Show: THE LAST WORD WITH LAWRENCE O`DONNELL Date: June 2, 2016 Guest: Andrew Card, David Ignatius, Madeleine Albright, Ben Labolt, Rick Tyler, Jacob Rascon
RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC: That whole process will be public -- is grant, the whole process of selecting finalists and critiquing and work-shopping these proposals for these big prizes.
That whole process will be public. So, even the proposals that don`t win might attract backing from somewhere else.
What problem could you solve with a $100 million to solve it? Applications are due October 3rd. Get thinking.
That does it for us tonight, we`ll see you again tomorrow, now it`s time for "THE LAST WORD" with Lawrence O`Donnell. Good evening Lawrence.
LAWRENCE O`DONNELL, HOST, THE LAST WORD: Rachel, you`re getting the O`Donnell genius award --
MADDOW: Oh --
O`DONNELL: For your work on the story in Flint --
MADDOW: Well --
O`DONNELL: Michigan, and it`s not -- it`s not a lot of money, it`s actually a coffee, but at the fancy coffee place downstairs. Not, you know, the big chain, a fancy one --
MADDOW: Well, I will -- I will take it as long as it comes with good company.
O`DONNELL: Well, it will.
MADDOW: Thanks, my dear --
O`DONNELL: Thank you, Rachel.
MADDOW: Thanks --
O`DONNELL: Well, Donald Trump is actually in the middle of a campaign speech in California right now where he just mentioned Hillary Clinton`s attack on his foreign policy today.
We will bring you Donald Trump`s response to Hillary Clinton. Today, in San Deigo, Hillary Clinton gave a serious, 35-minute speech, carried live in its entirety by three cable news networks including this one.
The speech was a world tour of foreign policy issues, but it was at times, funny. Because it was as much about Donald Trump`s foreign policy as Hillary Clinton`s.
Andy Card; former White House Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton`s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will join our discussion of all of this tonight.
Earlier today, Donald Trump offered a couple of tweets during Hillary Clinton`s speech that contained no evidence that he understood a word of the speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: This isn`t reality television, this is actual reality. We cannot put the security of our children, and grandchildren in Donald Trump`s hands.
(APPLAUSE)
Donald Trump`s ideas aren`t just different, they are dangerously incoherent, just a series of bizarre rants, personal feuds and outright lies.
(CHEERS)
He says he has foreign policy experience because he ran the Miss Universe pageant in Russia. He also said, I know more about ISIS than the generals do, believe me. You know what? I don`t believe him.
(APPLAUSE)
A Trump presidency would embolden ISIS. You know, there is no risk of people losing their lives if you blow up a golf course deal.
(LAUGHTER)
Do we want his finger anywhere near the button?
AUDIENCE: No!
CLINTON: This election is a choice between two very different visions of America. One that`s angry, afraid, and based on the idea that America is fundamentally weak and in decline.
The other is hopeful, generous, and confident in the knowledge that America is great, just like we always have been.
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: Today, Hillary Clinton said something about the Republican nominee for president that you have not heard a Democratic presidential candidate say about a Republican nominee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I believe the person the Republicans have nominated for president cannot do the job.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
He is not just unprepared, he is temperamentally unfit to hold an office that requires knowledge, stability and immense responsibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: Trump did not seem to realize that his tweets, during Hillary Clinton`s speech seemed to confirm Secretary Clinton`s point that he is temperamentally unfit for the presidency.
The first Trump tweet said, "bad performance by crooked Hillary Clinton! Reading poorly from the teleprompter! She doesn`t even look presidential!"
Then, Donald Trump tweeted, "crooked Hillary, no longer has credibility, too much failure in office, people will not allow another four years of incompetence".
Here is Donald Trump tonight on Secretary Clinton`s speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, CHAIRMAN & PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATIONS & FOUNDER, TRUMP ENTERTAINMENT RESORTS: I watched Hillary today, it was pathetic. It was pathetic.
(BOOING)
It was so sad to watch. And you know, she`s up there and supposed to be a foreign policy speech, it was a political speech, had nothing to do with foreign policy.
She made a political speech tonight, folks, and it was a pretty pathetic deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: Joining us now, Andy Card, President of Franklin Pierce University and former White House Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush.
