TO PRESIDENT PUTIN, TO PUT IN
PLACE CRIPPLING SANCTIONS, THAT
IS PART OF WHAT PEOPLE WILL HEAR
IN THE SPACE.
THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THE CASE
THREE MONTHS AGO.
>> JOINING US NOW, FORMER OBAMA
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
ROBERT GIBBS.
FORMER REPUBLICAN NATIONAL
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, MICHAEL
STEELE, USA TODAY'S WASHINGTON
BUREAU CHIEF SUSAN PAGE, AND
FIRST TV APPEARANCE AS NBC
CORRESPONDENT, YAMICHE ALCINDOR.
ROBERT GIBBS, FIRST TO YOU, HOW
DOES THE PRESIDENT TACKLE
UKRAINE WITH THE SPEECH TOMORROW
INSTEAD OF THE DOMESTIC
PRIORITIES, SHOULD IT BECOME THE
MAJOR FOCUS, IS HE THE FOREIGN
POLICY LEADER, DOES HE PIVOT,
WHAT DOES HE DO?
>> ANDREA, I THINK HE'S GOT TO
WALK AND CHEW GUM AT THE SAME
TIME, AND LIKELY TALK ABOUT BOTH
OF THEM.
I TEND TO BELIEVE STILL, THE
ECONOMY IS THE BIGGEST FOCUS IN
THIS SPEECH.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE PUBLIC
POLLING OUT THIS WEEKEND, IT IS
THE ECONOMY THAT'S THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE THAT HE HAS.
I DO THINK YOU CAN TWIN THESE
TOGETHER BECAUSE IN REALITY, THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE LIKELY TO
SEE THEIR FOOD PRICES AND THEIR
ENERGY PRICES GO UP AS A RESULT
OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN UKRAINE
AND EUROPE SKCHLT.
AND I THINK THIS IS A MOMENT FOR
JOE BIDEN TO SPEAK PLAINLY AND
SIMPLY TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
ABOUT WHAT'S AT STAKE IN
UKRAINE, WHY IT MATTERS, AND WHY
AMERICANS ARE GOING TO ALMOST
CERTAINLY HAVE TO BE PART OF THE
SACRIFICE IN ORDER TO PUSH PUTIN
BACK.
AND SO I THINK IT'S A UNIQUE
MOMENT.
IT'S THE BIGGEST AUDIENCE HE'S
LIKELY TO SPEAK TO THIS YEAR.
THAT'S ALWAYS TRUE FOR A STATE
OF THE UNION.
AND I THINK HE HAS TO USE THAT
MOMENT TO NOT JUST TALK ABOUT
THAT, BUT REALLY DIG INTO
INFLATION AND THE ECONOMY.
AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT'S DRIVING HIS
DISAPPROVAL RATING UP AND HIS
APPROVAL RATING DOWN.
>> AND YAMICHE, DOMESTICALLY, HE
HAS, YOU KNOW, LOW POLL NUMBERS.
PEOPLE NOT HAVING CONFIDENCE IN
HIS LEADERSHIP.
AND HE HAS TO SHOW HIS EMPATHY
THAT HE REALLY UNDERSTANDS THE
STRUGGLE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE
GOING THROUGH COVID, BUT
INFLATION, INFLATION, INFLATION.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
AND IT IS -- HE IS THE KIND OF
PRESIDENT WHO IS FOCUSED ON
BEING AN EMPATHIZER AND CHIEF.
HE IS SOMEONE WHO CAME INTO
OFFICE, REALLY THINKING ABOUT
HOW DOES HE CONNECT TO EVERY DAY
PEOPLE.
THIS, OF COURSE, AS YOU SAID
WITH HIS SLIDING POLL NUMBERS IS
REALLY A TEST FOR HIM.
NOT ONLY IS THIS FOREIGN
POLICY-WISE ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT SPEECHES BY AN
AMERICAN PRESIDENT SINCE THE
COLD WAR.
