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Trump Speaks on Day 19 of Government Shutdown. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired January 09, 2019 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:31:42] JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Just moments away to hear from the president of the United States. He's been having a meeting in the Oval Office. The subject of the meeting, human trafficking legislation, but during that meeting in a crowded Oval Office the president we know talking about his address to the nation last night, what he views as a border crisis, his demand for funding for the border wall. The president also of course about to go up to Capitol Hill to try to make that case to Senate Republicans.

So, let's listen to the president.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: OK, thank you very much. Appreciate you being here, hasn't been so long late last night, and we're having some very good times in our country. We're doing very well except for the border. The border is a big problem. It's a very dangerous problem.

And if I can talk all about the job numbers and how well we're doing on economy, the stock market's up. I guess now we're over 30 percent since the election. So many good things are happening, but we have to take care of the border. And we're all working together. I really believe the Democrats and the Republicans are working together.

I think that something will happen, I hope. Otherwise, we'll go about it in a different manner. And I don't think we'll have to do that, but you never know.

In a few moments I'll sign legislation continuing my administration's extensive efforts to combat the scourge of human trafficking. I spoke about it last night, human trafficking. It really hits a nerve in talking about in many cases women and children grabbed, thrown into the backseat of a car or thrown into a van with no windows, with no -- any form of air, tape put across their mouths and they're brought across the border and they don't go through checkpoints --

KING: You heard the president there. The president now talking about human trafficking legislation. But you heard him at the top of this event talking about trying to work with Democrats and Republicans to find a way out of the current government shutdown, the current impasse over his border wall and other immigration funding.

CNN's Abby Philip still live at the White House. Of course Abby, the president was interesting, very cooperative tone at the top saying I really believe Democrats and Republicans are working together. They're not at the moment, but I'm wondering if that's a hint from the Republican -- from the president about what he wants. But then he did also say, you know, otherwise we'll have to go in a different manner. I hope we don't have to do that.

That different manner would be a national emergency declaration where he would then use Pentagon funding to try to build a wall.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, it was a bit of a subdued tone from the president going into these meetings and perhaps a good thing because sometimes going in blazing to these meetings is counterproductive. But as you pointed out, what we've been hearing basically from both sides is that there's really not much negotiation happening at all. There are not offers going back and forth between the two sides in terms of how to end this shutdown.

And the president isn't changing his actual position. He is sounding a cooperative tone about wanting to work with Democrats, about being optimistic that negotiations will succeed. But he has not changed his position on his border wall. Whether that is different at 3:00 this afternoon, it remains to be seen. I think the president is really kind of staying firm on this and hoping the Democrats change their mind.

But the politics of the Democrats changing their mind is really not in his favor at the moment. At the same time, though, I think what you did hear is the president kind of taking a step back from this national emergency conversation trying to say that the first priority is actually to work with lawmakers to try to come to a resolution.

[12:35:10] How much time he gives for that process to play out given how this shutdown continues to really drag on for weeks and weeks is the big question. How long is he willing to give negotiators to work?

It sounds like he would prefer not to declare a national emergency which would allow him to bypass Congress but would create a Pandora's box of legal and potentially political problems for him and for his party going forward, John.

KING: Abby Philip, appreciate that at the White House. Let's come back in the room.

Again, I want to lay it -- be very clear. It is dangerous to over- invests in any one particular remark by the president who has a history of saying, A on Monday and Z on Tuesday, if not by sundown the same day.

But with just the tone, just the tone, I really believe the Democrats and Republicans are working together. I really believe we can get a solution here. Is that -- and again, this is a risk, is that a president who saw the morning after reviews of the Oval Office address which made the gap wider did not make a solution any closer trying to say it's time to talk?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It might be but I think it's also he is trying to look like he is the more reasonable one. He is trying to, I think, go Democrats into doing something which they very well may do, or one member of the new House Democrat, you know, to say something (INAUDIBLE) or decision as president. He is trying to look like the adult in the room, if you will, but we have no idea what he's going to say by the end of the week or tomorrow when he visits the border.

KING: Or in 30 minutes.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, yes. At the end of the day.

