As Trump is facing unusual blame from many in his party after the
his former vice president, Mike is using it as a I Told You So m
The Wall Street Journal has just an excerpt from Pence's forthcom
detailing his final days with Tr and what happened behind the sce
January six,
five days after the attack, when essentially called Pence a cowar
It was more explicit than that.
Pence says that Trump asked him how he was doing.
Pence reminded him
he was with his family when he w the Capitol as it was being atta
Trump acted as if he had just learned about
Asking Pence if he had been, quote, scared.
Pence responded, No, not scared.
Pence
because it was a early
state and we will never forget
Of course, remember
Trump never called Pence that da to check on him, an aide later t
Trump actually approved of those Mike Pence chants.
Pence writes in his new book, qu President Trump retweeted an obs
article titled Operation Pence C and alluded to the theory that i
all else failed, I could alter t of the election on January 6th.
I showed it to my wife, Karen, and rolled my eyes.
Keep in mind, on New Year's Day, Trump called Pence
about a lawsuit that had been fi by Texas Congressman Louie Gohme
aimed at forcing Pence to help o the election.
Pence says that Trump told him, I don't want to see
Pence opposes Gohmert suit as a headline this
But Pence says he told Trump he did oppose it.
Trump responded, quote, You're t
Hundreds of thousands are going your guts.
People are going to think you're
Pence goes on to write that he c Trump.
The Trump's attorney, John Eastman, two days before Ja
actually happened, saying Eastma even believe his own advice.
He was giving Trump Pence to quo
I turned to the president and sa
President, did you hear that?
Even your own lawyer doesn't thi the authority to return electora
Then on the eve of the insurrect says, quote,
I had a feeling January six, 20, 21 was going to be a very lo
Of course, we all know what happ
Pence was rushed to safety as ri broken, looking for him personal
Pence told us Secret Service agents at the time Quote, I'm no
I'm not giving those people the sight of a 16 car
motorcade speeding away from the
Pence writes, quote, I heard footsteps and angry, cha
making our way to the basement of the Capitol.
Took a few extra minutes because I insisted that we walk,
not run as they were hiding from the rio
And Assistant
to Pence showed him what Trump h right in the middle of that atta
Trump said, quote,
Mike Pence didn't have the coura what should have been done.
Pence writes, He ignored the tweet and got bac
Eight days later, Pence,
as he stopped by the Oval Office and that the night before Trump
had, quote, unequivocally denoun the violence at the Capitol.
Pence congratulated him on his a and Trump said, I knew you'd lik
Pence writes that he seemed disc
So I reminded him that I was pra for him.
Trump's response Don't bother Pe
His book comes out on Tuesday.
That's the same day Trump has promised to make
an announcement at Mar a Lago, teasing a presidential r
Pence is also scheduled to parti in a CNN town hall on Wednesday.
So joining us now, who better to Georgia Lieutenant Governor Jeff
David Urban You had a fascinating quote yest
that I want to read about what h
You said talking about the Repub anger here on Tuesday.
You said, quote, It's clear
the center of gravity of the Rep Party is in the state of Florida
And I don't mean Mar a Lago. Yea
I mean, it's it's the elephant in the room, right.
Ron DeSantis crushes in and in the state of Florida, bui
an incredible coalition that cou you know, if he could replicate
nationwide, would be would be very formidable.
And so I think, you know, if you're a Republican in Americ
and you're looking at having a L dinner and you're looking for a
it's not going to be Donald Trum You could want Ron DeSantis to c
So my point is, no, it shifted to Tallahassee for Ma
Ron DeSantis is is the future as as The New York Post said so elo
Yeah. Oh, a future.
Well, I mean, that's you know, this is the prognosticator,
let me ask you, saying Ron DeSan
and, you know, Caitlin, just this whole thing on the boo
Why isn't it Mike Pence?
Is it? Yes.
So I think, look, I like the vice president.
He's an incredibly you know, he's a good man, nice man, honor
He did it that day.
He stood in the breach and kind
So you're saying there's democra
Exactly. I don't like just the m
There's always a chance.
Look, I mean, that's the beautif
about elections, that great democracy was on the
this time in the democracy, one, have huge election, tons of peop
you know, Democrats are very con about, you know,
all these myriad of bad things going to happen.
And they didn't. That's the great part, you know?
Well, my point is, we did the wh
Mike Pence is a book coming out,
He's going to he's doing the thing here on CNN. But
if you
pivot it right to Ron DeSantis, no one is talking about there's
obviously going to be a lot of p running for president.
And as we saw last time, there's a giant field.
1670 people.
No one thought Donald Trump was be the the nominee when that sta
That's why they have this proces
Lieutenant Governor, I can tell you when he ran,
I'm sure there are a lot of peop he may have been
the favorite, may not have been the favorite a
It's why you have elections.
I thought your interview was on earlier with Caitlyn yesterday.
Was really the interview of the yesterday.
I think what you said
was so important for America to hear, for many Republicans to
And you talked about not maybe a but a definite turn and pivot.
