one. washington has a fabulous way of finding scandals to hit people with to distract them from their agendas. the great news about the president is he's undistracted, he's undeterred, and i think he'll have a phenomenal 2018. >> speaking of 2018, i think it is fair to say you've had a strange relationship with steve bannon. i'm trying to be nice now. but he recently backed roy moore for senate in alabama and is talking about -- looking ahead to more races where he's going to try to serve the incumbents. when moore was senator, you said it was a good day for america in the sense that bannon lost. do you believe that because of that, the president is going to stay away from the candidates that bannon supports in 2018? >> i can't speak for the president on that. i know he's got a good relationship with steve. >> are you urging him to ignore bannon's advice for now? >> not really. i think what we have all found with the president, that he's
6:09 am
got a very strong constitution and personality. you can offer him advice, but he's going in the direction that he wants to go in, with respectability to device. but specifically as it relates to steve, i always gone on where there was a situation where, that's fine, it is nothing personal for me. steve and i actually on a lot of the ideological areas are quite similar. i think he's a great writer and been by and large a force for good, but there are certain things that he does that i don't like. and i have no problem speaking out against those. and he's felt free to speak out against me, and that is fine. at the end of the day, it was a new page, a new year. so i'm looking forward to finding ways to getting along with steve and finding common interests like we did during the campaign. >> anthony square mu chi, stay right there. we have a lot more to talk about, including the inside scoop from you about what it is
6:10 am
really like to work inside the trump white house. and whether the president will continue to say, you're fired in the new year. four unlimited lines for forty bucks each. with netflix included. watch however you want. on your phone, tablet, or tv. let's rock this joint! so we know how to cover almost almoanything.hing even a swing set standoff.
6:11 am
and we covered it, july first, twenty-fifteen. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ when we set out to make new banquet mega bowls, we didn't tread lightly. we jam packed 'em full of hardy goodness, like majestic piles of cheddar mac 'n cheese
6:12 am
smothered in shredded mozzarella. sounds pretty good, huh? but it wasn't mega. so we took big, tender chunks of chicken. slathered them in spicy buffalo sauce. stacked them on top for a whopping 31 grams of protein and said... "yep". now that's mega.
6:13 am
looking for a hotel that fits... whoooo. ...your budget? tripadvisor now searches over... ...200 sites to find you the... ...hotel you want at the lowest price. grazi, gino! find a price that fits. tripadvisor. welcome back to "state of the union." i'm dana bash. we are back with one of president trump's most loyal workers, anthony scaramucci. he said in the east, it could be
6:14 am
the coldest new year's eve on record. prance we could use a little bit of that global warming that our country, but not other countries, will pay trillions of dollars to protect against. bundle up. is it appropriate for the president to joke about something that scientists believe is harming the country in the world, no matter if it is man made or natural? >> all right, well, first off, you can tell that was the president tweeting himself, am i right, dana? >> you know far better than i. but it certainly seems that way, but i'm glad you are confirming that. >> i'm giving a shout-out to my friend dan scavino. i know the difference between when dan is tweeting and the president. and that was clearly the president. i love the president's sense of humor, but i also think he's saying something else. and i think you should ask him directly if he's a climate change denier or not. i think you'll be surprised by that answer. >> meaning? meaning you think that he believes, he believes that climate change is real and manmade? >> well, i'm going to let him --
6:15 am
hopefully you guys will call and question out to him. i'll let him answer that directly. i'm not going to answer that for him, but more specifically, what he's saying in that tweet is that the deal, the paris accord, there was something wrong in that deal as it related to the united states. so he didn't just want to sign it and go along with the crowd. i think what you'll find with the president, he's an entrepreneur, entrepreneurs have the tendency to diverge from crowd thinking. a lot of the times in the early stages of that, they get ridiculed and picked on. but longer-term, like jeff bezos and steven jobs, you see it come to fruition. so my prediction is sometime at the end of 2018, people look back at him and say, wow, he had a lot of common sense by getting out of the climate accord. but he's pretty much a practical common sense oriented guy. but in the meantime, it is freezing here on this beautiful sunday morning. >> during the first year in the president's term, more than a
6:16 am
dozen top white house officials have resigned or been pushed out. you were one of them. should we expect this trend to continue in year two, perhaps starting with the secretary of state, rex tillerson? >> hard to really know. but my point on this, i admire that aspect of the president, even though i was a victim of that, i didn't resign, i was fired. at the end of the day, i respect the business-like decisions that are being made by the white house. and it's very different from the government. so for me, i think the president is instilling a culture inside of the government that is refreshing. its perform or we're going to have you to leave. in my specific case, because i was actually hired, in my opinion, to help fire and uncover leakers and to remove people that were bad actors from the white house. fourn fourn unfortunately, the minute you are hired as a hatchet person, the knives are very long and you get taken out as well.