And David Ignatius, foreign relations affairs -- former affairs columnist and associate editor for the "Washington Post".
Andy Card, that`s the totality we just played for you of what Donald Trump said so far in the speech that he`s still giving in response to what Hillary Clinton had to say today.
He just said it was a political speech, and it wasn`t any good. And that`s after a 35-minute, very hard-hitting speech against him.
Were you surprised that Donald Trump in his campaign didn`t come up with any substantive response to that speech at all?
ANDREW CARD, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Well, and first of all, I think Hillary Clinton`s speech was very political. I don`t think that it was a substantial foreign policy speech.
It was a political speech, it was a speech that I could have given, I mean, I could -- I agreed with a lot of the things she said.
She was criticizing Donald Trump most of the time, but it was not really a policy speech from Hillary Clinton on what she would do.
She didn`t say how she would do things differently than Barack Obama. She didn`t say what she would be doing differently than what is taking place right now.
Well, we know that most Americans are not happy with what`s happening in foreign policy right now. So, she didn`t really offer any future. She did criticize Donald Trump and it was a political speech.
O`DONNELL: Conservative writer/columnist John Podhoretz wrote today, "an extremely well-craft and well-delivered broad side against Trump`s woeful ignorance and ill-considered policy prescriptions as well as --
CARD: I agree with that, I disagree with -- I agree with that description, and I agree with the speech. I thought that the speech did attack Donald Trump in a way that he kind of earned the attack.
But I don`t think that it was a substantive foreign policy speech that I was led to believe that Secretary Clinton would be giving.
It was not a substantive policy speech, it was a broad side attack of Donald Trump. I think he invited the attack, but it was a political attack.
O`DONNELL: David Ignatius, John Podhoretz, also said about this speech that it was a coherent presentation of a liberal internationalist approach to foreign affairs.
Is that what you heard in the speech?
DAVID IGNATIUS, ASSOCIATE EDITOR & COLUMNIST, WASHINGTON POST: I did. I actually agree with Andy Card that it was a political speech, I think in an effective way. Hillary Clinton had a big lift in this speech.
Not to make it sound too pedantic in a policy sense. Her strength going forward is that she is experienced. She`s been Secretary of State, she`s been there.
I think the difficulty for her is not to get bogged down in the details of foreign policy. What really surprised me about the speech was its political tone and the zingers in it.
"Reuters" wrote a piece on the wire a few hours ago, saying, it had lines like a comedy roast, and those are the ones that you played at the beginning of the show.
Dangerous incoherence, bizarre rants, personal feuds, lines that will stick. And I thought that Hillary Clinton in what she said was trying to get under Trump`s skin.
She kept calling him Donald as a sort of informal tone. She was more relaxed than she`s been, I think in many of her recent speeches and debates.
And so, I -- it seemed to me, she was trying to find a way to deliver her core message, I have been there, I know how to do this.
I am experienced in foreign policy in a way that had a lot more zip. And I thought that the delivery, the effect, the political side, as Andy said, I thought that was actually impressive.
I thought Trump`s response in the tweets, in the speech as you just played, you know, in that performance, folks, you know, that she`s just -- doesn`t look presidential.
Anybody who saw the speech and then sees Trump can make the comparison for themselves. But certainly, she had more of that presidential effect than Trump did.
O`DONNELL: Andy Card, Hillary Clinton asked her audience today to imagine Donald Trump in the situation room, in a crucial life or death situation, making a war decision, participating in all the kinds of things that you participated on virtually on daily basis in the White House at the right- hand of the president.
You were with the president on 9/11, can you imagine Donald Trump in the situation room, and what do you feel when you imagine Donald Trump there?
CARD: I`ll be honest with you, I can`t imagine Donald Trump being the president of the United States the way he`s been acting.
So, no, I think a real president has to do a very different job than the one that Donald Trump is demonstrating that he thinks he could do as president.
So, I thought Hillary Clinton`s speech actually baited Donald Trump to be Donald Trump and he lived and he took the bait.
But no, I don`t think Donald Trump has demonstrated his ability to be the real president of the United States yet.
That`s why I`m watching him so closely. I want him to show me how he would be a real president of the United States.
He hasn`t convinced me yet. I`m not pleased with Hillary Clinton. I don`t want four more years of Barack Obama, and she did nothing to demonstrate that she was going to do things differently than Barack Obama.
