>> THE BIG HEADLINE COMING OUT
OF THIS MEETING IS THAT THE
PRESIDENT SAID HE WAS DEPUTIZING
LARRY KUDLOW AND AMBASSADOR
LIGHTHIZER TO LOOK AT REENTERING
THE TPP NEGOTIATIONS.
THE PRESIDENT MULTIPLE TIMES
REAFFIRMED IN GENERAL TO ALL OF
US AND LOOKED AT LARRY KUDLOW
AND SAID, LAIRKY, GO GET IT
DONE.
MELISSA: HMMM, SO THE PRESIDENT
RECONSIDERING HIS STANCE ON TPP.
SEEMS LIKE ANOTHER CASE OF "THE
ART OF THE DEAL," WHAT DO YOU
THINK?
GUY BENSON, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR
AND TOWNHALL.COM.
THIS KEEPS HAPPENING MY FRIEND.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> IT DOES.
WE TALKED ABOUT IT ON THIS SHOW
TOGETHER MULTIPLE TIMES.
SORT OF THE CHAOS APPROACH OF
THE PRESIDENCY WHERE YOU FLOOD
THE ZONE WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT
IDEAS, KEEP PEOPLE GUESSING WHAT
YOU MIGHT END UP DOING, THE
QUESTION IS, AND AN OPEN
QUESTION, IS THIS EFFECTIVE?
DOES IT WORK, WHEN YOU'RE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
IT MAY HAVE BENEFITED TRUMP IN
THE BUSINESS WORLD, BEING
PRESIDENT IS IN SOME CASES A
DIFFERENT BALLGAME COMPLETELY.
AND HIS NEW FLIRTATIONS WITH
REENTERING TPP ARE INTRIGUING.
WE CAN'T SPIKE THE FOOTBALL AS A
SUCCESS OR JEER THIS AS A
FAILURE UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT THE
NEW TERMS LOOK LIKE.
THAT IS THE MYSTERY.
MELISSA: WHEN YOU NEGOTIATE A
DEAL, OBVIOUSLY I WROTE ABOUT
THIS IN AN OP-ED IN THE
"WALL STREET JOURNAL," WE KIND
OF WENT THROUGH AND TRACKED THE
DIFFERENT PLACES WHERE HE HAS
THROWN OUT AN IDEA THAT RESET
THE NEGOTIATIONS IS THE IDEA,
SOMETHING THAT WAS SO FAR AFIELD
OF WHERE THE PLAYERS WERE THAT
EVERYBODY AT BOTH ENDS SQUAWKS
AND SITS DOWN AND KIND OF HAS TO
START FRESH, ONE PLACE THAT HE
DID IT WITH WAS SAYING WE'LL
LEAVE NATO, WHICH FEELS A LOT
LIKE THIS.
NATO IS OUTDATED INSTITUTION.
PEOPLE LOOKED, HE HAS NO SENSE
OF HISTORY.
HE HAS NO INTELLECT.
HE DOESN'T REALIZE KNEW ONCES OF
FOREIGN POLICY -- NUANCES OF
FOREIGN POLICY HIS REAL GRIPE NO
ONE WAS PAYING.
LO AND BEHOLD WE DIDN'T LEAD.
THAT IS ONE CASE WHERE ALL THE
OTHER ALLIES ENDED UP PONYING UP
THE MONEY.
SEEMS LIKE MORE LIKELY TO WORK
IN A TRADE SITUATION, BECAUSE
THAT IS SOMETHING MOST AKIN TO A
BUSINESS DEAL.
THAT IS A COMMON BUSINESS
PRACTICE.
>> POTENTIALLY, YOU WILL
REMEMBER, PRESIDENT OBAMA WANTED
TPP.
THERE WAS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT AND
OPPOSITION TO THAT.
TRUMP CAMPAIGNED HARD AGAINST
TPP AND AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON
ON THAT POINT.
EVEN THOUGH WE NEVER ADOPTED
THAT TRADE DEAL THE NEW
PRESIDENT BASICALLY EFFECTIVELY
PULLED US OUT OF IT.
WE WERE SORT OF EXCISED.
OUR AMERICAN PORTIONS OF THAT
DEAL WERE SUSPENDED.
EVERYTHING ELSE KEPT MOVING
FORWARD WITH THE OTHER
COUNTRIES.
THE QUESTION IS, HEY WE WANT TO
GET BACK IN HELP OUR FARMERS IN
PARTICULAR, WILL THE OTHER
MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THAT TRADE
DEAL AND COMPACT SAY, COME BACK
IN AMERICA THE WATER IS FINE,
WE'LL GIVE YOU THE OLD DEAL,
PREVIOUS TERMS, MAYBE BE WILLING
TO NEGOTIATE A SMALL POINT OR
TWO TO GIVE TRUMP A WIN.
THAT'S POSSIBLE.
MELISSA: I DON'T THINK
LARRY KUDLOW WOULD ACCEPT THAT I
DON'T THINK HE WOULD SAY FOR A
SECOND WE WANT OUR OLD DEAL WITH
A FEW POINTS.
I THINK THE POINT IS, IT IS
LIKE, YOU'RE GOING TO BUY A
HOUSE OR CAR, YOU KNOW WHAT, I
DON'T LIKE THE TERMS, FORGET IT.
WALK, IF YOU COME BACK AND SIT
DOWN.
THEY KNOW THAT YOU'RE OUT.
YOU LEFT.
>> RIGHT.
SO THEY HAVE THE LEVERAGE.
MELISSA: I DON'T THINK SO.
HE SAID WE'RE CONSIDERING COMING
BACK.
HERE IS MY GUY BUT WE'RE ALREADY
OUT.
I THINK BEFORE WHEN THEY WERE
SAYING WE MIGHT LEAVE NO ONE
BELIEVED THAT.
>> NOW WE ARE OUT BUT THE
AMERICANS ARE NOT, WE ARE NOT IN
THE DRIVER'S SEAT OF THIS
NEGOTIATION ANYMORE.
THE WORLD MOVED ON PAST, BEYOND
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
NOW WE'RE SAYING --
MELISSA: THEY DON'T NEED OUR
CONSUMERS, THEY DON'T NEED OUR
MONEY AND DON'T NEED OUR
PRODUCTS?
>> OF COURSE THEY DO.
WE WANT THEIR PRODUCTS AND TRADE
IS GOOD THING VIRTUALLY FOR
EVERYONE INVOLVED BUT TRADE WARS
ARE BAD FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED.
OF COURSE THEY WOULD LIKE US TO
COME BACK IN.
IF THE AMERICANS COME IN AND
TRUMP'S NEGOTIATORS SAY YOU HAVE
TO BLOW UP THE ENTIRE DEAL YOU
GUYS VERY CAREFULLY NEGOTIATED
BECAUSE WE WANT ALL THESE
MASSIVELY DIFFERENT TERMS I
DON'T THINK THAT IS GOING TO
FLY.
IS THERE A MIDDLE GROUND THEY
CAN REACH WHERE EVERYONE SAVES
FACE AND EVERYONE BENEFITS?
THAT'S POSSIBLE F THAT HAPPENS I
WILL BE THRILLED.
MY BOTTOM LINE IS, WE DON'T KNOW
YET.
MELISSA: FOR SURE, ABSOLUTELY.
GUY BENSON, LOVE HAVING YOU ON.
I DON'T WANT TO LET YOU ON
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR BRAND
NEW RADIO SHOW WITH MARIE HARF.
BENSON AND HARF.
FOX NEWS RADIO.
PREMIERS ON MAY 7th.
EXCITED FOR YOU BOTH, GUY.
>> BENSON AND HARF.COM.