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>>> WELCOME BACK TO "WAY TOO
EARLY."
IT IS 5:30 HERE ON THE EAST
COAST AND 2:30 OUT WEST.
I’M KASIE HUNT.
WE’RE GOING TO START WITH
ANOTHER PART OF THE PRESIDENT’S
TOWN HALL THAT IS MAKING
HEADLINES THIS MORNING.
THIS CONCERNS HIS PENCHANT FOR
SPREADING -- AND IN THE CASE OF
QANON -- REFUSING TO CONDEMN
CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
WATCH.
>> NOW, CAN YOU JUST ONCE AND
FOR ALL STATE THAT THAT IS
COMPLETELY NOT TRUE AND DISAVOW
QANON IN ITS ENTIRETY?
>> I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT QANON.
>> I JUST TOLD YOU.
>> I KNOW VERY LITTLE.
YOU TOLD ME, BUT WHAT YOU TELL
ME DOESN’T NECESSARILY MAKE IT
FACT.
I HATE TO SAY THAT.
I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT.
I DO KNOW THEY ARE VERY MUC VERY
BUT I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT.
>> THEY BELIEVE IT IS A SATANIC
CULT RUN BY THE DEEP STATE.
>> I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I DO KNOW
ABOUT.
I KNOW ABOUT ANTIFA AND I KNOW
ABOUT THE RADICAL LEFT.
>> JUST THIS WEEK, YOU RETWEETED
TO YOUR 87 MILLION FOLLOWERS A
CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT JOE BIDEN
ORCHESTRATED TO HAVE S.E.A.L.
TEAM 6, THE NAVY S.E.A.L. TEAM
6, KILLED TO COVER UP THE FAKE
DEATH OF BIN LADEN.
NOW, WHY WOULD YOU SEND A LIE
LIKE THAT TO YOUR FOLLOWERS?
>> I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THAT --
>> YOU RETWEETED IT.
>> THAT WAS A RETWEET.
THAT WAS AN OPINION OF SOMEBODY
AND THAT WAS A RETWEET.
I’LL PUT IT OUT THERE.
PEOPLE CAN DECIDE --
>> I DON’T GET THAT!
YOU’RE THE PRESIDENT.
YOU’RE NOT LIKE SOMEBODY’S CRAZY
UNCLE THAT CAN RETWEET
WHATEVER --
>> NO, NO, THAT WAS A RETWEET
AND I DO A LOT OF RETWEETS.
>> YOU ARE NOT SOMEBODY’S CRAZY
UNCLE WHO CAN JUST RETWEET
WHATEVER, SAVANNAH GUTHRIE
SAYING WHAT I THINK A LOT OF US
ARE THINKING WHEN WE LOOK AT THE
PRESIDENT’S TWITTER FEED.
WE’RE GOING TO ASK FORMER
CONGRESSMAN CARLOS CURBELO OF
FLORIDA ABOUT THIS TOPIC.
SIR, WELCOME.
ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR GETTING UP EARLY.
LET ME ASK YOU TO RESPOND TO
THAT EXCHANGE THAT WE JUST SAW,
THE PRESIDENT ESSENTIALLY
SAYING, IT’S FINE IF I RETWEET
THESE CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
IT DOESN’T SAY ANYTHING.
RETWEETS ARE NOT ENDORSEMENTS.
WHAT KIND OF EXAMPLE DOES THAT
SET FOR PEOPLE?
>> KASIE, GOOD MORNING.
THAT’S JUST STANDARD DONALD
TRUMP.
AND KUDOS FOR SAVANNAH GUTHRIE
FOR CONFRONTING HIM, FOR REALLY
HOLDING HIM ACCOUNTABLE AND
MAKING HIM EXPLAIN WHY HE WOULD
SPREAD THIS KIND OF
MISINFORMATION.
AND THE BOTTOM LINE, KASIE, IS
THAT THE PRESIDENT IS WILLING TO
DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN.
SO, THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE
PROPAGATING THIS FAKE THEORY,
THIS CONSPIRACY THEORY, THE
PRESIDENT WILL AT LEAST TACITLY
ENDORSE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE
SUPPORTERS OF HIS, AND HE WILL
NOT CONDEMN THEM OR DISAVOW THEM
PUBLICLY BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT
TO DO ANYTHING THAT WILL DEFLATE
OR DIMINISH THEIR SUPPORT FOR
HIM.
HE NEEDS THESE PEOPLE TO TURN
OUT.
SO, HERE’S JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE
WHERE THE PRESIDENT ABANDONS THE
TRUTH, ENDORSES A LIE, USES A
TINY LITTLE ELEMENT THAT HE CAN
HOLD ON BY SAYING, WELL, BUT
THEY OPPOSE PEDOPHILIA, SO THAT
MEANS THAT EVERYTHING ELSE THEY
DO IS PERFECTLY FINE.
HE HOLDS ONTO THAT SO THAT HE
CAN BE IN COMMUNION WITH THIS
GROUP, GET THEIR SUPPORT, AND
HOPEFULLY, REMAIN IN POWER,
WHICH IS ALL HE CLEARLY CARES
ABOUT.
>> YEAH, AND WE SHOULD JUST
REMIND EVERYONE WHAT THIS QANON
CONSPIRACY -- LIKE, JUST HOW
CRAZY THIS QANON CONSPIRACY IS.
IT SAYS THAT THERE ARE DEMOCRATS
WHO ARE PART OF A SATANIC DEATH
CULT THAT KIDNAPPED CHILDREN AND
TRAFFICKED THEM AND THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS SECRETLY AT
WAR AGAINST THEM.