ZELENY: One thing that is clear he was not -- he would not say if he would sign other appropriations bills. He was asked by reporters in the Oval Office again and again, would you sign other bills to open up the government? He kept asking reporters, would you do that, would you do that?

He did not say, if -- and this is coming from a pool reports in the room. He would not say, if you would do. But I do think there is consensus and he (INAUDIBLE) Republicans. They do not want him to declare a national emergency because that throws this into further chaos that it's much harder to get out of.

JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I mean, what that reminded me of, it underscore (INAUDIBLE) not to be a cynic here but he's not necessarily a more conciliatory president. He's willing now to do a deal. But it reminded me of that meeting that he had with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi in the Oval Office back in December when he went on and on about, I'm proud to shut it down over the wall. I'm proud to do it. I'll take the mantel.

And then when the cameras had left, apparently turn to them and said, hey guys, I think we can really work together and do some great things together in the next Congress. And I'll force Republicans in the Senate to go along if we can do really great deal.

To me, that speaks to the degree to which the president is living on another planet when it comes to knowing how to deal with Congress. He does not understand how to get a deal done and that is coming through in all sorts of ways in this whole shutdown mess. And I think that is part of what's at play here.

He does see, I think Jeff is right that Democrats right now are trying to take the mantel of looking like the more responsible, the grown-ups in the room, the people who actually are being reasonable here, and he wants to take some of that back. But I also think that it's also true that he does not know how to proceed here if he did want to get the kind of deal that he's talking about. Given that he's not willing to, you know --

KING: Well, that part is the problem because he's about to go into a room, a private room for the Senate Republican lunch. A number of them are on the ballot in 2020, some of them were just on the ballot, and their phones are ringing with federal workers who have been furloughed who are trying to pay a mortgage or pay their rent or pay tuition or buy gas for their car, who are just asking what?

And if the pre -- if they don't know -- if they don't have a clear direction from the president, this is not a new thing about (INAUDIBLE) that they often see the president like a ping-pong ball. In a middle of this, they want an answer from the president. What's your strategy? What's your endgame? And also, were you willing to compromise? What do you want to take?

TARINI PARTI, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, BUZZFEED NEWS: I think the president is definitely going to get grilled on all of those things when he goes in that Senate lunch. But I thought it was interesting and based on at least the pool reports that we're seeing that the president, I think, for one of the first times really did start addressing some of the concerns that Democrats and some moderate Republicans have brought up in terms of, you know, what about drones and modern technology? Is the wall the best way to do this? And he, you know, said drones don't stop -- won't stop thousands of people from coming in, you know, based on the pool reports.

He also said something along the lines of, you know, walls work because they worked in Medieval times and they might not be modern technology but they worked. So he's sort of pushing back on some of those comments that Democrats and moderate Republicans have been making on T.V. the last few days and trying to get him to reopen the government.

HENDERSON,: Yes, he's push -- he's sort of -- he's pushing back. He's not really, I think, moving in terms of what he wants to see, the $5 billion or so for this wall. In some ways he is sort of, oh, maybe it can be a steel flat wall arguing that somehow that's what Democrats wanted. That's not really true.

[12:40:01] It's also, you wonder in what ways the president is going to learn things he doesn't really understand. Like he does seem to think that most of these federal workers are a, Democrats and in the kind of greater D.C. area.

One of the reasons that Lisa Murkowski is so concern is because there's lot of federal workers in Alaska. So you wonder in what ways a lot of these Republicans feel like this will be a learning session for him.

He also seems to not feel --

KING: Can I cut one second there?

HENDERSON: Yes.

KING: He's been president a month shy of two years. He's been president -- I'm sorry. The first couple of months, never been in politics before --

HENDERSON: Yes.

KING: -- ran a small family business, didn't have a board of directors, didn't have people speaking up to him, didn't have to deal with opposition. We're two years in. He's the boss of every one of these federal workers.

HENDERSON: Yes.

KING: He is their boss whether they're Democrats, Republicans, independents. Whether they vote or don't vote, whether they support him on some issues or no issues. He's their boss.

I'm past the point where these conversations about, you know, well, maybe the president is going to learn how the government works from this. Really?

HENDERSON: I'm not sure he does not know that there are federal workers all across the country.

