John kelly had a job to do today. Take the heat off the president for getting into trouble for something that no president before him has gotten in to trouble before. Donald trump made the mess of a condolence phone call to the widow of la David Johnson. Today john kelly made just as much of a mess. In his attempt to clean up Donald Trumps mess. All indications are that the president made that condolence call after feeling the public pressure of a press conference where he was asked why he was silent almost two weeks about the death of sergeants johnson and three other army staffs in niger, bryan black, jeremiah johnson, dustin wright. In the 12 days between the time those soldiers were killed in action and the president was first asked about them, the president found plenty of time to tweet his moral outrage at Football Players and he found time to tweet his outrage at republican senators, especially bob corker, who publicly defended secretary of state Rex Tillerson after tillerson was publicly quoted calling his boss, the president of the United States, a moron. It was only when the news media publicly challenged the president in the rose garden the other day for not acknowledging the deaths of those soldiers in any way that the president made the phone call that got him in trouble. Congresswoman wilson, a friend of the family, who was present during the call, quoted the president as saying he knew what he was signing up for but i guess it hurts anyway. It wasnt just congresswoman wilson who thought that was an incensive comment. Sergeant johnsons mother then told washington post, President Trump did disrespect my son amen daughter and also me and my husband. And so, former marine general john kelly went into the White House PressBriefing Room today to fix Donald Trumps problem. The recurring problem of appearing to have no empathy. The problem of being unable, publicly at least, to express any real sympathy for anyone except himself. And so, john kelly delivered a powerful public demonstration of real human feeling. Including the horror of his own loss of a son in combat in afghanistan. A loss that john kelly bears with dignity, grace and courage including the courage it takes to get through another day with the full knowledge that his other son is still in harms way serving a fifth tour of duty in combat against isis right now. Few among us have the strength to bear what general kelly and his family have to bear every day. General kellys comments today moved people in a way that nothing donald trump has ever said in his life could ever move anyone. General kelly did some of what he was supposed to do today. He did demonstrate empathy. But not for anyone who was not like him. His empathy was isolated to military families only. And in particular, to gold star families, to families who have lost a soldier in family like the kelly family. He showed no empathy at all for her. He talked about her a lot. He talked about her more than he talked about the president or his sons. And he never mentioned her name. He called her an empty barrel. He dehumanized her. In fact, from start to finish, john kellys comments in the Briefing Room today were essentially a lecture about his moral superiority over her. And Donald Trumps moral superiority over her. If there is anything that john kelly respects about her, he did not mention it today. Today, she was nothing but an empty barrel to him. Thats congresswoman frederica women son. She wears hats to honor her grandmother. Thats why she wears them. She wants to keep her grandmother in her mind all the time. She was the first to publicize the president s phone call to sergeant johnsons widow. John kelly had absolutely no empathy for Frederica Wilson today. But they have more in common than john kelly realizes. They were both born in segregated cities. They both went to seg reghaithed schools. She was born in miami in 1942 when she was going to school in florida, the schools were segregated by law. When john kelly was going to school in brighton in boston irish neighborhood she grew up in, the schools were segregated by custom and practice and boston segregation in the 1950s was as flawless as the legal segregation in florida and the rest of the south. John kelly never sat beside a student like Frederica Wilson in his neighborhood. The people of black people in his white neighborhood was the same language about black people that was used at that time in White Communities in the segregated south. I grew up a few years after john kelly in an identical neighborhood on the other side of boston and i went to high school in john kellys neighborhood. I know the neighborhood john kelly comes from. I know the culture. It was a neighborhood in which calling someone who looked like Frederica Wilson an empty barrel was the kindest thing that would have been said about her. Desegregation came very painfully to the boston schools long after john kelly finished high school. And the pain of desegregating boston schools was visited entirely upon the student that is looked like Frederica Wilson and the stones thrown at the buses and the eggs thrown at ted kennedys car because he supported desegregation came to the culture and no one was yelling empty barrel at the buses. High School Students and their parents were screaming the worst possible racial epitaphs at those buses filled with black children. And john kelly knows that. Now, i didnt mind hearing john kelly disagree with congresswoman wilson today. I understand the disagreement nature and some of it is deeply personal for him as a gold star father. But i was stunned. Stunned when i watched him dehumanize her and very deliberately continue to