IS GOING TO HAPPEN REAL VOTE BASED ON WHAT WE SAW IN THE
CLOTURE VOTE. MORE SENATORS VOTED FOR THIS
WITH THE TIKTOK ADDITIVE THEN THEY DID WITH JUST THE FUNDING
FOR OUR ALLIES. -- FOR OUR ALLIES IN THE
BUILDER PASSED IN FEBRUARY. WHAT DOES THAT TELL US?
IT TELLS ME THEY ARE SENSING THE URGENCY IN THE MOMENT.
THEY ARE LOOKING AT THE SITUATION ACROSS UKRAINE WITH
INCREASED CONCERN, AND THEY ARE REALIZING THAT IF THEY DO NOT
ACT NOW, IT MAY AT SOME POINT BECOME TOO LATE, AND THEY
REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE GETTING AHEAD OF WHATEVER
MAY AWAIT UKRAINE.
>> OF COURSE, IT SEEMS HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON ALSO
FINALLY UNDERSTOOD THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION, OR AT LEAST
THAT'S WHAT HE SIGNALED, WHICH HE HAD SEEN INTELLIGENCE, THIS
IS WHAT PUSHED HIM TO FINALLY GET THIS ACROSS THE HOUSE, BUT
WE KNOW HE COULD POTENTIALLY FACE CONSEQUENCE FOR THAT IN
TERMS OF THE MOTION TO VACATE THAT COULD BE BROUGHT RAIN.
-- THAT COULD BE BROUGHT BY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE.
FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP REITERATED HIS SUPPORT FOR
JOHNSON ON A RADIO SHOW ON WEDNESDAY. PRES. TRUMP:
WE HAVE A MAJORITY OF ONE, OK? IT'S NOT LIKE HE CAN GO AND DO
WHATEVER HE WANTS TO DO. I THINK HE IS A VERY GOOD
PERSON. IT IS A TOUGH SITUATION WHEN
YOU HAVE ONE. I THINK HE IS A VERY GOOD MAN.
I THINK HE IS TRYING HARD. WE'VE GOT TO HAVE A BIG
ELECTION. WE'VE GOT TO ELECT SOME PEOPLE
IN CONGRESS, MORE THAN WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
>> DOES IT SEEM THE FORMER PRESIDENT IS GOING TO SAVE THE
CURRENT SPEAKER? MIKE: HE IS SENDING A SIGNAL TO THE
PEOPLE WHO MIGHT WISH HARM ON MIKE JOHNSON IN THE HOUSE RIGHT
NOW THAT IT MIGHT NOT BE SUCH A GOOD IDEA TO GO THROUGH THE
SAME EXERCISE THEY WENT THROUGH AT SOME POLITICAL COST LAST
YEAR. YOU WILL REMEMBER THE SAME PROCEDURE, THE MOTION TO VACATE
WAS USED TO OUST KEVIN MCCARTHY. JOHNSON HAD STRUGGLED FOR
MONTHS SINCE TAKING OVER, TAKING THE SPEAKER'S GAVEL, AND
HE WAS DEALING WITH THIS RESTLESS GROUP OF HARDLINERS
LED BY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE WHO, AT ANY MOMENT'S NOTICE,
SIGNALED THEY COULD PULL THE TRIGGER ON HIM TOO, THE SAME
MOTION TO VACATE. BY LETTING THEM KNOW THAT IT
MAY NOT BE IN THEIR BEST INTEREST, TRUMP IS ALSO LETTING
THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT THE LAST THING WE NEED HEADING INTO THE
ELECTION IS ANOTHER SPEAKER FIGHT THAT COULD REFLECT POORLY
ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
>> BLOOMBERG'S MICHAEL SHEPARD, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US. SPEAKING OF TRUMP, HE IS STILL
TRYING TO CAMPAIGN FOR A SECOND TERM IN THE WHITE HOUSE, BUT HE
SPENT MOST OF HIS DAY IN A COURTROOM IT -- IN NEW YORK.
HERE IS RESPONSE IN A COURTROOM ON WHETHER HE FILED A GAG ORDER
TO PREVENT HIM FROM DISPARAGING WITNESSES. PRES. TRUMP:
TO ME IT IS TOTALLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
I AM NOT ALLOWED TO TALK, BUT PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO TALK
ABOUT ME. THEY CAN SAY WHATEVER THEY WANT.
