Trump Meets with Henry Kissinger; Ivanka Trump Talks about Her Father and Women
LEMON: Tonight about the moves that Donald Trump -- the moves he's making to shore up to some credentials with the conservatives. Back with me now to talk about that, Jeffrey Toobin, Dana Bash, Margaret Hoover, and Stephen Miller. We were talking about his picks for or just, you know, suggestions for a new justice. And he's gotten so much criticism for not being specific. Now he's giving specific examples or names, at least, Jeffrey Toobin.</s>TOOBIN: Absolutely, they are specific, but, you know, one point that hasn't been made in this conversation yet, is, you know, by laying down so clearly that you are going to pick anti-abortion rights, anti- gay rights, Supreme Court justices...</s>LEMON: Is it too obvious? Is that what you're saying?</s>TOOBIN: No. That that's not necessarily...</s>LEMON: No? Trying too hard?</s>TOOBIN: ... a political winner for you. There are a lot of people in this country who think the states should not be allowed to ban abortion. There are a lot of people here who think the Constitution should protect equal rights for gay people and for transgender people. And by embracing legal conservatism so emphatically and so clearly, you risk losing votes as well as gaining them.</s>LEMON: Turning some people away.</s>TOOBIN: Absolutely.</s>LEMON: You believe that vast majority of the electorate.</s>TOOBIN: I don't know about vast majority, but I know these are not necessarily political winners for the Trump campaign to be known as the anti-abortion candidate.</s>BASH: In the -- just in the general electorate, you know, obviously, there is a strong possibility for that. But it also, I think, shows you a lot about how much the Trump campaign feels like they have to really shore up their conservative base.</s>MILLER: There's a general election message here, too, that's very important, which is that crime is rising in major cities all across the country. That the second amendment is a huge issue for conservatives. And Americans reject abortion on demand, as just this sort of unfettered concept, where you can have a bible who doesn't...</s>LEMON: So, here's the -- I think I know where you're going. the second amendment is never going away and abortion...</s>MILLER: Not if Donald Trump is elected.</s>LEMON: Jeffrey, will these things ever change?</s>TOOBIN: You bet they will.</s>MILLER: If you switch D.C. versus Heller you risk gun run.</s>LEMON: You think the second amendment.</s>TOOBIN: Gun control used to be constitutional. Now it's unconstitutional. Abortion rights have been hanging by a thread for years.</s>LEMON: I stand corrected, then. I didn't think that they would ever...</s>TOOBIN: States are all but banning them in the south and Texas and Louisiana, Mississippi are passing laws that are forcing basically every abortion clinic in those states to close. That is a change. Now, whether it's good or bad is up to everybody to decide. But certainly, the laws have changed.</s>LEMON: Well, Stephen, finish. Go ahead.</s>MILLER: I was going to say that, I mean, if you go to the American people and you say, do you want judges who are going to invent fake constitutional rights for criminals? The answer is no. Do you say do you want judges who are going to overturn D.C. versus Heller on the right to own a private gun? They'd say, absolutely not. If you'd say, do you want judges who will uphold President Obama's illegal executive amnesty, they will say no, no, and no again.</s>TOOBIN: Because you are asking them ridiculous questions. These are not what these cases are about.</s>MILLER: No, these are -- well...</s>BASH: I know that is what the election is going to be about. But I know this is going to sound, again, you know, going back to the darkest we're having over here. It matters. I mean, it matters so much and, again, you know this better than anybody, maybe no more so than this year, where it's not hypothetical whether or not the next president is going to pick somebody on the Supreme Court.</s>TOOBIN: Of course.</s>BASH: It's real.</s>TOOBIN: There's a vacancy now.</s>BASH: And it's going to be immediate and it's the seat that tips the balance. It is so real and so tangible on so many issues.</s>LEMON: Let's move on now and talk about foreign policy, because he met -- he paid a visit to the former Secretary of State under Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger. Can you tell us, Dana, about that meeting or why now?</s>BASH: I think it's fascinating that Donald -- first of all, the logistics of it, that Donald Trump went to pay a visit to him. It's a sign of respect. You know, he's in his early '90s. 92, 93, and he's an icon among republicans in foreign policy. You know, and if you are somebody who wants to get a better sense of the world and get a better sense of policy, who else are you going to meet other than Kissinger? Now, Kissinger has said a few things, maybe not outright concern about Donald Trump, but noting very explicitly, how unusual it is for somebody who has no government experience to be this close to getting the presidency.</s>LEMON: I want to talk about -- because he's been really, you know, on the defensive this week, talking about taxes, talking about North Korea, his treatment of women. Today, his daughter Ivanka, was forced to defend her father's behavior towards women. I want you to listen to this.</s>IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: I'm not in every interaction my father has but he's not a groper. It's not who he is. And I've known my father, obviously, my whole life. And he has total respect for women.</s>LEMON: It has been said that publishing this list today and also maybe the release of, you know, how much he is worth was to sort of move the news on, away from his treatment of women. Does anybody here agree or disagree with that?</s>MILLER: I can categorically say that's not true. But the like I said, this has been months in the making. And I do have to say this, because I will not even be able to go to bed tonight if I don't say this, which is that there is absolutely a Supreme Court case that will decide whether or not we have borders anymore. And the American people will vote for borders and they'll vote for Donald Trump.</s>TOOBIN: OK.</s>LEMON: We're glad that you can sleep tonight. Yes.</s>MILLER: I don't know what -- but, OK.</s>LEMON: I'm not even -- we're glad that you can sleep tonight. But go ahead.</s>HOOVER: I think the Kissinger meeting was incredibly important. Donald Trump clearly trying to communicate that he's willing to be schooled up on foreign policy. I think nobody, I mean, everybody goes to Donald Trump, but Donald Trump went to Kissinger, which is like Dana said. I think it was a gesture that he needs to get briefed. Hopefully he got brief why no U.S. president has ever talked to or met with the chairman of the working people's party of North Korea. There's a very good reason. You don't sit down one on one meetings with the President of the United States with the chair of North Korea, because North Korea has made many, many promises about nuclear weapons and hasn't met a single one of them. Continues to test nuclear weapons in defiance of the six-party talks of the DPRK deal of the many, many promises they've made. And to be part of a civilized world and a civilized society, a world of nations, there's -- it's unfathomable that this individual has so little understanding of international foreign policy.</s>LEMON: OK, so, I've got to run. But you've mentioned Henry Kissinger in that meeting. It didn't mean that you didn't think that the women thing wasn't important, that Ivanka. Do you think it's...</s>HOOVER: I think Ivanka -- I think Ivanka is one of Donald Trump's best female surrogates and she should be on the trail every single day because she's going to need to be on the delegate for that.</s>LEMON: The women's issue for Donald Trump, do you think that's as big a deal as will it...</s>HOOVER: I think it's going to be an incredible Achilles heel for him in the general election.</s>LEMON: OK. Thank you, everyone. I appreciate it. Tomorrow, CNN's Chris Cuomo sits down with Hillary Clinton, that at 1 Eastern, 1 p.m. Eastern. Make sure you tune in for that. When we come right back, Bernie Sanders about to speak to a cheering crowd in California. He says he's staying in the race until the last vote is cast. But what's his end-game here and could it hurt the democrats can? We'll be right back.