And I don`t think that`s worthwhile for the country or for the world. So, I`m frustrated by both candidates, but no Donald Trump, I don`t think has demonstrated I think the temperament yet that he would have to have in order to be an effective president of the United States.
But I`m still willing to give him a chance to do it.
O`DONNELL: Let`s listen to more of what Secretary Clinton said today about how Donald Trump has discussed the use of nuclear weapons.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: This is a man who said that more countries should have nuclear weapons including Saudi Arabia. It`s no small thing when he suggests that America should withdraw our military support for Japan, encourage them to get nuclear weapons.
And he said this about a war between Japan and North Korea. And I quote, "if they do, they do. Good luck, enjoy yourself, folks." I wonder if he even realizes he`s talking about nuclear war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: David Ignatius, one of the things that the media has to deal with, with Donald Trump is he says so many things so fast in the course of the day that he can make those kinds of references to nuclear weapons and then beyond for something else, 30 seconds later.
And it becomes difficult for them to catch up. But the effect of Hillary Clinton isolating those things in a speech like this, putting kind of a close-up camera on them. What was your reaction to that?
I thought she did that very effectively. And if she is the Democratic nominee, I think this is a preview of what will be probably one of her most powerful arguments.
She needs to engage what I would describe as the fear factor for voters. She needs to make voters worry that they won`t be safe if Donald Trump is president.
And I think she began that pretty effectively in the speech today. I thought the image that you just showed when she was sang -- does he even understand that this would be nuclear war?
Does he -- does he -- you know, with this very glib comments about foreign policy runs over lightly, does he really get how serious this is?
And I think her job is to deepen that through the campaign if she is the nominee. So that by election day, people really are nervous.
We all remember reading about the Goldwater election and a very effective Lyndon Johnson campaign that made people afraid.
That you know, that couldn`t trust this guy with his finger on the button. She began to really plant that idea today and she`s going to try to deepen it.
And she`s got a lot -- she`s got a lot to use in that argument. So many sound bites, there`re out there, so many tweets, so many statements, a lot of material for her to work with.
O`DONNELL: Andy Card, quickly before you have to go, I want to get your reaction to Paul Ryan -- I don`t know what you call it today.
I`ll use the word endorsement. But he actually never said I endorse Donald Trump, he simply said he`s going to vote for Donald Trump.
He said this in the quietest possible way. He said it in a tweet while Hillary Clinton was giving her speech, he just tried to sneak it in there.
And he did it in op-ed piece in his local newspaper, and in the end, saying that, look, we agree on enough things that I will vote for Donald Trump.
What was your reaction to the speaker`s move on Donald Trump today?
CARD: I was not surprised with his reaction and how he said it. I don`t think that Paul Ryan is the least been enthused about Donald Trump.
I do think that he does not believe Hillary Clinton should be president. So, I think that he was sending a signal that he is kind of acquiescing to the reality that he is a Republican who is not going to vote for Hillary Clinton and will be voting for Donald Trump.
I`m still not quite there yet myself, I don`t think Hillary Clinton is the right person to be president of the United States, and I have grave concern about Donald Trump.
So, I`m one of these people that is still hoping that Hillary Clinton will do something more than she has done so far to demonstrate that she would do things differently than have been done in the recent past.
And that Donald Trump would wake up to the reality that this is not a reality TV show, but he`s actually running to be the president, not only the United States, but the president of the free world.
O`DONNELL: Andy Card, if Donald Trump does manage to change your mind, please, come back on the program and tell us how he did that if he does that.
Andy Card and David Ignatius, thank you both for joining us tonight, really appreciate it.
CARD: Thanks.
O`DONNELL: Coming up, President Bill Clinton`s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will join us. Also, we`re going to show you more of what Donald Trump has just said at his speech in California about Hillary Clinton.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O`DONNELL: We`re going to go live to Donald Trump in California right now, he`s been talking about his reaction to Hillary Clinton`s speech today.
TRUMP: Remember this, and I have to tell you, the "New York Times" is a terrible newspaper, it`s failing. But David Sanger, a very good writer, he did a very accurate story.
"The Washington Post" is a totally dishonest newspaper, totally, I mean, they are the worst. But the "New York Times" pretty bad.