KING: I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just saying that it's striking to me that --

HENDERSON: It is striking and it's --

KING: -- Republicans defend him by saying, well, he's about to learn.

HENDERSON: Yes. And no, I'm not defending him at all. I'm just saying that this is the reality. He also just doesn't really seem to understand that most of the people coming across the border are asylum seekers which is a completely legal process. And that a wall isn't going to stop these folks from presenting themselves to border agents and getting into the system and waiting for asylum.

So, you know, in that -- in the pool report he says, you know, there are thousands pouring across the border and drones won't really stop that.

KING: And they also don't pour across by the thousands.

HENDERSON: Right, right exactly. Yes, yes.

KING: Let's go back, listen to more of the president's comments with reporters from the Oval Office.

TRUMP: All of the other things, the sensors and the drones, it's so wonderful to have and it works well but only if you have the wall. If you have the wall it doesn't matter. A drone isn't stopping a thousand people from running through and so we can all talk. And, you know, interestingly, if you look, every virtually every Democrat over the last 15 years, they've approved what we're asking for.

So I think we're doing something. I think we're getting closer, but we really have to think about the people of our country. This is not a fight I wanted. I didn't want this fight. We have to think about the people of our country and we have to do what's right at our border and many other places, but we have to do what's right at our border. Human trafficking cannot be stopped if we don't have a steel barrier or a concrete wall, something very powerful. It cannot be stopped. There is nothing.

We have the most talented law enforcement people in the world as far as I'm concerned right alongside me and behind me. It doesn't mean a thing if they're going to be driving women and children through sections of the border where nobody is, where you can't be because you don't have enough manpower or woman power. You don't have enough of anything.

You have 2,000 miles of border. So you're not going to stop it, in all fairness, there's not much they can do. They can get them every once in a while, but the other way we can eliminate the problem as it pertains to the area that is the worst problem. Probably, the world's worst problem because they come into the United States because we have the money. That's true with the drugs and everything I said on human trafficking is also true with drugs.

So we have to get the politics out of this and go back to common sense. You know they say it's a Medieval solution or wall. That's true. It's medieval because it work then and it works even better now.

Israel put up a wall, 99.9 percent successful according to Bibi Netanyahu. He came into my office a couple of months ago and he said what's with the wall? We put up a wall, it was 99.9 percent successful, 99.9. I said, you mind if I use that number, he said -- you know, because they'll back check it and they'll say, oh, it was actually only 99 percent.

The president told a fib. No, he told me 99.9, maybe he'll change it and make it 99. But they put up a wall and they don't have a problem anymore and we have to do the same thing. The United States must not incentivize or enable these evil crimes.

Instead, we should do everything we can to fight them and that's what we're doing. I call on Congress to send me a funding bill to secure the border, build a barrier and help end this horrific assault on innocent life, not to mention the drugs, not to mention the gangs and the criminals. And I will very gladly sign this legislation having to do specifically with a horrible, horrible worldwide problem, human trafficking. And it's my honor to do it and I very much appreciate all of the Democrats' support. I very much do.

Thank you.

OK.

[12:45:24] TRUMP: We will just -- I'll explain to the press how often -- my whole life I'd watch presidents. They'd sign one letter at a time. One letter.

Did you ever look at these signatures, they're s a disaster. So I sign it with one pen and then I hand out pens. It works out much better. It goes a lot faster.

Folks, I ask that. Where are my ice guys, come on, where are they? Just pass them around. I think we have enough. We have enough for everybody. We're pretty accurate in our count.

OK, here you go. Where's my senator back there. We have at least, we have to take care of the Republicans. Take care of the Democrat, right?

Michael, you have it, right? Good. (INAUDIBLE) fellas.

JOHN KARL, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, ABC NEWS: Mr. President, what do you say to those federal workers, security guards, Secret Service agents, TSA agents who are now going without pay?

TRUMP: I think they have been terrific. These are terrific patriots. A lot of them agree with what I'm doing and I hope we're going to have the situation worked out. But they want security in our country and so do I. That's all we want.

We want security. We want common sense. We want security in our country.

When you look at what's going on, immigration just went very high on your list, I saw even on your list. Immigration's very high on the list, but we're not talking about just immigration. And I would like and I'll say it in front of some of our Democrat friends here, I would love to see a big immigration bill where we really take care of the situation.