6:17 am
it is what it is, but i do respect the president. and chief of staff kelley. someone wrote an article recently that the white house is performing better since those 13 or 11-day period in july. so i hope people will judge that the way i'm judging it. >> and anthony, you talked about the culture, you recently described what it's like inside the trump white house. and did so fairly on brutal terms during a speech at a hanukkah party this month, you reportedly said, the first pill you take is the anti-friendship pill. you can be my friend for 30 years, but i'm gonna stab your eyeball out with an ice pick if it gets me power. and the second pill that you take, this is what you reportedly said, is power, is aphrodisiac. so students of history know that the power corrupts and it corrupts absolutely. >> lord acton said that. i would recommend people -- >> obviously, this is
6:18 am
metaphoric, but is it really that bad? >> i would recommend people if they had the interest to go to the facebook live. type in my name and see the entire interview. someone took the two excerpts -- i have a ten dency to talk with colorful language. i probably won't talk to reporters that way anymore on a recorded phone line. but i have a tendency to talk with cultural language. i said those things. the point being, it wasn't just about the trump white house but about washington in general. i think we've got to be very careful that people get intoxicated by power. harry truman once said, if you want a friend in washington, buy a dog. and my point about people taking anti-friendship pill, i thought i had very strong alliances with people that in fact i did not have. as a result of the fact that once they were in power, they were building borders to secure
6:19 am
and protect their power. i think that is very, very dangerous. i can tell you candidly the president does not like that. and the president likes a team-oriented culture. that sort of in-fighting, that was taking place, i would say, through the period ending july 31st was something he really didn't like. and he wanted to have end. and frankly, i think i helped him put an end to that. so the last point about power corrupting, one of the reasons why i was a big proponent of turning the lights on in the press room and the cross camera and opening up a broader relationship with the press is that the fourth estates job if done properly, dana, is to check people in power. particularly in our republican democracy. so for me, i met those things. i think we have to be very cautious with people that we give power to. because they can run amok and get overzelous with it. and i think that is why the founding fathers set it up this way, so that there's such a check and balance in the system
6:20 am
so that no one person can rule a roost over everybody else. >> anthony scaramucci, i could not agree with you anymore. that's a beautiful way to end this interview and start the new year. talking about the importance of a free press. >> i hope you take a mucho vacation at some point. >> i want a longer vacation than that. >> exactly, a double mooch. thank you very much. president trump said it has already been proven that there was no collusion with russia, but special counsel robert mueller is pressing forward. is the investigation casting a shadow on the trump presidency? legendary journalist bob woodward and carl bernstein will be here next.
6:21 am
mvo: we had support from the interfaith groups, the synagogue, the churches. ♪ when disaster strikes to one, we all get together and support each other. that's the nature of humanity. ♪ i'll stand by you. ♪ i'll stand by you. ♪ and i'll never desert you. ♪ i'll stand by you. ♪ i'm alive, i'm alive ♪ ♪ i'm alive, i'm alive ♪ ♪ i'm alive, i'm alive ♪ alive! gives you more vitamins and minerals
6:22 am
than leading brands. because when you start with more, you own the morning. alive!