Hey, how about the story they did a week ago about Donald Trump and women, and then, all the women came back and they said, that`s not true. We love Donald Trump, right?
(CHEERS)
Right? The story was a fraud. In fact, I saw the women, I said, oh, that`s great news for me. They`re going to say good, and then I read this stuff, I said, man, I can`t believe that she would say it or she would say it.
So, you had Carrie Prejean, and she said, no way, I didn`t say that. And you had Rowanne, and she said this, no way, I have great respect for Donald Trump, he treated me great.
He was a great guy. You had all these women, you had one woman say --
O`DONNELL: OK, Donald Trump has wandered back into his incoherent ranting, most of which is untrue that he`s saying it should always come up with warning.
But if we go live to Donald Trump, you are going to hear lies. We will go now to Jacob Rascon who is outside the auditorium in California, Jacob, what`s going on there?
(CHANTS)
JACOB RASCON, NBC NEWS: Hey, guys, if you can hear me, we`re in the middle of these protests, if we scroll around, you`ll be able to see.
The police officers have formed a line now between the protesters and some of those who are still walking late to the rally.
Of course, the rally started a long time ago. We have hundreds of protesters, it started off as a very small group and a very peaceful group.
But once a couple of groups marched in together and joined, then of course it became what you`re seeing now.
They`ve started to yell, not only anti-Trump chants, they`ve also started yelling about the police, anti-Trump -- anti-police chants.
As soon as the police (AUDIO GAP: 00:04:31-34) that`s what happened. And we see this a lot, but in the middle of some of the protests, it turns from anti-Trump to anti-police.
We`ll see where it goes from here. So far, the police have been holding their lines, they`re not pushing much. But of course, eventually, that will change.
Eventually, they will say, we need you guys to back off of the sidewalk area and move. That`s when we sometimes see clashes, we`re waiting for that.
O`DONNELL: That`s Jacob Rascon outside the Trump rally in California where there`s some protest going on. We will be right back.
Madeleine Albright will join us to talk about Hillary Clinton`s foreign policy speech today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Like Vladimir Putin and pics with our friends.
TRUMP: Putin said Trump is a genius. I like that, not going to get him anything. But I was still -- you know what these characters on the stage, we want you to disavow -- they wanted me to call Putin or write to Putin and say, please, never call me a genius again.
There`s no way that`s ever going to happen. I think in terms of leadership, he`s getting an A, and our president is not doing so well --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK --
TRUMP: If you look at North Korea, this guy, this -- I mean, he`s like a maniac, OK? And you got to give him credit.
How many young guys -- he was like 26 or 25 when his father died, take over these tough generals and all of a sudden -- you know, it`s pretty amazing when you think of it.
He goes and he takes over and he`s the boss. It`s incredible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: Joining us now for a LAST WORD exclusive is Madeleine Albright, she`s the former Secretary of State who served President Bill Clinton, she is a supporter of Hillary Clinton for president.
Secretary Albright, your reaction to some of what we just heard Donald Trump saying that for example, Vladimir Putin gets an `A` for leadership.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, Lawrence, it`s great to be on the show, and I find the fact that Trump admires people like Vladimir Putin who is a KGB officer, and is allowing no freedom in his country.
And Kim Jong-un who has executed people that he disagrees with is quite stunning and very troubling. And in terms of somebody who is running for president of the United States.
People listen to what he says, and I am very troubled by that, I travel abroad all the time, Lawrence, and people cannot understand what is going on when somebody who is running for president can be so completely irresponsible in what he says.
And I do think -- I was listening to what David and Andy were talking -- saying about Secretary Clinton`s speech.
I think she did a really fascinating job in combining the political part of this with a substantive foreign policy speech.
She talked about what needed to be done at home economically, she talked about how we need to deal with our allies.
How important our alliances are. She talked about how clear we have to be with our adversaries. How we are going to deal with ISIS, the biggest threat that is out there in terms of the security of the United States.
And she did get off a few zingers, but the bottom-line is, she made it very clear that Donald Trump is dangerous for the United States and for the world.
O`DONNELL: Secretary Albright, did you have any input into this speech? Did you get a draft in doing Albright edit of it.
