Trump Can't Believe Travel Ban Fight with Court
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, how far are you willing to take your travel ban?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to take it through the system. It's very important for the country, regardless of me or whoever succeeds at a later date. We have to have security in our country. We have to have the ability. When you take some place like Syria, you take all of the different people. And if you remember, ISIS said, we are going to infiltrate the United States and other countries through the migration. And then we're not allowed to be tough on the people coming in? Explain that one. So we'll see what happens. We have a big court case. We're well represented. And we're going to see what happens.</s>UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is it going to go to the Supreme Court, do you think?</s>TRUMP: We'll see. Hopefully it doesn't have to. It's common sense. You know, some things are law, and I'm all in favor of that. And some things are common sense. This is common sense.</s>UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, if it's unreported or underreported -- unreported is the phrase you used yesterday, but if it's underreported, why do you think the media is not reporting or America is --</s>TRUMP: Well, I happen to think -- I don't have to -- I have to know. Because I'm reported on possibly more than anybody in the world. I don't think you'll say anything about that. I happen to know how dishonest the media is. I happen to know that stories about me that should be good, or bad. You know, I don't mind a bad story if it's true. But I don't like bad stories that should be a positive story, when they make them totally negative, I understand the total dishonesty of the media better than anybody. And I let people know it. I mean, the media is a very, very dishonest arm and we'll see what happens. Not everybody. And I have to say that. I always preface it by saying not everybody. But there's tremendous dishonesty. Pure outright dishonesty from the media. Let's go into the --</s>HARLOW: All right. There you have it the president as he meets with sheriffs from counties across the country taking a few questions from the White House pool there talking about and defending the travel ban saying he hopes it doesn't have to go all the way to the Supreme Court, calling it common sense. Doesn't even seem to understand why it's being debated. Also, once again, going after the media. Ryan Lizza is back with us, also Lynn Sweet. Ryan Lizza, common sense versus something that should be debated. Your take?</s>RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, look, the question about this travel ban from the beginning is, is it targeting the right people? Right? I mean, since 9/11, there have been 396 terrorism cases. Right? Those are people in the United States or Americans abroad that the American authorities have gone after for terrorism related charges. 83 percent of those people -- this is according to the New America Foundation which tracks all this stuff. 83 percent of those cases were American citizens or permanent residents. So what you hear from -- and, you know, I spent the last couple of days talking to a lot of counterterrorism officials so I wrapped my hear around this. What you hear from the counterterrorism world is we don't understand why a ban on these countries is -- helps make us safer, right? And so that's I think the argument that they just haven't made to most people's satisfaction.</s>BERMAN: It's one of the things the judges today, the federal appeals court in San Francisco may decide on. They may decide on other things including standing. But we also heard the president talk about how he will let this work its way through the system now. I mean, now federal judges will get to rule on this, it may go all the way to the Supreme Court. You talked to a lot of people on the Hill. He might have been able to avoid all of this had there been a greater level of consultation and maybe some more planning before signing this order.</s>LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Yes, John, exactly. And it could have been made more -- it could have been made more legal bulletproof. But it didn't happen that way. So when the president said he's going to work -- let this lawsuit work through the system, at this point, it really is not up to him because the lawsuit exists. The arguments will be made. The case, I believe, will end up in the Supreme Court. Right now 4-4 divided. So then we add on top of this what will be the unfolding drama over the confirmation of President Trump's newly minted Supreme Court nominee. So this goes back to the goal is something everybody agrees on. You don't want a terrorist in the nation. How you then have the plan to make sure that happens is what's essentially and simply at issue here.</s>HARLOW: So one of the other things he did there in those brief remarks is that he attacked the media. He said, I don't mind fake stories. That is actually in opposition to the -- you know, what he tweeted yesterday. He said, I don't mind bad story, I should say. I mind them when they're good stories and the media purposefully turns them negative.</s>SWEET: When it's about him.</s>HARLOW: Right.</s>BERMAN: Look, I don't think there's any question that this White House, and I'm not being critical, they want cheerleaders. I mean, they want the media to be cheerleaders to their policies and proposals. And that's not the way it works.</s>LIZZA: Yes, look, there's always a certain amount of working the refs. You know, it's usually the phrase we use like the White House and campaign officials attacking the media, trying to get us to focus on things they care about. This is at a level, though, that is far different. And there is just this sort of obsession right now with trying to get us to focus on the issues that they care about to the point where they are just brow beating us every day. And, you know, I think that that is troubling, especially when you're doing it before a military audience as he did yesterday.</s>HARLOW: But, Lynn, as a tactic to get the media to do that, saying things like he said yesterday in front of the military audience saying the media doesn't cover terror attacks enough, which is completely just flatly false and then we're talking about that and perhaps not about this travel ban likely going to the Supreme Court?</s>SWEET: It's a distraction. It's a tactic. It's a strategy. And I don't think I can say it enough. I think it will be hard to sustain because at some point he has to get more into the nitty-gritty of governing. On the other hand, of course, it's damaging to the press. Of course it's distrustful because -- you know, we have thick skins. Reporters can always take criticism, but when you say things that we don't report on terrorism, when you take that broad sweep from local to national to international, it's just not true. And the reporter who did the follow-up today, in the White House, had a very good question. Are you saying, sir, that it's underreported, which is, OK, we can debate, or not reported at all, which isn't true?</s>LIZZA: And just look, one other point, I have a piece that just posted on NewYorker.com. I talked to a number of counterterrorism officials, Bush administration, Obama administration, and the surprising thing that I heard from them is what they were worried about is if this is the atmosphere that the White House is creating now in a period of relative calm in this country where we are not under threat, where we are not seeing terrorist attacks in this country, what happens when there's an actual terrorist attack in this country?</s>HARLOW: Yes.</s>LIZZA: And if the White House is attacking the media and the judiciary for, in their argument, not focusing enough on this, what happens afterwards when the country is jittery and scared?</s>HARLOW: And needs to be brought together.</s>BERMAN: Laying the groundwork right now for that. Ryan Lizza, Lynn Sweet, great to have you with us. Really appreciate it. Still to come for us, wicked bad weather in Boston, but that doesn't matter because they are wicked tough there. And they are there to greet the world champion New England Patriots home with their Super Bowl trophy and their many, many rings. Stay with us.