yeah Stephanie um and apparently according to our reporting uh and at least one Republican
Congressman there were some spy balloons that flew off the coast of Texas and Florida during
the Trump Administration um and if so it begs the question why are we just learning about that now
well I'm just learning about that also so I never heard that uh out with my time in the white house
but I do want to Echo uh David's you know his thoughts I think that we did it the right way
however we should have gotten in front of it I think that President Biden Biden should have
gotten in front of it and told the American people exactly why we were not going to shoot
it down until it reached the ocean but I do think overall we did it the right way as a country you
don't want to harm any citizens you don't want to harm any structures um it's my understanding that
we had some technology that was locking them from getting a lot of the Intel that they were maybe
trying to get and again as as David said once it was over the ocean there was a team there the
coordination I know for a fact had to be huge but there was a team there to shoot it down and ready
to grab it and we will now be able to get a lot more Intel than we would have had it crash landed
on land right I mean and who knows into what I mean you just don't know if if you shoot it
down or I mean it is yeah and that would have been Biden's fault had it you know hit a car had it hit
when National Security is involved I really wish people would stop being so partisan and
just understand that there are things that the American public doesn't know with regard to
National Security and and parking the balloon to the side for a moment if we can David let
me ask you about this a new ABC poll shows little enthusiasm for Biden or Trump in 2024
who else is out there on the Democratic side or do you think this is just the usual thing
that Joe Biden deals with from time to time he's had to overcome this in the past but
he's known among Democrats is the guy who can beat Donald Trump what do you think
uh I I think it's extraordinary I don't think we've seen something unfold exactly like this uh
Joe Biden has had a number of accomplishments now but yet he's still mired in the low 40s in terms
of his approval rating and this this new poll shows uh there you know more than half the country
will be disappointed to have him as uh elected as president and more than half the country be
elected would be reluctant to save Donald Trump uh elected president and you know there are a lot of
people on both sides who have not come out I think Joe Biden uh I think that a lot of Democrats are
going to be reluctant to challenge Joe Biden if he does Ron and that we expect he will uh but I think
they're going to be tons of people are going to go after Trump uh Stephanie on that point I know
you've been pretty sharply critical of your former boss but you know in this ABC poll uh Washington
Post poll it shows that Trump would beat uh Joe Biden in a head-to-head hypothetical rematch
I mean after you know inciting an Insurrection lying about the 2020 election trying to overturn
those election results how mind-boggling is it for you to see Trump in that kind of a position
and could somebody like a Rhonda Sanchez knock him off or do you think that that's not likely
well it's not mind-boggling nobody should ever can't count Donald Trump out period end of story
um and you know Biden I think actually both men I wish they would both step aside I wish they
would listen to the people of this country and both step aside and say you know this is what I
did for the American people I'm very proud of it but now let's let a new generation in with
some new ideas uh so I'm I'm hoping Biden will maybe maybe listen to the people Trump will not
um and then to answer your question about people who will challenge him yeah I do think we're under
DeSantis would knock him out um Nikki Haley I know is about to announce Pompeo I'm not sure
that they could knock him out I don't think that the base would go for them but I think around
DeSantis could definitely beat Trump and then I think he could go on to beat Biden for sure
which not that I'm trying to give advice to the Democrats but they should be thinking that way too
I don't think Biden is your candidate you need to have you know somebody who's younger and who can
you know be a little bit more forthcoming about what's going on on in the country
all right Stephanie Grisham David gergen thanks so much appreciate the time thank you