ALBRIGHT: No, I didn`t, I did get a draft, and I obviously -- I`m very proud of my connection to Hillary Clinton and to the campaign.
But I have spent a lot of time with Hillary in a variety of different ways, you know, when she was first lady and then when I was secretary and then when she was senator.
And she is the best prepared person ever to run for the presidency. And I think she showed that today, and her capability of dealing with somebody who or describing somebody that could be in the situation room.
I thought it was interesting when you had your conversation with Andy. I`ve been in the situation room. These are really hard decisions.
And you cannot have somebody in there that doesn`t understand the issues and then makes snap decisions.
And by the way, I`m a professor at Georgetown University and I teach a course on decision making. Donald Trump would flunk my course.
(LAUGHTER)
O`DONNELL: Let`s listen to what Fred Malek, the Republican said today to Andrea Mitchell, this was before Hillary Clinton`s speech.
But it`s a sample I think of what the Republican line will be on Hillary Clinton and foreign policy. Let`s listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you compare the two candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, you`re comparing four years of Hillary`s failure really as Secretary of State to advance our relationships in the world.
I can`t think of a single nation other than Cuba, and possibly Iran, where relationships are better today than they were seven or eight years ago.
I think at least with Donald Trump, you don`t have the experience in diplomatic circles, you have somebody who tells it like it is, who I think is strong enough to stand up to the despots of the world.
And he will do exactly what he says he will do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: Secretary Albright, I find it interesting that, tucked in the middle of that is the statement that our relations are better today with Cuba and Iran.
That`s not something you hear from most of the Republicans, but what -- that sounds like what will be the Republican line of attack on Secretary Clinton on foreign policy.
What`s your reaction to that?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I can`t wait to see Fred and tell him how wrong he is. The bottom line is that if Donald Trump is going to do what he says he`s going to do, we are going to be at war with every country in the world.
And those that we`re not at war with, they`re going to be at war with each other. And what he did today, to say he didn`t say all those things about Japan and nuclear -- the capability that they should have.
You guys have the proof of it, because it`s on -- it`s been on TV, and so, I do think it is interesting that he said that we do have better relations with Cuba and with Burma and Oman(ph), and with Iran.
And a lot of countries because frankly, the Obama administration had a pretty hard deck of cards that they had to pick up from the previous administration.
That in fact helped to undermine America`s reputation abroad by militarizing Democracy. And so, I think they`ve done a great job and I really do think that people need to listen to how complicated the world is.
That we need somebody that actually knows where the countries are, that understands what the leadership in those countries is showing, and that has some sense about the difficulties of making decisions and who will listen to what the military and our diplomats have to say.
So, I was -- I have been -- I don`t know even how to say this, Lawrence, I`m appalled at the kinds of things that Donald Trump says.
And when I`m abroad, and I have to tell people, no, this is not going to happen, I am then troubled by some of the things that a very good friend of mine, Fred Malek says, because people are listening to the way we are reacting to the ridiculous, dangerous nonsense that Donald Trump is saying.
O`DONNELL: Donald Trump has mentioned in his speech tonight, he`s made some passing references to Secretary Clinton`s e-mail at the State Department as if that`s all you have to know about her service at the State Department.
But you were actually the first Secretary of State in the e-mail era, no Secretary of State prior to you had any option of being near e-mail in the office.
You never used e-mail of any kind, and then Colin Powell did after you, and then Condoleezza Rice followed your model of not using e-mail of any kind at the State Department.
Is that what you would advise secretaries to do, as just do it the old fashioned way with the telephone and not using e-mail at all?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I do think it`s important to use new technology. But I am very glad I didn`t. I actually invented the art of the diplomatic conference call.
We all got to know each other very well from that way. I do think that the issue is certainly out there. Secretary Clinton has said she made a mistake.
But nothing about the e-mail issue is dangerous for our country. What is dangerous are the kinds of things that Donald Trump is saying, genuinely dangerous.
O`DONNELL: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, an honor to have you here tonight, Secretary, thank you very much.
ALBRIGHT: Thanks for giving me the last word, Lawrence, thank you --
O`DONNELL: Thank you, thank you. Coming up, how the Clinton campaign war room seized the day today with a foreign policy speech.
