DAGEN: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
THAT REPORTING.
JOINING ME NOW AXIOS SENATOR
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT JOSH
KAUSHAAR.
>> YOU KNOW IT WASN’T
SURPRISING, IT WAS A
COMMANDING VOTE OF
CONFIDENCE IN MITCH
MCCONNELL’S LEADERSHIP, 37
TO 10.
WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN SENATE
CONFERENCE.
I THINK RICK SCOTT WAS NOT
THE IDEAL CHALLENGER EITHER.
HE IS THE REPUBLICAN WHO
LEAD THE SENATE CAMPAIGN
COMMITTEE AT A TIME WHEN
THEY MAY END UP LOSING SEAT
AT BEST NOT GETTING BACK
MAJORITY.
YOU KNOW IN MAY HAVE BEEN
OTHER REPUBLICANS THAT MIGHT
HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PUT UP A
TOUGHER CHALLENGE.
BUT, IT IS HARD TO BE THE
GUY WHO LOST THE BIG
FOOTBALL GAME TO BE ASKING
TO GET A PROMOTION TO BE
HIRED TO BECOME PARTY’S HEAD
COACH, THAT IS WHAT SCOTT
WAS ASKING FOR.
AND THERE WAS SOME DESCENSION WITHIN THE RANKS
DESCENSION WITHIN THE RANKS
BUT 37 OUT OF 4 4 47 THAT IS
A COMMANDING SHOWING FOR MITCH MCCONNELL.
MITCH MCCONNELL.
DAGEN: A LOT OF CASTING A
AASPERSIONS.
>> WE’RE LOOKING AT
POTENTIAL FOR CIVIL WAR IN
MANY ELEMENTS OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY, RICK SCOTT
AND MITCH MCCONNELL AND
ALLIES ATTACKING EACH OTHER
IN PUBLIC, KEVIN McCARTHY
WILL HAVE A NARROW MAJORITY
IN ALL LIKELY HEAD TO BECOME
SPEAKER AND WILL DEAL WITH
PROSPECT A FEW REBELS COULD
PREVENT HIM FROM COMING
SPEAKER, EVEN PRESIDENT AT
LANDSCAPE, DONALD TRUMP
ANNOUNCED HIS CAMPAIGN LAST
NIGHT, BUT THERE A LOT OF
OTHER REPUBLICANS TO TAKE
HIM ON.
THERE IS A LOT OF DISSENSION
WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
RANKS, I THINK THAT SCOTT
WAS TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF SOME GRASSROOTS CRITICISM
OF MITCH MCCONNELL.
BUT HE WAS NOT THE IDEAL
VEHICLE FOR THAT TYPE OF
CRITICISM GIVEN HE WAS AT THE TOP OF PARTY
THE TOP OF PARTY
ESTABLISHMENT.
AND A LOT OF REPUBLICANS
WERE TRUST RATED--
FRUSTRATED WITH RICK SCOTT.
>> I TALKED ABOUT SENATOR
BRAUN YESTERDAY, HE
SUPPORTED RICK SCOTT.
THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FROM --
I HAVE RAISED THIS ISSUE,
THERE WERE 19 REPUBLICANS
WHO VOTED FOR THE
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL.
IN THE SENATE.
MITCH MCCONNELL VOTED FOR
IT.
THEN THERE WERE 17
REPUBLICAN SENATOR BHOS
SENSE WHO VOTED FOR THE
CHIPS BOONDOGGLE, MITCH
MCCONNELL IS ONE OF THEM.
MIKE BRAUN SAID YESTERDAY,
THAT MANY TELL -- DEMOCRAT
WOULD NEVER VOTE FOR
ANYTHING PUT UP BY
REPUBLICANS IF THEY CONTROL
THE SENATE.
AT THE TIME THERE WAS 5
TRILLION IN NEW BORROWING
USH PRESIDENT UNDER PROBE
PROBE,PRESIDENT BIDEN, BUT
REPUBLICANS COSIGNED ON TO
AT LEAST 1.3 TRILLION
DOLLARS OF IT BECAUSE OF
MITCH MCCONNELL AND HIS
CRONIES THAT IS PART OF WHAT
IS AT ISSUE, THAT IS POLICY.
