>> Dana: SPOTLIGHT TURNING TO
DONALD TRUMP LAST NIGHT.
THE FORMER PRESIDENT HOLDING A
TOWN HALL AND STRIKING A DEFIANT
TONE.
YOU REMEMBER THOSE FROM THE DAYS
IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
MIKE EMANUEL LIVE IN D.C. WITH
MORE.
HI, MIKE.
>> Bill: THE FORMER PRESIDENT
WEIGHED IN ON A NUMBER OF MAJOR
ISSUES FACING THE COUNTRY TODAY
SUCH AS THE ONGOING BATTLE IN
WASHINGTON OVER THE GOVERNMENT’S
ABILITY TO BORROW MORE MONEY,
THE DEBT CEILING.
>> I SAY TO THE REPUBLICANS OUT
THERE, CONGRESSMAN, SENATORS, IF
THEY DON’T GIVE YOU MASSIVE
CUTS, YOU WILL HAVE TO DO A
DEFAULT.
AND I DON’T BELIEVE THEY ARE
GOING TO DO A DEFAULT BECAUSE I
THINK THE DEMOCRATS WILL
ABSOLUTELY CAVE BECAUSE YOU
DON’T WANT TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN.
>> WITH TITLE 42 SET TO EXPIRE
LEADING TO A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE
U.S. BORDER POLICY AND EXPECTED
GROWING CRISIS AT THE BORDER MR.
TRUMP DID NOT RULE OUT REVIVING
FAMILY SEPARATIONS AT THE
SOUTHERN BORDER.
>> WHEN YOU HAVE THAT POLICY
PEOPLE DON’T COME.
IF THE FAMILY HEARS THEY WILL BE
SEPARATED, THEY LOVE THEIR
FAMILY, THEY DON’T COME.
>> THERE WERE ALSO QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE WAR IN UKRAINE, THE
FORMER PRESIDENT SAYS HE WANTS
PEOPLE TO STOP DYING AND INSISTS
HE COULD RESOLVE IT QUICKLY.
>> IF I’M PRESIDENT, I WILL HAVE
THAT WAR SETTLED IN ONE DAY, 24
HOURS.
I’LL MEET WITH ZELENSKY.
THEY BOTH HAVE WEAKNESS EAST AND
STRENGTHS AND WITHIN 24 HOURS
THE WAR WILL BE SETTLED AND
OVER.
>> AFTER THE TOWN HALL THE BIDEN
CAMPAIGN REACTED.
IT’S SIMPLE.
DO YOU WANT FOUR MORE YEARS OF
THAT?
IF YOU DON’T, PITCH INTO OUR
CAMPAIGN.
CHRIS CHRISTIE, A POTENTIAL
CANDIDATE, SLAMMED THE FORMER
PRESIDENT ON THE UKRAINE WAR
CALLING HIM PUTIN’S PUPPET.
>> Dana: THANK YOU.
>> Bill: LET’S BRING IN BRET
BAIER OF "SPECIAL REPORT."
I WATCHED LAST NIGHT AND I’M
SURE YOU DID, TOO.
WHAT DID YOU THINK?
>> WELL, I THINK TWO CAMPAIGNS
WERE VERY HAPPY.
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND THE BIDEN
CAMPAIGN.
BOTH FOR DIFFERENT REASONS BUT I
THINK THE FORMER PRESIDENT STEAM
ROLLED A LOT OF TIMES IN THAT
TOWN HALL.
HE GOT HIS POINTS OUT ON CNN.
FOR AN HOUR HE WAS IN FRONT OF
WHAT APPEARED TO BE A FRIENDLY
AUDIENCE CLAPPING AND LAUGHING
AT DIFFERENT MOMENTS.
I THINK THE REACTION FROM TRUMP
WORLD WAS VERY POSITIVE.
FROM BIDEN WORLD, YOU HEARD THAT
TWEET THAT MIKE JUST MENTIONED
FROM PRESIDENT BIDEN DO YOU WANT
MORE OF THIS FOR FOUR MORE
YEARS?
THEY LOOK TO RUN AGAINST THE
FORMER PRESIDENT, BELIEVE THEY
ARE WELL POSITIONED FOR THAT.
SO I THINK THE FALLOUT IS THAT
THE FORMER PRESIDENT PROBABLY
OVERALL HAD A GOOD NIGHT DESPITE
THE FACT HE RAISED A LOT OF
EYEBROWS WITH SOME OF THE THINGS
HE SAID.
>> Dana: YOU HAVE DONE THESE
BEFORE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT A FORMAT
LIKE THAT?
