Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With John Berman And Poppy Harlow 20170713

The meeting that his son had with a russian lawyer, why . Because of a russian government effort. The president defending his son once again telling reuters in a new interview there was zero coordination between russia and the campaign. Lets begin this morning with our senior White House Correspondent jeff zeleny who has the background of the reporter the president is going to do something today he very seldom does, that is take questions from reporters. Hell be attending a News Conference later today alongside french president Emmanuel Macron. Hell be taking two questions from u. S. Reporters and two questions from french reporters. And of course the matter at hand regardless of where he is still questions about the russia allegations, the russia revelations that really have dogged and overshadowed the agenda for the white house this week. But it is important to note the president back in europe for the second time in less than a week accepting the invitation of the french president , the new french president to be here for the bastille Day Celebration tomorrow, which is also marking the 100th year of the u. S. Participation, the entry into world war i. So President Trump tomorrow will be lining the parade route watching the u. S. Soldiers and sailors and airmen along with the french troops as well. But, poppy, there are also some business meetings to be held here of course. He and the french president are going to be having a meeting for more than an hour or so talking about security, counterterrorism and other matters. Of course this is one way the president is trying to still cement his relationship with other leaders around the world. By removing the u. S. From the paris climate agreement, it has given the sense that the u. S. Is not as engaged with world activities. President trump trying to send a message he wants to be engaged on trade, on other things, on counterterrorism. So he has that chance today. But, poppy, again, so many things hanging over the white house, particularly the revelations about his oldest son last summer meeting with the russian lawyer. And we have some sound from an interview with the president yesterday talking to Pat Robertson defending his son. If hillary had won, our military would be decimated. Our energy would be much more expensive. Thats what putin doesnt like about me. And thats why i say why would he want me. Reporter so of course that was sound there of the president talking about, you know, trying to sort of, you know, change the narrative here that Vladimir Putin wanted trump to win. Saying that, you know, he is actually tougher on russia than Hillary Clinton would have been. But, poppy, this all has this sense of the president still trying to look for an enemy, if you will, someone to fight with, if you will, trying to deflect this to Hillary Clinton, which is of course beside the point now. He won the election, unclear why hes still talking about Hillary Clinton, poppy. Yeah, unclear, clearly, jeff zeleny, thank you. Also, one Top Republican senator says the news of donald trump jr. s meeting with a russian lawyer is ramping up interest in a congressional hearing with another person who was in that meeting, that of course is former Trump Campaign chairman paul manafort. Lets go to washington where we find our crime and justice reporter. So this is Chuck Grassley saying we want manafort to come testify and we want to hear from him next week. Reporter thats right, poppy. This hearing that hes scheduled really doesnt have to do with this russia investigation. Its not particularly related to this. Its more related to the foreign registration act. And it seems like they see this as a window, as an opportunity to question manafort because he himself has been sort of involved in some of the controversy later after it was revealed he was working on behalf of ukraine lobbying efforts, on the u. S. , and grassley yesterday basically said, you know, hes going to hes tletdenned basically to subpoena manafort if he doesnt agree to appear before the committee. However, there are two things kind of that may help manafort in this case and may even outside of his refusal to appear that would prevent him from testifying and thats this special counsel investigation, which could prevent him. You know, grassley said he would reach out to special counsel bob mueller to see if it in any way would his appearance would conflict with their investigation. Shi moan prokupecz in washington, well see what manafort says and if hes compelled to testify, he could take the fifth i guess unless offered immunity. Well see if they ask for a deal. Thanks very much, shimon. Here to discuss all of this as the president is in paris, political analyst and National Reporter for real clear politics, matt lewis, conservative writer and laura coates, our cnn legal analyst and former federal prosecutor. Laura, to start with you on that beat of manafort, if hes compelled to come before grassleys committee next week, is there any way you see him not taking the fifth unless hes granted some sort of immunity deal . Frankly, poppy, no. And being compelled, im assuming you mean theres a subpoena to have him come because i doubt he will volunteer to appear. Everyones very, you know, cooperative until a lawyer gets involved and until you have a looming actual criminal statute that may actually define your behavior, no ones cooperative at that point in time. So whats likely going to happen is hes well aware that congress only has at its disposal two things if he decides to not appear or to not answer questions. And that is he could go for contempt proceedings and that goes back to the department of justice, or he could ask a federal judge, congress could do that, to say compel him to testify and give answers. But that criminal probe that mueller has will take priority because thats the one that if there is criminal conduct found could lead to incarceration. And the fifth amendment is his only way of trying to get out of that. Is there any reason the department of justice, laura, just to button this up, would grant him immunity. Remember this is what Michael Flynn asked for through his attorney. I have a story i want to tell if basically im protected to tell it. Any way doj would do you think agree to this . At this point in time they have zero incentive to do so. It would be premature to give it. Remember, their goal is to try to figure out theres a