DURING THE ADDRESS.
KRISTEN, PETER.
>> SO INTERESTING TO HEAR FROM
THEM.
JOSHUA JOHNSON, THANKS SO MUCH
FOR YOUR REPORTING.
JOINING US NOW IS GOVERNOR ASA
HUTCHINSON, REPUBLICAN FROM
ARKANSAS, CHAIRMAN OF THE
NATIONAL GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION.
GOVERNOR, THANKS SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE ON A VERY BIG DAY.
OBVIOUSLY THE PRESIDENT HAS A
LOT TO JUGGLE IN HIS SPEECH, THE
CRISIS IN UKRAINE, INFLATION, OF
COURSE, COVID.
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO HEAR FROM
PRESIDENT BIDEN TONIGHT?
>> WELL, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT
MESSAGE, AND IT'S REALLY NOT NOT
JUST A STATE OF THE UNION
ADDRESS.
IT'S REALLY A STATE OF THE WORLD
ADDRESS AND WHETHER YOU'RE A
GOVERNOR OR WHETHER YOU'RE A
MAYOR WE'RE ALL FOLLOWING WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN UKRAINE AND THE
CHANGE IN THE WORLD CLIMATE
SINCE -- WITHIN THE LAST WEEK
WITH RUSSIA INVADING, AND SO
HE'S GOT TO ADDRESS THAT.
WE'RE ANXIOUS TO SEE THE MESSAGE
OF STRENGTH FROM THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA, MORE
SOLUTIONS, MORE SUPPORT FOR
UKRAINE, BUT ALSO ADDRESSING THE
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS THERE AND SO
THAT'S ON THE MINDS OF
AMERICANS, AND HE HAS GOT TO
SHIFT TO BE ABLE TO ASSURE THE
PUBLIC THAT WE'RE DOING ALL THAT
WE CAN AS A NATION TO SHORE UP
FREEDOM IN THAT PART OF EUROPE
BECAUSE THIS WORLD HAS CHANGED,
AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME WE'VE
HEARD THE CONCERN ABOUT NUCLEAR
WEAPONS IN A LONG, LONG TIME.
>> GOVERNOR HUSHINSON, WE WANT
TO ASK YOU ABOUT THAT
SPECIFICALLY.
WE'VE HEARD THE REPUBLICAN
CRITICISM OF THE HANDLING OF
UKRAINE, THAT IT HADN'T GONE
ENOUGH.
NATO IS MORE UNITED THAN IT HAS
BEEN IN DECADES, EXACTLY WHAT
VLADIMIR PUTIN IS HOPING TO
AVOID, THE RUBLE IS TANKING,
WHAT MORE SHOULD THE U.S. BE
DOING IN TERMS OF SANCTIONS?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, YOU'VE
GOT TO SPEED THE RELIEF THERE
WHENEVER WE'RE PUTTING ARMAMENTS
IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE, LET'S GET
THEM THERE, THE LOGISTICS
CHALLENGE.
LET'S MOVE VERY QUICKLY.
SECONDLY, I DO THINK THAT YOU
HAVE TO LOOK AT MORE SUPPORT FOR
POLAND IN TERMS OF A
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AND AS
REFUGEES COME OUT OF UKRAINE
INTO POLAND, BUT WHAT WE NEED TO
SEE IS RESOLVE, AND THIS IS A
TIME THAT WE CAN COME TOGETHER
AND SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT.
REPUBLICANS, WE HAVE A
DIFFERENCE IN POLICY.
WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN MORE
AGGRESSIVE ACTION EARLY ON, THE
SANCTIONS IMPOSED MORE QUICKLY
AND MORE STRONGLY VERY EARLY ON,
BUT NOTWITHSTANDING THAT, THIS
IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO UNIFY THE
COUNTRY MORE BECAUSE WE ALL ARE
UNITED BEHIND THE INCREDIBLE
BRAVERY THAT WE SEE IN UKRAINE.
HE HAS TO SPEND TIME ON THE
DOMESTIC ISSUES.
THAT'S WHERE THERE'S MORE
DISAGREEMENTS WITH THE
REPUBLICANS, WHETHER IT'S BORDER
SECURITY, CRIME ISSUES AND
INFLATION.
THOSE HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED BUT
YOU START WITH THE INCREDIBLE
CHANGE IN OUR WORLD ENVIRONMENT,
AND IT GIVES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
THE PRESIDENT.
>> GOVERNOR, LET ME FOLLOW UP
WITH YOU ON THAT POINT.
