Fmr. White House Council: World Leaders View President Donald Trump As A Fool

>> YOU HAVE YOUR OPINIONS. >> BUT YOU'RE THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES. >> THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> JOHN DEAN IS THE FORMER WHITE
HOUSE COUNSEL FOR PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON.
THANKS FOR JOINING US. >> THANK YOU.
>> TRUMP HAD QUITE A DAY YESTERDAY.
THERE WAS THAT COMMENT ABOUT ANDREW JACKSON, ABOUT HOW THE
CIVIL WAR WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, EVEN THOUGH ANDREW
JACKSON WAS BORN 16 YEA YEARS BE THE CIVIL WAR STARTED.
HE CORRECTED HIMSELF LATER. HE ALSO TALKED ABOUT WHAT AN
HONOR IT WOULD BE TO MEET WITH KIM JONG-UN.
HE FLOATED THE IDEA OF A GAS TAX.
TALKED ABOUT BREAKING UP BANKS. HAD A FRIENDLY PHONE CALL WITH
PRESIDENT DUTERTE OVER THE WEEKEND.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF ALL THIS? IS THIS PRESSURES OF THE WHITE
HOUSE THAT ARE CAUSING DONALD TRUMP TO ACT ERRATICALLY?
OR IS IT SOMETHING ELSE? >> WELL, IT'S HARD TO GET INSIDE
HIS MIND. WE'RE BEGINNING TO GET USED TO
HIS PATTERNS, AND THEY ARE PREDICTABLY UNPREDICTABLE.
WHAT I FIND FASCINATING IS HIS TOTAL IGNORANCE ON SO MANY
ISSUES. I WONDER ABOUT THAT CALL TO
PUTIN, FOR EXAMPLE, IF HE WENT THROUGH THE NORMAL PROTOCOLS OF
ACTUALLY PREPARING FOR IT, HAVING PEOPLE IN FROM THE STATE
DEPARTMENT, THEN CAREFULLY RECORDING IT.
I THOUGHT, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE GUY WHO'S TRANSLATING THAT
CALL IN RUSSIA DOING? BECAUSE IF YOU'VE EVER READ A
TRUMP TRANSCRIPT -- >> OH, I HAVE.
>> YOU INDEED HAVE. THEY ARE DOOZIES.
SO PROBABLY VERY TOUGH TRANSLATION.
BUT HE'S ALL OVER THE LOT ON EVERY ISSUE.
I FOUND A FASCINATING PIECE IN THE "TIMES" THIS MORNING BY
CHARLES BLOW ABOUT HIS LANGUAGE LEVEL BEING AT ROUGHLY THAT OF A
SIXTH TO EIGHTH-GRADER AND PROBABLY ON THE SLOW END OF
THAT. SO WE'VE GOT A REAL PROBLEM WITH
THIS PRESIDENT. >> IF YOU ARE A FOREIGN LEADER,
SAY YOU ARE AN AUTHORITARIAN LEADER, A DICTATOR, SOMEBODY WHO
DOESN'T HAVE MUCH REGARD FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, SOMEONE LIKE THE
FILIPINO PRESIDENT, DUTERTE, KIM JONG-UN, VLADIMIR PUTIN, WHAT DO
YOU THINK WHEN DONALD TRUMP GOES OUT OF HIS WAY TO PRAISE YOU?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? >> WELL, I THINK THAT WILL
DEPEND UPON THE LEVEL OF SOPHISTICATION OF THE FOREIGN
LEADER OR FOREIGN DICTATOR. PUTIN PROBABLY IS PRETTY WELL
BRIEFED ON THIS. PROBABLY SEES IT FOR WHAT IT IS.
AND I THINK HE'S SHREWD ENOUGH TO PLAY IT ANY WAY HE WANTS TO.
TRUMP THINK HIMSELF A TOUGH NEGOTIATOR.
WELL, I THINK HE'S UP AGAINST A
TOUGHER ONE WITH PUTIN. I THINK THEY THINK HE'S A FOOL,
FRANKLY. I THINK MOST OF THE WORLD
LEADERS ARE WONDERING WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS HAPPENED TO THE
UNITED STATES THAT SOMEBODY LIKE DONALD TRUMP IS THE PRESIDENT.
AND WE'RE GOING TO PAY A PRICE FOR IT SOME TIME, SOMEWHERE
ALONG THE LINE THIS PRESIDENCY. >> THE WHITE HOUSE WILL SAY THAT
THEY, IN EFFECT, ARE TRYING TO FORM BETTER RELATIONSHIPS WITH A
NUMBER OF THESE LEADERS IN ORDER TO KEEP AMERICANS SAFE, TO FIGHT
TERRORISM. IT IS BETTER TO HAVE A
CONVERSATION, HAVE A RELATIONSHIP SO WE CAN BAND
TOGETHER AGAINST THE BIGGER THREATS THAT ARE FACING THE
WORLD. IS THERE SOMETHING TO BE SAID
ABOUT TRYING TO CULTIVATE THESE LEADERS, TRYING TO SPEAK MORE
NICELY OF THEM IN ORDER TO GET THINGS DONE?
>> WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF HIS PRAISE FOR THESE
KIND OF PEOPLE, THEY'RE TYPICALLY PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT
THREATENING OF THE UNITED STATES OTHER THAN POTENTIALLY NORTH
KOREA, WHICH DOESN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TODAY.
MAY TOMORROW. BUT PUTIN ISN'T REALLY DIRECTLY
THREATENING US WITH ANY DIRECT HARM.
HE'S TRYING TO GET IN AND MESS AROUND WITH OUR SYSTEM, MAKE IT
LOOK WEAKER. BUT TRUMP'S AFFINITY TO THESE
PEOPLE SEEMS TO BE ON A MUCH MORE PERSONAL LEVEL IN HIS
ATTRACTION TO STRONG MAN. SO WHO KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON IN
HIS BRAIN WITH THESE ATTRACTIONS.
>> HE PRAISED SADDAM HUSSEIN, SAID HE WAS VERY GOOD AT
FIGHTING TERRORISTS DURING THE CAMPAIGN.
HE ALSO SAID THAT GADHAFI SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN CHARGE.
THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF TIMES WHERE HE'S DONE JUST THAT,
HE'S HAD KIND WORDS FOR DICTATORS, HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATORS. SO FAR HE'S SAID VERY LITTLE ON
THE SUBJECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND HOLDING DEMOCRACY AROUND THE
WORLD. >> SELECTING ANDREW JACKSON AS
HIS HISTORICAL IDOL I FIND IS BIZARRE.
HE IS KNOWN IN THE CIRCLES -- HISTORIANS THAT I VISIT WITH AS
THE WORST OF THE GREAT PRESIDENTS.
AND HE IS THE WORST FOR REAL REASONS.
HE LITERALLY KILLED A MAN IN COLD BLOOD IN A DUEL AFTER HE
HAD BEEN SHOT AND THE OTHER GUY WAS UNARMED.
HE IS SOMEBODY WHO DID A BRUTAL REMOVAL OF NATIVE AMERICANS FROM
THEIR HOMES. SO I JUST DON'T GET IT WHERE
THIS IS THE KIND OF GUY YOU'D WANT TO SAY HE'S MY IDEAL, HE'S
MY KIND OF STRONG >> HE WAS A SLAVE OWNER.

Fmr. White House Council: World Leaders View President Donald Trump As A Fool | MSNBC

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