dehumanize her and refuse to give her the dignity of a name and call her an empty barrel. He went out of his way to do it. It came after he had said everything he had to say about the phone call controversy. He was finished with that. And then, he reached back to a long story, he told long story that took place in 2015, two years ago, in miami when he attended the dedication of a new Fbi Field Office in miami, a field office that congresswoman wilson helped get the money for. John kelly went into a long story about honoring fbi agents who had been killed in the line of duty there and he praised what he called the absolutely brilliant memorial speech that james comey delivered that day in miami. Thats how far out of the way he had to go to get to this. And congresswoman stood up and in the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise stood up there in all of that and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building. She took care of the constituents because she got the money and called up president obama and hohn that phone call he gave the money, the 20 million to build the building. She sat down. And we were stunned. Stunned that shed done it. Even for someone that is that empty a barrel. We were stunned. That empty a barrel. And i was stunned that john kelly would so callously echo the worst part of the culture that he and i grew up in. Stunned. John kelly and i have gone our separate ways in the world from our very similar beginnings in boston irish neighborhoods so we are stunned by different things. Heres more of what stuns john kelly. It stuns me that a member of congress would have listened in on that conversation. Absolutely stuns me. And i thought at least that was sacred. You know . When i was a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country. Women were sacred. Looked upon with great honor. Thats obviously not the case anymore as we see from recent cases. He said john kelly began to slip into a bit of stream of consciousness about what was sacred. When he was a kid growing up. You know what wasnt sacred when he was a kid growing up where he was growing up . Black women or black people. And, oh by the way, women were not sacred either. They were not honored. John kellys neighborhood in the catholic parish he grew up and and i grew up, women were beaten by their husbands, drunken husbands as a normal weekly occurrence. And their parish priest would tell those women, you cant get divorced. Or youll be excommunicated. You are just going to have to bear it and bear it for the children. Its nothing you can do about it. Women were not honored. Most women then were domestic servants and the women who had jobs outside of the home were not allowed to have most of the jobs in america at that time. They werent allowed to work in most of the factories, they were not allowed to be police officers. There were huge barriers of women to be doctors instead of nurses. Huge barriers of entry to be professors instead of Elementary School teachers which is how Frederica Wilson began her work life. She was an Elementary School teacher and then Elementary School principal and then elected to the school board and thats how she created a Mentorship Program for students like la David Johnson who she got to know when he was one of the kids in the Mentorship Program that she created as a member of the school board. When Frederica Wilson was a little girl, there were no black women members of congress to follow into in that office. When john kelly was a little boy, everywhere looking in america there was someone like him at the top including president of the United States who had the same initials as john f. Kelly showing 10yearolds growing up in boston even a boston irish kid could make it to the presidency and so today when john kelly looked back on a world that never was, where women were sacred, he was standing in the white house occupy ied by the president that dishonored women, the only president in mistily who has confessed to sexual assault. I just dont starting them. Its like a magnet. Just kiss. I dont even when youre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the [ bleep ]. John kelly stunned by that . Does john kelly wash his hands after he shakes hands with donald trump . The hand that john kellys stream of consciousness about the loss of what is sacred in our society continued. Life, the dignity of life, was sacred. Thats gone. Religion. That seems to be gone, as well. Gold star families, i think that left in the convention over the summer. But i just thought the selfless devotion that brings a man or woman to die on the battlefield, i just thought that that might be sacred. Theres john kelly saying that gold star families are not sacred anymore and saying i think that left in the convention over the summer. S he seems to be complaining that the khans spoke for one candidate and against another. John kelly seems to be blaming the khan family for dishonoring gold star families by making political comments. If thats not what he meant, we await his clarification. Or did he mean that hes ashamed that the president he works for attacked that gold star family . For speaking at a convention. That donald trump attacked mr. And mrs. Khan because they spoke out in a way that he did not like because if thats what john kelly is outraged about then his outrage is well placed but john kelly who went out there to clarify the communication seems to have taken his own personal stance of moral superiority over another gold star family. If thats not what he was doing, tell us thats not what he was doing. What john kelly had to say today in defense of donald trump was barely coherent. Everything general