HAVE YOU ALL HEARD THE NEWS?
>> WHATS THAT?
>> I DONT KNOW BUT THERE MAY
BE -- THERE MAY BE A NEW LEADER
IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AT
LEAST IN THE RANK AND FILE HAVE
YOU HEARD THIS?
>> OKAY.
>> NO, IM SERIOUS.
>> THIS IS GOOD.
>> LET ME GIVE YOU SOME
BACKGROUND REALLY QUICKLY.
YESTERDAY WE SHOWED THE PICTURES
OF MIKE PENCE GETTING BOOED.
I HAVE FRIENDS WHO WERE AT THE
EVENT AND THEY TOLD ME, FOUR
PEOPLE, THERE WERE 2,000 PEOPLE
THERE, THERE WERE FOUR PEOPLE
THERE AND THOSE FOUR PEOPLE
SHOUTED AND IMMEDIATELY GOT
TAKEN OUT, THE OTHER 2,000
PEOPLE WERE VERY RESPECTFUL OF
HIM.
IT WAS VERY INTERESTING,
THOUGH -- I CANT TALK WHILE
HES TALKING, ITS DISTRACTING
ME, COME ON.
>> BUT THANK YOU.
SO WE KNOW WHAT WERE TALKING
ABOUT.
>> I CANT TALK WHILE HES
TALKING.
IT DOESNT WORK.
THE MOOD IS BROKEN.
BUT ANYWAY, SO HE --
>> MY GOD.
>> SO I ASKED, I SAID, HOW WAS
PENCE RECEIVED?
THEY SAID, HERES THE DEAL.
IT WAS RESPECTFUL.
THEY KNOW MIKE PENCE, THEYVE
LOVED HIM FOR 20 YEARS.
HE GOT THREE STANDING OVATIONS.
BUT IT WAS MUTED.
HE WOULD HAVE HAD 15 STANDING
OVATIONS LAST YEAR.
HES HAD A LONG WAY TO GO,
RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> BUT THEN, THIS ONE PERSON
SAID, BUT MY GOD, YOU SHOULD
HAVE SEEN THE RESPONSE FOR RON
DESANTIS
DESANTIS.
HE WAS LIKE A CONCURRING KING
AND THIS PERSON WHOS BEEN IN
REPUBLICAN POLITICS FOR 40, 45
YEARS SAID I HAVENT SEEN
ANYTHING SINCE REAGAN IN 80.
UNBELIEVABLE.
>> RON DESANTIS.
I KEEP HEARING THIS.
>> I HAVE TOO.
>> JUST ROCK STAR STATUS.
THIS GUY IS TAKING OVER THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
>> RON DESANTIS.
AND I SAW A POLL YESTERDAY,
MIKA --
>> I WAS GOING TO GET TO THE
CRITICAL VOTE ON VOTING RIGHTS.
LETS PULL THIS.
>> THE NEW KING IS THE KING.
>> ITS A STRAW POLL SHOWING
REPUBLICANS TOP CHOICE FOR
THEIR NEXT PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE.
ITS NOT WHO YOU MIGHT THINK.
FLORIDA PRESIDENT RON DESANTIS
TOPPED DONALD TRUMP IN A POLL
TAKEN IN DENVER THIS PAST
WEEKEND.
DESANTIS SAW HIS POPULARITY RISE
AMONG REPUBLICANS DURING THE
PANDEMIC FOR BEING ONE OF THE
ONLY GOVERNORS TO ROUTINELY
REJECT CDC HEALTH GUIDELINES.
>> YOU COULD PICK MORE THAN ONE,
WHICH CANDIDATES WOULD YOU
CONSIDER VOTING FOR, RON
DESANTIS IN FIRST PLACE, DONALD
TRUMP THE SECOND PLACE.
AND FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE
PENCE WITH THE HECKLING AND HIS
REFUSAL TO OVERTURN THE 2020
ELECTION HE POLLED AT 22%.
>> SURPRISING, NIKKI HALEY ALSO
VERY LOW, I GUESS ITS BECAUSE
SHE CROSSED DONALD TRUMP FOR A
DAY.
BUT RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW --
ISNT THERE -- I THINK I SAW
SOME -- EVEN THOUGH ONLINE
BETTING THINGS WHERE YOU BET FOR
THE PRESIDENTS HAD DESANTIS
AHEAD OF TRUMP.
LIKE -- WHICH IS CRAZY.
SO DESANTIS NOW, MICHAEL, I KNOW
YOUVE PROBABLY HEARD THE SAME
THING IVE HEARD AMONG
WASHINGTON ACTIVISTS, WASHINGTON
MONEY PEOPLE, THEYRE ALREADY
QUIETLY.
THEY DONT WANT TO SAY PUBLICLY
BECAUSE THEY DONT WANT TO UPSET
THE BIG MAN.
>> THEY DONT WANT TO GET AN
EMAIL.
>> THEY DONT WANT TO GET AN
EMAIL.
>> IS THAT WHAT IT IS NOW?
OKAY.
>> BUT THIS TOWN, NOT JUST THIS
TOWN, BUT ALSO THE ACTIVISTS,
WHETHER THEYRE EVANGELICALS OR
WHETHER THEYRE MONEY PEOPLE,
THEYRE ALL -- THEYRE QUIETLY
MOVING TOWARDS PUTTING THEIR
MONEY ON DESANTIS.
>> THERES A REASON FOR THAT, AS
ONE PERSON PUT IT TO ME, ITS
DESANTIS IS TRUMP WITHOUT THE
GOLD TOILET.
MEANING YOU DONT HAVE THE BLING
AND THE FLASH.
WHAT YOUVE GOT IS A GOVERNOR
WHO FOR A LOT OF THE BASE STOOD
IN THE BREECH AGAINST THE CDC
ONSLAUGHT AND REQUIREMENTS AND
SHOWED HIS MACHO THAT WAY.
AND QUITE EFFECTIVELY WAS ABLE
TO LEVERAGE OFF OF TRUMP IN SOME
DEGREE.
AND THATS WORKED TO HIS
ADVANTAGE.
HES NOW BUILT THIS RELATIONSHIP
WITH THIS BASE IN A WAY THAT
PUTS HIM WHERE WE SEE IN THESE
TYPES OF POLLINGS.
YOURE GOING TO SEE MORE OF THIS
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AS WE
HEAD TO 2022.
>> THE OTHER THING ABOUT
DESANTIS.
HE WON.
THERES A LIABILITY WITH TRUMP,
HE DOESNT WIN.
LOST THE WHITE HOUSE, THE HOUSE,
THE SENATE.
SO FAR DESANTIS HAS MANAGED TO
KEEP HIMSELF CLOSE TO TRUMP,
RUNNING THE ADS ADORING TRUMP
BUT WON THE GOVERNOR OF THE
STATE.
THATS THE DIFFERENCE.
>> THATS WHERE I QUESTION THE
REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS AND THE
SENATE WHO STILL CANNOT -- THEY
CANNOT DEFY TRUMP AND, YOU KNOW,
OKAY ITS A CULT.
THATS GREAT.
BUT WHEN HES LOSING, IF YOURE
SAYING ITS POLITICAL LOGIC,
THEY DONT WANT TO LOSE THEIR
RACES.
BUT HES LOST EVERYTHING FOR
THEM.
SO WHY NOT WALK AWAY FROM THIS
CRAZY MAN?
>> BUT THEY DONT HAVE TO, MIKA,
IN THIS CASE.
>> WHY?
>> BECAUSE THIS IS LESS AND LESS
ABOUT TRUMP IN THAT SENSE.
IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT YOURE
SEEING IS THE BASE MAKING THE
PIVOT.
THEYRE MAKING A MOVE OFF OF
TRUMP, TOWARDS DESANTIS.
>> WERE GOING FROM THE
POLITICAL HEROIN TO THE
POLITICAL METHADONE.
IM MOVING FROM TRUMP, I HEAR
TIME AND AGAIN, NOT THAT FROM
REPUBLICANS THAT GO TO FAITH AND
FREEDOM CONFERENCES, BUT I HEAR
THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER
AGAIN, WHY DO YOU LOVE DESANTIS
SO MUCH?
WHY DO YOU THINK HES GOING TO
WIN?
WHY IS HE THE GUY IN 2024?
THEY SAY HES TRUMP WITH THE
THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT TRUMP AND
NONE OF THE LIABILITIES SO FAR.
>> YEAH.
THERES NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
YOU KNOW BETTER THAN ANYBODY,
JOE, IN REPUBLICAN POLITICS IN
THAT STATE, WHILE GOVERNOR
DESANTIS HAS BEEN CRITICIZED
NATIONALLY FOR WAYS HES HANDLED
THE PANDEMIC, HE GETS HIGH MARKS
INSIDE THE STATE OF FLORIDA,
VIEWED AS A GOOD GOVERNOR,
COMPETENT.
AND HE FIGHTS ALL THE SAME
FIGHTS ON ISSUES AND CULTURAL
QUESTIONS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
FOUGHT AND CONTINUES TO FIGHT
BUT HE DOES IT WITHOUT THE
EXHAUSTION.
YOU TALK TO THE SAME PEOPLE YOU
WERE TALKING TO OVER THE WEEKEND
THAT WERE IN THE ROOM THEY WILL
VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP IF HE RUNS
AGAIN, THEY LIKED HIM, THEY WERE
EXHAUSTED BY HIM THOUGH AND THEY
WANTED HIM TO GET OFF THE STAGE.
DESANTIS DOESNT GIVE THEM THAT
FEELING.
HE FIGHTS THE FIGHTS BUT DOESNT
COME WITH THE PERSONAL DRAMA