Foreign policy speeches are not usually the way you grab the new cycle in politics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Remember I said I was a counter puncher. I am. After what she said about me in her phony speech, that was a phony speech. That was a Donald Trump hit job. I will say this Hillary Clinton has to go to jail. OK? She has to go to jail. She has to go.
(AUDIENCE CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)
That was a phony hit job. She is guilty as hell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: That was Donald Trump making up his own version of jurisprudence there, like no other presidential candidate in history would have said anything as wild as that, that would brought to you on tape. We are not covering the speech live.
We are waiting for him to say things about the Hillary Clinton`s speech today about foreign policy. NBC`s Hallie Jackson is at the Donald Trump`s speech now in California. Hallie has he mentioned the big endorsement he got very quietly today from Paul Ryan?
HALLIE JACKSON, MSNBC CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that kind of low key endorsement from Ryan had snuck in as the foreign policy between Clinton and Trump have taken up all the headlines. No, Donald Trump had not mentioned that tonight, Lawrence.
Although, he has talked about Clinton. He has talked about a variety of other issues, he stayed mum on the speaker`s endorsement. Although, he did tweet about it earlier in the day, saying it is so great to have Ryan`s support.
Why does it matter that Paul Ryan is now coming out and endorsing Donald Trump saying that he will in fact vote for him this fall? Ryan is sending a signal to the rest of the party to get behind the billionaire businessman.
Most Republicans already are. Our polling shows that about eight in 10 Republicans, since Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee back him or will back him come November. But, there are still some high profile hold out.
You look at, for example, the bush family. You look at somebody like Mitt Romney. Even Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, saying he will stay on the sidelines. Ryan, I am told by sources, closed to the speaker made the decision, earlier this week to go ahead and endorse Trump.
And, the Trump team was not given a heads up about this. They found out the same way that everybody else did, when Ryan tweeted about it this morning, and then revealed that Op Ed in his hometown newspaper right around the same time that Clinton was taking the stage in San Diego to give her speech.
There is no word yet, I am told. It is too soon to say, whether Ryan will campaign with Donald Trump out on the trail, whether he will raise money with him. And that is significant, because it indicates the strength of Paul Ryan`s endorsement. What brought Ryan into the tent here?
I am told that Paul Manafort, one of Trump`s top aides, his chief strategist end up playing a big role in that. Ryan felt comfortable that Trump would support the GOP agenda. Lawrence?
O`DONNELL: Hallie Jackson, thank you very much. Coming up, how the Clinton campaign war room seized the day today with a foreign policy speech. I had
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I am crooked, Hillary said, "Oh, Donald Trump, his finger on the button." I am the one that did not want to go into Iraq, folks, and she is the one that stupidly raise her hand to go in to Iraq and destabilize the Middle East, OK? Because that is what she did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: That was Donald Trump in his speech in San Jose, California. Just moments ago, he did just finish that speech in California. And now, it is time for tonight`s war room. The Clinton campaign war room, put their candidate on the attack today against Donald Trump on foreign policy, after studying polls, showing that foreign policy is one of Donald Trump`s big weaknesses.
The most recent NBC Wall Street Journal Poll shows a huge lead for Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump on foreign policy. 56 percent say that Clinton would be better at handling foreign policy. 29 percent say that Donald Trump would be better. Hillary Clinton hit that Trump vulnerability hard today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Imagine him deciding whether to send your spouses or children into battle. Imagine if he had not just His twitter account in his disposal when he is angry, but America is entire arsenal. Do we want him making those calls? Someone thin skinned and quick to anger, wh lashes out at the smallest criticism. Do we want his finger anywhere near the button?
HILLARY SUPPORTERS: No!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: With 159 days left for the campaign war rooms, joining us tonight in "The Last Word" war room, Rick Tyler, veteran of the Ted Cruz, presidential campaign and an MSNBC Contributor, and Ben Labolt, a veteran and President Obama`s campaign war rooms.
Ben, so, today, was finger on the button day and Donald Trump, I would submit in the video we just saw made the mistake of taking Hillary Clinton`s phrase today about finger on the button and using it himself, saying finger on the button. And, saying it with that wild Trump voice at a wild Trump rally exactly the frame Hillary Clinton wants you to think about, when you are think bulldog his finger on the button.