counterespionage undertaking in the United States related to the 2016 election. Who was involved . Who were the biggest fish . Who were the different arms of whatever happened there . And so if this is the beginning, or perhaps the tip of the proverbial iceberg that would lead them to figure out who really is at fault if anyone, why would you make that decision at this premature basis . Which would basically immunize anybody right now under this microscope. They have zero incentive to do so. So, matt lewis, reading the transcript of this reuters interview yesterday, wish it was on camera so we could play it for everyone, but with the president this is the line that i think stood out to me the most. The president said, quote, somebody did say if he did do it hes talking about putin and russia hacking the election, somebody did say if he did do it, you wouldnt have found out about it. Which is a very interesting point. Two questions, is this the president once again questioning whether or not russia hacked the election . And at the very least, is this not him complimenting putins intelligence . Yeah, i think its both things. And i think its weird that donald trump is engaging at all in this level of this is the kind of thing maybe pundits should be talking about our College Students in dorm rooms. The fact that hes like engaging in this intellectual exercise of, well, trust me if putin had actually wanted to hack the election, we wouldnt have heard anything about it, attributing these almost super powers to Vladimir Putin. I think its just part and parcel of a, you know, of a larger story, a larger narrative which is that donald trump should be focused on other things other than trying to weighin on this and intellectualize it. You know, i think its part of the reason why the trip to paris is going to be, you know, sort of a overshadowed by this story. And part of the reason why health care is in trouble as well. Right. He isnt out there rolling up his sleeves holding town halls, canceling a foreign trip akin to what president obama did when his Health Care Bill was on the ropes. Now, some could argue, you know, Republican Leadership in the house and the senate, Mitch Mcconnell doesnt want the president to be doing that, but it is not his focus it seems right now. Rebecca, let me ask you about this. The meeting between, and the joint appearances for the next two days between Emmanuel Macron and president donald trump, theres a lot that could benefit the president on this trip. But remember the joint press conference that macron held with president putin at versailles . And he lit in to putin. There is a danger here for President Trump in not knowing which way macron is going to go. There is. But absolutely as much as this is going to be potentially an awkward trip, remember that President Trump pretty much supported macrons opponent, Marine Le Pen in the president ial race in france as much as this will be awkward on both sides President Trump needs allies right now. As we saw at the g20, the United States is more isolated than it has been in recent memory in terms of our international relations. European allies who have partnered with the u. S. In the past feel very wary of their position and their relationship with the United States. German chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed and hinted that she feels a little bit worried about the relation with the United States and theresa may, our partner in the united kingdom, has also expressed worry. And so we need partners, we need friends. And so thats why this is going to be such an important trip. And i think france views it the same way because for europe things are better if the United States is strong, if the United States is cooperating. And thats what they need right now from President Trump. So thats going to be the objective for them. Just to be clear, matt, i mean, they have common interests, namely syria, right . And an end to the humanitarian crisis and the war in syria. Also though you have macron doing some things that President Trump really likes, like committing to spending 2 of their gdp on defense, being critical of germany on trade just like President Trump has been. What do you think makes this trip a win for President Trump . Well, i think its actually a mistake to look at it if trump looks at it as a win, thats a shortterm thing, right . So that means that you come back and theres positive press and that its, you know, people say that it was a win. I think a win is actually a longterm win, which is to establish a relationship, to build that relationship for the long term of cooperation. I think that is the key. I think it could go either way. Right now theyre frenemies. You can argument donald trump is nationalist and macron is this cosmopolitan internationalist, thats one way of looking at it. If thats the dichotomy, that doesnt bode well for the relationship. But you could also certainly argue that they both have a lot in common including a shared interest of actually getting along. These two countries go back a pretty long ways, all the way back actually. And its much better for the world if they get along. It is indeed. Rebecca, oped this morning from gary cohn and also National Security advisor h. R. Mcmaster in the New York Times. Let me read part of it, the United States cannot be a passive member of the International Organizations. We are working with friends to confront common threats, seize mutually beneficial opportunities and press for solutions and shared problems. Now, one interesting note, russia, putin not mentioned once in that oped. In addition to that, does this fly in the face of America First . Saying we cannot be a passive member of International Organizations and the International Community, or is there some way it goes hand in hand, rebecca . I think this is certainly an effort by the administration to try to reassure some of our international partners, that America First is not going to mean isolationism. But this has been the major concern among our partners overseas that the United States isnt really interested in working toward our shared common goals but only its own goals. And is pursuing this more isolationist path. So you can see with this france trip as the background music, this is definitely an effort to try to reassure our European Partners and our asian partners for that matter that the United States is not going to withdraw from the world. Thats not what America First means. But certainly if you think back to the campaign