I know you want to. Everybody wants to. Who wouldn't want it?

Right now we have a problem. We have to take care of this and it's quicker and easier to do this individually. But we would like to see real immigration reform in this country because we need it and it can be a beautiful thing. And with all of the companies coming into our country, we have seven car companies now that are announcing or have announced just recently and we have many car companies and other companies as you know, they're flowing in.

We have the best job numbers virtually that we've ever had for African-American, the best ever. Hispanic-Asian the best ever. The best in 50 years in the overall number soon that's going to be beaten. So we have the best job numbers. We need people. We need great, qualified people. We want them to come in.

So I think it's a great time right now because of that, we need people, Rob. In, I mean, in Ohio, you need workers and I know you feel the same way. No Chris, I mean, I'll speak to Chris but everybody wants to see immigration reform. It's just -- it's overdue and it's always been very political and maybe this will turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

But John, I will tell you this. The people out there want something to happen at our southern border, whether it's human trafficking, whether it's drugs, whether it's criminals, whether it's MS-13. The folks behind me know all about MS-13 and how violent and vicious they are and where they come from. And they all come from the same place and they all come in the same way, they come right across that border. And we've thrown thousands out. I would say thousands, right fellas? I mean, literally, MS-13 and you have a lot of it, I know that, Rich(ph).

We throw thousands out a year and then they come back and we move them all of the way back to where they came from. All of the way back. And they find a way to come back again. We need strong borders and we need immigration reform. Beyond that, we need immigration reform.

OK, let's go.

KARL: But these people have to go without their paychecks. They're being -- some are being forced to work without pay. Some have been furloughed. These are --

TRUMP: They're all going to get their money. They're all going to get their money and I think they're going to be happy. And I will tell you and I say it often, many of those people that you're talking about so humanly the way you express it, but many of those people that you talk about are on my side.

I've had so many people, the beautiful thing is with social media, the world can write to you. And you take a look at social media, so many of those people are saying it's very hard for me, it's very hard for my family, but Mr. President, you're doing the right thing. Get it done. I've had so many of them.

They're patriots. They love our country, and they want to see it be done. Look, this is just common sense. They want to see it be done correctly.

We need a barrier. We have to stop people from coming in the way they come in. And if we don't have it, you can never have border security unless you have a steel barrier, a concrete wall, you can call it whatever you want, but without it you'll never have -- you can't have the greatest talent in the world. You will never, ever in a million years you will not have border security. It can't happen.

KARL: What's your current thinking on national emergency? Why didn't you announce it last night and when might you --

[12:50:00] TRUMP: Because I think we might work a deal and if we don't I may go that route. I have the absolute right to do this on emergency if I want.

KARL: What's your threshold (INAUDIBLE)?

TRUMP: My threshold will be if I can't make a deal with people that are unreasonable.

KARL: What's your message to Republicans who are now on Capitol Hill saying they're --

TRUMP: I think we have tremendous Republican support. I'll tell you what, I just spoke to a few of the people in the House, we have tremendous support. The Senate has been incredible, Mitch McConnell has been incredible. He said, if the president is not going to sign it, I'm not going to waste my time. And, I mean, Rob Portman here he can tell you. He's very strong on border security.

We have tremendous support in the Senate. We have tremendous support in the House. And by the way, you know, they say, oh, is it true that somebody, you know, a congressman, he broke away today? Yes, every once in a while you're going to have that.

But you know who else asked that? The Democrats have that too, because they have their people breaking away, too. You know why? Because they know you need border security but you don't report that.

But the fact is that there is tremendous support. I would know without support I would be the first one to know -- I may be the last one, too but there is tremendous support.

Right now, if I did something that was foolish like gave up on border security, the first ones that would hit me are my senators. They'd be angry at me. The second ones would be the House and the third ones would be, frankly, my base and a lot of Republicans out there and a lot of Democrats that want to see border security.

OK. What else?

KARL: So why not sign the other bills though so some of these workers can get paid the government --

TRUMP: Do you think I should do that? Do you think I should do that, John?

KARL: I mean, it's not if are me to say --

TRUMP: And I watch your one-sided reporting. Do you think I should do that? Hey John, no seriously, John, do you think I should just sign?