BEN LABOLT, FMR. NATL. PRESS SECRETARY, OBAMA 2012: That is right. She wants you to think of him in the situation room, to see everything that would come with it. Look, if I were in the Clinton campaign war room tonight, I would be happy. I think this felt like the opening of the general election.
I thought it was the most devastating critique of Donald Trump we have heard by a candidate this entire presidential election cycle. There have been a lot of questions floating about whether Clinton would be willing and able to take her critique directly to Trump. She did it in his own words tonight. And, I think that is what made it so effective.
O`DONNELL: Rick Tyler, can you imagine any other campaign war room, watching Hillary Clinton`s speech today, and then sending the Republican candidate out on that stage, with literally, nothing to say about the speech? Not one substance of response to the speech?
RICK TYLER, FMR. CRUZ FOR PRESIDENT SPOKESMAN: No, I could not imagine doing it. It is something that has been unique to the Trump campaign. If I could enter the Clinton war room for a second, they did send her out. It was a well-anticipated speech. It was well delivered. It was far- reaching. It put up a lot of what Donald Trump said about foreign policy, and you know, she highlighted some of the things he said.
If I were in her war room, I would be happy. She won the day. However, Donald Trump, I was listening to his speed earlier. He is pretty effective in knocking -- fighting back, kind of punching back and mocking her. I do agree with you, I would cringe about the fact that he actually used the term finger on the button.
But look, Lawrence, she has got a double-edge problem here. One is that as Trump did say, she reminds people that she did support the Iraq war. That is something Bernie Sanders people do not like. She has got to keep the Bernie Sanders` people. She did involve herself in Libya. It is a haven for terrorists. And that is something also that the Bernie Sanders` people are not going to be looking for. But her theory is that she is competent in foreign policy. She knows a lot about it.
But, there does not seem to be a lot of accomplishments depending on your point of view with record as being secretary of state. And, this is seen as a third and are we going to keep going forward in the same direction. That is what Donald Trump is going to counter back in his war room.
O`DONNELL: Let us listen to more of what Hillary said about Donald Trump today.
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CLINTON: Making Donald Trump our commander-in-chief, would be a historic mistake. And, it would undo so much of the work that Republicans and Democrats alike have done over many decades to make America stronger and more security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O`DONNELL: Ben, the thing that struck me there, undo the work that Republicans and Democrats have done. She was speaking directly Andy Card, my first guest tonight, a Republican on who did some of that work.
LABOLT: Well, I think there is a unique opportunity that Donald Trump presents for Hillary Clinton to reach moderate Republicans, to reach independence, to not only turn out the Obama coalition, but to reach beyond that to independent voters, who care about national security.
And, Donald Trump has broken many years of foreign policy president by embracing our enemies, questioning our allies, saying we should dismantle NATO, at the same time is dispraising the Russians.
So there is a real opportunity there to show that he is dangerous. He is erratic and she will be a stable president who understands these foreign policy precedents. Words matter in diplomacy.
O`DONNELL: She also reached out to Republicans by reminding them if they ever knew it that Donald Trump attacked President Ronald Reagan while he was in office for being weak and being perceived as weak around the world. We are going to take a break here. Thanks for joining us in the war room tonight.
Coming up next, we will go back live to San Jose. See what those protesters are doing as that rally breaks up.
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O`DONNELL: NBC News Jacob Rascon is covering the situation outside of the Donald Trump rally tonight. Donald Trump just finished speaking minutes ago. Jacob, what is the situation there now?
JACOB RASCON, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: What we are seeing now, we are walking with several hundred protesters who had moved away from the rally area and away from officers, now walking down at San Carlo Street, a main road here blocking traffic. This is something the officers seemed to have not prepared for.
I have not seen police now in several minutes. It is worth mentioning that right before this happened, a couple of Trump supporters were walking near the protesters, and they were surrounded.
And at one point, I was standing right next to this Trump supporter, they started throwing things at her, bottles and even eggs. And she was hit several times in the face. And I was sitting there videotaping it, the splatter was hitting me as well.
Here we have somebody else. It looks like a Trump supporter, because they are yelling at him, anti-trump things, and they are throwing things at him. You see them throwing cones, and this is what we have been seeing for the past 30 minutes or so.
