Steve Kornacki on Transgender Rollback: If You’re Pleasing Sessions, You’re Pleasing the Base

‘Donald Trump chose to go along with that’

EXCERPT: 
LAUER: "During the campaign, then candidate Trump said he thought this issue of bathroom rights should be best left to the states. But in a townhall meeting on April 21 when asked about this, this is what he said."
[clip starts] 
TRUMP: "One of the best answers I heard was from a commentator yesterday. Saying, leave it the way it is. Right now. There have been very few problems. Leave it the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble."
[clip ends]
LAUER: "What he said then is not what he did yesterday. Why?"
KORNACKI: "It has a lot to do with the base that elected him. President Trump remember ran as the candidate of protector of Evangelical Christians. He had overwhelming support from Evangelical Christians. But more to the point, this has to do with his attorney general, Jeff Sessions. Jeff Sessions was one of the first Republicans to come over and endorse Trump. He holds considerable sway with Donald Trump.And Jeff Sessions had some decisions coming up about what the Justice Department is willing to defend. This is not an area Jeff Sessions wants to go in. And Donald Trump chose to go along with that."
LAUER: "Is that the reason for the timing? Or is the timing tied to the fact that CPAC starts today? Conservatives around the country coming for a victory party and he wants to fire up the base." 
KORNACKI: "You got that, too. And Jeff Sessions really is that base. If you’re pleasing Jeff Sessions, you’re pleasing the conservative base."

Video files
Full
Compact
Audio files
Full
Compact