6:23 am
wifiso if you can't live without it...t it. why aren't you using this guy? it makes your wifi awesomely fast. no... still nope. now we're talking! it gets you wifi here, here, and here. it even lets you take a time out. no! no! yes! yes, indeed. amazing speed, coverage and control. all with an xfi gateway. find your awesome, and change the way you wifi.
6:24 am
welcome back to "state of the union." one thing we know on the president's 2018 wish list, a swift end to special counsel robert mumueller's investigatio into potential collusion into anyone on team trump and russia. an interview at the mar-a-lago resort, the president told "the new york times" that the russia investigation is making the country look very bad. but said, he does think mueller is going to be fair. what impact does the continuing investigation have on the trump presidency? hear from my pinch me moment of 2017, the veteran duo who led the reporting on the water gate investigation, bob woodward and
6:25 am
carl bernstein. thank you so much, both of you, for joining me. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> happy to be here. >> bob, let me start with you on the president's increasing attacks on the fbi. he's called the fbi tainted. he said, its reputation is in tatters. he said that he has the absolute right to do whatever he wants to at the justice department. i know you have been working on a book on president trump, what do you -- what strikes you when you hear all of that? >> i think that is a mistake. clearly, now trump is, at least for the moment, saying he expects to be treated fairly by mueller. of course, the fbi on this case works for mueller. if you go back to the nixon case, it was a giant mistake for nixon to have such an mouse to the water gate scandal and then fire him. that got the whole impeachment case going. so mueller's going to do this
6:26 am
job. i think some of the trump lawyers are fantasizing when they think it's going to be over quickly. there's no reason that mueller operation is going to employed up, they want to be thorough. we all know, these investigations can be dangerous. they clearly want to get it closed down as fast as possible. but i don't think that's going to happen. >> carl, bob mentioned the famous, infamous, saturday night massacre when archibald cox, the special counsel was fire in 1973. do you trust that the administration is not going to do this? they assure that the president won't go that far and fire bob mueller, do you believe it? >> there's no reason to believe almost anything donald trump says. because what we know is that the president of the united states and his presidency is characterized above all else by
6:27 am
the lying of the president of the united states. that doesn't mean that lying by the president is a crime. it does mean that we see him covering up events but not necessarily criminally covering up events. and where this is going definitively we don't know. but there are many times he has expressed, i'm told by people in the white house, the desire to fire mueller. the desire to pardon people under investigation, including his family. and one of the things that is going on now is, that his lawyers are telling him what he wants to hear. and that is what i'm told by lawyers in the white house. they are telling him what he wants to hear to keep him from acting precipitously and to go off and fire mueller in a rage or fire rod rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, they have an out-of-control client. the president of the united states in their view is out of control a good deal of the time,
6:28 am
especially when it comes to this investigation. >> and bob, carl mentioned covering up. i want you to listen to what dianne feinstein, who is the top democrat on the judiciary committee in the senate said about this investigation earlier this month. >> i think what we're beginning to see is the putting together of a case of obstruction of justice. i think we see this in the indictments, the four indictments and pleas that have just taken place in some of the comments that are being made. >> bob, one of the main lessons from water gate, i don't need to tell you is, it's the cover-up more than the crime, generally. is that what the president should be worried about? >> you have to look at the crimes. i'm not sure senator feinstein is quite right. i think that it's possible this will lead to an obstruction of justice case, but we have not seen the evidence. and you talked to very
6:29 am
