Kinzinger asked if he's impressed by Trump's performance. Hear what he said

CNN
6 Mar 202410:10

Summary

TLDRThe script delves into the aftermath of Super Tuesday, where Donald Trump secured a substantial victory, leading to Nikki Haley's decision to withdraw from the Republican presidential primary race. It explores the Biden campaign's strategy to attract moderate and Haley voters disillusioned by Trump, portraying him as 'damaged and unpopular.' Analysts weigh in on the challenges faced by both campaigns, including Trump's struggle to appeal beyond his base and Biden's need to unite a fractured Democratic party. The script sets the stage for an intense general election battle between the two frontrunners.

Takeaways

  • ๐ฐ Donald Trump's campaign is seeking financial support as he nears securing the Republican nomination, engaging with Elon Musk while dealing with legal expenses and fundraising concerns.
  • ๐ The Biden campaign believes it has a clear path to victory in November, aiming to attract moderate and Nikki Haley voters disenchanted with Trump.
  • ๐ Nikki Haley is expected to drop out of the Republican primary race after failing to meet her 40% vote threshold on Super Tuesday.
  • ๐ The Biden campaign sees Trump as a 'wounded, dangerous and unpopular' candidate, highlighting his vulnerabilities on issues like reproductive rights.
  • ๐ Polling shows a tight race between Trump and Biden, with neither having a clear lead in the average of polls.
  • ๐ Biden faces challenges in keeping his 2020 coalition together, addressing discontentment over his approach to foreign conflicts, and questions about his age.
  • ๐ฃ Trump's impressive Super Tuesday performance, including a landslide win in Texas, has been criticized for his rhetoric portraying America as a 'third-world country'.
  • ๐ธ Biden will aim to win over moderate Republican voters turned off by Trump, including those who supported Nikki Haley.
  • ๐ฆ The race is now a clear two-person contest between Trump and Biden after Haley's expected exit.
  • ๐ Both campaigns believe the State of the Union address and Super Tuesday results will be pivotal for voters in deciding on a second term for Biden.

Q & A

  • What is the central focus of the transcript?

    -The transcript discusses the aftermath of Super Tuesday primary elections for the Republican and Democratic parties, focusing on Donald Trump's path to the Republican nomination, Nikki Haley's decision to drop out of the race, and the Biden campaign's strategy to win over moderate and Haley voters for the general election.

  • What is the Biden campaign's assessment of Trump according to the memo mentioned?

    -According to the memo, the Biden campaign portrays Trump as "damaged and unpopular," suggesting that a significant share of moderate and Haley voters might not vote for him in the general election.

  • What is Adam Kinzinger's view on Trump's performance on Super Tuesday?

    -Adam Kinzinger acknowledged that Trump had an impressive political victory by winning big in several states, but he expressed discomfort in normalizing Trump's rhetoric, particularly his description of America as a "third world country."

  • What challenges does the Biden campaign face in his re-election bid?

    -The transcript mentions that Biden faces challenges in keeping the coalition that elected him in 2020 together, addressing discontent within the Democratic Party over his approach to the conflict in Gaza, and questions about his age and ability to serve a second term.

  • What is Marc Lotter's view on Biden's chances of winning over moderate and Haley voters?

    -Marc Lotter suggests that while Biden might have a chance to win over some moderate and Haley voters, recent polls show a 5-point swing in Trump's favor compared to the 2020 election, indicating that Biden will face an uphill battle in the general election.

  • What is the significance of Nikki Haley's decision to suspend her presidential campaign?

    -Nikki Haley's decision to drop out of the Republican primary race solidifies the contest as a two-person race between Trump and Biden, allowing both campaigns to shift their full focus to the general election.

  • What is Adam Kinzinger's personal stance on supporting Trump or Biden?

    -Adam Kinzinger expressed feeling "politically homeless" and stated that he cannot vote for Trump under any circumstances. However, he believes Biden has an opportunity to win over voters like him if Biden can position himself as a moderate and avoid being dragged too far to the left by his staff and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

  • What does Lindsey Graham suggest as the path forward for Trump in the general election?

