MSNBC "All In with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: "The real dangers of Trump's racist rhetoric."
Interview
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HAYES: Joining me now Democratic Congressman Joe Neguse of Colorado who serves in the House Judiciary Committee. His parents emigrated from Eritrea. What was the conversation like on the Hill today?
REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): There have been a lot of hard conversations this week. I mean look, I find it hard to believe that any American could look at that video from last night and not be deeply disturbed. As you said, a visceral revulsion, it was just is offensive and really I think scary. And it`s scary for a lot of members of Congress and it`s scary for the American people. I spoke at a rally in Boulder in Colorado last week back in my district, a vigil for immigrant rights. And as I told my constituents, I struggled to find the words to describe the environment that we find ourselves in right now where you have children in cages, you have babies being split from their parents, separated from their parents, and you have a president who is inflaming racial divisions and sending out racist tweets and so forth, and the chants last night. It is just difficult for me to find the right words to describe it in part because it is so wildly inconsistent with the America that I`ve known all my life, the America that I`ve loved. You know I as you said, Chris, I`m the son of immigrants. My parents were African refugees who came here over 35 years ago. And we`ve lived the American dream. And it is only by virtue of the incredible freedoms and the opportunities that we have in the United States that we`ve been able to do that. And to see this kind of division and to see a president, a commander in chief who is supposed to be the leader of the free world who was supposed to inspire us and lead us, instead fanned the flames of racial hatred and xenophobia and so forth. It is just deeply disappointing.
HAYES: I should note, the president said today that he -- I disagree with it. I didn`t say that, they did. I disagree with it. That was what he said and then he lied and said that he went quickly even though he stepped back to let the crowd chant. We all saw it.
NEGUSE: I don`t think this is the last we have seen -- I mean, if past is prologue, we know, you know --
HAYES: Lock her up for years.
NEGUSE: That`s right. That`s right, his comments about African countries a year ago, before the 2018 election. And let`s not forget not just what he is saying but what his administration is doing every day. You have covered it extensively. The abuses that are happening on our southern border, right, they reflect this same tone that the President takes in his remarks each and every day.
HAYES: There`s been -- before this happened, there was a crazy few weeks with new cycles of really intense fighting among various groups within your Democratic caucus. So a tweet by leadership, attacking the chief of staff at AOC, there were anonymous reps talking to a reporter yesterday, Jake Tapper criticizing the response from leadership and defending Omar, may be that the President had been politically genius. Like what`s going on over there? You guys -- you guys together, you focus, you understand what you`re up against?
NEGUSE: So I would say this. There`s always going to be palace intrigue. Obviously, I`m new to Congress and acclimated to that. But I`ve been in Washington in the last few days and have been in the House caucus meetings. I`ve had countless conversations with my colleagues and particularly my freshman colleagues across the ideological spectrum. And I would tell you the caucus is very united, deeply united because we all recognize that we are in a fight for the soul of our country. Everything is on the line. And so --
HAYES: I mean, it`s you guys versus the chants. Like that`s it. No, really. That`s what it is. This is what the country is right now. And I think one thing that sometimes Democrats don`t seem to understand is that the majority is with the non-chanters, right.
NEGUSE: I agree.
HAYES: Do you understand that?
NEGUSE: I agree.
HAYES: Democrats on the Hill -- and I get this because there are frontline members who were in plus-five Republican districts. So they got to go home and they understand. But like -- I feel like you`ve got to just have faith that the majority is with you against the chanters, right?
NEGUSE: No, I would say this. Again, Chris, as I mentioned, one of the best parts about serving in Congress for a freshman like me has been able to get to know my colleagues, the incredible freshman members as I said, across the ideological spectrum. And I will tell you each and every one of them is devoted to doing the people`s business and they understand that this country right now I think eventually we will bounce back from this dark chapter we find ourselves.
HAYES: All right, Congressman Joe Neguse of Colorado, thank you so much. Good to see you in person.
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