And I just wonder if a Mike Penc is enough of a pivot for the par
Yes. He's writing this now and saying this town. Yes, he di
And stood up for the Constitutio on that day.
It's critically important.
But he also stood by the preside and didn't say things through
so many moments
during that during during the pr
Yeah, there's no way to deny Don got fired Tuesday night.
And the search committee has bro a few names to the top of the li
And Ron DeSantis is one of them.
I think Ron DeSantis is being re for a new thought process with R
and that solid leadership. Right
We watched that play out in Geor
Brian Kemp beat the brakes off S Abrams, you know, because he rea
to put leadership on display through a pandemic and economic
and whatnot.
You know, in Georgia,
I think we're going to watch thi over the next four weeks.
My advice, if anybody in the Her Walker team wanted to listen
would be to make three successfu calls.
One is to tell Donald Trump to stay out of Georgia for four
He's toxic and he would do nothi to help the ticket.
Secondly, I would pick up the ph and call Brian Kemp
and ask him for his help and apo
for not endorsing him during the primary against David
And third,
I call Ron DeSantis and ask him to come to Georgia
as often as he possibly can the next four
That would be a winning recipe for Herschel
Mike Pence, was any of the gover He's smart.
Mike Pence wasn't in any of thos in any of those three recommenda
I think look, that's just my opi
I think Mike Pence has got a dif you know, hold a thread
because
he's got to have to explain the of being alongside Donald Trump.
Right.
And there's there's a process th
that is an angry and vile proces that we're having to move past.
I think Republicans are now in a window of opportunity
where if we don't actually get s if we just complain about stuff,
If we just complain about immigr if we just complain about health
if we just complain about all of these issues
but don't actually do something, then we've got problems, right?
Then 20, 24 becomes blurred and it doesn't become an easy ta
The first hundred days of of our
if it's a Donald Trump, you know, wish list, we got prob
But if we go to work
for the actual average American that's going to be worried
about getting laid off in the next 2 hours,
then I think we've got a chance to really move on.
Poppy's point and to your point, Brian Kemp stood up to Donald Tr
I said, look, the election was not stolen, rig
He stood up to Donald Trump.
Mike Pence did not do that.
He did stand up for the Constitu
But he's going to have a lot to when it comes to
what happened with Donald Trump and why he didn't stand.
There is there's this I don't kn what's the right term for it.
Maybe a Trump drag factor, right
Everybody who's who's tightly associated with Do
and we watched it play out all over the country in these ra
certainly watched it play out in
I mean, the drag factor's tangib
It was, you know, what, eight, e or nine points between Brian Kem
and Herschel Walker. And we've s play out all over the country.
The Trump drag factor is real and it's only getting worse.
And can I just say quickly, because I just double checked my
Pence backed Kemp while Trump wa Perdue in that in that race.
Pence was behind Kemp at the tim
David, though,
when you talk to other Republica I think the question is we
we the royal we always talk abou when something happens as if it'
His grip on the power is complet
His grip on the party.
That's not true.
Clearly, if you watch the primar he's got the voters.
So is it bad, just bad headlines that Trump will survive ultimate
I mean, I don't know.
This is this this just hits a little different than the past
Right.
And people are saying, well, why not a January six?
I can't tell you.
It's like, you know, it it you know, it's it is until it is
Right.
That's how that's this president how he's operated in.
And you know, this just feels di
People like they don't like losi
Ben Shapiro is out, you know, on
on social
media saying, look, we got to re Candace Owens right.
These are these are to look at t people up The Wall Street Journa
Incredible. Wall Street Journal. The New York Post is one thing.
But to see The Wall Street Journal editorial board.
Right.
The Republican Party's biggest l I think is right.
It is it is important. But you k
There are so many people back in Pennsylvania and Florida
and Kentucky and Iowa, that are Ride or Die T
Right. And they're not going to leave t
And this the President Trump
has a loyal base of probably rig 30% in the Republican Party.
And aren't going anywhere
until maybe somebody else gives them an alternative, an op
And literally nobody stepped up
So President Trump Trump's going to announce this coming we
this governor two centers that a Vice President Pence hasn't anno
So there is nobody else in the m as of yet.
You mentioned two of the extremists in the par
talking about Ben Shapiro and what's her name?
Candace Owens. Right.
But those aren't the people who are deciding elections right
No, but those may be the loudest and the the MAGA folks.
Right.
But they're not necessarily the who are going to the polls and d
And to your point, Don, you know of mine back in western Pennsylv
Right.
Good friends of mine, that Ride Trumpers, I keep sending them in
I say, look, here's what's happened, though, David.
You really believe the president
I said, yeah, he lost. I'd like
I wish the guy would have won in But let me explain you how you l
And they're like, no, you're wro
And even this past, you know, on Day, you know, they give me anec
about people being sent extra ba and look how bad things are.
And I'm like, those are just ane
And I, I run them down.
In fact, check them for and try to try to help them.
But you can't persuade. They're not persuadable.
You think you'll announce?
Yeah, I think, I
think former president's going t for a variety of reasons.
Right. I think he should run.
I look, it's America. Everyone gets a chance to run, r