trail to some of Donald Trumps rhetoric in that setting, thats what a lot of his supporters took away from what he was saying when he said America First, that we werent going to engage in these conflicts overseas, we werent going to we were going to be limiting our trade with some of these countries, pursuing only bilateral trade negotiations, for example. So competing messages for sure. And you wonder what Donald Trumps some of his supporters who took that America First message to heart might be thinking when they see an oped like that. Ive talked to a lot of them all around the country. Rebecca berg, thank you, matt lewis, laura coates, nice to have you all on. We are less than two hours away from getting our first look and frankly lawmakers, a lot of them getting their first look at the revised gop senate Health Care Bill. The president vowing to be very angry if the senate doesnt pass it this time around. Listen. They have to do it. They have to get together and get it done. What will happen if they dont . Well, i dont even want to talk about it because i think it would be very bad. I will be very angry about it. And a lot of people will be very upset. But im sitting waiting for that bill to come to my desk. I hope that they do it. Theyve been promising it for years. And hes been promising it for years as well. Our political reporter m. J. Lee is on the hill with more. Some of the words out of some of these republican senators have to give the administration pause. Senator bob corker of tennessee, quote, not everybodys having a good time. Senator tim scott of south carolina, a painful process right now. Does this thing have the momentum it needs . Well, poppy, i think what were about to learn today is whether theres any life left in this bill. Youre absolutely right that the mood here has been pretty pessimistic when we were speaking to senator john mccain he told roreporters yesterday tt he would be surprised if this bill passed next week. Now, all of that having been said what we are about to learn in a couple of hours is exactly what changes were made to this bill, this bill that was introduced last month. And simply did not have enough support. Leadership has been in touch with a number of the rank and file members trying to figure out what kind of changes could be made to win over some of these no votes and make them into yes votes. And we already know some of the details of what kind of changes are expected. Of course barring any lastminute changes we know that some 45 billion in additional funding for opioid treatment that is expected to be in the bill, more money to go towards stabilization funds, that is also expected. Notably i will note that any big changes to medicaid those changes are not actually expected. And that is going to be crucial for some of these moderate senators who have raised a lot of concern that there are too steep cuts that are in the original senate bill. And the last thing i would note just in terms of what changes we are expecting, this cruz amendment that we have been talking about all week even until even as of rather last week unclear, cruz said so himself, whether this amendment would make it into the bill. This is very, very important because we though that someone like cruz they are unwilling to support this bill unless this conservative amendment makes it into the legislation. Look, a lot of people say if anyone can get it done Mitch Mcconnell can get it done. He couldnt last time. Will this be different . Well see. M. J. Lee, thank you very much. A lot ahead for us. Were watching as President Trump meets looking at live pictures out of paris, the president meeting with french president macron. High stakes for this meeting followed by high drama when the president takes reporters questions. You can bet there will be some russia questions in there. Also, President Trump defending his son again over that meeting with the russian lawyer. Why . Because of a russian government effort. What the president says and says others like democrats would have taken the same meeting. Would they have . We will ask one. Also, a major break in the case of four missing men in pennsylvania. Youre looking at live pictures of the property that is being searched right now chl. Investigators have discovered human remains, a tragic story. Well bring you the latest, also the person of interest ahead. Termites. Were on the move. Hey rick, all good . Oh yeah, were good. Were good. Terminix. Defenders of home. All right. Were just a few hours away from the president facing questions on camera for the First Time Since the world learned that his son, his soninlaw and thencampaign manager all went to a meeting last summer that promised damaging information on Hillary Clinton that was knowingly coming from the russian government. President trump is already come out defending his son once again telling reuters in a new interview, quote, many people would have taken that meeting. Joining me now democratic congresswoman karen bass of california, she serves on the House Foreign Affairs and house judiciary committees. Its nice to have you. Thank you, congresswoman, for being here. Thanks for having me on. Youve been very clear and outspoken in your criticism of the president. You recently tweeted a Maxine Waters quote saying the president will impeach himself. So now your fellow california congressman brad sherman has formally put forth these articles of impeachment, but there are many in your own party who say hold on, thats moving too fast, you know, dont go there yet. Right. Do you support him in this move . Well, i also believe that we need to let the process work its way through. We need to see what the Mueller Investigation is going to do. I understand the interest from my colleagues and wanting to put forward articles of impeachment as well as putting forward legislation that calls for a vote of no confidence. We in a lot of ways are responding to our constituents who are definitely demanding that that happen, but i would prefer to let the process work. All right. So the president recently said in his interview with reuters this, most of the phony politicians who are democrats who i watched over the last couple of days, most of those phonies act holier than thou, if the same thing would have happened to them, they would have taken that meeting in a heartbeat. Would you have taken the meeting . Not at all. I would have run as far away and as fast as possible. But i would have looked at that in hindsight thought the other side was