experienced criminal lawyers and prosecutors in washington. they will say, what is public now is questionable, needs to be investigated, but it's not a slam dunk case or even the sort of case that you would bring against a sitting president to maybe initiate some sort of impeachment investigation. >> on that point, carl, the investigation has been going on for over a year, at least in the justice department, the fbi. we still don't know about any evidence that the president knowingly colluded with russia. does that give the president claim that this is a witch hunt, some credence? >> he believes it's a witch hunt. there's no question he believes it's a witch hunt. and i think dianne feinstein, the senator, is ahead of her skis on this. and is not quite well-placed in her assessment of where this investigation is. lying by the president of the united states, though this
6:30 am
president does it almost reflectively, is not necessarily a crime. lying to the press, which he does day in and day out, is bad for the country. it's indicative of the way he governs. we have never seen anything quite like a president who lies so routinely as this one. but it's not necessarily a crime. >> carl, briefly, i want to also get your perspective on the fact that one of the hallmarks of the trump presidency has been to go after the press, calling us fake news and even worse. how does this compare to what you dealt with with richard nixon. he was no fan or friend of the press. >> nixon and water gate tried to make the conduct of the press the issue instead of the conduct of the president and the men around him. donald trump has gone even farther. he's tried to undermine the credibility of the press as a national institution to the detriment of the country by these broad attacks on the
6:31 am
press, which really -- the press is, in the united states, as our leaders have recognized going back to the days of the early republic, the last bastian of truth that makes democracy function, yes, we make mistakes and we need to admit our mistakes. we aught not to be too provocative, which we are sometimes with a president who is putting a lot of bait out there. and sometimes we take the bait and get a little petty. i would like to see a lot less of criticizing on our air, the president, for playing golf. let him play all the golf that he wants. i don't think that is our job. we've got a deadly serious inquiry in front of us. and reporting, by and large, by the mainstream press, by "the new york times," "the washington post," cnn, "the wall street journal," has been some of the greatest reporting of the presidency that we have seen in the last 50, 60 years. >> amen, carl. >> that's right. but just real quickly, the tone
6:32 am
is a big issue here. >> yes, i agree. >> in lots of reporting, particularly on television, commentary, there's kind of a self-righteousness and smugness in people kind of ridiculing the president. when we reported on nixon, it was obviously a very different era, but we did not adopt a tone of ridicule, the tone was what are the facts. >> before i go, i have to ask about something you informed me about, a woodward and bernstein bond that continues. tell me about the internet -- >> we're taking a break right now for a few minutes here. >> but what we have done, what carl and i -- we are really friends and have dinner and get together with our lives. and we talked about the tyranny
6:33 am
of the internet. and we talked about this tyranny. so carl will calmly say 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning, say we're going dark on the internet for four hours, total sabbath. we have to work on our books. and we do this in the extraction from the madness of the internet and e-mails makes you -- i think, in both of our cases, much more productive. >> well, we'll have to leave it there. i appreciate, more than you know, having both of you on to share your insights. happy new year, mr. woodward. happy new year, mr. bern sheen, appreciate it. >> good to be with you. and president trump made an art of touting his accomplishments, bothing this week about the growing stock market and growing economy. is all this enough for republicans to keep the majority in congress in 2018?
6:34 am
we'll breakdown the map next. sh? [ mockingly ] "shouldn't you be at work?" todd. hold on. [ engine revs ] arcade game: fist pump! your real bike's all fixed. man, you guys are good! well, we are the number-one motorcycle insurer in the country. -wait. you have a real motorcycle? and real insurance, with 24-hour customer support. arcade game: wipeout! oh! well... i retire as champion. game hog! champion.
6:35 am
6:36 am
6:37 am
welcome back to "state of the union." republicans are wrapping up year one with a legislative win on taxes. but will it be enough for the gop to hold on to its majorities in the house and senate in 2018? john king is at the magic wall to break down the midterm map.