THEY CAN LIE. BUT I'M NOT ALLOWED TO SAY
ANYTHING. I'D LIKE TO SAY EVERYTHING
THAT'S ON MY MIND, BUT I AM RESTRICTED.
BECAUSE I HAVE A GAG ORDER.
>> MORE, WE GO TO OUR TEXAS BUREAU CHIEF, JULIE, JOINING US
FROM DALLAS. HE DID NOT GET A DECISION FROM
THE JUDGE AS TO WHETHER HE IS GOING TO HOLD DONALD TRUMP IN
CONTEMPT OF COURT FOR VIOLATING THE GAG ORDER, BUT WE DO SEE A
FORMER PRESIDENT THAT SEEMS FRUSTRATED WITH THE LACK OF
CONTROL HE HAS.
>> YOU CAN ABSOLUTELY TELL AS HE SITS IN THE COURT ROOM.
HE HAD TO BE PRETTY FRUSTRATED TODAY WHEN THE JUDGE SAID TO
HIS ATTORNEYS YOU ARE LOSING ALL CREDIBILITY WITH THE COURT
WHEN THEY WERE DISCUSSING THIS GAG ORDER, ASKING FOR SPECIFIC
EXAMPLES. THIS IS DIFFICULT FOR HIM.
HE HAS TO SIT THERE, SIT THROUGH THIS ENTIRE TRIAL.
HE CANNOT BE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL DURING THE DAYS WHEN ALL
OF THIS IS GOING ON. YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT HAVE BEEN SAID ABOUT MICHAEL COHEN, HIS FORMER
ATTORNEY. THE FORMER PRESIDENT BASICALLY
SAYING HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT MICHAEL
COHEN ENDED UP GOING TO JAIL, SO CLEARLY HE IS VERY
FRUSTRATED WITH THIS PROCESS AS
HE WAITS TO SEE IF THE JUDGE DECIDES HE VIOLATED THIS GAG
ORDER.
>> THE CONTRAST IS REMARKABLE. WE HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT THE SPLIT
SCREEN AS DONALD TRUMP IS LOCKED UP IN THE COURTROOM.
JOE BIDEN IS IN CONTRAST, IT LOOKS LIKE HE IS ON A ROAD TRIP.
TODAY HE GOT HIS WAY TO FLORIDA, TAMPA, IN FACT,
SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE MATTER OF ABORTION AHEAD OF THE
STATE IMPLEMENTING THE SIX-WEEK ABORTION DOWN THAT MADE SUCH
HEADLINES WHEN IT WAS PASSED. TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT HE TOLD
ORGANIZERS. PRES. BIDEN: I THINK FLORIDA IS IN PLAY
NATIONALLY.
THERE ARE MANY ISSUES. CHOICE IS ONE OF THEM.
>> OBVIOUSLY HE'S GOT A REAL MESSAGE TO SEND, BUT FLORIDA?
IS THIS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE NEWS OR ACTUALLY WIN ELECTORAL
VOTES? JULIE: I THINK AT THIS POINT IT IS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE NEWS. HE IS IN A STATE RIGHT NOW THAT
A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HAS NOT WON IN YEARS, SO OBVIOUSLY
HE IS GOING THERE AND DOING THIS, LIKE YOU JUST REFERRED
TO, WITH A SPLIT SCREEN OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT SITTING IN A
COURTROOM , AND THEN HE STARTS TALKING ABOUT AN ISSUE THAT IS
CLEARLY A WINNER WITH DEMOCRATS. HE TALKS ABOUT ABORTION.
YOU HAVE SEEN IT, JOE, AND BLUE STATES, RED STATES, AND PURPLE
STATES, HOW THAT HAS FARED WHEN IT HAS BEEN ON THE PALLET.
THIS HAS BEEN AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HIM TO SAY I THINK THIS IS
IN PLAY OR AT LEAST PORTRAY THAT WHEN TALKING ABOUT AN
ISSUE THAT HE KNOWS IS A WINNER WITH SOME OF HIS VOTERS.