    -According to the transcript, Lindsey Graham suggested that the path forward for Trump in the general election is to focus on policy discussions and contrasting his policies with those of Biden.

  • What role does reproductive rights play in the Biden campaign's strategy?

    -The transcript mentions that the Biden campaign believes the issue of reproductive rights is a significant vulnerability for Trump and an area that could work to Biden's advantage in the general election.

  • What challenges does Trump face in garnering support from moderate and Haley voters?

    -According to the exit polls mentioned in the transcript, 85-90% of Haley voters were satisfied with Biden's leadership, suggesting that many of them might not have been Trump supporters to begin with, making it challenging for Trump to win them over.

Outlines

00:00

🤝 Trump Seeking Funds, Meeting Elon Musk Amid Legal Costs

The paragraph discusses Donald Trump's campaign efforts to raise funds as he nears securing the Republican nomination. It mentions that Trump recently met with Elon Musk, the world's second-richest person, to potentially garner support amidst soaring legal expenses and fundraising concerns. Additionally, it touches upon President Biden's campaign portraying Trump as 'wounded, dangerous, and unpopular' following major Super Tuesday wins for both candidates.

05:01

📊 Biden's Strategy and GOP Voters' Sentiments Post-Super Tuesday

This paragraph delves into the Biden campaign's strategy following Super Tuesday, including their efforts to potentially attract moderate and Nikki Haley voters who may be disenchanted with Trump. It highlights the campaign's belief that reproductive rights could be a vulnerability for Trump. The paragraph also discusses the close nature of the contest, as well as challenges Biden faces within the Democratic Party and questions about his age and ability to serve a second term. Additionally, it mentions the campaign's expectation that Nikki Haley will drop out of the Republican primary race.

10:03

🙏 Closing Remarks

This is a brief closing paragraph, likely bidding farewell to the guests or concluding the segment.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday refers to the day when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses to select delegates for the presidential nomination. In this video, Super Tuesday is mentioned as a crucial milestone for both Donald Trump and President Biden in securing their respective party's nominations. The results of Super Tuesday are seen as crystallizing the race between the two candidates.

💡Fundraising

Fundraising refers to the process of gathering voluntary financial contributions to support a political campaign. The video mentions that Trump's campaign is seeking a boost in funds while dealing with soaring legal expenses and fundraising concerns. It also suggests that the Biden campaign may target moderate and Nikki Haley voters, as well as donors, for potential fundraising opportunities.

💡Moderate voters

Moderate voters are those who hold politically centrist views and are not aligned with the extreme left or right. The video suggests that a significant share of moderate voters, particularly those who supported Nikki Haley, may not vote for Donald Trump in the general election. The Biden campaign sees these voters as a potential target group to peel off from Trump's base.

💡Reproductive rights

Reproductive rights refer to the legal and ethical principles that govern an individual's ability to make decisions about their reproductive health, including access to contraception, abortion, and other reproductive services. The video states that the Biden campaign believes reproductive rights are a huge vulnerability for Donald Trump and could work to their advantage in the general election.

💡Coalition

A coalition refers to a temporary alliance or partnership of distinct groups or parties for a specific purpose. In the context of the video, it is mentioned that President Biden faces the challenge of trying to keep the coalition that elected him in 2020 together for his reelection bid. This likely refers to the diverse array of voters, from moderates to progressives, who supported Biden in the previous election.

💡Insurrection

An insurrection is a violent uprising against an authority or government. The video script mentions that after the insurrection, referring to the events of January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, it is tough for the commentator to discuss the election as a normal "horse race." This highlights the gravity of the event and its impact on the political discourse.

💡Immigration crisis

The immigration crisis refers to the ongoing challenges and controversies surrounding immigration policies and the influx of immigrants, particularly at the U.S.-Mexico border. The video suggests that Donald Trump will argue that there was no illegal immigration crisis during his presidency, contrasting it with the current administration's handling of the issue.

💡Border crisis

The border crisis is a term often used to describe the perceived issues and challenges related to the U.S.-Mexico border, such as illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and border security. The video mentions that President Biden now admits there is a crisis at the border, which is likely a reference to the ongoing debates and concerns surrounding immigration policies and enforcement.