kelly said about the procedures that the military follows for soldiers killed in action was clear and instructive and deeply moving. And everything john kelly sid about his own experience of the loss of a son in combat and the continued service of another son in combat was nothing less than noble. But when he attacked a democratic congresswoman and defended a republican president , he was purely partisan and he was not telling the truth. There are many words that you can use for donald trump. The word brave has absolutely no application in the same sentence with the word trump. And it dishonors any other use of the word brave that you might like to make if you use that word to describe donald trump. It was especially stunning coming from a military man who knows what brave is. Coming from a military man who has lived that bravery himself. Has risked his own life. Whose sons have served and lived that bravery. It was especially stunning for that man to use that word about donald trump. Brave. General kelly said he just explained to the president only three days ago how to make condolence calls, meaning he just explained to the president how to make condolence calls immediately after reporters asked the president who y he had not made those four condolence calls. So when i gave that explanation to our president three days ago, he elected to make phone calls in the case of the four young men who we lost in niger at the earlier part of this month. But then he said, you know, how do you make these calls . If youre not in the family, if youve never worn the uniform, if youve never been in combat, you cant even imagine how to make that call. But i think he very bravely does make those calls. Very bravely. Donald trump. Heres something general kelly said today about those condolence phone calls that we can all agree with. If elect to call a family like this, it is about the most difficult thing you could imagine. Theres no perfect way to make that phone call. That was general kelly today at his best. Theres no perfect way to make that phone call. But there is a way to fix what happened in that phone call but it involves something that donald trump has never done in his life. Apologize. Any decent human being would have picked up the phone call again and called sergeant johnsons widow again and apologized for any misunderstanding about his intentions in the first phone call. Donald trump could have picked up the phone between tweets about Football Players and explained to sgtd johnsons widow that he had heard the same words from general kelly himself when general kelly told the president about the most painful phone call that general kelly ever received. Let me tell you what my best friend, john dunford, told me. He was my casualty officer. He said, kell, he was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed. He knew what he was getting into by joining that 1 . He knew what the possibilities were. Because were at war. And when he died, and the four cases were talking about in niger, my sons case in afghanistan, when he died he was surrounded by the best men on this earth. His friends. Thats what the president tried to say to four families the other day. Then why not make another call and explain that . The president got it wrong with that family. And hes not the kind of guy to try again. And so, there was no apology phone call. Donald trumps flawless, lifetime record of never apologizing remains perfectly intact and in the 12 minutes that general kelly spoke today, he did not dispute a single word that congresswoman wilson quoted the president as saying and general kelly did not dispute sergeant johnsons mothers statement, the president did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband. John kelly did not dispute one word of that and nowhere in his 12 minutes of speaking today did he apologize to sergeant johnsons family for any misunderstanding that might have occurred in that phone call. But he took time, a lot of extra time, to call a black woman who he doesnt know and he doesnt like an empty barrel. And john kelly said this about the most dishonorable and cowardly president in history. I think he very bravely does make those calls. Well be right back. Whoa. This looks worse than i thought. Mike and jen doyle . Yeah. Time for medicare, huh. I have no idea how were going to get through this. Follow me. Choosing a plan can be supercomplicated. But it doesnt have to be. Unitedhealthcare can guide you through the confusion, with helpful people, tools and plans. Including the only plans with the aarp name. Well that wasnt so bad at all. Thats how we like it. Aarp medicare plans, from unitedhealthcare. When i took this job, and talked to President Trump about how to do it, my first recommendation was he not do it. Because its not the phone call that parents, family members are looking forward to. Its a nice to do in my opinion in any event. Joining us now, ned price, former cia analyst and ron clain, former chief of staff to Vice President biden and daniel dale, a washington correspondent for the toronto star. Ned price, your reaction to what general kelly had to say today . Lawrence, i think we saw today, it was reiterated, the fact that general kelly is cut from a different cloth than his white house counterparts and almost all of the white house counterparts. He entered that office as a man of integrity and character i would say, and i think we have seen his white house counterparts take advantage of that, of him. Rather than have President Trump go out and apologize and as you said rather than have President Trump apologize saying if i said the wrong thing in a very difficult, gutwrenching conversation, thats