>> THAT IS WHERE THE DIVIDE
IS BETWEEN POLICY AND
POLITICS. MITCH MCCONNELL IS ONE OF
MITCH MCCONNELL IS ONE OF THE SAPHIER SAVIOR PLATE
THE SAPHIER SAVIOR PLATE
POLITICAL OPERATORS.
CHALLENGE FOR REPUBLICANS IS
THAT A LOT OF THEIR
CANDIDATES ENDED UP BEING
WEAK.
McCONNELL’S GOAL TO GET
MAJORITY THEN DRIVE THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY’S AGENDA.
THAT IS WHEN YOU ARE IN MOST
ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION, TO
GET POWER FIRST THEN DEAL
WITH POLICY, HE WAS
CONCERNED AS YOU KNOW.
ABOUT SOME CANDIDATES IN
THESE KEY SENATE RACES WHO
RICK SCOTT’S POSITION WAS,
NOT TO GOT INVOLVED IN
PRIMARIES, LET THE VOTERS
DECIDE IN THE KEY PRIMARY
CONTESTS.
THAT LEAD TO A LOT OF WEAK
REPUBLICAN NOMINEES, WHO
ENDED UP SQUANDERING THE
POTENTIAL FOR RONES TO GET
REPUBLICAN TO GET BACK.
DAGEN: THE TACTICS OF
FUNDING THE CAMPAIGNS OF
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES IN
PRIMARIES.
WHO THEY THOUGHT WOULD BE
THE LEAST DESIRABLE TO
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND
GIVE THE DEMOCRATS A BETTER
SHOT, THAT STRATEGY AS
GARBAGE AS IT WAS, SMELLING
SMELLS TO HIGH HEAVEN BUT
THIS WORKED.
YOU MENTIONED PRESIDENT
TRUMP, I WANT TO LISTEN TO
THIS FROM LAST NIGHT.
>> TO MAKE AMERICA FREIGHT
GREAT AND GLORIOUS AGAIN, I
AM ANNOUNCING MY CANDIDACY
FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES, THIS WILL NOT BE MY
CAMPAIGN, THIS WILL BE OUR
CAMPAIGN, ALL TOGETHER.
DAGEN: THERE IS POLITICAL
FAS EIG FATIGUE AMONG
VOTERS, HOW DOES THIS
PLAY-OFF PARTICULARLY GIVEN
RUN OFF ELECTION IN GEORGIA
IN A FEW WEEKS.
>> A LOT OF REPUBLICANS THAT
I HAVE TALKED TO, THAT WOULD
HAVE PREFERRED THAT DONALD
TRUMP WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE
GEORGIA SENATE RUN OFF
BEFORE MAKING THIS
PRESIDENTIAL ANNOUNCEMENT.
THERE IS A LOT OF DATA,
POLLING SUGGESTING THAT SOME
OF THE SUPPORT IN REPUBLICAN
PARTY AMONG CONSERVATIVE
GRASSROOTS FOR DONALD TRUMP
IS NOT AS STRONG AS IT WAS
BEFORE THE MIDTERMS.
YOU HAVE A LOT OF OTHER
TALENTED REPUBLICAN
CONTENDERS THAT MAY GET IN
THE RACE, RON DESANTIS AND
GLEN YOUNGKIN AND MIKE
PENCE.
SO THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT
DYNAMIC IN 2023-2024 GOING
FORWARD.
TRUMP HAS SUPPORT FROM A
BLOC OF REPUBLICAN PARTY
VOTERS, THERE WILL BE A LOT
MORE COMPETITION AND A REAL
DEBATE WITHIN REPUBLICAN
PARTY WHO SHOULD BE ITS
FUTEARFUTURE LEADER.
DAGEN: SOMETHING THAT I HAVE
LEARNED, WE SHOULD ALL
LEARN, NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE
TRUMP.
>> HE HAS SUPPORTERS.
IF EVERYONE GOES AFTER TRUMP
AND FIGHTING FOR SAME SLICE
OF THE PIE, DON DON DONALD
TRUMP IS STILL VERY