ELECTIONS MAY STILL BE YEARS
LITERALLY AWAY. BUT FORMER
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS
ALREADY TAKING AIM AT SOME
FELLOW REPUBLICANS BACKING
PRIMARY CHALLENGERS AGAINST
THESE 12 GOP INCUMBENTS AS
TRUMP HIMSELF PREPARES FOR
ANOTHER POSSIBLE RUN AT THE
WHITE HOUSE. NBC NEWS
CORRESPONDENT BEEN HELIER
JOINS US NOW WITH MORE. HALA,
GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON SET WITH
US, OK. THOSE ARE JUST LITTLE
TINY TILES. TAKE US THROUGH
THIS LIST. WHO'S ON IT AND WHY
ARE THEY ALL WERE CALLING THIS
A BIG 12 BECAUSE IN THE MONTHS
AHEAD THESE REPUBLICAN
INCUMBENTS ARE GOING TO BE
FACING PRIMARY CHALLENGERS
FROM FELLOW REPUBLICANS THESE
RAISE DONALD TRUMP'S IRE OVER
THE LAST YEAR, ESPECIALLY THEY
THERE VOTED TO CERTIFY THE
2020 ELECTION OR THEY VOTED TO
IMPEACH HIM HERE. SO THAT IS
WHY THE FORMER PRESIDENT NOW
WANTS HIM OUT. USING HIS
POLITICAL CAPITAL TO GO AROUND
THE COUNTRY.
>> THIS WEEKEND IN MICHIGAN TO
A CONGRESSMAN ARE FROM
MICHIGAN A WEEK AGO TO THE
OTHER INDIVIDUALS IN THE BIG
12 LIST ARE FROM GEORGIA 4
WEEKS AGO. HE WAS IN SOUTH
CAROLINA WERE 2 OTHER MEMBERS
OF THE BIG 12 OR LESS. SO IT'S
VERY CLEAR WHY HE'S GOING TO
THESE PLACES INTO IS
TARGETING. WE KNOW REPUBLICANS
HAVE A STRONG CHANCE OF TAKING
BACK THE HOUSE ARE THERE ANY
WORRIES AT ANY INFIGHTING
WITHIN THE PARTY. I HEARD THAT
OR THAT THE PARTY COULD TAKE
SOME CANDIDATES TOO EXTREME IN
SOME OF THESE TESTS IN THERE
IS CONCERNED. THERE'S ONE
GENTLEMAN, FRED UPTON AND HE'S
BEEN A CONGRESSMAN FOR MORE
THAN 30 YEARS. AT MICHIGAN AND
HE SAYS, LOOK, IF YOU'RE GOING
RUN ME OUT OF TOWN. YOU RUN
THE RISK WITH THE TRUMP BACKED
CANDIDATE OF LOSING MY
MICHIGAN SEAT HERE AND
ACTUALLY WAS IN WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK AND TALKED WITH NOT
ONLY FRED UPTON BUT ANOTHER
CONGRESSMAN TOM RICE, WHO IS
HE WOULD DESCRIBE HIMSELF AS A
TRUMP REPUBLICAN VOTED WITH
HIM 94% OF THE TIME. BUT
ULTIMATELY AFTER THE JANUARY 6
INSURRECTION VOTED TO IMPEACH
HIM. TAKE A LISTEN TO PART OF OUR CONVERSATION.
OUR CONVERSATION.
>> TRUMP IS DRIVEN BY A. HE'S
DRIVEN BY RECOGNITION OF TO
DRIVEN BY HOWARD IS DRIVEN BY
OF ANYBODY I'VE PROBABLY THE
MY HOME IN FIRST
>> AND SO NOW THE QUESTION IS,
IS TRUMP SUCCESSFUL IN OUSTING
SOME OF THESE INDIVIDUALS TO
IMPEACH HIM OR CERTIFIED THE
ELECTION OR IS HE GOING TO
THROW UP SOME LOSSES IN
MISSOURI, POTENTIAL OPENING
THAT TRUMP INDOORS THAT MAYBE
ISN'T IS INFLUENTIAL AS A
FORMER PRESIDENT THINKS
ABSOLUTELY. LET'S TALK ABOUT
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AS A
WHOLE. I MEAN, WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT SOMEBODY LIKE.
>> THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND
THEN SOMEBODY ON THAT LIST
LIKE REPRESENTATIVE CHENEY THE
DIVIDE IS VERY FAR JUST
BETWEEN THE 2 OF THEM WITHIN
THE PARTY. WHAT IS THE SHAPE
OF THE PARTY. IS THERE ROOM
FOR THE DONALD TRUMPS AND THE
MORE MODERATE GOP. THIS IS
NOTHING TO DO WITH POLICY.
THAT'S THE CRAZY PART ABOUT
THIS. AND EVEN DONALD TRUMP
WILL ACKNOWLEDGE IT UP ON
STAGE.
>> PETER MEIJER, ANOTHER ONE
OF THOSE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED
TO IMPEACH HIM FROM MICHIGAN
ON STAGE THIS WEEKEND AT THE
TRUMP RALLY THAT I WAS AT JUST
NORTH OF DETROIT. HE SAID HE
MADE THE WRONG VOTE. AND
AGAIN, IT WAS HAD NOTHING TO
DO WITH PETER MYERS POLICIES.
IT ALL HAD TO DO WITH THAT
IMPEACHMENT VOTE AGAINST HIM.
AND THAT IS WHY HE'S COME OUT
WITH A WITH THE CHALLENGER
AGAINST HIM. BUT YOU MENTION
LIZ CHENEY WHO IS NOW SORT OF
ANTI-TRUMP A LEADING
REPUBLICAN HERE. AND THAT IS
WHERE THIS PARTY FINDS ITSELF.
IF DONALD TRUMP IS NOT
SUCCESSFUL IN OUSTING THE
LIKES OF LIZ CHENEY AND SOME
OF THESE OTHER REPUBLICANS,
POTENTIALLY THERE'S AN OPENING
FOR THE LIKES MIKE PENCE OR
AROUND THE SAND IS TO LAY
CLAIM TO SOME OF THAT POWER
WITHIN THE PARTY. IF
INDIVIDUALS LIKE LIZ CHENEY.
TOM WRITES, YOU KNOW, PETER
MEIJER, FRED UPTON DECIDE TO
COALESCE AROUND SOMEBODY WHO
IS NOT DONALD TRUMP. SO MUCH
TO WATCH FOR.
>> ALREADY. AND WE'RE ALREADY
WHY ARE NEXT 4 MONTHS ARE
GOING TO BE SOME TIME. AND YOU
WILL BE ON THE ROAD FOR US.
COVERING IT ALL UP ON HIGHER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU.