PICTURE FOR THIS COUNTRY. >> HE SHOULD TRY TO UNIFY THE
COUNTRY TONIGHT.
COUNTRY TONIGHT. >> Bret: THIS SPEECH, THE
PRESIDENT ON THE RECORD SAID IT
WAS GOING TO BE EXTREMELY,
EXTRAORDINARILY LOW KEY, THOSE
WERE HIS WORDS THAT HE PUT ON
THE RECORD TODAY AT THE LUNCH
WITH ANCHORS INCLUDING MYSELF.
JOHN ROBERTS IS REPORTING THAT
THE PRESIDENT WILL ANNOUNCE HE’S
AWARDING THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL
OF FREEDOM TO RUSH LIMBAUGH
DURING TONIGHT’S STATE OF THE
UNION SPEECH, WE UNDERSTAND THAT
HE MAY BE IN ATTENDANCE TONIGHT,
THE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST OF
COURSE ANNOUNCING THIS WEEK THAT
HE IS FIGHTING ADVANCED LUNG
CANCER.
CANCER. THAT’S ONE OF THE ELEMENTS OF
THIS SPEECH, LET’S BRING IN OUR
PANEL MATTHEW CONTINETTI, MARA
LIASSON.
LIASSON. >> THAT’S PRETTY BIG NEWS, THE
ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE HAD CANCER
WAS JUST SO DEVASTATING FOR TENS
OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
FANS THAT HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING
HIM FOR DECADES.
THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT AFTER
RONALD REAGAN, IS A BIG FIGURE
IN THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT.
HE’S REACHING A LOT OF HIS BASE
BY MAKING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SO
SOON AFTER WE HEARD THIS
TERRIBLE NEWS ABOUT RUSH
LIMBAUGH.
LIMBAUGH. >> Bret: A HUGE SUPPORTER OF
THE PRESIDENT AND HAS ALWAYS HAD
HIS BACK EVEN THE MOST
CONTROVERSIAL OF TIMES.
>> NOT EVERYBODY HAS SUPPORT OF
THE PRESIDENT BUT AMONGST THE
CONSERVATIVES, HE PRETTY MUCH
STAYED ON BOARD WITH HIM EVEN
WHILE HE WAS RUNNING AND THERE
WERE UNDER CANDIDATES IN THE
RACE, HE’S BEEN A STAUNCH
SUPPORTER DURING THIS WHOLE
IMPEACHMENT PROCESS.
IMPEACHMENT PROCESS. >> Bret: THE OTHER THING THAT
USUALLY STATE OF THE UNIONS ARE
ARE A LAUNDRY LIST OF THINGS TO
DO.
DO. LAST YEAR THE SPEECH WAS
STRUCTURED DIFFERENTLY, IT WOVE
STORIES IN THERE, THE PRESIDENT
I THINK WE’LL USE IT TO TOUT
ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT HE SEES
AHEAD OF THIS ELECTION.
>> THIS IS A CURTAIN RAISER FOR
HIS REELECTION CAMPAIGN.
IT IS NOT A RALLY, IT’S GOING TO
BE LOW-KEY AND VERY LONG.
HE LIKES TO BE REALLY
ENTERTAINING, THE BIGGEST
AUDIENCE I GET ALL YEAR TO TALK
ABOUT BLACK AND HISPANIC
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES BEING LOW, I
DON’T THINK THIS IS A PRESIDENT
WHO HAS A TREMENDOUSLY LONG
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. MIDDLE-CLASS TAX CUTS, I THINK
HE WANTS TO TOUT HIS
ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNTIL THE
POSITIVE STORY OF HIS TENURE.
>> Bret: THE IMAGE OF A
PRESIDENT WHO HAS BEEN
IMPEACHED, THE TRIAL IS NOT
OVERCOME OF THE ACQUITTAL LIKELY
IS GOING TO COME TOMORROW
STANDING IN THE WELL OF THE
HOUSE WITH LAWMAKERS, SOME OF
THEM WILL BE VOTING ON HIS
ACQUITTAL OR CONVICTION THE NEXT
DAY.
DAY. >> I THINK IN THE MINDS OF MANY
IN WASHINGTON AND PROBABLY THE
PUBLIC AT LARGE, IMPEACHMENT IS
RECEDING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR,
THIS IS TRUMP’S MORNING IN
AMERICA MOMENT.
AMERICA MOMENT. ALWAYS BIG CAMPAIGN SPEECHES TO
FRAME THE DEBATE, I’M SURE YOU
WILL HEAR TALK ABOUT HOW AMERICA
WILL NEVER BE A SOCIALIST
COUNTRY, THE ECONOMY BOOMING,
TRUMP ACQUITTED TOMORROW, THE
WIND IS AT HIS BACK AT PRECISELY
THE MOMENT HE NEEDS IT TO BE.
>> Bret: WE TALKED ABOUT THE
GALLUP POLL BUT THAT REALLY DID
OPEN SOME EYES IN WASHINGTON.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE AVERAGE, THIS
IS ACROSS THE BOARD.
APPROVAL 45, ROUGHLY AND THE
ECONOMY THIS IS REALLY WHERE ALL
OF THE POLLS MATCHUP.
IT KIND OF TOUTING THE SUCCESS
THE ADMINISTRATION HAS HAD.
>> IT’S THE PEOPLE DEMOCRATS
MIGHT WANT TO TARGET MOST IN
THIS UPCOMING ELECTION.
THE LOW WAGE EARNERS, THEIR
WAGES ARE GROWING FASTER THAN
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY. THESE ARE PEOPLE WE HEAR THE
DEMOCRATS SAYING THE BOOMING
ECONOMY ISN’T REACHING THESE
PEOPLE IT IS.
IT’S ALSO REACHING MINORITIES.
THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF ROOM TO
TARGET TRUMP.
TARGET TRUMP. HE CAN REALLY TOUT THAT TONIGHT
IN HIS SPEECH.
THIS CAN REALLY BE A VICTORY
LAP.
LAP. >> Bret: YOU SAW THE AD IN THE
SUPER BOWL ABOUT THE FIRST STEP.
>> THAT WASN’T AIMED AT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, THAT WAS IN
THAT SUBURBAN WOMEN WHO DON’T
LIKE SOME OF THE RACIALLY TINGED
ATTACKS THAT HE HAS MADE.
IT WAS TO CREATE A STRUCTURE
JUST LIKE HE HAD IN THE
WORLD SERIES TO SAY YOU MIGHT
NOT LIKE HIM, YOU MIGHT EVEN
HATE HIM, HE’S NOT MR. NICE GUY
BUT LOOK WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR
YOU AND YOU ARE BETTER OFF THAN
YOU WERE FOUR YEARS AGO.
>> HE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
EXPAND HIS BASE IN THE WAY TO DO
THAT IS BY TARGETING BLACK AND