KARL: Well, the argument is on.

TRUMP: Tell me. Tell me.

KARL: (INAUDIBLE) it has nothing to do with border security.

TRUMP: John, do you think I should just sign?

KARL: I'm saying that if you sign that, these workers can start getting paid. The government can start working --

TRUMP: Now, you would do that if you were in my position you would do that?

KARL: I'm not in your position. I'm asking you if you got something (INAUDIBLE)

TRUMP: I'm asking you, would you do that if you were in my position? Because if you would do that you should never be in this position. Because you'd never get anything done.

Goodbye, everybody. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

KING: The president of the United States in the Oval Office taking questions there. John Karl of ABC News being polite at the end, the answer was Mr. President, you're president, I'm not to turn a phrase. It was perfectly a good question to the president from John Karl asking the president why not sign the other appropriations bills, re- open the government so at least most federal workers can go back to work.

The president sparring there. Very interesting, the president never get lets facts get in the way of his argument. He said, there are Democrats who are wavering too on this border shutdown. There's been no evidence of that so far.

Significantly though, again, the president now is going up to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans, many of them are nervous, he doesn't have an exit strategy here. Government shutdown, his demand for the border wall. In the middle of that he says, let's do a big immigration bill. Let's do a big immigration bill.

HENDERSON: Yes.

KING: The president walked away from a deal last year that wasn't -- that was big, not huge, but big, where he could have legalized the Dreamers, so-called DACA recipients and gotten the money for his wall. The government is now shut down because the president doesn't have the money for his wall. What was that?

ZELENY: So this is something -- he's beginning the third year of his presidency. He's going to have to start dealing with his own record and what he did and didn't do. I'm not sure if he doesn't remember or, you know, simply moving on. But he have the chance for that.

Now I think a big open question, the structure has changed since last year. The divided government has changed. I don't know if Democrats as we were saying earlier would even give him the same deal that they did only three weeks ago.

So that is the situation here. I think the biggest point of all this, his credibility when he talks about the crisis at the border simply has evaporated in many respects because he's talked about it so much. You can only scream fire so many times here. So, boy, if there was an exit strategy or off-ramp in that

conversation, I didn't hear it.

HENDERSON: Yes. He really was all over the place. I mean, it was like -- I mean, you get the sense if this is what he brings to this meeting and today you can see why they are already frustrated and that will only deepen frustrations. I mean, you can't negotiate with him because he's all over the place with few facts (INAUDIBLE).

KING: And he said this is not what I wanted. This is not what I wanted. He said he did understand this is hard for federal workers. He's called them patriots. He said many of them. He says on social media many of them are supporting him.

Some certainly do. I'm sure some do. Some clearly have made clear they need their paychecks, and they want but not what I wanted. Again, for in the don't expect consistency department, this -- sitting in the Oval Office saying this is not what I wanted was the same president of the United States who just a few weeks ago with Chuck and Nancy said I will proudly shut down the government if I don't get my border wall.

DAVIS: Right. I mean as we see so often with this president he's tend to make decisions and even thinking sort of five and 10-minute increments. I am sure this is not what he wants right now. This is a big mess that he finds himself in and he doesn't have a way out.

[12:55:01] And while I do think he was sort of sparring with John Karl there (INAUDIBLE) in that ending question, where you know, would you do that, would you do that? I do think he's increasingly sort of turning to his advisers and turning to people around him and sort of looking for a way out of this because he has not given himself any way out of it. And there's no good way to do it other than that -- other than if he were willing to allow Republicans in the Senate who are in control on Capitol Hill to cut a deal, bring it to him and sign it which he has walked away from we saw just a few weeks ago.

KING: Just a few weeks ago.

DAVIS: Mitch McConnell does not want to go through that again.

KING: He praised Mitch McConnell saying Mitch McConnell's current position is, I'm not going to bring anything to the floor that the president has not said that he would sign and that the Democrats, enough Democrats would not support. That's McConnell's position because he's been burned because they just passed a continuing resolution to keep the government going, that the White House told them the president was OK, that he understood the math and the president flipped at the last minute because of space.

