Subject: RE: Meet the Press
From: "Dieter, Austin" <[email-masked]>
To: "Bhatnagar, Akshai" <[email-masked]>, Comm_D <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 1 May 2016 08:22:57 -0700

Contradictions in Trump foreign policy

Splices together video of direct contradictions in FP speech last Wednesday

Panel

Fourier

What happens when we get here again? Can we rally together in a time with politics so divided?

Compares Trump FP speech to reality TV.

Thomas Friedman

Thinks it is the hardest time ever to face FP right now. Biggest problem for the US President is not strong states but states that are falling apart. We keep winning the war and losing the piece. When we defeat ISIS, it will create the mother of all wars between Sunnis and Shias.

Notes Trump's contradictions on foreign policy, and says finding consistency in FP is hard and he's not the first to have an inconsistent FP. If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there.

Says we are a fall terrorist attack away from DJT as President.

Kristen Welker

Online recruitment is making the threat from terrorist groups so much worse.

Thought trump's speech was fine for a primary election, but it wouldn't pull independent voters the way you need to in a general.

From: Dieter, Austin
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2016 11:09 AM
To: Bhatnagar, Akshai; Comm_D
Subject: RE: Meet the Press

Shows electoral map, making case that Trump is unlikely to get to 270; needs to win states that haven't gone red in a generation.

John Brennan interview

Question comparing Bin Laden/Al Qaeda and ISIS/Baghdadi: We will destroy ISIS, but they are different. If we got Baghdadi, it would change their operation.

Asks if there was an intelligence failure to realizing what ISIS was going to become: ISIS comes from Al Qaeda in Iraq and took advantage of opportunities in Iraq/Syria and says groups like ISIS could seize upon attacks by the government in Syria to appeal to people and it rose quicker than we thought.

Organizations like ISIS sprout up for a variety of reasons; evil, corruption; lack of good governance, lack of economic opportunity. Need to give time and space to regions/governments to catch up on some of these reasons.

*         Terrorist groups are seizing upon a lot of the problems from authoritarian regimes that were never addressed.

Asked if Libyan instability created the growing European instability: doesn't think Gaddafi could have stayed in power much longer even if he wasn't taken out. Need to help the people in the region, not just the region as a whole.

Says he has very close relationships with his Saudi counterparts; notes the President and his Saudi counterparts have a good relationship but different views about how issues in the region should be addressed.

On 9/11 papers involving Saudis: Chapter people are noting was kept out because it was preliminary and teed up issues for the 9/11 commission to investigate. Info was not collaborated and vetted. Thinks it includes a combination of accurate and inaccurate information that the 9/11 commission investigated further.

Asked how safe Americans will be in Europe this summer: says we are working very closely with counterparts in Europe to uncover plans, and we have stopped a number of them.

When asked whether he'd consider staying on during the next presidency, says it's the best job in the world and it's up to himself, his wife, and the president how long he stays.

From: Bhatnagar, Akshai
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2016 11:06 AM
To: Dieter, Austin; Comm_D
Subject: RE: Meet the Press

There was a panel discussion with Ron Fournier, Thomas Friedman, Doris Kearns Goodman, and Kristen Welker. [Watch<https://toolbox.dnc.org/?tool_name=vantage%20uploader&path=vantageuploader.dnc.org/videos/shared_show?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpYXQiOjE0NjIxMTQ5MDcsImVtYWlsIjoiYmhhdG5hZ2FyYUBkbmMub3JnIiwiaWQiOjMxMzY4NSwiZG93bmxvYWRhYmxlIjp0cnVlfQ.5E2a-cMJj3XYZNo1Fr-bk7oGEdnS7vxizlTKQsKui-o>]

From: Bhatnagar, Akshai
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2016 11:06 AM
To: Dieter, Austin; Comm_D
Subject: RE: Meet the Press

There was an interview with Sen. Ted Cruz. [Watch<https://toolbox.dnc.org/?tool_name=vantage%20uploader&path=vantageuploader.dnc.org/videos/shared_show?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpYXQiOjE0NjIxMTUwNzYsImVtYWlsIjoiYmhhdG5hZ2FyYUBkbmMub3JnIiwiaWQiOjMxMzY4NiwiZG93bmxvYWRhYmxlIjp0cnVlfQ.7c0m3EuokytHsv3paQN6z5kv9KWFHabm18GFwlm9afA>]

From: Dieter, Austin
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2016 10:50 AM
To: Comm_D
Subject: RE: Meet the Press

Panel

Fourier

Says Todd did a great job interviewing Cruz, and pushing him on not answering whether he will support Trump

Predicts that on Tuesday the race is over and we have to presumptive nominees.

Thomas Friedman

When it's a two-person race, Trump is going to get a lot more attention for things that are skipped over right now. So many of Trump's supporters seem to be listening through their gut and not through their ears.

Kristen Welker

When you talk to Cruz's Senate colleagues, the thing that sticks out is that none of them trust him.

Desire for a contested Republican convention seems to be slipping away.

From: Dieter, Austin
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2016 10:46 AM
To: Comm_D
Subject: Meet the Press

Meet The Press

Trump needs just 47% of the remaining delegates to be over 1,237

Todd says Carly choice created very little buzz and the Cruz/Kasich pact has collapsed.

Interview with Ted Cruz

Cruz touts his wins prior to last Tuesday, says he won more republican votes in Wisconsin that Trump did in NY.

Deflects when asked if he'll get out of the race if he loses in Indiana, says the support for him in IN is surging.

Todd plays clips of Carly attacking Cruz on being any other politician, having dual-Canadian citizenship, and criticizing for shutdown. Cruz says she was running in a campaign just like anyone else, and that they did a long and extensive search to narrow down list for VP, and she had the knowledge, judgment, and character to do the job.

*         Carly's shattered glass ceilings her entire life.

HRC is a very smart and committed liberal, DJT can't criticize her policies because they're two sides of the same coin.

Todd plays Boehner comments. Cruz says during the gov't shutdown him and Lee tried to reach out to meet with Boehner and that Boehner said no; says he doesn't know Boehner at all and they never have worked together.

*         Says if you like Boehner, you like Trump, and that Boehner was probably auditioning to be Trump's VP candidate.

*         Ties HRC, Boehner, Trump together as all the same.

Todd: "Republican voters are the ones rejecting you, this isn't a media conspiracy"

*         Cruz will not answer whether he'd support Trump.

*         Cruz: The media is giving up millions of dollars by not having a debate, media wants Trump to win because the media is run by partisan democrats and created Trump phenomena and they won't hold him accountable. Asks when's the last time the media mentioned Trump's tax returns.

Todd pushes Cruz to say whether he will support Trump again. Cruz continues to just say that he will beat Trump and doesn't answer.

Hits Trump for foreign workers instead of Americans and clothes with his name on it that are made in Mexico and China.