NONE OF IT AT ALL IS TRUE.
AND CONGRESSMAN, WHAT’S YOUR
TAKE ON IT?
I MEAN, YOU, OBVIOUSLY, LOST
YOUR SEAT IN THE LAST MIDTERM
ELECTIONS.
REPUBLICANS ARE FACING A SMALLER
BUT STILL POTENTIALLY
SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF MORE SEATS
IN THE HOUSE.
THE SENATE ALSO LIKELY TO LOSE
REPUBLICAN SEATS.
AS YOU KNOW TOO WELL, THE UPSHOT
OF THAT IS THAT WE’RE GOING TO
LOSE SOME OF THE MORE MODERATE
REPUBLICAN VOICES, MORE OF THE
MODERATE REPUBLICAN VOICES IN
CONGRESS.
DOES THIS MEAN THAT THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY IS GOING TO
TURN INTO THAT, WHAT WE JUST
SAW, QANON?
AND WE HAVE A COUPLE QANON
SUPPORTERS WHO ARE WINDING THEIR
WAY TOWARD CONGRESS.
IS THAT THE FUTURE FOR THE
PARTY, EVEN IF IT’S A POST-TRUMP
WORLD?
>> WELL, KASIE, THIS IS AN
IMPORTANT QUESTION.
AND FOR SURE, ONCE DONALD TRUMP
IS NO LONGER PRESIDENT, AND
THEREFORE, NO LONGER HEAD OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY, THERE IS GOING
TO BE A MASSIVE VACUUM OF POWER
AND LEADERSHIP IN THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY.
AND WHO FILLS THAT VACUUM IS
GOING TO DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF
THE PARTY.
IS IT GOING TO BE PEOPLE LIKE
BEN SASSE WHO IS NOW EMBRACING
THE TRUTH?
AND WE WELCOME THAT.
I WISH HE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE
CONSISTENT ABOUT THAT OVER THE
YEARS, BUT CERTAINLY, IT’S NEVER
TOO LATE TO SAY WHAT’S TRUE AND
TO LEVEL WITH THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE OR WITH HIS CONSTITUENTS.
THAT’S THE BIG QUESTION, WHO’S
GOING TO FILL THE VACUUM?
OR ARE WE GOING TO GET TRUMP
COPYCATS, WHICH IS A
POSSIBILITY?
MY OPINION IS THAT THE MORE
RESPONSIBLE VOICES, THE MORE
MODERATE VOICES ARE LIKELY TO
FILL THE VACUUM BECAUSE THAT’S
WHERE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE.
THAT’S WHERE RISING GENERATIONS
OF AMERICANS ARE.
THERE’S JUST NOT A LONG-TERM
MARKET FOR DONALD TRUMP’S STYLE
OR HIS IDEAS.
SO, FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY,
I REALLY HOPE THAT THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY TAKES A
DIFFERENT COURSE BEGINNING ON
NOVEMBER 4th.
>> DO YOU THINK THAT ANYONE WHO
WOULD WANT TO COME NEXT WOULD
HAVE TO BE THAT KIND OF
CELEBRITY?
I MEAN, DOES DONALD TRUMP
BASICALLY GET SPECIAL
DISPENSATION FOR THAT, OR IS IT
POSSIBLE SOMEBODY ELSE COULD POP
UP AND HAVE THAT KIND OF
CELEBRITY?
>> KASIE, WHATEVER YOU THINK
ABOUT DONALD TRUMP, HE’S
CERTAINLY UNIQUE.
HE’S ONE OF A KIND.
THERE AREN’T A BUNCH OF DONALD
TRUMPS OUT THERE.
BUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
CONDUCTED THIS EXPERIMENT.
ABOUT 46% OF THEM VOTED FOR THE
PRESIDENT.
HE WON FAIR AND SQUARE IN 2016.
AND NOW, IT APPEARS THAT THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING THE
EXACT OPPOSITE.
I’VE ALWAYS SAID THAT DONALD
TRUMP’S TRIED TO DEMONIZE JOE
BIDEN.
IT’S BEEN VERY DIFFICULT FOR HIM
BECAUSE JOE BIDEN IS VANILLA.
HE’S A TRADITIONAL AMERICAN
POLITICIAN.
AND IT APPEARS THAT MOST
AMERICANS THINK THAT’S THE WAY
THE COUNTRY SHOULD GO.
SO, I DON’T THINK THERE WILL BE
PRESSURE FOR ANOTHER CELEBRITY
REPUBLICAN POLITICIAN TO EMERGE
AHEAD OF 2024, LET’S SAY.
>> ONE THEME OF THIS ELECTION IS
DEFINITELY THAT PEOPLE SEEM TO
BE RATHER TIRED OF THE CONSTANT
DRAMA.
FORMER CONGRESSMAN CARLOS
CURBELO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
SIR, FOR GETTING UP WITH US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> I APPRECIATE IT AND HOPE TO
SEE YOU AGAIN SOON.
>>> STILL AHEAD HERE, WITH 18
DAYS UNTIL THE NOVEMBER
ELECTION, WE’LL BREAK DOWN THE
STATE OF THE 2020 RACE WITH NEW
POLLING ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>>> PLUS, JIMMY KIMMEL’S TAKE ON
LAST NIGHT’S DUELING TOWN HALLS.
"WAY TOO EARLY" BACK IN JUST A MOMENT.