Some important ins and outs in the 2024
presidential campaign,
namely, New Hampshire Republican Governor
Chris Sununu says he's staying out.
But former
Vice President
Mike Pence is officially getting
in, filing paperwork
with the Federal Election
Commission ahead of a formal announcement
at Wednesday's CNN town hall.
Also expected
to declare this week, former
New Jersey
Governor Chris Christie
and South Carolina Senator Tim
Scott himself a Republican hopeful.
He made headlines
for a contentious moment
today on The View.
You're some of it,
which comes several weeks
after co-host Joy Behar,
Sunny Hostin,
Whoopi Goldberg made comments suggesting
that Scott
does not understand
or acknowledge systemic racism.
Senator Scott also got booed
when talking about candidate
Ron DeSantis and his battle with Disney
One of the reasons why I'm on the show
is because of the comments
that were made, frankly,
on this show, that the only way
for a young
African-American kid
to be successful in this country
is to be the exception. And not the rule.
That is a dangerous,
offensive,
disgusting message
to send to our young people today,
that the only way to succeed is by being
the exception.
I think Disney and Ron
have been in a combat zone
for a number of months over
what I thought was the right issue
as it relates to our young kids.
And what they're
being indoctrinated with.
I thought he started off on the
on the right foot on that issue. It is
no, no, no, no.
Not Hey, I'm sorry, sir.
Do not boo.
This is the view we accept.
We don't have to believe everything
people say,
but you cannot boo people here. Please.
You cannot do it.
Busy day in the presidential race.
Joining us, CNN
political commentator
South Carolinian Bakari
Sellers, also Mark McKinnon.
He's a columnist for The Daily Beast
and served as a campaign media adviser
to former President George W Bush.
Because you're a little bit
of Senator Scott's perspective there.
What do you make of it?
Well,
I think it was actually
a good political strategy
to kind of go
into the belly of the beast.
I think that Senator Scott uses
and I love Senator Scott.
We're friends I would like to believe.
I served with him
for four years in the South
Carolina legislative body.
And as I like to say, I
would give Senator Scott a kidney.
I just would never vote for him.
But I think today is was a good day.
To show you how nimble he is.
I think he has a hard time
because he has an amazing story.
He believes his story
to be the story of America.
However,
he himself acknowledges that he is here
because he's a miracle.
That in itself
means that there is some basic tenets
of systemic racism in the country.
He refuses to acknowledge it.
And I think that.
Is that a political thing,
do you think, or is it an actual belief?
Oh, that's a good question, Anderson.
I think it's a combination of both.
I think for him, it may be a belief.
I think for Nikki
Haley is probably more of a calculation,
regardless of whatever
the foundation for that belief is.
I think that is dangerous.
I think when you acknowledge
yourself to be
I am here because I am an exception
I am here
because I am a miracle in this country,
than that in and of itself means that
there are some issues
that hold other people
who look like you back.
Mark,
what is the lane
for Tim
Scott or Nikki Haley to become president?
Is it to try to stay
in the good graces of Trump
as long as possible for his base
while getting established?
Republican, Republicans and independents
Well, I think the lane is a lane
where you
you appeal to Republicans
who want a normal Republican Party.
Again,
and want to put Trump
in the rearview mirror.
Now, I think, first of all, Nikki
Haley is a very deft
campaigner, did a great job on your town
hall, showed her experience
showed her unflappable ability
and to just show
she's kind of a normal Republican.
A little bit of a throwback now.
You know, is that going to appeal
to Trump base voters?
Probably not.
But but there's room for others
in this race.
And Tim Scott, by the way,
as he has a lot of potential appeal
for Iowa
and Iowa, as we know,
can completely shake up this race.
And, you know,
what people should be focusing on
is not the national polls,
but what's happening in Iowa.
And Tim Scott's got a very sunny Reagan
George Bush, compassionate,
conservative, optimistic kind of message.
And by the way, the thing I like about
that is an interesting debate
on the issue
that Bakari was talking about,
that we'll talk about
during this election.
But what I like that
he's doing is that contrary to the Santas
and Trump,
who want to
claim that they are victims
and their voters
are victims of everything,
Tim Scott saying, I'm not a victim
and I like that.
