THANKS FOR BEING ON.
>> THANK YOU, MR. SPEAKER.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> NOW TO THIS.
THE COMMITTEE IN CHARGE OF
HELPING REPUBLICANS WIN BACK THE
SENATE HAS NAMED FORMER
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AS THE
INAUGURAL RECIPIENT OF ITS
CHAMPION OF FREEDOM AWARD.
THE AWARD RECOGNIZES, QUOTE,
CONSERVATIVE LEADERS WHO HAVE
WORKED TIRELESSLY TO CREATE GOOD
JOBS, PROTECT THE VALUES THAT
MAKE OUR COUNTRY GREAT SKPF STOP
THE DEMOCRATS’ SOCIALIST AGENDA.
IT WAS PRESENTED ON THE SAME
WEEKEND TRUMP TORE INTO MINORITY
LEADER MITCH McCONNELL, CALLING
THE TOP REPUBLICAN A DUMB SON OF
A "B" AND A STONE-COLD LOSER IN
A LONG RANT AT A REPUBLICAN
DONOR EVENT AT MAR-A-LAGO ON
SATURDAY NIGHT.
ANOTHER SIGN OF THE ODD PLACE IN
WHICH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY FINDS
ITSELF POST-TRUMP.
TRUMP’S STILL THERE.
THIS TIME EVIDENCED BY FORMER
U.N. AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY.
AFTER THE CAPITOL RIOT, SHE WAS
PROFILED BY POLITICO IN PIECE
CALLED "NIKKI HALEY’S TIME FOR
CHOOSING."
THE 2024 HOPEFUL CAN’T DECIDE
WHO SHE WANTS TO BE, THE LEADER
OF A POST-TRUMP GOP OR A FRIEND
TO THE PRESIDENT WHO TRIED TO
SABOTAGE DEMOCRACY.
IN IT, THE FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA
GOVERNOR SEEMED SURE THAT
TRUMP’S POLITICAL CAREER WAS
OVER, SAYING, QUOTE, HE’S NOT
GOING TO RUN FOR FEDERAL OFFICE
AGAIN.
WHEN ASKED IF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY CAN HEAL WITH TRUMP IN THE
PICTURE, SHE SAID, QUOTE, I
DON’T THINK HE’S GOING TO BE IN
THE PICTURE.
I DON’T THINK HE CAN, HE’S
FALLEN SO FAR.
SHE ADDED, WE NEED TO
ACKNOWLEDGE HE LET US DOWN.
HE WENT DOWN A PATH HE SHOULDN’T
HAVE AND WE SHOULDN’T HAVE
FOLLOWED HIM.
AND WE SHOULDN’T HAVE LISTENED
TO HIM.
AND WE CAN’T LET THAT EVER
HAPPEN AGAIN.
COMPARE THAT TO WHAT SHE TOLD
REPORTER MEG CANNARD OF THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS YESTERDAY.
>> HE STILL HAS A LOT OF
POPULARITY.
IF HE RUNS AGAIN IN 2024, WILL
YOU SUPPORT HIM?
>> YES.
>> IF HE DECIDES THAT HE’S GOING
TO RUN, WOULD THAT PRECLUDE ANY
SORT OF RUN THAT YOU WOULD
POSSIBLY MAKE YOURSELF?
>> I WOULD NOT RUN IF PRESIDENT
TRUMP RAN.
AND I WOULD TALK TO HIM ABOUT
IT.
YOU KNOW, THAT’S SOMETHING THAT
WE’LL HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT
AT SOME POINT, IF THAT DECISION
IS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE
MADE.
BUT, YEAH, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY --
I HAD A GREAT WORKING
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
I APPRECIATED THE WAY HE LET ME
DO MY JOB.
I THOUGHT WE DID SOME
FANTASTICALLY GREAT FOREIGN
POLICY THINGS TOGETHER.
>> WOW. OKAY.
SO -- YEAH, I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO
SAY ABOUT THAT.
KASIE HUNT, YOU TALK ABOUT
JANUARY 6th, HOW JARRING JANUARY
THE 6th WAS, NOT JUST TO YOU AND
OTHER REPORTERS AND AMERICANS,
LIKE JOHN BOEHNER, WHO WERE
VIEWING IT AND AND DEEPLY
SHAKEN, BUT EVEN MEMBERS OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY SEEMED TO
UNDERSTAND THAT DONALD TRUMP HAD
CAUSED AN INSURRECTION AGAINST
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
HAD ENCOURAGED IT, REFUSED TO
CALL IT OFF.
AND SO NIKKI HALEY CAME OUT AND
CONDEMNED HIM.
ANOTHER SOUTH CAROLINA
POLITICIAN, LINDSEY GRAHAM, SAID
THAT HE HAD BADLY TARNISHED HIS
LEGACY AND LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS
DONE DEFENDING HIM.
HE WAS DONE WITH THIS.
YOU ALSO, OF COURSE, HAD KEVIN
McCARTHY GO ON THE FLOOR AND SAY
THAT HE WAS -- THAT DONALD TRUMP
WAS RESPONSIBLE, IN PART, FOR
WHAT HAPPENED ON JANUARY THE
6th.
WE HEARD ABOUT THE SHOUTING
MATCH THAT DONALD TRUMP AND HE
HAD.
AND SO YOU HAD ALL OF THESE
REPUBLICANS WHO SAID, ENOUGH IS
ENOUGH.
HE HAS LED US TO THE PRECIPICE.