setting me up. So i think its ludicrous to think that just anybody would take that. The russian government calls me up or someone saying they represent the russian government calls me up and says they have dirt on my opponent . I would run as far and as fast as possible away from that. But youve gone as far, congresswoman, to call these emails released by don junior himself a, quote, smoking gun and the evidence needed to move forward. Evidence of what . Evidence of something illegal . Are you saying that there was a law that you believe he broke . Well, heres first of all im not a lawyer, let me tell you that. But let me just say that okay, but youre a member of congress and you know what the laws are when it comes to federal campaigns, et cetera. So do you think he broke a law . Well, i do think he broke a law, but the question is whether or not the law applies to him in the same way that it would to jared kushner. You cant look at these two in the exact same way. I dont think it was something that he could get arrested for, but well see how this process works out because i do believe that this, you know, drip, drip, drip of information congresswoman, my apologies for interrupting you, but we are looking at live pictures of french president Emmanuel Macron just getting out of his motorcade there. This is at a number of museums and monuments all related to French Military history, also honoring veterans. Hes waiting for President Trump to arrive as well for these two days that the two will spend together in paris. Of course all of this the big picture celebrating bastille day in france and also the 100th anniversary of the United States entering world war i. A personal invitation that came from president macron to President Trump at the white house shortly after the two met earlier this year. Lets bring in our nic robertson, our Senior International diplomatic editor. Nic, this is a big meeting for both of these men. Both alpha males. Both new president s. Both with a lot on the line. What should we expect . Reporter yeah, both new to sort of this level of diplomacy, of leadership. So, you know, in some ways theyve got a lot to prove. They have a lot of differences. They certainly know where those differences are. This first sort of engagement if you will to set the tone President Trump is the honored respected guest for the bastille Day Celebrations. This of course this visit is steeped in French Military history. You have dozens upon dozens of generals that are buried here. You have Marshal Ferdinand falk supreme allied commander in world war i and we know part of President Trumps visit here will be to commemorate the United States coming in and joining the french, supporting the french 100 years ago today back during the first world war. Theyll visit the tomb of napole napoleon i. If there was ever a heavy solid symbol of how power passes from one leader to another, certainly must be the sarcophagus. Essentially ended his years in exile, buried in this very honorable place where i say so many generals were buried. The composer of the French National anthem also buried there. This is very much a scene setter in keeping with the military nature of the event, but also, you know, in keeping i suppose if you will with some of the commonalities between President Trump and president macron that they see, if you will, some sense of common vision about isis. That they see theres potential for cooperation counterterrorism that already goes on at significant level, there is potential for cooperation in syria coming together. But then so much that divides them. So this if you will this first meeting is in a place that gives them a chance to find what they have in common rather than to sort of immediately be thrusted into the environment where their differences on trade, on Climate Change, might be immediately apparent, poppy. Nic, stay with us. Thank you for that. Lets also bring in, i believe we have josh rogan, do we . Josh, are you with us . I am. Hi, josh. Nic was just talking about the differences and also the commonalities. And no one will forget that White Knuckle handshake between the two the first time they met. So maybe our cameras will zoom in on the handshake when President Trump arrives in just a moment. And youll remember french president Emmanuel Macron said there was nothing innocent about that handshake. He was showing his strength and the strength of france and President Trump was doing the same for the United States. He has been critical of the president for pulling out of the paris climate accord, inviting climate scientists to the United States to france rather after the u. S. Pulled out. He also in jest said make the planet great again. But at the same time hes been on the same page with the president somewhat when it comes to nato and funding, committing france to spending 2 of gdp on defense spending. And also he, macron, has been critical of germany on trade just as President Trump has. So how important is it for President Trump to solidify a solid relationship with a western leader, i. E, macron, right now. Reporter right, i think thats the question. Theres no way to paper over the fact these are two leaders who have drastically opposing views of the way the International Community should operate and the direction of the world in general. On trade, on Climate Change, on the eu, you name it, these guys have different ideas of what the path of western democracies working together should mean in the 21st century. At the same time they both have an interest in figuring out a way to Work Together and figuring out a way to be friends. For trump that interest is simply rooted in his desire to have one western leader with whom he can have a constructive, positive working relationship. His attempts to forge a relationship with german chancellor Angela Merkel have not worked out. It seemed for a little bit of time he would be close to uk Prime Minister theresa may. Shes got her own problems. Theyre withdrawing from europe anyway. So this is his shot to have a point of contact in western europe where he can go, right . He cant even go to london after starting a tweet storm with london mayor during a terrorist attack for no reason. So this is a Good Opportunity for the president to sort of reset his european image, his european relationship. For macron, likewise, if he can elevate himself as a new president with very little experience but a lot of ambition as the point of contact in western europe for the american president , if he