WE ASKED JEN PSAKI ON THIS SHOW
YESTERDAY IF THE PRESIDENT WOULD
SUPPORT ENFORCING A NO-FLY ZONE.
SHE WAS VERY CLEAR.
SHE SAID NO.
DO YOU THINK THE U.S. SHOULD
ENFORCE A NO-FLY ZONE?
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PRESIDENT
ZELENSKYY HAS CALLED FOR?
>> WELL, I HAVE A NUMBER OF
EXPERTS IN THE DEFENSE FOLD, AND
THERE'S CONCERNS ABOUT A NO-FLY
ZONE.
THAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU THINK
ABOUT BECAUSE WE'VE ENFORCED
THAT WHETHER IT'S IN SYRIA OR
IRAQ IN DIFFERENT TIMES IN
HISTORY, BUT WHENEVER YOU LOOK
AT THE SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES
THAT COULD BE LAUNCHED FROM
RUSSIA, YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE THOSE
OUT AND THAT WOULD PUT US IN AND
ENGAGING IN RUSSIAN TERRITORY.
THERE ARE SOME REASONS THAT YOU
DON'T PUT INTO PLACE IMMEDIATELY
A NO-FLY ZONE, BUT I DO BELIEVE
THAT WE HAVE TO GET THE SUPPORT
TO THEM, AND EUROPE HAS TO BE
ABLE TO SUPPORT, SO WE'RE ALL
LOOKING FOR WAYS THAT WE CAN
GIVE THE UKRANIANS THE SUPPORT
QUICKLY AND IN AN EMERGENCY
FASHION IF THEY NEED.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
HAS BEEN LOST ON PUTIN, ONE OF
HIS GOALS WAS TO KEEP UKRAINE
OUT OF NATOR.
WELL, WE'VE INCREASE THAT HAD
BOND AND I THINK THERE'S A
WILLINGNESS TO ACCELERATE THE
MOVEMENT OF UKRAINE INTO NATO. THOSE ARE STEPS THAT THE
THOSE ARE STEPS THAT THE
PRESIDENT TO LOOK.
TRUMP SAID PUTIN WAS STRONG AND
SAVVY AND CLEARLY HE'S LEADER OF
THE REPUBLICAN WORLD.
CALLED HIM A GENIUS.
DO YOU CONDEMN THOSE WORDS?
>> PUTIN IS EVIL AND HE NEEDS TO
BE CALLED SUCH AND ANYBODY WHO
DOES NOT CALL OUT PUTIN FOR THE
PERSON THAT HE IS AND THE
ATROCITIES THAT HE'S CONDUCTING,
THEY -- THEY ARE NOT THE LEADER
OF THE PARTY THAT I BELIEVE IN
IN TERMS OF RONALD REAGAN'S
STRENGTH AND, OF COURSE, HE
CALLED RUSSIA THE EVIL EMPIRE
AND LET'S CALL IT AS IT IS, AND
THIS IS AGGRESSION THAT NEEDS TO
STOP, AND I WANT ALL OF OUR
REPUBLICAN LEADERS TO BE UNITED
IN THAT VOICE.
>> GOVERNOR, WE ARE RUNNING
TIGHT ON TIME SO I WANT TO JUST
GET TO OUR FINAL QUESTION WHICH
IS ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN
RESPONSE.
WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM IOWA'S
GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR IN THE
REPUBLICAN RESPONSE?
WHAT DOES SHE NEED TO SAY?
>> FIRST OF ALL, JUST THE FACT
THAT SHE IS SPEAKING REALLY
REFLECTS MIDDLE AMERICA.
IT REFLECTS THE STRENGTH OF OUR
WOMEN LEADERS HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES AS GOVERNORS, AND IT --
AND IT SHOWCASES WHAT GOVERNORS
CAN DO, SO I WOULD EXPECT
FOCUSING ON OUR FREEDOM AND HOW
WE'VE HANDLED THE PANDEMIC, BUT
ALSO THE EMPHASIS ON BORDER
SECURITY WHICH I HOPE THE
PRESIDENT ADDRESSES TONIGHT,
SO -- AND THE CRIME ISSUE, SO I
WOULD EXPECT ALL OF THOSE THINGS
TO BE TOUCHED UPON AND
SHOWCASING WHAT REPUBLICAN
LEADERSHIP MEANS AND THE
DIFFERENCES THAT IT WOULD
REFLECT WITH THE PRESIDENT AND
HOW WE APPROACH THESE ISSUES.