But to that point about the president and his advisers, help me at the table here, especially the two of you who cover the White House full time. Who does the president trust? Who does -- don't ask the question to be flippant. He has a new chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who was his budget director, who was House Republican, who you would think would be as point guy at this moment, right?

What's the issue? Capitol Hill and the budget. Mick Mulvaney has been almost missing in action. You hear it's Jared Kushner, his son- in-law who's actually calling up to Capitol Hill saying, hey, the president will give this Oval Office address. The president thinks he's going to change public opinion. We're convinced this will swing things our way.

Who's in first when it comes to the White House?

ZELENY: I think no one in the room. I mean, the reality is, he takes his cues and his advice from outside advisers like Sean Hannity, like others and he has his -- finger on the pulse of what outside commentators are saying. Certainly, he listens to some of his advisers on technical things, but I was told earlier in the week that he likes Mick Mulvaney just fine but doesn't want to hear these long presentations about the numbers and other values, so.

He's largely on his own and watching external advisers, I think. PARTI: Yes. And the president has said this on his own in interviews that thinks his gut and his instinct is smarter than, you know, what his advisers tell him. I think inside the White House (INAUDIBLE) a few people he actually trusts. He has been talking to Mark Meadows on this on Capitol Hill. We also know, he talks to Mark -- Matt Gaetz who had lunch with him, you know, throughout the shutdown and has gone on Fox News a lot and said that it's actually Democrats who are going to feel the pain on this and not the president.

So I think he's kind of surrounded himself in this sort of echo chamber of people who just tell him what he wants to hear and those are unfortunately the people he trusts the most.

KING: He's the president of the entire country. If you only listen to Republicans from rock-solid state Republican districts, you don't have to talk to Democrats, you're in trouble. But you're right. That's (INAUDIBLE) in the consistency department you met -- you know, the president he said some contradictory things just in that couple of minutes we listened to. Let's do a big deal with Democrats and then, but I'll look foolish to my senators, my House members and my base he says, if he doesn't hold firm on the wall.

HENDERSON: Yes. And he even say he'll bring back up the concrete wall again which I thought was something that he'd, you know, kind of done away with because he's caving to the Democrats who currently want the steel wall. I mean, he's a jello (ph). I mean --

KING: By just -- he is right that in the Senate, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton voted for border wall and border fencing. He's right about that. Democrats have voted for this and part of their opposition now is simply because it's Trump not any other president. He's exactly right about that. But what he hasn't said is, I just want a couple of hundred miles of wall, then we can do this and we can do that. So that let's close with this national emergency conversation.

He said, he does not want to do it. It's not his first choice, declare a national emergency, use Pentagon money to at least start building a wall, it would get challenged in the courts like that. But I might have to if I can't get a deal.

That's going to be the biggest question when he goes to Capitol Hill right now.

ZELENY: No doubt. He said my threshold will be making a deal. So if he can't make a deal, Republicans are going to Mac Thornberry, the House Arms Services Committee, Republican, says he is not in favor of spending Defense Department, Pentagon money on this. So that is going to be more of an issue for him, I think.

But look, he is going to need a win to get out of something he can at least declare victory on. Things are so broken and that's what Jared Kushner is looking for. He's talking to members up on Capitol Hill. Like, what can we give him to sort of make it looks like to win? Things are so frayed because of the first two years of his presidency it makes this all the harder. KING: What would be a win at this point? And I guess the other question I have is what -- well, if the president went back -- was forced back into conventional thinking, then I have to accept a compromise. He could have had 1.7, maybe $2 billion in wall funding. I don't know if Nancy Pelosi would bring that to the floor now. That was when Republicans controlled the House a couple of weeks ago.

Can he even get that now? Would she bring that to the floor?

DAVIS: That's a good question and that's a question that Democrats don't want to answer right now but frankly they don't have to answer because of the government shutdown. That's why we hear them really focusing on the pain that this is inflicting on Americans, on federal workers and others who depend on government benefits. And their positions which seems like it's pretty broadly supportive, let's re- open the government while we have that conversation. If they get to that conversation, that's a --

KING: Remarkable. About to play out as the president heads up to Capitol Hill. Stay with us.

Thanks for joining us in the INSIDE POLITICS. For our international viewers, AMANPOUR is up next.

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