And I think a lot of Americans like that.
They like that kind of Reagan
I know
you can be anything in this country now.
Again, that's a debate we can have
and whether or not is fair to everybody.
But it's a good message
and it appeals to all time to staff
and Republicans
and people in Ireland like me.
Is that enough? I don't know.
But it could be enough
to break through in Iowa.
And once that happens,
that gets reshuffled.
Yeah.
I mean, Booker,
with the exception of Governor Sanders,
the former president, has been
relatively hands off
and even complimentary with Tim Scott.
Nikki Haley, a clearly
he sees it as a benefit
to him
to have as many people
as possible in this race.
Well, the problem
that most Americans don't realize
or most Republicans don't realize,
it's a structural problem
within the Republican Party.
Is they didn't go back
and change the structure
of their primaries.
So basically,
when somebody wins the primary,
even if they win it
with 25 or 30% of the vote,
they they get all of those delegates to
to be the next nominee for president.
So the more people who are in the race,
the more benefits Donald Trump.
I would
I would also say that
there is no benefit to Donald Trump.
For going after somebody
is, as Mark said,
with the disposition
of somebody
like Tim Scott,
people like Tim Scott,
he's genuinely likable.
You feel like
although you may disagree with him,
he's in it
because he believes in
what Abraham Lincoln called
the better angels of our nature.
It's very difficult to go after him now.
I think
when he has people
come in the race
like Mike Pence, who I believe
is getting in the race soon,
or somebody like Chris Christie,
he won't have a choice
because they're going
to be throwing punches at him.
I also David Axelrod said it last night
and I agree with him,
I don't think that Donald Trump's
going to engage much.
I don't think he's going to debate much.
I think it would be silly for him
to because he's just that far ahead.
And if Donald Trump wins,
I would love to hear what Mark says.
But if Donald Trump wins Iowa,
the rest of this is academic.
I mean, he will be the nominee.
Marc, do you think it makes any sense for
Trump to debate
or to engage?
Well, listen, I
think it makes sense for him to debate
because he
he dominates every debate that he's in
and just crushes everybody.
I mean, we saw that in 2016.
I don't think he needs to engage
with the other candidates.
I mean, it only elevates them
when he does.
But I think personally,
who had the right message today
and what he said,
I mean,
first of all,
he's going to have more impact
on this race
by getting out
and staying in New Hampshire
now is in play.
And like Iowa, you know,
this race can be completely rearranged.
Just ask the guy who lost to John McCain
by 19 points after coming in there
in the first place with George W Bush
in South Carolina
turning around and like a 30 point
change over the course of 24 hours.
So
but his point is the one that's right
which is the more people who the
the more it helps Trump.
And so people like Sununu are getting out
because the last thing that they want
is is Trump to emerge as the nominee.
And clearly I mean
Chris Christie
is gearing up for confrontation
and based on his public comments,
DeSantis is increasingly getting into it.
Do you think it's necessary
do you think.
Do you think that's wise so soon?
So I I'm not a conspiracy
theory theorist,
but I do have a conspiracy theory.
I think that there were some donors
who, by the way,
every conspiracy
theorist says are seriously there.
I'm glad I'm not the world is flat.
But no.
So I think people got together
and said, look,
Chris Christie,
go out and do to Donald Trump
what you did to Marco Rubio.
I mean, kamikaze
Christie is coming in with one mission.
There's no
way in hell Chris Christie believes
he can be president of the United States.
I just do not.
I think he has a better grasp on reality.
I think he has one job, one task,
and that is to talk.
But I would just point out,
I think dramatically, you're wrong
I think he certainly believes
he could do the job it just so
he can get it correct.
That's that's I absolutely.
That's what you're saying.
That is exactly what I'm saying.
However, I would also say
that he's just here for one task,
and that is to take on Donald Trump.
He is going to be a bull in a china shop.
He's going to be fun to watch.
And I like Mike Pence.
I mean, even Nikki Haley
last night,
I think she mentioned Trump's
name one time in the town
hall, maybe two times.
He's going to take a full
frontal approach to Donald Trump.
Corey Sellers, Mark McKinnon, great to
have you on. Thank you.