💡Battleground states

Battleground states, also known as swing states, are states where the popular vote in presidential elections has been historically close or tightly contested between the two major political parties. The video suggests that the upcoming general election will be closely fought in these battleground states, as evidenced by the narrow margins in previous elections.

💡Buyer's remorse

Buyer's remorse refers to a feeling of regret or dissatisfaction after making a purchase or decision. In the context of the video, it is mentioned that 10% of Joe Biden's 2020 supporters now have buyer's remorse and are flipping back to supporting Donald Trump. This suggests a portion of Biden's previous voters are now reconsidering their choice and shifting their allegiance.

Highlights

Donald Trump's campaign is looking for a boost in funds as he sails towards clinching the Republican nomination, and is having conversations with Elon Musk, the world's second richest man.

Trump met with Elon Musk over the weekend as his campaign tries to keep costs low while dealing with soaring legal expenses and fundraising concerns.

The Biden campaign is making a case why the former president is 'wounded, dangerous and unpopular' after major Super Tuesday wins for both Trump and Biden.

The Biden campaign memo says he has a clear path to victory in November and will try to target Nikki Haley's moderate voters who are turned off by Trump.

The Biden campaign believes the issue of reproductive rights is a huge vulnerability for Trump that could work to their advantage.

Biden faces challenges in keeping his 2020 coalition together, addressing discontent over his approach to the Gaza conflict, and questions about his age and ability to serve a second term.

Nikki Haley reached the decision to suspend her presidential campaign late Tuesday after failing to meet her loose threshold of winning about 40% of the vote in several states.

Trump's campaign is happy that Haley is out of the race and they can shift all focus to the general election against Biden.

A big Haley donor and fundraiser expressed his struggle with voting for either Trump or Biden due to disagreements with their policies.

Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger feels politically homeless and cannot vote for Trump, but believes Biden has an opportunity to win over moderate Republican voters like him.

Lindsey Graham stated that Trump's path forward is to talk policy and contrast it with Biden's policies to win back Haley's moderate voters.

Trump can discuss emotional issues like immigration while also presenting policy prescriptions to appeal to both his base and moderate voters.

Exit polls showed 85-90% of Haley's voters were satisfied with Biden's leadership, suggesting they were not Trump voters initially.

A New York Times/Siena poll found 10% of Biden's 2020 supporters now have buyer's remorse and are flipping back to Trump.

The race between Trump and Biden is very close, with Trump leading Biden by 2 points nationally according to the RCP average.

Transcripts

00:00

Donald Trump's

00:00

campaign is looking for a boost in funds

00:02

as he sails towards clinching

00:04

the Republican nomination.

00:06

He's now having conversations

00:07

with the world's second richest man

00:10

Elon Musk.

00:10

They met over the weekend as Trump's

00:12

campaign tries to keep costs low

00:14

while dealing

00:14

with soaring legal expenses

00:16

and fundraising concerns.

00:18

Also new this morning, after major Super

00:21

Tuesday wins for both Trump

00:22

and President Biden,

00:24

the Biden campaign is making a case

00:26

why the former president is, quote,

00:28

wounded, dangerous and unpopular.

00:31

In a new memo,

00:31

the campaign says Biden has a clear

00:33

path to victory in November.

00:35

CNN's Arlette

00:36

Signs is at the White House with more.

00:38

What else is Biden saying

00:39

in his campaign strategy?

00:42

Well, Sarah Biden campaign officials

00:44

have long felt

00:45

that Super Tuesday

00:46

would be the moment

00:47

that this race crystallizes for voters

00:49

between President Biden

00:50

and former President Donald Trump.

00:52

And perhaps

00:53

the latest proof point in that argument

00:54

is the expectation that this morning

00:57

Nikki Haley will drop

00:58

out of the Republican

00:59

presidential primary contest.