can show the rest of europe that he can be the trump whisperer, that he can be the guy to talk to trump, negotiate with trump and sort of help trump mollify and sort of, you know, take the rough edges off of his image in europe, that elevates macron internally, around europe and would represent a huge victory for france diplomatically. So in essence in one way in the ideological way theyre totally opposed, but in a pragmatic realistic way they have some interests that overlap. You wonder if macron is getting a little impatient right now waiting for President Trump to arrive. It should come at any moment. Thats why were showing you live pictures in paris, honoring history of military in france and veterans. President trump about to arrive. The press conference, they are going to hold, nic, a joint press conference in just a few hours. Youll see it live here at 12 00 eastern. The president will not, nic, be able to escape these questions on russia. The question becomes how does he handle them . Reporter to a degree he wont be able to escape them, but to a degree he will in part because we understand theres only going to be two questions per president. They each get to speak about ten minutes each, you know, to give their view on the meetings, to give their sort of view of this place and time in history and the importance of it to each other, no doubt well hear about what possibilities there are for future cooperation. This really is about getting to know each other. But absolutely that press conference President Trump having left the g20 without speaking there, completely atypical because all the other leaders or most of the other leaders who attended there gave their own press conferences whether it was president putin, xi jinping, other leaders like theresa may, Angela Merkel, spoke with journalists. So President Trump gets a chance to reset that image there. But the opportunity is very finite. It is very small. The number of questions that people have that they want to ask about the russian meddling, about the latest revelations about his son don junior. All of these really even if the french press got their two questions for president macron, one can see theres only so far that you can go pushing the president to give further insight into his opinion and the substance of whats happening those key places and meetings. We also have our chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans here as we look at what i believe may be the president s motorcade pulling up. The economic interests and ties between the United States are strong and they are important especially given the divisions between many of the western nations in europe and the United States. And the president right now on that front. You know, h. R. Mcmaster and gary cohn, this morning in the New York Times in an oped talking about the America First mission and calling the g20 appearance by the president a success and saying the United States is looking for cooperation with countries like france, but it will be americas selfinterest at first order of business in all of these matters, whether its Climate Change, whether its syria, whether it is the economy. Whats interesting to me, poppy, is on trade at least other countries the eu and japan have forged their own trade deal. Yes. China and mexico are talking very beginning stages of their own trade deal. As donald trump has sort of shoed globalization as weve known it and global trade deals as weve known it hes going to do it better, other countries are going around the United States and making their own deals. It will be fascinating to see if thats on the agenda here. It will be fascinating to see. And josh rogan, to you as well, the president , the message that he wants to send and the questions he wants to answer, President Trump in the press conference today, versus the questions he will be asked especially by u. S. Journalists likely about russia since he has not addressed that in a press conference yet, how do you see this playing out for the president . And also, how do you see the dynamic between Emmanuel Macron and President Trump at the press conference in terms of what they do not agree on . Christine mentioned the climate agreement, a huge divide for the two. Sure. Given how tough macron was on putin in their press conference at versailles, what is to say he wont be similar when hes standing next to President Trump. Ill answer your second question first. I think theres going to be a determined effort by both of these leaders to focus on the positive and ignore the negative, right . They want to talk about the things that they want to talk about, that includes cooperation on terrorism, cooperation on defense, cooperation on refugees. Whatever it is that they can point to to say these are the things that are enduring about the u. S. france alliance, which of course is americas oldest alliance, right . Now, all of the other things that they disagree on, Climate Change, russia, maybe syria, were not really sure, when those come up, well see two different styles of leaders handle them in two different ways. Macron who is ultimately prepared and will have thought out josh, standby for just a moment because we are looking at a moment in history. You see the french president Emmanuel Macron, his wife right next to him, the first lady, and now coming out of the motorcade president donald trump. Heres the handshake. Perhaps not a White Knuckle handshake like the first time the two of them met. Greeting the first lady there as well and Melania Trump the first lady greeting Emmanuel Macron. Josh rogan, your thoughts. So macron is a guy who knows how he wants to handle President Trump. And the handshake while we shouldnt make too much of it, as the first time he prepared, he studied trumps handshake, he came in with a handshake he thought could respond to that handshake so wouldnt look like he got pulled around the room. But at the same time wouldnt look like hes being too aggressive. Now theyve got the handshake down. This is their second or third or fourth handshake. They seem to have figured it out where they can both have a handshake and nobody looks like they overpowered the other one. Its all happy and coordinated. And if you want to say this, i dont want to make too much of that, but this is a great example of the trumpmacron relationship because they know that they dont really agree with each other. They know that theyre very different. But theyre going to figure out a way to work with each other. And macrons going