POPPY HARLOW (CO-HOST): I was reading about what you said about this move by the White House, and you say, “Look, this is consistent,” you believe, "with the president and where he has always stood and what he stood on the campaign trail. But a lot of people are remembering this moment.
[BEGIN VIDEO]
DONALD TRUMP: There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble. I would say that's probably the best way.
MATT LAUER: Do you have any transgender people working in your organization?
TRUMP: I don't know.
LAUER: No?
TRUMP: I really don't know. I probably do, I really don't know.
LAUER: So if Caitlyn Jenner were to walk into Trump Tower, and want to use the bathroom, you would be fine with her using any bathroom she chooses?
TRUMP: That is correct.
[END VIDEO]
HARLOW: So, Charmaine, how do you square the two?
CHARMAINE YOEST: Well I think he is doing, in terms of the policy that he laid out on the campaign trail, exactly what he said he would do, turning it back to the states. And look Poppy, teenagers have all kinds of problems, particularly in 2017 America. It's a tough time to be a teenager. We need to be empowering local school boards to do what's appropriate in their communities, not having Washington --
HARLOW: How does this help teenagers that are struggling because the ACLU said this is the antithesis of what the president ran on. They called those words “empty words” when he promised to protect LGBTQ individuals.
YOEST: It's not a zero sum game here. Betsy DeVos tweeted out last night that the Department of Education is deeply committed to compassion for all students. You don't want federal bureaucrats dictating policy to local school boards. And frankly, Poppy, as a woman, I'm concerned that one of the more important voices that has come out in this whole debate are sexual abuse survivors. We have to assure that we maintain safe spaces for young women and girls in locker rooms, in bathrooms and that they're, that those women are also --
HARLOW: Absolutely, but can you point -- Charmaine, since you bring that up -- absolutely, but since you bring that up, can you point to one incident where a transgender individual has inflicted harm on the people you're talking about?
YOEST: The real issue is the opening that it provides for sexual predators. This makes it much more difficult for law enforcement agencies to identify people who might be using this as a way to get access to young girls and women. And frankly, Poppy, I would challenge people to look it up. There are multiple examples of people doing this. So it's something that should be a real concern --
HARLOW: I mean you can't -- you need to back up that assertion with facts on this program.