01:01

One thing that the Biden campaign

01:03

will be working towards in

01:04

the coming

01:05

months is trying to potentially peel off

01:07

some of those Haley voters

01:09

who have been turned off by Trump,

01:11

not just voters,

01:12

but I've told also donors

01:14

that they could also target

01:15

as well,

01:16

senior campaign officials, officials

01:18

I spoke to that

01:19

in a memo

01:19

last evening

01:20

as they painted the former president

01:23

as damaged and unpopular

01:25

in their Super Tuesday

01:26

assessments that

01:27

two women

01:28

leading the campaign, Jen

01:29

O'Malley, Dillon and Julie

01:30

Chavez Rodriguez

01:31

wrote that, quote,

01:32

A significant share of moderate

01:34

and Haley voters

01:35

across the country

01:36

are saying

01:37

that Trump cannot count on their votes

01:39

in a general election,

01:40

and that will be key for President Biden

01:43

going forward.

01:44

The campaign will try

01:45

to tap into those Haley voters,

01:46

try to tap into moderate suburban voters

01:48

as well.

01:49

The campaign

01:50

really believes

01:51

that the issue of reproductive rights

01:53

is a huge vulnerability

01:55

for the former president

01:56

and one that could work

01:57

to their advantage come November.

01:59

And they acknowledge

02:00

that they anticipate

02:01

this contest will be incredibly close.

02:04

It comes as polling has shown CNN's

02:07

average of

02:08

the poll of polls has found that

02:10

there is no clear leader in this contest.

02:12

I think that average is about 48%

02:13

for Trump and 46% for President Biden.

02:16

Now, President Biden

02:17

certainly faces a host of challenges

02:19

in his own

02:20

reelection bid,

02:21

trying to keep the coalition

02:23

that elected him

02:24

in 20, 20 together this time around.

02:26

Also trying to address

02:28

some of the growing discontent

02:30

within the Democratic Party

02:31

over his approach to the war,

02:34

the conflict in Gaza.

02:35

And then there are the questions

02:36

that he has faced

02:37

about his age and ability

02:38

to serve in a second term.

02:40

But the White House

02:41

and the Biden campaign

02:42

clearly believe

02:43

that Super Tuesday

02:44

and tomorrow's State of the Union address

02:46

will be key for voters

02:47

as they're trying to make their arguments

02:49

for his second term in office.

02:53

Are signs.

02:54

Thank you so much.

02:55

All right.

02:55

Joining us right now to talk

02:56

much more about

02:56

this is CNN

02:57

senior political commentator, former

02:58

Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger

03:00

and the senior campaign

03:01

adviser to Donald Trump's 2020 campaign.

03:04

Marc Lotter, it's good to see you guys.

03:06

We're just handed some

03:06

new reporting from Jeff Zeleny.

03:08

Let's let's go through this together.

03:09

Nikki Haley reached the decision

03:11

to suspend her presidential campaign

03:13

late Tuesday.

03:14

An adviser said

03:15

and adviser

03:16

said that

03:17

going into the big day of voting,

03:20

the Haley team had set a loose threshold

03:22

of winning about 40% of the vote

03:25

in several states

03:26

to credibly stay in the race.

03:28

And the decision to get out of the race

03:30

is that a benchmark

03:32

for staying in that one

03:34

benchmark wasn't set.

03:36

What do you think of that?

03:38

I'm it makes sense.

03:38

I mean.

03:39

40%, I think I think there was very few

03:43

kind of paths for Nikki to stay in

03:44

after Super Tuesday,

03:46

not necessarily

03:47

because she didn't want to,

03:47

but because a donor

03:48

money's going to dry up.

03:49

I mean, obviously, nobody wants to chase.

03:51

Sure. Hadn't to this point that.

03:52

No, it hasn't.

03:53

And I think she actually thinks

03:55

she overperformed yesterday

03:56

compared to what

03:56

a lot of people thought, particularly

03:57

winning Vermont.

03:58

Not bad right there.

04:00

But yeah, I mean, for her,

04:02

I think to go on pass,

04:03

this didn't make much sense.

04:04

40% made sense as a threshold.

04:06

I don't think there was anybody

04:07

that realistically thought she'd

04:08

get there.