HE HAS A DOMESTIC AGENDA THAT IS
STALLED.
YOU THINK ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS,
YOU THINK ABOUT POLICING RIGHTS,
YOU THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE
DIFFERENT THINGS HE WANTS TO DO,
INFRASTRUCTURE WHEN IT COMES TO
THE BUILD BACK BETTER ACT.
HE REALLY HAS TO GO FORWARD AND
SAY I HAVE AN AGENDA, HERE'S
SORT OF THE WAY FORWARD FOR ME
TO GET THAT DONE ON TOP OF THE
FACT THAT HE HAS TO TALK ABOUT
WHAT'S GOING ON IN EASTERN
EUROPE, AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO
AFFECT US HERE AT HOME WITH
RECORD HIGH INFLATION.
THERE'S A TALL ORDER THERE, AND
BASED ON MY CONVERSATIONS WITH
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS, THEY ARE
REVISING, THEY ARE MAKING SURE
THAT THIS IS A SPEECH THAT
SPEAKS TO THE MOMENT, MEETS THE
MOMENT BUT ALSO A SPEECH THAT
DIRECTLY IMPACTS EVERY DAY
AMERICANS LIVES AND CAN REALLY
SORT OF TALK TO THEM ABOUT HOW
HE SEES THEM AND HOW HE REALLY
FEELS THEIR PAIN IN THIS MOMENT.
>> MICHAEL STEELE, LET'S TALK
ABOUT WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS
FACING POLITICALLY.
WITH THE MIDTERMS NOT THAT FAR
OFF, WE JUST SAW WHAT HAPPENED
AT C-PAC OVER THE WEEKEND WHERE
THE FAR RIGHT WING OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY IS REALLY GOING
AFTER HIM ON EVERY FRONT.
>> RIGHT.
WELL, YEAH, I MEAN, THAT'S TO BE
EXPECTED.
I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF THEY
DIDN'T.
EVEN IF IT WAS A, YOU KNOW, THE
RIGHT WING TAKEOVER OF THE GOP
DRIVING THE NARRATIVE, YOU KNOW,
THE TRADITIONAL OLD LINE GOP
WOULD BE DRIVING THE NARRATIVE
TO ROBERT'S POINT ABOUT THE
ECONOMY AND WHAT YAMICHE WAS
SAYING ABOUT HOW ALL OF THIS
KIND OF FITS TOGETHER.
THE REALITY FOR THE PRESIDENT IS
HE'S GOT TWO ROADS IN FRONT OF
HIM THAT HE'S GOT TO MERGE, AND
HE'S GOT TO MAKE THAT MESSAGING
VERY EFFECTIVE.
THE NOISE FROM THE RIGHT IS
GOING TO BE NOISE FROM THE
RIGHT, YOU CANNOT BREAK UP
AGAINST THAT AND THINK YOU'RE
GOING TO CHANGE THAT SOUND.
THAT BELL IS GOING TO CLANG NO
MATTER WHAT.
WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO DO IS CREATE
A CALL MOVING THE POPULATION IN
A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.
THE SPEECH IS IMPORTANT.
DON'T GET ME WRONG, BUT WHAT THE
MESSAGING IS AFTER THE SPEECH
BECOMES TRIPLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE
THEN YOU GOT TO TAKE THAT AND
TRANSLATE IT ACROSS A COUNTRY
AND NEIGHBORHOODS IN COMMUNITIES
THAT WEREN'T NECESSARILY
WATCHING THE SPEECH LAST NIGHT
BUT DID SEE POLL NUMBERS SHOWING
THE PRESIDENT AT 37% DO FEEL THE
PINCH OF HIGH GAS PRICES AND
INFLATION.
SO THE SPEECH IS AN IMPORTANT
MOMENT TO SET.
AND RESET.
SET THE NARRATIVE AROUND GLOBAL
AFFAIRS.