6:38 am
>> dana, let's start with the senate. one reason the democrats are suddenly hopeful to hold their own and maybe take back the senate majority, they will begin with a democratic senator from alaska. doug jones will join the senate in early january putting it at 51-49, the republican majority. can the democrats take it back? challenge one, protect these ten states represented by democratic senators carried by president trump in 2016, in some cases by 10, 20, 30 points or more. can the democrats hold them all? noteworthy, none of these ten voted for the republican tax cut plan. the democrats think pretty clear they can hold the five states where president trump won only by single digits. then you have the bigger challenge, but again, looking at the jones win, looking at the dynamics in 2017, the democrats are now confidence they can hold all or most of their seats in 2018. what would that do then? that would have you at 51-49. still, that's where we would be. then this comes into play. if the democrats can hold all ten of those or nine of those
6:39 am
ten, then they do have a shot to take back the senate. challenge number one? amy clobichar expected to win in minnesota. but al franken will be out because he's resigning. can the democrats hold this seat? they think so given the president's numbers. they believe minnesota will stay in democratic hands. so it is conceivable, conceivable, the control of the senate could come down to a handful of republican-held seats. these are the three big targets, tennessee, an open seat. bob corker is retiring. arizona, an open seat. jeff flake is retiring. nevada, hellar, the most vulnerable senator. they could take the senate back by contesting these republican seats, a chance democrats think they have because of the president's bad poll numbers, especially in the suburbs. >> one place we're really going to focus on is the suburbs. this is a horrible bill for so many suburban people. >> and they know it. >> and they know it. >> the dynamic in the house,
6:40 am
more seats but similar, let's just look at the balance of power right now. the republicans have the majority with three vacancies at the moment. for the sake of the argument, the special elections stay in the same party's hands. then going into the election looking something like this, cnn currently lists 20 toss-up seats. that number will grow into 2018. but of the 20 toss-ups, 16 of them are republican-held seats. the republicans head into 2018 at a disadvantage and they know it. so you look at the map, where are the races going to play out? here's the most important number to think about, the democrats need two dozen, to pick up 24 seats to retake the house majority. so how will this play out? if you're the republicans, you're looking for cushions. you're looking to knock off democrats. where do you look? these are all democratic members of the house who have districts carried by president trump in 2016. so the republicans looking for a cushion are going to target these races. but here's the flip side, for the democrats, they need 24, well, here nearly two dozen republicans who represent districts carried by hillary clinton. these will be targets, number one, as the democrats try to get
6:41 am
to that number of 24. it will be a lot of back-and-forth about the races in 2018. individual members, how strng of a campaign they can run, but the biggest factor in the midterm election, the president's approval rating. that's where president trump is now, high 30s. look where president obama was, president bush into his second midterm election, president clinton in his first midterm election. here's why republicans are worried. if the president's numbers are anywhere, anywhere like that next year, look at what happened. this would be enough, for example, for republicans to lose both the house and the senate. if it's like 2010, if it's like 2006, if it's like 1994, if the dynamic stays unpopular president, his party gets wiped out. that's why republicans enter 2018 very worried. >> and now let's bring in our roundtable, bill crystal, is the midterm going to be a referendum on president trump? >> when you have a president and congress of the same party, they have governed for two years and people will say, do we like what
6:42 am
is happening or do we want to check the president? if you want to check the president, the best way is to put one or two houses in control of the opposition party. that's happened in '94 or 2010, and i think it is very likely to happen this year. >> except that president trump is at the lowest that we have seen in modern history when it comes to his approval ratings. so how do you combat that? >> well, it depends on what approval rating you look at. rasmus has a poll out this week with him at the same level, 46%, that president obama was at this level of his presidency. i also think they're having difficulty polling trump support. they always have. and i think they may always have this problem in the polling industry. but the president's approval rating is very important in 2018. but it's mostly important if, in fact, they have a bad economy, for example. if the economy comes back and gets to 4% growth like some people predict, that will blunt the impact of the president's poor approval rating.