to be most of the heavy lifting on that and donald trump will hopefully go along. And that seems to be not only what happened in that handshake but whats going to happen in this meeting and in this relationship going forward. Theyre going to figure out a way to pretend that they like each other. And maybe they will like each other at the end of the day, well find out. There you go. Maybe fast friends. Jeff zeleny, our senior White House Correspondent is also there with us in paris. Jeff, as you look at these pictures and think about the importance of this meeting for both new president s, the president of france and the president of the United States, what do you believe covering the white house so closely, the white house wants to gain out of this trip and the headlines they want to see upon the president s return to the United States . Poppy, i think theres no question that, i mean, of all the differences in policies between the two president s certainly came into, you know, leadership and power in very different ways, but they do have some similarities in the sense that they are both trying to make their mark in sort of this world. But i think the there was a lot of surprise in washington and at the white house indeed when President Trump accepted this invitation here to appear here today with so much else going on. It has turned into something of a respite, actually, a bit of a relief from what President Trump has been dealing with back in washington. But i also think this is a chance for him to try and reassert some of that lost u. S. Leadership and power at the g20 summit we saw last week in hamburg, germany. The u. S. Of course stepping out of the climate agreement, this Global Climate agreement, makes it look like the u. S. Is standing alone in many respects. And in many respects they are, but this is a reminder that at least militarily through the fight against isis and counterterrorism that President Trump is looking for partners here. He hopes one of those partners is with president macron here. But certainly a bit of a high wire act with that press conference in a couple hours time because the issues even though hes here in paris, poppy, russia still looms large over everything he does. You know, nic, im glad jeff brought that up because fighting isis has been key in terms of our partnership with france. I mean, france has been a key strategic ally and an ally on the ground for the United States in fighting isis. Do you believe that syria is the area where these two men share the most Common Ground and share to gain the most from their relationship . Before you answer that, lets listen into the French National anthem for just a moment. The u. S. The American National anthem, i should say. Lets listen in. Nic robertson, your thoughts on that when it comes to syria. You know, i think they have there is a lot of cooperation on count terrorism, the root of the counterterrorism threat in europe at the moment for the United States as well and certainly as the french have experienced here has had its root in syria so absolutely theres a meeting on the minds on the root, where it is, how to try to track it, how to combat it, how to Work Together, how to share information, how to share names, how to share intelligence. Its been very clear through all the attacks that have unfolded in paris and in france for the past couple of years not forgetting of course there was an attack on bastille day last year, just an anniversary of which tomorrow more than 80 people killed, more than 400 injured, a tunisian driving a truck into people out celebrati celebrating bastille day in nice. So all of that there is clear level of cooperation, but can they build on that . What is the future picture of syria . You know, President Trump really seemed to take a leap with president putin on that almost sort of putting it in president putins hands what the next shape of the syria conflict could look like. Certainly russians have the ability on the ground to lead the way. Will the french follow suit . We know macron has said he is sort of agnostic, ambivalent about president assad, but assad can stay in power for the interim. Russians have said hell go at some point, but thats been this sort of european view. But a softer attitude toward assad at the moment and thats certainly shared between President Trump and president putin. But i think president macron as well. But what i think macron has here is Political Capital. Hes young. Hes ambitious. Hes come to power recently. He feels the taste of success. And he believes that he can be this outreached hand towards President Trump, whether or not he takes it to move Forward Together on syria, on counterterrorism, but more broadly on the issue of the position that the United States found itself in at the end of the g20 last week. Macron sees himself as somebody who can potentially make a difference and be a significant global player. To do that hes had to invest Political Capital inviting President Trump here because of course at the moment President Trump in europe is not the most popular world leader, nor the issues understanding on trade, in particular Climate Change as well as the travel ban. Jeff zeleny, the president couldnt be more clear, President Trump, on his stance on the paris climate agreement pulling the United States out even against the advice some of of those closest to him, a move that Emmanuel Macron was very public in denouncing, even making saying in jest we will make the planet great again. Do we know if these two leaders plan to talk about Climate Change and the paris climate accords . Or has macron sort of written off the United States as coming back to the table on that any time soon . It would seem to me they have written off the United States in terms of the reality of the situation here, poppy. I mean, theres no question that the president macron has been reaching out to americans, in fact, to scientists and others trying to say bring your studies and bring your vision to france. And just because the u. S. Has pulled out of this does not mean the world has left you on this. But i do think this is something that at least the white house believes will not be dwelled on significantly during this brief 24hour visit here. But president macron has said that he wants to hold another Climate Conference here in paris in december. And of course they would like the United States to participate in this. But this is something a major departure, for all of the differences between the Trump Administration