04:09

And so,

04:09

yeah, it's

04:10

just a two person race now going forward.

04:12

What do you think Donald Trump is

04:14

is happier about this morning,

04:16

how he performed across the board

04:19

or the simple fact

04:20

that Nikki Haley

04:21

will be exiting the race?

04:23

I think the simple fact

04:23

that she's out now

04:25

and no one has to talk about the primary

04:26

any longer,

04:27

they can shift

04:27

all of the focus to the general election

04:29

which he was trying to do anyway.

04:31

He was definitely trying.

04:32

But you can't. Right.

04:33

So now you can officially do it.

04:35

It's over with

04:36

and you can move

04:37

all of your focus to November.

04:38

What counter intuitive would do you?

04:41

Do you?

04:42

Were you impressed with Donald Trump's

04:43

performance last night?

04:44

No. No.

04:45

You mean like in his speech?

04:47

Sure. Either one.

04:47

I like how he performs. Yeah.

04:49

On the on the actual election results.

04:51

Sure. It's impressive.

04:52

I hate to normalize

04:53

because, you know,

04:54

after an insurrection, it's tough for me

04:56

to just talk about this

04:57

horse race as normal.

04:58

But regardless,

04:59

it was an impressive victory

05:00

when he won all these states.

05:02

He won big.

05:03

I live in Texas now.

05:04

He like 80% in Texas.

05:05

His speech was okay.

05:07

I guess if you have a low bar for him,

05:09

which we do.

05:10

But my issue was when he called America

05:12

a third world country,

05:13

like what kind of in

05:14

what world

05:16

is the inspirational leadership

05:18

of a former president

05:19

going to remember

05:19

is in his inaugural speech in 26.

05:21

Oh, I do.

05:22

I was there

05:23

when he called everything he said like

05:24

you know carnage American carnage.

05:26

This is what we're going to be at again

05:27

so yes,

05:29

I also

05:29

am glad the primaries are over

05:30

because now we can kind of go forward

05:32

and talk about this.

05:33

But it was

05:34

it was an impressive political victory.

05:36

I wasn't impressed.

05:37

What do you think Joe

05:37

Biden should be most happy

05:39

about this morning after Super Tuesday?

05:41

Well, I guess the race is on.

05:43

I mean, he

05:44

he now has one singular target.

05:45

I think he probably knew that

05:47

for a long time as well.

05:48

But now,

05:50

I mean, it's going to be a clear choice.

05:51

And the difference is

05:53

and having worked

05:53

on that 20, 20 campaign,

05:55

the big difference is Joe Biden

05:56

didn't have a record in 2020

05:58

he was hypothetical

05:59

so he could talk about ending

06:00

the ending the pandemic

06:03

not mean tweeting and basically

06:04

getting elected.

06:05

Do you think the quote unquote distance

06:06

between his record

06:07

Donald Trump's record in terms of time

06:09

do you think that helps him meet

06:12

people hoping that

06:13

people have short memories?

06:14

Yeah.

06:15

I mean, they remember that

06:15

we didn't have the illegal immigration

06:17

crisis.

06:17

They remember

06:18

that gas was $2.39

06:20

a gallon, that you did have a pandemic.

06:22

And we did it before the pandemic.

06:25

I think we had all of these things.

06:27

And that's that's

06:27

that's the point

06:28

he's going to that

06:28

Donald Trump's going to make

06:29

and Joe

06:30

Biden is going to have to try

06:31

to explain away.

06:32

On that point, Congressman,

06:33

the Biden campaign

06:34

put out this memo this morning.

06:35

I was talking about it, saying

06:36

after last night,

06:37

they have a clear path to victory

06:39

is what the memo says,

06:40

pointing to Nikki Haley's moderate voters

06:43

and then saying in exit polls

06:44

that Donald Trump

06:45

might not be able to count on their vote.

06:47

Republican voters

06:48

saying Donald Trump

06:49

might not be able to count on their vote

06:50

come November.

06:52

One big Haley donor

06:53

and fundraiser was on with us last night.

06:55

When we were sitting there.