6:43 am
>> evan bakar, you were down in indiana campaigning for doug jones, do you think that was a one-off? or do you feel that that momentum there can be and will be translated other places? >> no, i think it can be picked up and moved to other states and think the democrats will focus on that. tom perez, the base of our party came out,icanafrican-americans, african-american females, and two out of every three young people in this country, they want to be democrats because they do not agree with the isms, the racisms and bigotries associated with the president of the united states. so yes, it can be picked up. and one of the states that john king didn't mention, which is a state i was talking to bill about earlier, is mississippi. and mississippi is a state where you will see that there is an election in 2018, and i believe that the same playbook that we use in alabama will be one that
6:44 am
will duplicate in mississippi. >> and he's bringing in the campaign. it's 100%. >> there we go. >> democrats certainly have a shot. there are about 391 people, think i, who have filed to run for the congress on the democratic side. so we got over 300 chances to make some magic happen. people who have raised over $5,000. so now democrats, if they can't win with those kind of odds, we need to question our viability. but i will say with alabama, just the democrats should be proud of that but not overly because it was a very close race. and one of the things democrats are really going to have to focus in on, it wasn't a mandate, but when you take the african-american vote and you take the republicans that wrote in, that's where the sweet spot is, but to really get in there and cultivate relationship with voters well before you need to knock and drag them out.
6:45 am
>> bill christol, someone who knows something about this is former speaker of the house, newt gingrich. he said everybody needs to understand what a disaster a house speaker nancy pelosi and the senate majority leader chuck schumer would be. by june, it may be too late to course correct. avoiding a democratic wave election requires action now. but what action? >> passing legislation, hoping for a good economy. the economy was coming back in 2010 and the democrats lost, 52 house seats. 94 after clinton when the economy was not too terrible. there's a high correlation between the approval of the president, if his party controls congress, and what happens in the off-year election. so trump somehow needs to be likable. >> yes. >> and he needs to change who he is. which i'm going to guess won't happen. >> you're really going out on a limb now. >> that's what these shows are all about, sticking your neck out. >> exactly.
6:46 am
what concerns you the most politically going into 2018? >> newt gingrich is quite optimistic about what is going to happen in 2018. i'm not. i'm not quite sure the republican campaign geniuses here in washington really get what needs to be done in order to win in 2018. i'm not real confident that they ever will. if you look at, they're trying to run out the breitbart, fox, grassroots people out of the party. if they do that, we're going to end up at a 30% minority in perpetuity, but, at the same time, we look at montana, georgia, even kansas, the special elections that happened in kansas, it was a plus-20 state and we won by 8. we have a real significant problem. we have to do some very big things to win in 2018. >> one of the things that we're not talking about, and democrats are focusing on, is the gub gubernatorial races coming up. you have ohio, wisconsin, florida, you have the races very important. and the gubernatorial races in 2018, i would argue, are more important than the house and
6:47 am
senate races. because who is in the governor's mansion controls redistributing. and that -- that is the -- democrats are focused on that. >> redistributing, which controls the house district. >> the state legislature, very important. someone who served in the ohio senate, we draw the lines. so it is important not to ignore state legislature. >> the president is talking as we end this year a lot about bipartisanship, the fact that he wants to reach the across the aisle, does want to work with democrats. politically, should democrats work with him? or should they stick to the, we're not going to work with you on anything because -- because it works for them. >> i think the american people want folks, if the president can put forth something that democrats can agree with, we have to stop using people for pawns and political gains to gain extra seats. people are hurting and if there are policy positions like health care, because the president has totally done the opposite, the tax bill, people are up in arms right now, they are trying to pay their property tax bill only to find out that they are limited because the state and local deductions are limited to
6:48 am
$10,000. so if the president really is going to do the right thing, then the democrats should work to do the right thing. >> infrastructure. >> on behalf of the people. >> infrastructure, i would implore every democrat in this country needs to come to the table with ideas about how to reform infrastructure. >> i love ending on optimistic notes. and i think that is a good one to end on. >> happy new year. >> easy, guys. easy, guys. up next, her husband might be the most powerful man in america. but his wife melania is more popular. a look back at the first lady's eventful and unexpected first year in the white house, next. ot anything. even a swing set standoff. and we covered it, july first, twenty-fifteen.