and the Obama Administration and all of the, you know, rolling back the rules and regulations, this is the biggest. This is the biggest global effort. And President Trump makes no apologies about the climate agreement. But it does worry some of his advisors who thought it was a mistake, you know, that it does indeed isolate the United States. So by having meetings like this on other matters, on counterterrorism, it does give this white house and this president a way to show that they are still aligned with the world. And, you know, it gives them a way to describe the America First agenda hes talked so much about does not mean america only. But the challenge here, i think, poppy, is for the president to really do anything specifically that would show the u. S. Is not isolated. I think a lot of this today, these pictures are about president macron here showing, you know, a grand welcome. President trump likes to be flattered, he likes to be treated well. And thats what youre seeing here today. And youll see tomorrow at the parade. The reality of cooperation on other matters though i think is pretty much an open question because President Trump has said he wants to go alone in some respects. This is the height of pomp and circumstance. It is quite the welcome and hell be seeing it were hearing for the next two days as they celebrate bastille day. You see the two president s meeting their respective cabinets, shaking hands there. Youve got the president of the United States traveling with his chief of staff reince advisor tom bossert as well and gary cohn chief Economic Advisor with him, Christine Romans, in a place of so much history. Absolutely. Were hearing theyre going to visit the tomb of napoleon, on the right there a former Real Estate Developer and it was napoleon who signed off on the biggest American Land deal in history with Louisiana Purchase for just 15 million doubling the size of the United States, a little bit of a historical note. But it does remind you that these two countries have been in business together for a very long time, the oldest allies on the planet in terms of democratic allies. And what will be the deliverable from this trip . Thats what so many of us are watching because both of these men have very different world views about each countrys role in globalization and moving Forward Together and what America First means. And you brought up this very important trade deal signed by the European Union or at least the parameters agreed upon by the eu which would include macron and japan going around the United States there. So not afraid, president macron, of saying, all right, America First, well, you know, france first in any way we have to do it as well. What i think, too, so much about the video that macron, the message he gave in english, which was unprecedented saying make the planet great again, it was a little bit of a jab at the United States. I mean, it is the president s slogan make America Great again. One wonders what he will say to the president privately about Climate Change and also about the French Elections and russian meddling in French Elections as well. You wonder that has been a complaint of macron and french politicians. One wonders if that comes up privately. Thats a very good point. And josh rogin on that point, it was the question who yet again yesterday in his interviews with the Christian Broadcast Network and also with reuters question once again whether it was russia and russia alone that hacked the u. S. Election system. That is a threat certainly that france had to grapple with. Do you think the two of these men what do you think their dialogue about Vladimir Putin will entail . Because macron has been so much more willing to be publicly vocally critical of putin than the u. S. President has. Yeah, i think what theyre going to try to do is theyre going to try to find some common language with which they can speak about russia and Vladimir Putin that covers both what President Trump thinks and what president macron thinks, which are two different things. And what President Trump said in that interview is he asked putin if he did it, putin said absolutely not. Then he asked him a different way, putin denied it again. And then when he was asked did he believe him, he said, well, something happened, were going to have to figure it thats a far cry from acknowledging the russians are interfering with the elections. Of course they interfered in the French Election as well, very similarly and toward the end in a way that benefited macron. Macron has a deep desire to address that problem himself. Hes going to try to find a way to talk to President Trump about this and come to some sort of agreement, whatever you want to call it. They want to establish a commission, have a dialogue, acknowledge the general problem without naming Vladimir Putin specifically. They have to come up with language that acknowledges this is a shared problem. Theres a growing realization. The problem cannot be handled by the u. S. Alone. Its been dogging europe longer than the United States. We have jerman elections coming up, italian elections coming up. The russians are not going to stop. For france, this is something they cant avoid. That will be a key issue and i think well get some insight into how they have decided to talk about that in the press conference that will come after this meeting. We have just seen the president of france, the president of the United States and the first ladies enter the building there. We are going to keep watching this as well. They have a busy schedule ahead today. They are, again, a monument mu zee yum honoring veterans. Then they will go to the palace. Of course, theres going to be the celebration tomorrow. The parad, the celebration. A lot ahead for these two leaders. Your final thoughts on this, kninic robertson . Reporter they will be treated, President Trump and mr. Trump will be treated to an exception aldin exception exceptionaldinner tonight. They will see across the city. My final thought on this has to be that macron is trying, reaching, he has, if you will, and i put this politely, a certain level of human being rus that comes from this. This is a very big reach that he is trying to do, if, in fact, as he has said, he believes he can draw President Trump back toward the center. President trump showed she is very engaged and focused on domestic issues. They continue to dog him while he is here. I think, you know, we can expect a degree of warmth, a big degree of hospitality, but