on me. They put general kelly on the podium to speak both in very specific as well as abstract terms about the heartwrenching, gutwrenching experience im sure he endured and anyone that endured Something Like this has gone through. Rather than have the president make a simple apology, they put this man front and center stage and i get the impression, lawrence, general kelly is trying to be a good soldier but i think what this white house needs is a good patriot. Theyre usually one and the same and we are seeing a stark diversion of the two. The president tweeted after congresswoman wilson was quoted about the phone call, he said, democratic congresswoman totally fabricated what i said to the wife of a soldier who died in action and i have proof. Sad. And, daniel dale, if there was any proof today was the day to deliver that proof and not only that general kelly did not dispute a single word she said. He insulted her in the harshest terms he could possibly come up with but he did not dispute the truth of what she said. He didnt. He confirmed the trump dishonesty and adding some of his own. This news cycle is so bizarre, so crazy that the fact that the president s chief of staff confirmed that the president lied is lost as far as ive seen in todays coverage. Trump said that the conversation, his what he said in the conversation was totally fabricated. Kelly said the president said those things and the way he talks. That was confirmation. I think the dishonesty he added was in suggesting that congresswoman wilson was somehow introouding on the conversation of the president and the Johnson Family when as you said congresswoman wilson knew the late soldier, close with the family and had been invited to be present in that car where the conversation occurred. So i think they put kelly out there as an effective messenger, powerful, sounds folksy and authentic and we shouldnt lose sight of the substance and its dishonest and disingenuous. Theres a statement today. The congresswoman will not be making any further comment on the issue because the focus should be on helping a grieving widow and family heal, not on her and donald trump. Ron clain, your reaction to general kelly today . Well, you know, lawrence, i think that it was a tale of two statements. I think his discussion about his tragedy, his loss was powerful and effective. But as you say, he took a needless swipe as congresswoman wilson and used the word brave to dezrib the first president of the United States not only to attack one gold star widow mother, but two gold star mothers, mrs. Khan last year and then mrs. Johnson this year. And not surprising from a president who said that his biggest sacrifice is building buildings, who said that his personal vietnam going to studio 54 in the 1980s, saying that john mccain wasnt a hero because he was captured. This is a president whos consistently disrespected military families and john kellys great sacrifice cant cover for Donald Trumps great outrage. Now, lets call keep in mind general kellys being stunned, absolutely stunned, that a congresswoman would mention how the new fbi office in miami was funded and possibly trying to seek credit for that publicly as every congressman does in that situation. He considered that a dishonorable thing to do. Lets look at something that President Trump and thats the president s first visit to cia headquarters. We had a massive field of people. You saw that. Packed. I get up this morning. I turn on one of the networks and they show an empty field. I said, wait a minute. I made a speech. I looked out. The field was it looked like a million, million and a half people. Ned price, should john kelly have been stunned that the president of the United States stood in front of those stars, each one representing a fallen cia officer, and spoke of nothing but his own inauguration glories and electoral glories and did not even acknowledge any sacrifice ever made by the cia . Lawrence, you know, you get the impression listening to john kelly today and john kelly over the weeks an months you get the impression he doesnt understand the nature of the man who is his boss, our commander in chief. Theres reporting out today that john kelly told President Trump in confidence, not expecting President Trump to make it public that the fact that he did not receive a phone call from the president in the aftermath of the death of his son. And then, of course, President Trump who does battle from the trenches, who will use every weapon at his disposal to bring down his enemies, both real and perceived, went out and made that in this argument. John kellys son became a political argument, not expecting President Trump or this white house to do that. And i think to me, lawrence, that says that john kelly doesnt understand this president , he doesnt understand this white house and of course he should be stunned. He should be outraged at the things that donald trump has said both before he became president and on his first full day as president of the United States when he gave that disgraceful speech in front of 117 stars, each symbolizing a fallen officer of the Central Intelligence agency at langley, virginia. Daniel dale, john kelly took over from Reince Priebus who clearly won the award for Worst White House chief of staff of all time. Seems like john kelly may be coming in in second place there so far because nothing has changed in the white house that john kelly was supposed to change. It is still leaking, seems to be leaking even more than it was under Reince Priebus. The chaos continues. Nothing seems to have changed in the way it operates. Well, hes changed the personnel. He kepd get rid of bannon, gor