MATCH-UPS.
JEDEDIAH: THANKS, ED.
BEFORE HE WAS EVEN SWORN IN AS
THE NEW SENATOR FROM UTAH MITT
ROMNEY WROTE AN OP-ED ATTACKING
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S CHARACTER IT'S
A MOVE HIS NEW COLLEAGUE SAYS IS
THE SAME MISTAKE THAT COST HIM
THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2,012.
"ROMNEY CUTS SELF INTEREST AHEAD
OF THE LARGER NATIONAL INTEREST,
THE OP-ED BROUGHT TO MIND 2012
WHEN MANY REPUBLICANS CHOSE
TO DIVIDE THE PARTY BY CONTINUAL
LY BASHING EACH OTHER
ETIQUETTE AND DOES SENATOR
PURDUE HAVE A POINT AND HERE IS
KAYLEIGH MCENANY AND REPUBLICAN
STRATEGIST LAUREN CLAFFEY.
KAYLEIGH YOU HAVE TO WONDER WITH
ALL THAT'S BEEN GOING ON WITHIN
THE COUNTRY WITH SOCIALISTS
WINNING IN CONGRESS, TALKING
ABOUT SOCIALIZED MEDICINE,
ELIZABETH WARREN OUT THERE
SAYING CRAZY STUFF WHY WOULD
MITT ROMNEY CHOOSE AT THIS TIME
TO GO AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP OF
ALL PEOPLE?
>> YEAH, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION,
BECAUSE AS OUR CHAIRWOMAN
POINTED OUT EARLIER
IN THE WEEK, WE ARE DIVIDED AS A
PARTY.
IT PAVES THE WAY FOR DEMOCRATS
AND I WOULD ALSO MAKE THIS POINT
, THAT THIS WEEK, THERE WAS
SO MUCH ATTENTION PAID TO MITT
ROMNEY AND DIVIDED REPUBLICANS
BUT IF YOU TAKE A MOMENT AND
LOOK AT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY YOU
HAD A CONGRESSWOMAN LACED INTO A
PROFANITY-LACED TIRADE AGAINST
THE PRESIDENT CALLING FOR
IMPEACHMENT AND
REPRESENTATIVE SHERMAN FILING
FOR IMPEACHMENT AND NANCY PELOSI
AND SAYING NO WE DON'T WON'T
THAT RIGHT NOW AND MEANWHILE
ALEXANDRIA CORTEZ CALLING FOR 70
% TAXATION SOMETHING HER PARTY
DOESN'T ALL AGREE WITH, THERE'S
DIVIDED DEMOCRATIC PROBLEMS.
WE AS A PARTY ARE UNITED AROUND
THIS PRESIDENT AND HAVE A 90%
APPROVAL RATING AMONG REPUBLICAN
S SO WE'RE UNITED WE
SHOULD ALSO FOCUS ON THE
DEMOCRATS POSITIONS AS WELL.
JEDEDIAH: LAUREN WHAT DO YOU
THINK OF SENATOR PURDUE'S POINT
THAT IF MITT ROMNEY HAD THIS
ISSUE WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP WHY
NOT JUST PICK-UP THE PHONE AND
TALK TO HIM AND WHY NOT SCHEDULE
A PRIVATE MEETING INSTEAD OF
GOING THROUGH THE WASHINGTON
POST AND CHOOSING TO AT THIS
TIME WITH SO MANY KEY ISSUES AT
THE FOREFRONT BASH THE PRESIDENT
>> SO I THINK THIS IS A MARKER
FOR MITT ROMNEY.
HE'S BEING HOUNDED BY THE
WASHINGTON MEDIA ABOUT HOW HE'S
GOING TO RESPOND TO EVERY TWEET
PRESIDENT TRUMP SENDS OUT AND
HE'S ATTEMPTING LAY DOWN THE
MARKER THAT I'M HERE TO DO THE
JOB AND I'M NOT GOING TO RESPOND
TO EVERY SINGLE THING THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP DOES.
THERE'S A LOT OF POLICY ISSUES
WE AGREE ON AND WILL WORK
TOGETHER ON AND THERE'S GOING TO
BE TIMES I DON'T AGREE WITH WHAT
HE SAYS OR HOW HE SAYS IT AND
THAT WAS A PLAY TO HIS UTAH
CONSTITUENCY.
THE MAJORITY OF REPUBLICANS OUT
THERE ARE VERY PROUD OF THE WORK
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DOING
THEY THINK HE'S AN EFFECTIVE
PRESIDENT BUT THEY SAY TIME AND
AGAIN THEY ARE EMBARRASSED BY
HIS RHETORIC SOMETIMES SO
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND MITT ROMNEY
WILL PROBABLY HAVE A VERY
EFFECTIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP
WHICH IS WHY PRESIDENT TRUMP I
DON'T THINK CAME OUT SWINGING
TOO HARD AGAINST HIM IN THE
TWEET WHEN HE RESPONDED, BUT
MITT ROMNEY THOUGHT THIS WAS AN
EFFECTIVE WAY TO GET HIS MESSAGE
OUT TO GET THE MEDIA OFF HIS
BACK.
JEDEDIAH: KAYLEIGH WAS IT REALLY
EFFECTIVE THOUGH AND WHAT DO YOU
THINK THE REACTION WAS AMONG
TRUMP SUPPORTERS?