a certain amount on both their parts because they know they are players on a big stage right now. Either one can wrong foot the other one. I think thats obviously mutually, they want to avoid that. For the president , we saw how he handled questions when he was in poland last week for the joint press conference when he was there and asked challenging questions on russia, before the revelation of his sons meeting with this russian lawyer, driven by a russian government effort. Do you expect a similar response, josh, from the president , when faced with those tough questions today . Yes. I see no reason why President Trump wouldnt continue to defend his son, defend the actual meeting and to then turn it back on the media and claim victimization. That seems to be his strategy. What we are going to see at this press conference is largely the unscripted trump, versus the scripted administration in Foreign Policy. He kept bringing up the mcmastr oped. Its a good thing to talk about. You see two senior officials trying, in about 800 words to explain the donald trump vision for Foreign Policy. You know, theres a lot of effort to take what the president has said and form a policy around it and make it seem like this is a well thought out sort of strategy that has all these, you know, theories behind it and plans, et cetera. Every time the president talks, he changes that. Theres no holds barred. Hes not reading that New York Times oped before he gets up to the podium to decide what he wants to say. Whether its on the donald trump meeting or the russian hacking or whether he believes france is a place nobody goes, he kept saying for over a year. These are all thing that is President Trump will decide in the moment, on his own, based on his own feelings and opinions. The only real way to understand what President Trumps Foreign Policy actually is and not what the advisers explain it to be is hear it from the president directly. Well get a chance to do that when he takes the podium in a couple hours. If you are just joining us, you are looking a t pictures from a few moments ago, the president of the United States in his motorcade driving in to meet with and spend two days with french president , emanuel macron. An invitation came to President Trump from macron and he accepted. This is key for a number of reasons. They have Common Ground they share when it comes to syria and economic ties and trade. Also major differences when it comes to Climate Change and President Trump pulling out. Our White House Correspondent is with us. Sarah, previewing the press conference that we will see in a few hours, 12 00 eastern live right here, what are you expecting . Each president will only ask two reporters or only take questions from two reporters. Reporter thats right. We are here at the president ial palace awaiting their arrival. The two World Leaders will meet. They will hold their bilateral meeting privately along with advisers, then come out and make statements and take questions. It is two from the french press and two from the american press. Sit the first time President Trump will be facing the public and addressing, presumably this question about his son, donald trump jr. And a meeting with a russian lawyer, yet another undisclosed meeting between someone who was, at that time, a top trump official and a russian. I think that is a telling moment that we are looking for. Again, these are two very different president s. The other thing we should watch for is any indication of russia coming up more broadly. When macron took questions along russian president Vladimir Putin, he went out of his way to slam some of the russian state news for disinformation and propaganda campaigns, taking the top of the line when it will be another thing to watch out for today. Poppy . Theres a lot ahead for these two, the big parade, the celebration, marking the 100th anniversary of the United States entering into world war i. What else is ahead for the two leaders as they are just kicking it off . Reporter it is a busy day after a few days of a quiet schedule for President Trump. It changed as soon as he got to paris. They are touring a number of historic sites, including the tomb of napoleon. After they hold this bilateral meeting, they are going to slit audiotape, take a minute, then reunite with their spouses to have dinner in the eiffel tower, which will be policewoman rouse and the pomp and circumstance President Trump tends to enjoy. Thats before we get to the bastille Day Celebration. It is, in that way, an enduring moment from trump when he campaigned on strong National Security. That is a draw for him to come to paris and celebrate the 100th Year Anniversary of the u. S. Getting involved in world war i. I think that was part of the draw for him to make this spur of the moment trip happen as well. Jeff zeleny is joining us as well. Jeff, as you look at what the white house hopes to gain from this trip and what the french president hopes to gain from this trip, we talked about the white houses stance. Of course, they would like the headlines off russia and the headlines on this, et cetera. What do you believe the french president , emanuel macron would like to gain most from the two days . Reporter poppy, i think, first and foremost, one of the things the new french president wants to gain from this is a sense of, if not the upper hand, certainly a sense of more parody here. He is inviting President Trump to paris at a time of a great show of a force by the French Military. Tomorrow, the bastille day parade, as sarah was mentioning, is going to feature american troops, of course, but it is also going to feature about two hours of french troops parading down, you know, in front of both president s here. We are going to see President Trump watching that. I think what president macron is trying to do here is trying to, a cement a relationship with President Trump. Climate is one thing they absolutely disagree on. Counterterrorism is a focus of the meeting today, we are told. This oneonone meeting between the two leaders. Its the third time they have met. This is the first time they will focus indepth, facetoface on this issue here. By inviting President Trump here to paris, it is a, i would say more diplomatic version of the handshake we have talked so much about, poppy, that happened back in brussels where president macron is trying to get the upper hand, perhaps being upper vibrato by having President Trump on his terrain, on his turf as they talk about, you kn