HE WAS RESPONSIBLE.
LAST NIGHT, IT’S VERY TELLING
THAT DONALD TRUMP IS NOW HAVING
REPUBLICANS COME TO MAR-A-LAGO,
TOP CONTRIBUTORS, LEADERS OF
THAT PARTY.
HE’S HAVING RICK SCOTT, WHO
WANTS TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT,
HANDING HIM AWARDS THAT HE MADE
UP OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH, I THINK,
TO GIVE TO A MAN WHO LED AN
INSURRECTION AGAINST THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
AND IT IS SO CRITICAL -- I’LL
SAY THIS.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO, YOU WORK
THERE.
SO CRITICAL TO UNDERSTAND THAT
FOR MANY OF THESE REPUBLICANS
THEY CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, AND
NOW ARE GOING BACK TO SUPPORTING
IN SOME CASES, A POLITICIAN THAT
LED AN INSURRECTION AGAINST THE
UNITED STATES.
THAT INSPIRED, AT LEAST, AN
INSURRECTION AGAINST THE UNITED
STATES.
COMMITTED CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT
SEDITION AGAINST THE UNITED
STATES O AMERICA.
IT IS BREATHTAKING AND IT’S
SOMETHING WE HAVE TO TAKE NOTE
OF THIS DAY AND EVERY DAY, I
THINK.
>> JOE, I THINK YOU’RE RIGHT.
AND I DON’T THINK I’M OUTSIDE OF
THE BOUNDS AS A STRAIGHT NEWS
REPORTER TO SAY THAT THE PEOPLE
THAT SHOWED UP AT THE CAPITOL
THAT DAY ATTACKED MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS.
THEY WERE THERE TO ATTEMPT TO
PREVENT THEM FROM DOING THE JOB
THAT THEY WERE SENT THERE TO DO.
AND THAT ADDS ANOTHER LAYER
BEYOND SIMPLY TALKING ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT AND WHAT HE DID, THAT
THESE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE
NOT STANDING UP FOR THEMSELVES,
FOR THEIR OWN BUILDING, FOR
THEIR OWN POWER, IF THEIR OWN
PREROGATIVES THAT IN YEARS PAST,
THEY WOULD DEFEND SOMETHING MUCH
SMALLER IF THERE WAS AN
INCURSION INTO THE ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES THAT THEY HAD
AS MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
AND IT HAS BEEN BREATHTAKING TO
SEE HOW QUICKLY AND THOROUGHLY
WE’VE GONE AND THAT NIKKI HALEY
EXAMPLE, I THINK, IS A VERY GODO
ONE.
BECAUSE THOSE QUOTES IN THAT TIM
ALBERTA STORY, COMING OUT RIGHT
AROUND TIME OF JANUARY 6th, WHEN
EVERYONE WAS REACTING TO THIS.
AND NOW, YOU SEE THAT IT’S COME
FULL CIRCLE BACK AROUND AND SHE
SAYS, NOPE, HE’S THE LEADER OF
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
AND JOE, MY BIG QUESTION HERE,
THERE WAS GALLUP PUT OUT A STORY
YESTERDAY THAT SUGGESTS THAT
REPUBLICAN PARTY IDENTIFICATION
IS WAY DOWN IN THE WAKE OF
JANUARY 6th.
AND WHAT I’M LOOKING TO SEE IS,
IS THERE A DISCONNECT BETWEEN
PROFESSIONAL REPUBLICANS AND
WHAT THEY THINK AND WHAT THEY
THINK NAY NEED TO DO AND VOTER
IN THIS COUNTRY?
BECAUSE IT IS TRUE THAT THERE
WERE 74 PLUS MILLION PEOPLE WHO
VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP.
BUT WHAT WE HAVEN’T HAD A CHANCE
TO MEASURE IS THE REACTION TO
THAT IN THE WAKE OF THE
INSURRECTION.
AND SURE, FOR NIKKI HALEY OR
ANYBODY ELSE THAT WANTS TO RUN,
THE BASE IS WITH DONALD TRUMP.
THEY’RE IN THESE GROUPS ON
FACEBOOK, LIKE SPEAKER BOEHNER
WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT, ON THE
MOST EXTREME VERSION OF THIS.
AND EVERYONE WHO IS TRYING TO WIN ELECTED OFFICE IS STILL
WIN ELECTED OFFICE IS STILL
BEING HELD HOST ANIMAL TO THEAGE
OF DONALD TRUMP.
I HAVE QUESTIONS THAT ENOUGH
AMERICANS ARE STILL WITH THEM
THAT THEY COULD BECOME A
GOVERNING PARTY AGAIN.
>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATE ON
TIM ALBERTA’S STORY, FEBRUARY
2021.
THERE WAS STILL A LIVE QUESTION,
WAS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY GOING
TO WALK AWAY FROM DONALD TRUMP
AND START OVER OR SIDE UP TO HIM
AND BE THE PARTY OF DONALD
TRUMP?
IT COULDN’T BE MORE CLEAR WHERE
THEY CAME DOWN WHEN YOU LOOK AT
NIKKI HALEY’S NOW REVISED
OPINION OF DONALD TRUMP AS SHE
LOOKS AT THE WEATHER VANE
BLOWING.
AND A SENATE COMMITTEE LED BY
RICK SCOTT, THEY GAVE AN AWARD
TO DONALD TRUMP A DAY AFTER HE
SPENT THE NIGHT AT MAR-A-LAGO