And this is what has happened after several rallies that we have been to recently. We will walk toward them so we can see what is going on. Then after a while, once the rally is already underway. It turns into more of an anti-police, than anti-trump, maybe anti-trump and anti-police. There are other things going on in this protest. Lawrence.
O`DONNELL: Jacob, how many people are left at that scene? Are most people leaving the area?
RASON: No, Lawrence. In fact, I would say this is the most protesters that we have seen so far. It started out with of course, a few dozen, and then we had a big group of about a couple. And then about an hour ago, we had another protest group that just joined in.
Most of those are seen to be here. If we go to the left, you can see down the block, we have maybe a hundred, two hundred. And then if we turn around, going back the other way. You can see another couple of hundred down there. And it stretches all the way down to the next light. And that is where the police officers are. They so far have not followed the protesters. Lawrence.
O`DONNELL: Jacob Rascon, thank you very much for reporting from San Jose. We are going to take a break. We will be right back.
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O`DONNELL: We have been showing you video of the aftermath of the Donald Trump rally in San Jose, California. People leaving the venue, protesters outside of the venue. It has been noisy.
There have been a few things thrown around including eggs as Jacob Rascon reported to us. And NBC`s Jacob Rascon is back with us now. Jacob, what is the situation there? Are people moving away, and leaving the area?
RASCON: No, in fact, as they walked around, they are targeting people who look like Trump supporters, who have Trump things on. Here, we got another one. We got a fight here. They are throwing things at the guy who has a Trump shirt on. Oh, he just got knocked in the back of the head. He just got punched in the face.
And now they are rushing him. Now they are knocking him to the ground and you are watching as this Trump supporter is hit over -- said he is not backing down. We have a couple of fights going on at the same time.
I am not sure what you are seeing here, but I am watching a couple people wearing Trump shirts hit and they are hitting back. We are going to keep following another, kicking this person. I am following them down the street.
At this point, we are now a couple of blocks away from where the protest started, where the venue was. And another area of this protest I am saying a "Make America Great Again" hat lit on fire. That is not uncommon either after these rallies that we see.
And they are continuing to run after these people who have Trump things on. I will try to run and catch up to them. And no, the answer s most protesters have not left. A lot of the protectors seemed to have gone, but not this time. This is the most protectors I have seen hang around when it is violent like this.
It seems that Trump supporters have ran far enough away that they have escaped. At this point, I am in front of the Hilton hotel. On the other side of the hotel, where another Trump supporter was hit in the face with eggs.
O`DONNELL: Jacob, what can you report about the police presence there? We do not see much police presence in the shots that we are seeing.
RASCON: Lawrence, no there really is not any police presence. As I said earlier in one of the live shots we did, the officers that we were with earlier when the protests began are now several blocks away. And they have not followed.
And we have seen it at several rallies, Lawrence that after the rally is finished, when the Trump protesters and supporters find themselves away from the venue, the police are not always prepared for that. It is rare.
OK, here we go, we see some officers. We are going to walk over here as you can see them. Officers have now met the protesters. They have gone around the opposite side and here they are. But as you can tell, it looks like there are a couple of dozen of them compared to hundreds of protesters that have swing to the right.
You are going to see the protesters, they are simply going to go around these officers and we will follow here. Again, they are blocking traffic. These are not roads that were blocked off. These are roads that are being blocked by the protesters. There are still cars coming up and down.
And again, we will turn back to the police. Here they are. And they are guarding, it looks like the convention center, but not following the protestors, who looks lie are now running towards something else. Here are more officers. There you go.
And throughout all of this, it is important to remember that we are seeing more and more of this around the country. The most serious and most intense protests we have ever seen probably than those nearest at border in Albuquerque, in Tucson, Arizona, in San Diego, 20 minutes from the border, just last week, and elsewhere along the border.
Now, you are seeing this is officers patrol truck. And earlier, a couple of protesters were pushing and kind of kicking on it. And it is backing away from the protesters. Behind me, behind where the camera is, there are hundreds of protesters, maybe 300 or so. As you can tell, the police officers are far out-numbered here, as is usually the case.
O`DONNELL: You are watching Jacob Rascon reporting from San Jose, California, where Donald Trump rally just broke up. Donald Trump just finished speaking. I want to thank all of our guests tonight including Ben Labolt and Rick Tyler. MSNBCs coverage will continue.
END