6:49 am
talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ but when we brought our daughter home, that was it. now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release
6:50 am
technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. every great why needs a great how. steyer: the president's national security adviser -- guilty. his campaign chairman -- under indictment. his son-in-law -- secret talks with russians. the director of the fbi -- fired. special counsel robert mueller's criminal investigation has already shown why the president should be impeached. you can send a message to your representatives at needtoimpeach.com and demand they finally take a stand. this president is not above the law.
6:51 am
resolution #1: binge more. join the un-carrier, and get four unlimited lines for only forty bucks each. plus, netflix for the whole family. on us. so, they get their shows... let's go, girl! you're gonna love this bit! and you get yours. watch however you want. on your phone, tablet, or tv. for just forty bucks per line. with no extra charges. let's rock this joint! all on america's best unlimited network, t-mobile. feast your eyes on new banquet mega bowls, and you're looking at a mouthful. piled high with good eats, like creamy mashed potatoes, corn, and shredded cheese under a savory blanket of home-style gravy. you might think it's over, but it's not. because we rounded up crispy hunks of all white meat chicken, fried 'em country-like and loaded them on top
6:52 am
for an impressive 19 grams of protein. now that's mega. increased here on the stage. >> melania is very popular. >> first lady melania trump has approval ratings up 17 points. >> we love to live in washington. we have very busy life. >> the unexpected first lady initially delayed moving into the white house, which also meant a delay in taking on
6:53 am
traditional first lady responsibilities. >> it's great to be here. >> but after living in washington with her son baron in june he embraced the role hosting dig tarries and hosting white house staff but it's on the international stage melania trump came into her own, wowing europeans with her language skills. and highlighting her work on behalf of children during a high-profile speech before the u.n. general assembly. >> our own example, we must teach children to be good stewarts of the world they will inherit. we must remember they are watching and listening. >> a message that doesn't always seem to resonate with her husband. >> lying ted, crooked hillary. >> i give him my opinion and he can do what've he likes with it. >> perhaps not surprising, the former model has brought her
6:54 am
signature and very fifth avenue fashion sense to the white house. >> it can be a daunting task to choose an outfit that will be part of our nation's story. >> shirking the every man brand and opting instead for top-shelf names like valintino and dior. she wore a 51,00050 -- $51,500 coat and toured hurricane damage in designer heels. despite her highly scrutinized position, she's remained the woman behind the dark sunglasses diligently appearing by her husband eastsi's side but never away too much. >> it's a very exciting life. it's part of being a first lady. >> and an uplifting person to end the year, a young barber in
6:55 am
philadelphia decided to use his talent to help the homeless. >> my name is jones. >> i'm sherwin johnson, the owner of tapers barbershop. >> i was out in downtown philly and sean he approached me. he thought i was a random barber out there cutting hair. he asked me before i left, what are you going to do during the winter months? i didn't have an answer. >> i went back downtown. i told him about another place me and my fiancee owned and it was fully furnished. we had intentions of turning it into a barbershop or salon. we wanted to invite him because it was a city and what he was doing was a wonderful thing. >> he said how much do you like it? i said i love it. this allowed me to be able to do what i need to do. monday, makeover monday for the homeless.
6:56 am
>> being a homeless person getting a haircut makes me sm e smile. >> i don't get paid, the happy faces, those are some things money can't buy. >> after a year of trump presidency, how has administration's first agenda impacted the united states role on the global stage. fareed zakaria has that next.
6:57 am
6:58 am
6:59 am
7:00 am
this is "gps." welcome to those of you in the united states and around the world. i'm fareed zakaria. this man, donald trump, we will have a spirited conversation about it. then, the man who hosted "the apprentice" says he wants to create 5 million apprenticeships in america in five years. i think it's a great

162 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on