ka and like fixing santas workshop getting rid of troublesome elves. You have santa charge n charge. You have President Donald Trump and no changing him. Theres no sign that kelly brought discipline to the man at the top no matter what hes done to streamline, harmonize, make the internal operation more efficient. I think he said Something Interesting in the last appearance in the Briefing Room. He said i was brought in to control nothing but the information flow to the president. Not the president himself. And that message, of course, was directed at the president , reassuring him that he wasnt trying to control him. But it was also sort of a tacet admission theres no controlling or changing the behavior of donald trump and because of what that behavior is, you know, thats a significant problem for this white house. Daniel dale and ned price, thank you for joining us. Ron clain, please stay with us. Thank you. Coming up, george w. Bush and barack obama on the same day, double team donald trump. And two separate speeches. When only the best will do. Tempurpedic delivers. Only tempur material precisely conforms to your weight, shape and temperature. So youll sleep deeply and wake up feeling like a champion. Find an exclusive retailer at tempurpedic. Com i was playing golf love golf. I used to love golf. Wait, what, what happened . I was having a good round, and then my friend, sheila, right as i was stepping into the tee box mentioned a tip a pro gave her. No. Yep. Did it help . It completely ruined my game. Well, the truth is, that advice was never meant for you. I like you. You want to show me your swing . Its too soon. Get advice thats right for you. Investment Management Services from td ameritrade. Alright, looks like weve got chips, ppretzels retzels . Plain, sourdough, spicy, sesame, chocolate covered, Peanut Butter filled, plain. Great. So what are we gonna watch . Oh show me fall tv. Only xfinity x1 brings you the best hand selected picks this fall. President george w. Bush gave a speech in new york city today where he condemned trumpism without mentioning the president s name. Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication. We have seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty. At times it can seem like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. We have seen nationalism distorted into nativism. Forgotten the die nam michl that immigration always brought to america. A spokesperson for president bush denied that the speech was aimed at President Trump but a source close to the former president told Nicole Wallace that president bush was aware of how his words would be interpreted and he wrote the speech himself. George w. Bush has never attacked president obama. He had not attacked President Trump until today when his speech seemed to be about the president who once said there were very fine people at a white supremacist rally. Our identity as a nation unlike many other nations is not determined by geography or ethnicity. By soil or blood. This means that people of every race, religion, ethnicity can be fully and equally american. It means that bigotry or White Supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the american creed. [ applause ] what george w. Bush said about russian interference in the election is next. Throughout my career, ive been fortunate enough to travel to many interesting places. Ive always wanted to create those experiences for others. With my advisors help along the way, its finally my turn to be the host. When you have the right financial advisor, life can be brilliant. Ameriprise i enjoy the fresher things in life. O. Fresh towels. Fresh soaps. And of course, tripadvisors freshest, lowest. Prices. So if youre anything like me. Youll want to check tripadvisor. We now instantly compare prices. From over 200 booking sites. To find you the lowest price. On the hotel you want. Go on, try something fresh. Tripadvisor. The latest reviews. The lowest prices. Your body was made for Better Things than rheumatiod arthritis. Before you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. Xeljanz xr is a oncedaily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. It can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. Xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. Dont start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. Tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. Your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. Tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. Xeljanz xr can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate. Ask your rheumatologist about xeljanz xr. According to our Intelligence Services the russian government has made a project of turning americans against each other. Ultimately this assault wont succeed but foreign aggressions including cyberattacks, disinformation and financial influence should never be downplayed or tolerated. Joining a discussion now Anna Marie Cox and charlie psychs, author of how the right lost its mind and a msnbc contributor. Anna, so george w. Bush publicly says, puts out the word it is not about trump. But hes written it himself. And he knows were all going to say its about trump. Yeah. You know, i have to say its just a tiny bit rich to hear the man who owes his presidency to the secretary of state of florida and Supreme Court talk about voter integrity but or turning people against each other when he won ohio campaigning against gay marriage but, you know, it is 2017 and we take our allies where we can get them. Im willing to accept the, you know, grandfatherly painter bush on my side. I suppose. And if no one else is going to say it, surely it is good to have him say these kind of things. I hope were nearing a point where hes going to actually use the president s name but im not sure that trump himself does understand when hes being talked about unless you mention his name. Think about his buildings. You know . Like he he needed to label them pretty clearly so, you know, maybe well get to naming names soon. Well, charlie, the president took a swing at john mccain for giving a speech in which he never mentioned the word trump. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Theres no question this was about trump. Look. This may get lost in the noise but this is an important moment in the civic life of two former president s talking about trump and trumpism, the comments that john mccain made and look. What what you saw there, whether you disagree with george bushs policies, a flawed president , this is a deeply patriotic man who cares deeply about our Democratic Values. And this was a written branch critique of trump the man, the trump itch, blood and soil, fake nationalism and the deagree dags of the political culture saying, look, we are in a crisis of confidence. The crisis of confidence in the democratic institutions. You know, talking about what the casual cruelty of somebody in the oval office does to the culture. So again, i dont expect that this is going to change the trajectory of republican politics. But, you know, for people saying when are republicans standing up for some of the things . This is one of those moments. John mccain and george w. Bush have not always been on the same page but these were two remarkable speeches, two remarkable speeches that should remind people that while donald trump may dominate the Republican Party, he does not necessarily define all of its values. And i think george w. Bush needs to get a little bit of credit for this. John mccain immediately came out saying that this was a wonderful speech. Lets listen to more about what george w. Bush had to say this time it seemed to be aimed at the biggest bully in the history of twitter. Lets listen to this. Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone. Provides permission for cruelty and bigotry. And compromises the moral education of children. The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them. Charlie, what is george w. Bushs residence in Todays Republican Party . Well, obviously, its limited. That primary was rejection of not just of jeb bush but of bushism. But those sentiments are important to be these are important things to be said that the president is the role model for the country. You know, raising children in the era of trump is a real challenge. And i do think theres the fundamental decency ought to separate, whether youre a liberal or conservative or republican or democrat, look. George joern and his father i think fundamentally decent people. I think they meant it. Again, whatever the flawed politics and politics might be they meant it to be a compassionate country, we need to care about one another. And, you know, im just glad that the voices are being heard. Again, will it change the Republican Party . No. Its 321. But to get john mccain and george w. Bush out there reminds people of what real patriotism sounds like. A lot of President Trump talks about patriotism and the importance of the flag. I dont think they understand real patriotism and i think that talking about these Democratic Values and in order to make America Great again, remember, we have to remember that what we stand for and what our ideals are. This is an important message. And, anna, i want your rea action to something we talked about earlier about in the show, john kellys nostalgic look back at the 1950s when women were sacred and held sacred in america and sadly they arent anymore. Didnt get a credit card and couldnt work outside the home and couldnt get a legal abortion. Those sacred days . Yeah. You heard what i heard. I found general kellys talk today to be fairly disturbing. I think everyones picked out of it the parts of it that were moving and laudable and eloquent. But we i think that overwhelming message of that, you know, talk he gave, that scolding that he gave, was ominous from this idea that women should be held sacred which is actually a step backwards to the fact this he only called on members of the press that had said they knew a gold star family. I appreciate any time someone points out that we have a big disconnect in our country between most americans and the military, most americans dont know people that served in the military. Thats something to keep in mind. I think its a very ominous message to say that only people who actually know families who have lost someone in the military are worthy of voicing a critique. I worry about the message that that sends. Ana marie cox and charlie, thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you. Coming up, barack obama attacked trumpism today, too. Thats the height of mount everest. Because each day she chooses to take the stairs. At work, at home. Even on the escalator. 