WHAT’S INTERESTING IS THAT
PRESUMABLY THERE IS A GOP
PRIMARY THAT’S UNDERWAY.
YOU HAVE MANY REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATES THAT ARE OUT THERE
BUT NONE OF THEM ARE REALLY OUT
ATTACKING PRESIDENT TRUMP AT
ALL.
IT IS ALMOST AS IF CNN AND
OTHERS, MAYBE ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, HAVE PRESUMED THE
DONALD TRUMP WILL GET THE
NOMINATION SO HE IS OUT THERE
WITHOUT ANY SORT OF COMPETITION
FROM THE OTHER REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATES.
A LOT OF THINGS THAT THE
MODERATOR, WHO I THINK DID A
FINE JOB LAST NIGHT.
SHE ASKED HIM A LOT OF THINGS
THAT REPUBLICAN PRIMARY VOTERS
IF THEY WANTED TO HAVE A DEBATE
AMONGST THE PRIMARY ISSUES FOR
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, THAT
REALLY DIDN’T HAPPEN LAST NIGHT.
>> NO.
IT TOOK A LOT OF TIME ON
JANUARY 6TH AND 2020 AND SO ON
SUBSTANCE THERE WAS A LOT THERE
BUT YOU ARE RIGHT, SO FAR THERE
HASN’T BEEN A BIG PUSH AGAINST
THE FORMER PRESIDENT IN THE GOP
PRIMARY.
THE PROSPECT OF CHRIS CHRISTIE
GETTING IN AND BEING THAT FACT
FOR, MAYBE GOVERNOR DESANTIS
BECOMES MORE FORWARD LEANING
AGAINST THE FORMER PRESIDENT.
WE DON’T KNOW YET.
THIS WAS AN HOUR OF TIME THAT
THE FORMER PRESIDENT USED FROM
HIS PERSPECTIVE PRETTY
EFFECTIVELY.
I WILL SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS
STUCK OUT.
ONE IS SAYING THAT MAYBE THE
U.S. SHOULD GO TO DEFAULT.
THAT REALLY SHOCKED SOME FOLKS
ON CAPITOL HILL, I CAN TELL YOU
THAT PRIVATELY.
AND IN THE NEGOTIATIONS OF HOW
TO GET TO AN ANSWER THERE, SOME
PEOPLE UP THERE, LEADERSHIP-WISE
ARE SAYING MAYBE WASN’T HELPFUL.
>> Bill: LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED YESTERDAY WITH JAMES
COMER 24 HOURS AGO RIGHT HERE ON
THIS PROGRAM.
"WALL STREET JOURNAL" WRITES
ABOUT THE BIDEN FAMILY BUSINESS
AND THEY TALK ABOUT THE BIDENS
HAVE A RIGHT TO MAKE A LIVING
BUT ONE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS
WHAT HUNTER DID TO EARN THESE
PAYMENTS.
FAIR QUESTION, I THINK, RIGHT?
THE MEDIA COVERAGE, HOWEVER, WAS
CAN WE SAY MISSING?
MAJOR NETWORKS, RIGHT, HAD A
COMBINED 0 MINUTES OF COVERAGE
FOR THE NEW FINDINGS ON THE
BIDEN FAMILY LAST NIGHT.
CHECK OUT "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
EARLIER TODAY.
THE HEADLINE IS HOUSE
REPUBLICANS DO NOT CONNECT JOE
BIDEN TO THE REST OF THESE
20LLCs.
SO --
>> LISTEN, WE DO IT ALL THE
TIME.
WE LOOK THROUGH THE PRISM OF
WHAT HAPPENS IF THIS WAS ON THE
OTHER FOOT.
IF THIS INVESTIGATION AND THESE
NUGGETS OF INFORMATION AND
DETAILS WERE COMING OUT AGAINST
FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WHEN HE
WAS PRESIDENT OR HIS FAMILY.
I THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE A
LOT DIFFERENT COVERAGE OF THAT.
THE RIGHT TO POINT OUT THERE IS
NOT, AS OF YET, THE DIRECT LINE.
BUT THERE ARE CERTAINLY NUGGETS
HERE THAT COULD GET THERE AND
THE INVESTIGATION IS PROCEEDING
WITH NOT ONLY WHISTLEBLOWERS BUT
FACTS AND BANK RECORDS AND WHERE
IS THE BUSINESS THAT BRINGS IN
THE MONEY?
WHAT IS THE BUSINESS?
I THINK THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF
WHAT COULD BE A SNOWBALL BUT IT
HAS GOT TO ACTUALLY GET
SOMEWHERE IN ORDER FOR OTHER
PEOPLE TO PICK IT UP, I THINK.