Trump & Pelosi Each Say The Other Had "Meltdown" During White House Meeting; Chris Cillizza Reviews Democratic Candidates' Debate Performance.
BALDWIN: "Third-rate politician." That is what Republicans and Democrats say President Trump was yelling at Nancy Pelosi yesterday during this contentious meeting at the White House over Syria and Russia. You've seen the photo. Just one of a few women in the room, and the first woman to serve as House speaker. It's hardly third rate. How did she handle being yelled at by the yesterday? She kept her cool completely, with a number of onlookers adding they had never seen anything like that, because presidents don't act like that. This is what she told reporters she was likely saying when the White House photographer snapped that photo.</s>REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): At that moment, I was probably saying, all roads lead to Putin.</s>BALDWIN: After, she and Chuck Schumer and Steny Hoyer walked out of that meeting at the White House, she walked right up to the cameras and said this.</s>PELOSI: -- shaken up by it and that's why we couldn't continue in the meeting, because he was just not relating to the reality of it.</s>PELOSI: What we witnessed on the part of the president was a meltdown. Sad to say.</s>BALDWIN: The president's response, he tweeted out the photo as evidence of her, quote/unquote, "meltdown." President Trump then tweeting, "Nancy Pelosi needs help fast. There's either something wrong with her upstairs or she just plain doesn't like our great country. She had a total meltdown in the White House today. It was very sad to watch. Pray for her. She is a very sick person." All right. Now, President Trump calling someone names, not news. What is news here, how the speaker of the House chose to handle it. She took that photo that the president thought she should be ashamed of and proudly put it on full display on her Twitter page. Her triumph wasn't just the photo or her line about Vladimir Putin but she had the overwhelming bipartisan support of Congress to back her up. The House voted 354-60 with Republicans support rebuking Trump's decision on Syria. My point is this, that this is not about politics. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat or Independent. This is about being a statesman, or woman. And acting like it. CNN special correspondent, Jamie Gangel, is back with me. And I know you have talked to people in that room.</s>JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: So we have some new reporting, and I'm going to put on my glasses to read some of the quotes because they're so shocking. The bottom line is, Nancy Pelosi, as you just said, was not the only person shaken up coming out of there. We've spoken to a Republican source who was in the room and I'm told that they were alarmed at his demeanor. Quote, "Everyone left completely shaken, shell-shocked. He is not in control of himself. It is all yelling and screaming." And I asked the source, you know, who's been in many meetings with them, has it changed, is it worse, because every week we talk about, is it getting worse. The source said, 100 percent. I asked, are you worried about his stability. And the source said, yes. And the source went on to talk to other senior Republicans in the meeting. They were also shaken up. One used the word "sickened." And they got a sense of the Pentagon, the generals who were there, and they were very upset. And the same thing, that this goes beyond just a policy difference. They were concerned about his demeanor.</s>BALDWIN: Stunning. All of it is stunning. Jamie, thank you very much for always your scoop and your reporting here. Let's move on. CNN's "The Point" is out with its latest 2020 rankings and the Democratic race for the White House. And if you watched Tuesday's debate, you probably know who tops the list of presidential candidates to beat. Chris Cillizza is our CNN politics reporter and editor-at-large and he is here to break it down. Hey, Chris.</s>CHRIS CILLIZZA, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER & CNN EDITOR-AT-LARGER: Hello, Brooke. Run through them fast. Get rid of the top 10. Get rid of the lower five first. In a lower five, highlight two people. Beto O'Rourke down three spots. To your point about the debate. Really a weak performance I thought. He got dunked on by Pete Buttigieg about courage. Sort of not there. Up two spots, Amy Klobuchar finally she had a moment. Took on Warren effectively. Presented herself as a voice if from the Midwest. Finally a moment for people like me who thought she'd continue to be a potential dark horse. Now, does she make November debate or not? Don't know. Raised $1 million in the next 24 hours debate. We'll see. Top five. I know it's what people are most interested in. All right. Let me dispense two of them. Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders, five and three. Kamala Harris at five, because Harry Enten, who does the rankings with me, couldn't figure who to put above her. Not moved upwards, struggled badly. Really bad in our debate on Tuesday night. But she's got $10 million on hand. Sanders, you know his deal. Ton of money, he'll be there. The big three. Pete Buttigieg. Best debate I've seen. Best debate by anyone I've seen in this presidential election cycle. Ton of money. And Joe Biden, vice president, still going to be there. Number one, important, first time here, Elizabeth Warren. Ahead in Iowa. Best debater. Ahead in national polling now. Ton of money. She's the one to beat now, Brooke, which I think is a remarkable change. You saw it Tuesday night. Everyone going after her rather than Biden. Tells you everything you need to know.</s>BALDWIN: Chris, thank you very much.</s>CILLIZZA: Thank you.</s>BALDWIN: I want to continue with more breaking news. The White House today admitting there was, in fact, a quid pro quo with Ukraine. And President Trump celebrates -- you heard me right -- celebrates this cease-fire with Turkey, but says -- according to Turkey, saying, not so fast.