{"id":2325,"date":"2018-03-11T12:14:14","date_gmt":"2018-03-11T16:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/press.nbcnews.com\/?p=2325"},"modified":"2018-03-11T12:14:14","modified_gmt":"2018-03-11T16:14:14","slug":"mtp-exclusive-mnuchin-says-north-korea-meeting-isnt-about-elevating-anybody-defends-trumps-rally-comments-a-lot-of-funny-moments-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nbcuniversalnewsgroup.com\/nbcnews\/2018\/03\/11\/mtp-exclusive-mnuchin-says-north-korea-meeting-isnt-about-elevating-anybody-defends-trumps-rally-comments-a-lot-of-funny-moments-2\/","title":{"rendered":"MTP EXCLUSIVE: MNUCHIN SAYS NORTH KOREA MEETING \u2018ISN\u2019T ABOUT ELEVATING ANYBODY,\u2019 DEFENDS TRUMP\u2019S RALLY COMMENTS: \u2018A LOT OF FUNNY MOMENTS\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

EXCLUSIVE: Treasury Secretary Mnuchin on Trump Rally Attacks: \u201cThese Are Campaign Rally Issues\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Arizona Sen. Flake (R) on Trump\u2019s Attacks on Free Press: \u201cI Don\u2019t Think It\u2019s a Responsible Thing to Do\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

PLUS: Massachusetts Sen. Warren (D) on Trump Meeting with North Koreans: \u201cWorried That They’re Going to Take Advantage of Him\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

MARCH 11, 2018 \u2013 In an exclusive interview with \u201cMeet the Press\u201d moderator Chuck Todd, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin <\/strong>says President Donald Trump meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un \u201cisn\u2019t about elevating anybody\u201d and \u201ca major reason of why they\u2019re having this meeting is because the economic sanctions have had \u2013 have \u2013 a very big impact on both their economy, and their ability to get pieces of material and other things they need for their weapons programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is \u201cabsolutely\u201d still American policy, and \u201cthe logistics haven\u2019t been figured out yet\u201d on the meeting location, shared Mnuchin.<\/p>\n

When asked about the president\u2019s attacks last night in his Pennsylvania rally, including about Todd himself, Mnuchin told Todd: \u201cThese are campaign rally issues\u2026 He\u2019s using these vulgarities in the context of a campaign rally and obviously there were a lot of funny moments on that rally.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)<\/strong> also addressed Trump\u2019s speech last night and his attacks on the press in an exclusive interview: \u201cI don’t think it’s a responsible thing to do\u2026 We should never normalize this kind of behavior, particularly from the president of the United States.\u201d On the president\u2019s decision to meet with North Korea, Flake said: \u201cIt looks as if North Korea has come to a point where they believe that they can be treated as a nuclear power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flake ended the interview by saying he believes Trump needs to be challenged in 2020 by someone in the GOP who espouses his views: \u201cIt would be a tough go in a Republican primary. The Republican Party is the Trump party right now. But that’s not to say it will stay that way.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),<\/strong> when asked multiple times to pledge serving a six-year term upon reelection this year, told Todd repeatedly: \u201cI am not running for president.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very worried that they’re going to take advantage of him,\u201d said Warren in reference to the North Koreans meeting with Trump. The senator also responded to The Berkshire Eagle editorial calling for her to take a DNA test: \u201cI know who I am. And never used it for anything. Never got any benefit from it anywhere.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Joining this morning\u2019s roundtable for insight and analysis were Matt Bai<\/strong> of Yahoo! News, Andrea Mitchell<\/strong> of NBC News, Peggy Noonan<\/strong> of The Wall Street Journal and Eugene Robinson<\/strong> of The Washington Post. Mitchell offered analysis of the week\u2019s North Korea developments, telling Todd: \u201cThey’ve had a victory by setting the terms and by having the meeting itself, as you were pointing out. This is what all North Korean leaders have wanted. Three generations have wanted a meeting, legitimacy from an American president.\u201d Watch the discussion.<\/a><\/p>\n

Read the full transcript of this morning\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press\u201d on\u00a0MeetThePress.com.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

For more from moderator Chuck Todd throughout the week,\u00a0sign up for the \u201cFirst Read\u201d newsletter<\/a>, and subscribe to\u00a0\u201c1947: The Meet The Press Podcast\u201d<\/a>\u00a0for on-demand interviews.<\/p>\n

MANDATORY CREDIT: NBC NEWS\u2019 \u201cMEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD\u201d\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n