THANK YOU BOTH VERY MUCH.
>>> WERE GOING TO TURN NOW TO
DOMESTIC POLITICS, WHERE FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL HEADLINE
NORTH CAROLINAS STATE
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION NEXT
MONTH.
TRUMP IS EXPECTED TO MAKE PUBLIC
SPEECH AT THE JUNE 5th EVENT.
THE SPEECH WILL BE CLOSED TO THE
MEDIA.
NORTH CAROLINA HAS A PIVOTAL
SENATE RACE NEXT YEAR TO REPLACE
RETIRING GOP SENATOR RICHARD
BURR.
BURR WAS ONE OF THE SEVEN
REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED TO BEACH
TRUMP FOR HIS ROLE IN THE
JANUARY 6th CAPITOL
INSURRECTION.
MEANWHILE, ASA HUTCHINSON LAID
INTO PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR HIS
ROLE IN THE OUSTING OF
CONGRESSWOMAN LIZ CHENEY FROM
HER GOP LEADERSHIP POSITION.
>> THE FACT IS, EVERYONE IN
AMERICA SEES THIS AS A PUNITIVE
MEASURE FOR SOMEONE SPEAKING
THEIR CONSCIENCE, AND THATS NOT
GOOD.
SECONDLY, IT LOOKS LIKE THE
FORMER PRESIDENT IS DIRECTING
WHO CAN SERVE IN LEADERSHIP AND
THATS NOT GOOD.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MANY VOICING
IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
I COMPARE IT TO "THE VIEW."
YOU HAVE MULTIPLE VOICES
REPRESENTING "THE VIEW."
THERES MULTIPLE VOICES THAT
REPRESENT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
TODAY AND WE SHOULD NOT DE FACTO
MAKE THE FORMER PRESIDENT AS THE
GUARDIAN OF OUR PARTY OR THE
LEADER OF OUR PARTY.
>> OUR NEXT GUEST HAS PUSHED
BACK FORCEFULLY ON FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMPS LIES ABOUT
ELECTION FRAUD IN GEORGIA.
GEORGIAS REPUBLICAN LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR, GEOFF DUNCAN JOINS US
NOW.
WHO HAS SAID HE IS NOT RUNNING
FOR RE-ELECTION.
IN ANNOUNCING HIS DECISION,
DUNCAN SAID, QUOTE, IT ALWAYS
FEELS COLDEST RIGHT BEFORE THE
SUN RISES.
I BELIEVE THAT IS THE EXACT
MOMENT IN TIME THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY IS CAUGHT IN RIGHT NOW AND
I AM COMMITTED TO BEING PART OF
CREATING THOSE BETTER DAYS AHEAD
FOR OUR CONSERVATIVE PARTY ALL
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
BEING ON WITH US THIS MORNING.
ALSO WITH US, WE HAVE NBC NEWS
CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT AND
HOST OF "WAY TOO EARLY," KASIE
HUNT, AND MARK LEIBOVICH.
JOE?
>> WELL, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR,
THERES ALSO ANOTHER SAY,
CHAIRMAN MAOS SAYING THAT JOHN
McCAIN LOVED TO QUOTE, ITS
ALWAYS DARKEST RIGHT BEFORE THE
LIGHTS GO COMPLETELY OUT.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF
REPUBLICANS WHO FEEL LIKE THATS
WHERE THE PARTY IS.
LIZ CHENEY KICKED OUT OF LAST
WEEK OF HER LEADERSHIP ROLE.
YOUVE MADE THE WISE DECISION
NOT TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION,
BECAUSE YOU TOLD THE TRUTH AND
TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT MATH, ABOUT
VOTE COUNTS, ABOUT ELECTIONS.
HOW DOES THE REPUBLICAN PARTY --
WHERE DOES ITS REVIVAL COME FROM
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE POLLS
THAT SHOW 80% OF AMERICANS THAT
SHOW THAT THEYRE GLAD LIZ
CHENEY GOT RUN OFF OFFICE, AND
TWO OUT OF THREE REPUBLICANS
STILL THINK BECAUSE THEY READ
CONSPIRACY WEBSITES OR FACEBOOK
POSTS THAT THE ELECTION WAS
STOLEN?
>> WELL, THERES NO WAY TO
IGNORE THE FACT THAT THERE IS A
VACUUM OF LEADERSHIP INSIDE THE
GOP RIGHT NOW.
AND WERE EITHER GOING TO IGNORE
IT OR FIX IT.
AND IVE DECIDED TO BE A PART OF
THE TEAM THATS GOING TO FIX IT.
WERE LAUNCHING GOP 2.0, WHICH
IS ANT
ISNT A NEW PARTY, BUT A SAFE
PLACE FOR CONSERVATIVE
REPUBLICANS TO CALL HOME.
AND REPUBLICANS ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY SHOULD BE TRANLOUTRAGED
REPUBLICAN EFFORTS, LIZ CHENEY
AND ANDREW CLYDE MAKING
OUTRAGEOUS COMMENTS ON HIS ROLE
IN THE HOUSE INSTEAD OF TALKING
ABOUT INCREASING INFLATION RATES
AND GLOBAL CONFLICTS AND CYBER
HACKS ON PIPELINES.
