PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE REPUBLICAN MAINSTREAM
PARTNERSHIP. THANKS FOR COMING ALONG.
WAS HE SAYING THAT FOR YOU OR FOR SARAH?
I KEEP HEARING THAT MEMBERS OF BOTH PARTIES ON THE CHINA
SELECT COMMITTEE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SATISFIED IF HE HAD NOT
GONE FOR THE DICTATOR REMARK, WAS THAT FOR THE DOMESTIC
AUDIENCE?
>> I WAS ASKING MYSELF THAT SAME QUESTION.
WHO IS THIS MESSAGE ACTUALLY FOR? WHEN YOU THINK OF THE SHORT
LIST OF THINGS THAT CAN UNITE THE COUNTRY, CHINA, OPPOSITION
TO CHINA IS DEFINITELY AT THE
TOP OF THE LIST. IT WAS MORE SO THE PRESIDENT BEING CONSISTENT,
BUT WE HAVE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS THAT WERE ASKING HIM FOR A FULL
LIST OF ATTENDEES TO RECEPTIONS AFTER THE CONFERENCE.
IF THAT IS THE APPROACH, THEN THIS IS AN INSTANCE WHERE I
BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT WENT OFF SCRIPT, BUT THIS IS WHERE YOU
DO IT, HEY, I DID THIS, I DID NOT LIKE IT, I STILL FEEL THIS
WAY, AND WE WILL MOVE FORWARD. THAT IS INTENTIONAL, AT LEAST I
HOPE. KAILEY: SOME OF THIS IS NOT A MATTER OF
FEELING, IT IS ABOUT DEFINITIONS.
I HAVE THE OXFORD DEFINITION OF A DICTATOR PULLED UP AND IT
SAYS A PERSON WHO BEHAVES IN AN AUTOCRATIC WAY.
IT IS NOT NECESSARILY INACCURATE, BUT DOES THAT MEAN
YOU SAY IT OUT LOUD WHEN THIS IS A RELATIONSHIP YOU ARE
TRYING TO GET INTO A BETTER POSITION? SARAH:
I THINK HE PLANNED TO SAY THAT. I THINK IT WAS A SMART MOVE
THAT HE DID. I DON'T SEE THAT THE CHINESE
ARE UPSET. I THINK HE TOOK IT AS A COUPLE
MEANT. -- AS A COMPLIMENT.
HE MADE THE REPUBLICANS HAPPY. I GIVE BIDEN A POINT ON THIS
ONE. JOE: VERY INTERESTING. WAS THE MEETING A SUCCESS AS A
WHOLE WHEN YOU LOOK AT MILITARY TO MILITARY COMMUNICATION,
COUNTER NARCOTICS, THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A NOD TO
REPUBLICANS WHO HAVE BEEN BEATING THE DRUMS ON THIS.
SARAH: WE ARE THRILLED WITH THOSE.
WE WILL SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT. IT IS A GREAT FIRST STEP.
IT IS NICE TO HAVE THEM TALKING AGAIN.
WE ARE THE TWO WORLD POWERS. JOE: WE CAN'T UNDERSCORE THAT
ENOUGH. WE GET OBSESSED WITH DELIVERABLES, WHAT IS THE
READOUT GOING TO BE. THE MARKET WAS CELEBRATING THE
FACT THAT THEY WERE IN THE SAME ROOM. SARAH:
THE MARKET DOES NOT LIKE UNCERTAINTY, AND PERHAPS A
CERTAIN DEGREE OF UNCERTAINTY OF WILL THIS MEETING GO OK OR
NOT WAS REMOVED A BIT. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHAT THE
DELIVERABLES WERE ON FENTANYL, ON MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS,
JUST TALKING SEEMS TO BE AN ACCOMPANIMENT.
IS THIS A CASE OF THE BAR HAVING BEEN SET LOW? ALVIN:
ABSOLUTELY. THERE HADN'T BEEN ANY
DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM IN A YEAR AT LEAST. WE
START TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING HERE, I
THINK THE ACTUAL EXERCISE IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AT LEAST
TODAY AS THE ACTUAL LIVABLE OF -- THE ACTUAL DELIVERABLE OF IT
ALL. THIS CAME FROM THEIR PARTY AS
WELL, IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR CHINA AND AMERICA NOT TO
HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS. I THINK IT IS A WIN FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION TO BE ABLE TO SAY WE WALKED IN, WE STOOD ON
OUR POINTS THAT WE ALL ARE ALIGNED ON AND WILL TRY TO MAKE
PROGRESS. JOE: WE ARE AGREEING WAY TOO MUCH.
[LAUGHTER] LET ME VEER INTO SOMETHING.
FIRST I NEED TO GIVE CREDIT TO OUR COLLEAGUE SARAH CHAMBERLAIN
FORGETTING IT RIGHT TWICE. THE FIRST TIME TOLD US THE
GOVERNMENT IS NOT SHUTTING DOWN WHEN EVERYONE SAID IT WOULD
HAPPEN. AT THE LAST MINUTE THEY WILL
PULL IT OUT. THEY ACTUALLY GOT IT DONE EARLY.
SARAH: I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT. JOE: KUDOS TO YOU.
I TALKED WITH PETE BUTTIGIEG ON BLOOMBERG SOUND ON AND TALKED
ABOUT WHETHER A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT WOULD INTERFERE WITH
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL.
THEY WERE OUT IN FORCE TODAY TO TRY TO DELIVER THAT MESSAGE OF
WHAT HAS HAPPENED. WHAT IF JOE BIDEN DOES NOT WIN
IN THE NEXT ELECTION? HERE'S WHAT HE SAID.
>> WHEN POLITICS INTERFERE, IT IS NEVER GOOD.
WE SAW THAT RECENTLY WITH THESE SHUTDOWN THREATS.
THAT WOULD HAVE SLOWED OR EVEN STOPPED US ON VITAL THINGS LIKE
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL HIRING, WHICH WE ALL RECOGNIZE WE NEED
TO BE DOING MORE. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A
CONGRESSIONAL GOP IN THE HOUSE THAT IS PROPOSING MAJOR CUTS
THAT WOULD CUT OUR PORTS PROGRAM, THE PROGRAM WE USED TO
BUILD SAFER RAILROAD INFRASTRUCTURE.
I DO WORRY ABOUT THAT. JOE: THAT IS THE MESSAGE FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION BY WAY OF THE TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY.
HOW REAL ARE THOSE CONCERNS? SHOULD HE BE WORRIED THOSE CUTS
ARE COMING? SARAH: I DON'T THINK SO.