RESET THE NARRATIVE AROUND THE
ECONOMY, AND THEN GO OUT INTO
THE COUNTRY AND DELIVER THAT
MESSAGE AT KITCHEN TABLES AND
GAS STATIONS, AND AS THE POLLS
OPEN FOR PRIMARIES, PRESIDENT GO
STAND IN THE LINE WITH VOTERS,
AND SHOW THE IMPACT AND THE
IMPORTANCE OF VOTING IN THE
COUNTRY, SO HE HAS THE
OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT.
THE QUESTION I HAVE, AND MAYBE
ROBERT CAN ANSWER THIS IS HIS
POLITICAL TEAM CAPABLE OF DOING
THOSE KINDS OF STRATEGIES?
>> AND CAN HE DO IT IN A WARTIME
SETTING WHEN HE'S HAVING ALL OF
THESE CONFERENCE CALLS AND HAS
TO SHOW HIS LEADERSHIP ON THAT,
AND NOT SHOW HE'S FOCUSING TOO
MUCH ON POLITICS AND GOING OUT
TO THE COUNTRY.
SUSAN, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE NEW
"USA TODAY" SUFFOLK POLL THAT
SHOWS INFLATION, NOT SURPRISINGLY, THOUGH, IS A MAJOR
SURPRISINGLY, THOUGH, IS A MAJOR
PROBLEM FOR THE PRESIDENT, 67%
DI
DISAPPROVING.
>> A BIG CHALLENGE FOR THE
PRESIDENT.
THERE'S A DIFFERENT AGENDA FROM
EVEN A MONTH OR TWO AGO.
IT'S NOT COVID, IT'S NOT HOW TO
PASS THE BUILD BACK BETTER BILL.
IT'S HOW TO DEAL WITH INFLATION,
AND ALSO IN JUST THE PAST FEW
DAYS THERE'S GOING TO BE A FOCUS
ON RUSSIA AND UKRAINE.
BIG CHALLENGE FOR BIDEN, ALSO A
BIG OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THE MOST
DAMAGING SINGLE NUMBER IN OUR
POLL IS BY TWO TO ONE AMERICANS
SAY THEY DO NOT SEE JOE BIDEN AS
A STRONG LEADER, AND LEADERSHIP
ON THE FOREIGN STAGE WITH AN
EVENT AS CATACLYSMIC AS WE'RE
WATCHING NOW IN EUROPE IS ONE
THAT COULD ENABLE HIM TO COME
BACK AND CHANGE THAT REPUTATION
ABOUT WHETHER HE'S A STRONG
LEADER, ANDREA.
>> AND ROBERT GIBBS, YOUR TAKE
AS WELL, AND YOU'VE GOT THE IOWA
GOVERNOR, SHE'S GOING TO GIVE
THE REPUBLICAN RESPONSE.
HOW DO YOU SEE TOMORROW NIGHT
SHAPING UP, AND ALSO, RASHIDA
TLAIB IS GOING TO HAVE A
RESPONSE FROM THE PROGRESSIVE
PART OF THE PARTY.
>> YEAH, AND LOOK, THIS IS ONE
OF THOSE MOMENTS WHERE IN
REALITY, THERE'S 535 RESPONSES
THAT WILL COME SOMETIME TOMORROW
AND TOMORROW EVENING FROM
CAPITOL HILL.
BUT I THINK HE'S GOT TO FOCUS ON
WHAT DOES THIS SPEECH LAY OUT
FOR NOT JUST THE NEXT WEEK OR
SIX DAYS BUT THE NEXT SIX
MONTHS, RIGHT, THIS HAS TO BE A
DOCUMENT THAT IS LOOKED AT AS A
NORTH STAR FOR THIS
ADMINISTRATION IN WHAT THEY'RE
GOING TO BE WORKING ON BETWEEN
NOW AND ELECTION DAY.
THAT'S THE BIG FOCUS.
>> ROBERT GIBBS, MICHAEL STEELE,
SUSAN PAGE, AND NBC NEWS
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT YAMICHE
ALCINDOR.