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You notice i havent been commenting a lot on politics lately. But heres one thing i know. If you have to win a campaign by dividing people, youre not going to be able to govern them. You wont be able to unite them later if thats how you start. And heres more of what president obama had to said. Say. As frustrated as you get, the goodness of america, the goodness and decency and hard work and responsibility and sacrifice thats on display by the American People every single day in their communities, all across this great country, all across this great state, people of every walk of life, it doesnt matter whether theyre white or black or hispanic or asian or native american, whether theyre disabled, whether they are gay or straight. There are people all across this country that want to do things better, that want to work together. [cheering and applauding] and ive seen the possibilities of our democracy. Coming up, what president obama had to say about the white supremacist demonstration in charlottesville in august where one of the protesters against the White Supremacists was killed. You nervous . Dealership has Great Customer service. muffled voice . And has great deals . And has. Complimentary donuts. Thats the one cars. Com. Over 5 million expert and user reviews. The whole country booking on Choice Hotels. Com. Four words, badda book. Badda boom. Let it sink in. Shouldnt we say we have the lowest price . Nope, badda book. Badda boom. Have you ever stayed with Choice Hotels . Like at a comfort inn . Yep. Free waffles, cant go wrong. I like it. Promote that guy. Get the lowest price on our rooms, guaranteed. When you book direct at choicehotels. Com. Book now. You cant take this election or any election for granted. I dont know if yall noticed that. [ laughter ] but you cant take any election for granted. Ron klain is back with us for this part of the discussion. But, ron, the first thing i want to do is listen to what the president said about charlottesville. Yeah. We saw what happened in charlottesville, but we also saw what happened after charlottesville when the biggest gatherings of all rejected fear and rejected hate and the decency and good will of the American People came out. [cheering and applauding] thats how we rise. We dont we dont rise up by repeating the past. We rise up by learning from the past. And by listening to each other. And knowing that were all flawed. Ron, he plays a singular role for democrats on the campaign trail. Oh, my god, i miss that man. You know, i mean, tomorrow is the 9month anniversary of donald trump taking office. Its hard to sometimes remember that we had a president who appealed to people by talking about the goodness of our country, not by calling people losers and sad. A president who could talk about our history with richness and texture and pulling people together to build a better country, not someone devote today tearing us apart and fanning the flames of division. And i think that to see president obama out there tonight with this message, i think its obviously a very effective thing for ralph northam, the democratic candidate in virginia. Them not invited donald trump to campaign, no surprise. It is a reminder of the kind of president we had nine months ago. Ron, weve just gotten a president ial tweet, apparently hes been watching this show, and hes not happy. Donald trump has tweeted, fake news is going crazy and wacky. Congresswoman going crazy with wacky congresswoman wilson who was secretly on a very personal call and gave a total lie on content. Now, we are the hour here that has been concentrating on congresswoman wilson at the beginning of this show. She hasnt been part of much of any other coverage tonight. So, hes clearly talking about this. He is, of course, on his end of the phone call, he was not alone. There were people listening in on his end of the phone call including, apparently, white house chief of staff general kelly. And hes now saying that what she said was a lie, but general kelly did not say that today. General kelly did not contest a single word that she said. And whats more, as you pointed out earlier, lawrence, sergeant johnsons mother says that donald trump did disrespect her son and her daughter. So, this isnt about congresswoman wilson and the president. Its about the president and a gold star mother. And if john kelly wants to give a lecture tomorrow, he should walk down the hallway not to the Briefing Room, but to the oval office and tell the president to stop calling gold star mothers liars. Well, tonight you have the president insulting congresswoman wilson, calling her wacky on the same day that his wife white house chief of staff did everything he could to insult her and insult her in terrible, terrible language and would not even use her name and calling her an empty barrel. So, there john kelly and donald trump see eye to eye. This is the black woman who they should aim all their insulting attitude toward to save donald trump from this controversy. Yeah, and again, i think the real issue here is that obviously. We know the president has a trouble with women of color, women in authority, we know that drives him crazy to have one call him out, always baits the president into a very negative response. But i think its especially difficu despicable here his core grievance is with a gold star mother who said the president disrespected her, disrespected her son, and the president as you said at the outset will not apologize for that. That to me, lawrence, is the most john kelly wants to be shocked about something, be shocked about that. With that ron klain gets tonights last word. Thank you, ron. Thank you, lawrence. The 11th hour with Brian Williams starts now. Tonight a gold star father who happens to be the white house chief of staff tells his own personal story about the death of his son in an effort to contain a political crisis entirely of the president s making. Plus bush and obama, 43 and 44, take the stage at different events and both men take on trump without saying his name. And for his part, our 45th president today unleashed against obama, Hillary Clinton and his own fbi. The subject was russia. The 11th hour gets underway now. Good evening once again from our nbc news headquarters here in new