I SAW JUST ON SOCIAL MEDIA TRUMP
SUPPORTERS WERE SAYING HOLD ON A
SECOND YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE,
MITT ROMNEY FOR THREE SECONDS
AND THIS IS WHAT YOU CHOSE TO
FOCUS ON IS THIS GOING TO MAKE
NOW THIS TOPIC OF THE
ESTABLISHMENT VERSUS THE TRUMP
SUPPORTERS EMERGE AND YOU'LL
HAVE DIVISION NOT ONLY COMING
SUGGESTIONS OF DIVISIONS FROM
THE LEFT BUT ALSO FURTHERING
DIVISION INSIDE THE RIGHT, WITH
PEOPLE FEELING THE NEED TO COME
AND RALLY TO TRUMP'S SIDE SAYING
HOLD ON DO WE HAVE MORE
ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS IN
THERE TRYING TO TAKE HIM OUT AND
THE LEFT TRYING TO TAKE HIM OUT?
>> RIGHT EXACTLY AND THAT'S WHY
YOU SAW TRUMP SUPPORTERS RISE UP
IN DROVES THIS WEEK AND SAY HEY,
HOLD ON, WE SUPPORT THE
PRESIDENT AND WE'RE A PARTY OF
VOTERS.
WITHOUT OUR VOTERS WE DON'T
EXIST AS A PARTY AND WHAT
MESSAGE DO OUR VOTERS SEND WHEN
THEY GIVE PRESIDENT TRUMP MORE
VOTES THAN ANY PRESIDENTIAL
NOMINEE IN THE HISTORY OF OUR
PARTY THEY SEND THE MESSAGE TO
STAND BEHIND THE PRESIDENT AND
YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
WE CANNOT BE DIVIDED AT A TIME
OF DIVIDED GOVERNMENT.
IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS IT IS
CRUCIAL THAT WE STAND AND SAY
HEY, WE'RE THE PARTY WHOSE
PUTTING FORTH INFRASTRUCTURE AND
IMMIGRATION PLAN.
WE'RE THE PARTY WITH THE RISING
ECONOMIC TIDES.
WE'RE THE PARTY WITH THE PAID
FAMILY LEAVE PLAN.
WE'RE UNITED AROUND POLICY AND
BETTERING THE LIVES OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AND IT'S THE
DEMOCRATS WHO ARE CAUSING THE
CHAOS AND CREATING DIVISION
AMONG OUR COUNTRY SO IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT AND CRUCIAL WE STICK
TOGETHER.
I THINK MITT ROMNEY WILL.
HE EXTENDED AN OVERTURE BACK TO
THE PRESIDENT AND THE PRESIDENT
SAID BE A TEAM PLAYER AND MITT
ROMNEY SAID I THINK I CAN WORK
WITH THE PRESIDENT SO I DO THINK
THEY WILL HAVE A GOOD WORKING
RELATIONSHIP.
JEDEDIAH: LAUREN DO YOU EXPECT
MORE REPUBLICANS TO FOLLOW SUIT
IN THE VEIN OF WHAT MITT ROMNEY
DID, DO YOU THINK WE'LL SEE A
LOT OF REPUBLICANS AS WE
APPROACH 2020 CRITICIZING THE
PRESIDENT, MAYBE SUGGESTING SOME
REPUBLICANS SHOULD STEP UP AND
RUN AGAINST THE PRESIDENT?
DO YOU THINK THAT'S A NEW
EMERGING TREND?
>> I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK SO
BUT I DO THINK THERE'S A REAL
CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW PRESIDENT
TRUMP WINS AGAIN.
HE'S VERY POPULAR AMONG THE
REPUBLICANS BUT HE ONLY
MAINTAINS AROUND 39% SUPPORT IN
AMERICA, BROADLY AND SO IT'S
REALLY DIFFICULT TO WIN RE-
ELECTION WITH JUST 39% OF THE
POPULATION BEHIND YOU AT ANY
POINT, SO SO I DO THINK THERE'S
A LARGER CONVERSATION WHETHER
THAT RESULTS IN A PRIMARY
CANDIDATE I DON'T THINK SO, IT
MAY HAPPEN, WE'LL WAIT TO SEE
BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S
INTERESTING AND PEOPLE ARE
PUTTING A LOT OF HOPE AND MISS
READING ROMNEY'S OP-ED THAT
HE'S GOING TO SOMEHOW BE THE
REPUBLICAN PRIMARY OPPONENT AND
MAIN CHALLENGER TO PRESIDENT
TRUMP OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS
AND I JUST DON'T THINK THAT'S
THE CASE.
I THINK WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE
IS A LOT OF INDEPENDENT-MINDED
SENATORS RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION
LIKE DAVID PURDUE IN GEORGIA UP
2020 AND I READ HIS OP-ED
FRANKLY AS A PLAY TO HIS GEORGIA
BASE WHERE HE IS STANDING WITH
THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE JUST
LAUNCHED HIS 2020 CAMPAIGN AND
HE'S GOT TO MAKE SURE HE'S IN
LINE WITH THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE
THE PRESIDENT MAINTAINS HIGH
POPULAR IT AMONG GEORGIA VOTERS
AND HE'S GOING TO HAVE A TOUGH
RACE JUST LIKE WE SAW.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP IS GOING TO
HAVE NO PROBLEM IN 2020 HIS
APPROVAL IS FAR HIGHER THAN 39%
WITH THE RISING ECONOMIC TIDES.