/áPIPELINES.
THESE ARE REAL ISSUES.
>> SO, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, CAN
YOU TELL ME AT WHAT POINT YOU
REALIZED IN YOUR POLITICAL
CAREER, BECAUSE IVE BEEN DOING
THIS SINCE 94, AND WHEN I WAS
IN OFFICE, ACTUALLY, IDEAS
MATTERED, BEING CONSERVATIVE
MATTERED, FIGHTING FOR BALANCED
BUDGETS MATTERED.
FIGHTING FOR A STRONG NATIONAL
DEFENSE MATTERED.
WE WERE DRIVEN BY THE ISSUES AND
THATS WHY WE GOT RE-ELECTED.
AT WHAT POINT DID THOSE
CONSERVATIVE ISSUES STOP
MATTERING MORE TO RANK AND FILE
MATTERS MORE THAN WHETHER YOU
WERE PART OF A PERSONALITY CULT
AND YOU PLEDGED FEMALEALTY TO A
FORMER REALITY TV HOST?
WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?
>> I THINK IT HAPPENED OVER
TIME, BUT WHEN WE STARTED
WORRYING MORE ABOUT A PERSON
THAN A PARTY, THATS HOW WE GOT
HERE.
AND LOOK, WEVE GOT FOUR YEARS
TO TRY TO GET THIS RIGHT.
AND FOR ME, I BELIEVE, THE
MAJORITY OF AMERICANS BELIEVE
REPUBLICANS ARE BEST TO BE IN
CHARGE OF THE ECONOMY AND
NATIONAL SECURITY AND WE SHOULD
NEVER LEAVE A MEETING WITHOUT
REMINDING EVERYONE WHY WERE
GOOD AT THAT.
AND THATS WHERE WE DIFFICULTED
AWAY FROM.
THIS DOESNT NEED TO BE A
PERSONALITY CONTEST.
THIS NEEDS TO BE A POLICY OVER
POLITICS PLATFORM, WHERE WE GO
TO WORK EVERY DAY AND TRY TO
SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS FOR REAL
PEOPLE.
>> SO LET ME ASK YOU A PERSONAL
QUESTION.
IVE GOT -- IM SURROUNDED -- I
LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE ALMOST
EVERYBODY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS
A TRUMP SUPPORTER.
ALL MY FRIENDS FROM CHILDHOOD
ARE TRUMP SUPPORTERS.
MY FAMILY MEMBERS ARE TRUMP
SUPPORTERS.
AND WE USUALLY GET BY BY NOT
TALKING POLITICS -- OR NOT TALK
ABOUT POLITICS.
THEY KNOW -- I MEAN, THIS IS THE
CRAZY THING, THEY KNOW, IN MANY WAYS, IM MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN
WAYS, IM MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN
THEY ARE ON A LOT OF ISSUES.
BUT TRUMP COMES UP AND WE CANT
HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
BUT WHEN WE DO, I AM STUNNED BY
THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES THAT
THESE FRIENDS OF MINE AND FAMILY
MEMBERS OF MINE WITH ADVANCED
DEGREES BUY INTO.
FROM DERANGED CONSPIRACY
WEBSITES.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT AND
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE FACT
THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED ELECT
YOU, BECAUSE YOU PROMISED TO BE
CONSERVATIVE, ARE NOW SUPPORTING
A GUY WHO DOESNT HAVE A
CONSERVATIVE BONE IN HIS BODY?
HOW ARE YOU COMING TO TERMS TO
THAT AND HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH
YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS?
>> I HAVE AN INSTANT SOLUTION.
IF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP GOT UP
TO A MICROPHONE AND DENOUNCED
ALL THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND
FRAUD AND TALKED ABOUT A BETTER
DAY FORWARD FOR THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY, IT WOULD CHANGE IN AN
INSTANT.
BUT I DONT SEE THAT.
OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, THE
MAJORITY OF REPUBLICANS WILL
COME BACK INTO THE FOLD OF A GOP
2.0 MIND-SET, FOR DIFFERENT
REASONS.
SOME WILL GET THERE BECAUSE THEY
100% BELIEVE IN NEW STRATEGY.
SOME ARE GOING TO PARTIALLY
BELIEVE, AND SOME WILL JUST GET
TIRED OF LOSING.
THE HOLE THAT DONALD TRUMP DUG
FOR US REPUBLICANS WILL SHOW UP
IN ALMOST EVERY POLITICAL RACE
FROM COAST-TO-COAST.
MAYORS RACES, CITY COUNCIL
RACES, CONGRESSIONAL RACES, AND
CERTAINLY, IN THE NEXT
PRESIDENTIAL RACE.
WEVE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO,
BUT, LOOK, I THINK VOTERS WILL
START WAKING UP AND WANTING TO
VOTE FOR AN ADULT IN THE ROOM.
THEYRE NOT GOING TO LOOK SO
MUCH TO THE PERSONALITY, THEY
JUST WANT AN ADULT.