MSNBC "Hardball with Chris Mathews" - Transcript: "President Trump visits the border wall."
Interview
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MATTHEWS: Well, you heard it from the president`s own mouth there. "We`re not moving on anything." That`s operative. For more, I`m joined by U.S. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. He is chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Congressman, it`s great to have you on tonight. Thank you. Do you believe the president will produce anything on gun safety? Anything?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Yes, that`s not clear. It`s a great question, Chris. It`s time for us to stop talking the talk, in terms of the president, and for him to start walking the walk. Americans are dying, being massacred. Mass shootings are taking place. You have day-to-day violence occurring in parts of New York City and Chicago and Los Angeles, at all points in between. The American people are demanding action. The House acted by passing universal criminal background check legislation 204 days ago, in February, and the bill has been languishing in the Senate. Mitch McConnell needs to do his job. The president needs to do his job. The American people are overwhelmingly supportive of criminal background checks, including Republicans, independents and gun owners.
MATTHEWS: Who`s the boss, just in street terminology? Who`s the boss, the president of the United States, or Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association? Who`s the boss in that deal?
JEFFRIES: That`s a -- you know, it`s very interesting, because every time you have a tragedy that has occurred, and the president seems to suggest that he`s willing to do something on gun violence prevention, particularly as it relates to moving on legislation that is already ready-made to go on behalf of the American people, in the form of HR-8, our universal criminal background check bill, a few days later, he`s either visited or receives a call from Wayne LaPierre, and he backs up. And so there`s a question that the American people have to ask. Is Donald Trump working for us or is he working for the NRA? And only he can provide a definitive answer to that by deciding it`s time to move forward and get something done.
MATTHEWS: Well, the president seems to even be pushing back now against his own attorney general, who has been circulating a gun reform proposal to members of the Congress. The proposal, obtained by NBC News, is similar to the failed Manchin-Toomey bill, which extends background checks to all commercial sales, including gun shows, but would not go as far as the House bill, which include private sales. No coincidence. The NRA also opposes that proposal. I guess -- I have a sense -- you`re the politician, Congressman, and a good one. I just got to ask you. This president seems scared to death, that it`d be like something like the first George Bush when he came out for tax increases, and he got beaten because he broke his promise. He seems to be scared to death to lose his virginity on this question of: I`m not for any gun control. I mean, I think he`s afraid of any gun control, because then those people applauding him in these pictures at these rallies won`t like him anymore. What is your thinking?
JEFFRIES: Yes, he`s clearly a very insecure man. And it`s strange, because he can engage in all manner of outrageous behavior, abnormal behavior, criminality, and these folks don`t leave him. So, why would this president be concerned that, if he did something reasonable supported by more than 90 percent of the American people on background check legislation, they would all of a sudden, on this particular issue, decide to abandon him? So that is going to fall squarely on him, if he decides to proceed with this inaction. More than 8,000 Americans have lost their lives as a result of gun violence since we passed HR-8 in February. And so that is going to fall on Moscow Mitch and the Senate
MATTHEWS: Yes.
JEFFRIES: the do-nothing Republican senators, and President Trump.
MATTHEWS: Well, while President Trump usually enjoys being in the spotlight, he`s been making the case that, if Democrats continue to investigate his business dealings, they should also look into the deals his predecessor has made since leaving office. Following up on the president`s claim, reporters asked Trump what he thinks a congressional investigation into President Obama`s deals with Netflix and his book publishing would find. And the president said: "Well, it was a very substantial deal. Plus, the book was the highest book ever sold." "The highest book ever sold," whatever English that is. "And there were many other things that he did. So I think somebody should, if they`re going to be looking at me over nonsense, they should certainly be looking at that also." I don`t know what he`s talking about. Michelle Obama, the former first lady, has had the most successful book in nonfiction history. She sold 10 million copies that people wanted to read and paid for. The company made -- I have a rough estimate -- almost $200 million off her book. The deal with both of the Obamas was 65. How can he claim there`s hanky-panky here, when the book publishing company has made a killing on this book from the Obamas, and the president, the former president, hasn`t even written his book yet? What`s the intrigue here? I don`t get it. Your thoughts, Congressman?
JEFFRIES: Yes, I mean, it`s very strange. And I think it is consistent with the envy
MATTHEWS: Yes.
JEFFRIES: that he has repeatedly shown at Barack Obama`s successful presidency, the eloquence and majesty of the partnership between him and Michelle Obama, and the fact that they have had some success thereafter, because the American people recognize that they are authentically good individuals who care about and love this country. They`re private citizens right now. The president should stop the misdirection.
MATTHEWS: What`s that about? You say envy, and I wonder, is it that -- simply he`s got a better rep than I do, he`s a better person than me, he`s going to go down in the history books pretty well, I`m not going to look so good? What is it? Where would you put it? Political? Moral? What? Manly? Macho?
JEFFRIES: I think
MATTHEWS: What is it we talking here?
JEFFRIES: You know, it may be all of the above. But I think, most importantly, President Obama was able to accomplish a variety of different important things for the American people, including historic health care reform. The only thing Donald Trump has gotten done is the GOP tax scam, where 83 percent of the benefits went to the wealthiest 1 percent. He`s done nothing on infrastructure. He`s done nothing to really improve meaningfully the wage stagnation problem that everyday Americans have in this country, done nothing on prescription drug pricing, even though we are willing to be partners in that regard and we have promised to try to drive down lower health care costs and try to find assistance in the Senate and the White House to do so. Meanwhile, President Obama is revered, will go down in history as one of the greatest presidents we have ever had. President Trump can`t take that.
MATTHEWS: U.S. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of the beautiful borough of Brooklyn, it`s an honor to have you on, sir. You`re a great man.
JEFFRIES: Always
MATTHEWS: Thank you, one of our best guests ever.
JEFFRIES: Thank you.
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