06:56

I want to play for everyone

06:57

his take on this. Listen,

07:01

here's the struggle.

07:03

Joe Biden is a cognitively impaired

07:05

octogenarian whose policies

07:07

I disagree with in the extreme.

07:10

I think is distance.

07:11

He's putting between United States

07:12

and Israel now is disgraceful.

07:14

I think the way he's handled

07:15

Ukraine is just simply not doing enough.

07:17

He's always a day late

07:18

and the dollar short

07:19

and he hasn't been forceful enough

07:20

in dealing with China.

07:21

The border, of course, is a crisis.

07:23

He even he now admits that.

07:25

So I can't vote Democratic.

07:26

So can I vote Republican?

07:28

Can I vote for Donald Trump?

07:30

It's tough.

07:30

Well, he says he doesn't want

07:31

he doesn't want your support.

07:33

And how does he win

07:35

and how does he win?

07:36

What do you think of that

07:37

in terms of this now

07:39

is part of the Biden strategy.

07:40

They want to pull over those. Yeah.

07:42

So this is how a lot of us feel.

07:44

I mean, I feel

07:44

I feel politically homeless

07:45

and there's no way

07:46

I'll vote for Donald Trump, period.

07:48

So he can't win me over.

07:49

But there are a lot of people

07:50

that he could.

07:51

And I think that's

07:52

that's the challenge of the Biden team

07:54

right now.

07:54

Look,

07:55

we have been so preprogramed

07:56

in this country to default to.

07:58

I have to support a party.

07:59

So I either have to, you know,

08:01

and so that's

08:01

where people are at right now.

08:03

Joe Biden is fighting with his leftist.

08:05

Got the every Gaza

08:07

interruption that happens,

08:08

every scream

08:09

That kind of pushes the middle away.

08:12

But he has a real opportunity.

08:13

He's the guy that can do it

08:14

if he can make his staff

08:16

allow him to be Joe Biden,

08:18

if they're going to drag him to the left,

08:19

he's going to have a harder time.

08:20

But he has to win people like me over.

08:22

He'll win me over.

08:23

But people like me

08:24

over to win the presidency.

08:26

Lindsey Graham was on

08:27

CNN last night, Mark,

08:28

and he said the path forward

08:29

for Donald Trump in the general

08:31

is to talk policy and contrast policy

08:35

between him and Joe Biden.

08:36

And I think it

08:37

contrasts and policy

08:38

is the key to getting these people.

08:39

Nikki Haley, voters back on board.

08:42

Do you think that's it?

08:43

I mean, asked another way,

08:45

do you think Donald Trump sticks

08:47

with the policy discussions?

08:49

We know what

08:50

what the what his base reacts to.

08:53

It's not necessarily on policy.

08:55

It's on feeling well.

08:57

But I think you can do

08:58

both at the same time.

08:59

I mean, you can talk about low

09:00

gas prices.

09:01

You can't talk about

09:02

the immigration crisis

09:03

as both an emotional reaction

09:05

and a policy prescription

09:07

And I think the challenge is that,

09:09

like if you go to the exit

09:10

polling last night

09:11

that I've seen from CNN and others,

09:13

85 to 90% of the

09:15

Nikki Haley's voters support

09:17

we're satisfied with Joe

09:19

Biden's leadership.

09:20

That means they were probably not

09:21

Donald Trump voters to begin with,

09:23

even if they did vote for Nikki Haley.

09:25

Meanwhile, if you go

09:26

by the New York Times Siena poll,

09:28

10% of

09:29

Joe Biden's 2020

09:30

support is now have buyer's remorse

09:32

and flipping back to Trump.

09:33

That's why I think when we look ahead

09:35

to these battleground states

09:37

and the national polls I mean remember

09:39

I think it was what, four points

09:40

three points that Joe Biden

09:42

beat Donald Trump in 2020

09:43

nationally to eke out 45,000 vote win

09:46

in three states.

09:48

It's now

09:49

a five point swing

09:50

where Donald Trump

09:51

is leading by two points

09:52

according to the RCP average.

09:54

We've got a long way ahead of us.