DAVID: WE ARE LESS THAN A MONTH
AWAY FROM THE FIRST REPUBLICAN
PRIMARY DEBATE, AND VOTERS ARE
BEGINNING TO THROW SUPPORT
BEHIND INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES.
FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP, OF
COURSE, HAS THAT DEMANDING LEAD
AMONG -- COMMANDING LEAD BOTH IN
SOUTH CAROLINA AND IOWA.
WITH ME NOW IS FORMER CHIEF
SPEECH WRITER TO GEORGE W. BUSH
AND "WALL STREET JOURNAL"
COLUMNIST AND A VERY GOOD FRIEND
OF MINE FOR TOO MANY YEARS --
[LAUGHTER]
IT’S REALLY ADDING UP.
BILL McGURN, GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU WITH, DAVID
CAN.
DAVID: LET’S TALK ABOUT ONE OF
THE PEOPLE WHO I ASSUME IS GOING
TO BE AT THE DEBATE.
WE STILL DON’T KNOW ABOUT DONALD
TRUMP, BUT THAT’S RON
DeSANTIS.
HE HAS BEEN HAVING A LOT OF
TROUBLE FINDING WHAT I WOULD
CALL HIS NORTH STAR, WHAT HE
STANDS FOR.
WE KNEW DONALD TRUMP WAS THE
ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT CANDIDATE,
VIVEK IS KIND OF THE YOUNG
PERSON’S ENTREPRENEURIAL
CANDIDATE.
WHAT DOES RON DESANTIS
REPRESENT, AND AND HOW CAN HE,
CAN HE PUT THAT OUT THERE SO
THAT IT’S RECOGNIZED ON A BUMPER
STICKER?
>> I THINK, I THINK A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE FOCUSING ON HIS
PROBLEMS, SAYING HE HASN’T
BROKEN THROUGH.
IN FAIRNESS, NO ONE ELSE IS
MOVING IN THE POLLS EITHER.
DONALD TRUMP HAS SUCKED THE AIR
OUT OF THE WHOLE ROOM.
DAVID: HE HAS, YES.
>> AND IT’S NOT GOING TO MOVE.
I THINK SOMETIMES DeSANTIS --
AND I LIKE DeSANTIS -- COMES
ACROSS AS, LIKE, TRYING TO
APPEAL TO TRUMP VOTERS RATHER
THAN SEEING -- SAYING WHAT HE
THINKS.
IT’S ALMOST LET DeSANTIS BE
DeSANTIS.
HE HAS A GOOD RECORD, HE CAN
EXPLAIN IT WELL, AND I THINK HE
SHOULD JUST PUT THAT OUT THERE.
DAVID: EXTRAORDINARY RECORD.
>> AND I ALSO THINK THE, YOU
KNOW, IT’S TOO EARLY TO WRITE
ANYONE OFF OR PREDICT HOW IT
WOULD GO, AND I THINK WE’RE NOT
GOING TO SEE A DENT IN THE TRUMP
FIGURES UNTIL SOMEONE GOES HEAD
TO HEAD WITH DONALD TRUMP IN
DEBATE OR SOMETHING.
YOU KNOW, TRADING INSULTS, YOU
KNOW, ONE GUY SAYS ONE THING IN
THE PAPERER, THE OTHER GUY
RESPONDS HERE, IT’S NOT UNTIL
THEY GO FACE TO FACE, AND DONALD
TRUMP DOESN’T WANT THAT BECAUSE
HE SAYS HE HAS A GOOD LEAD, WHY
SHOULD HE BLOW THAT.
DAVID: WELL, DESAN HIS --
DeSANTIS HAS TWO THINGS, HIS
RECORD DURING THE PANDEMIC WHICH
WAS EXTRAORDINARY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE MOVED TO FLORIDA
BECAUSE IT WAS THE FREE STATE OF
FLORIDA, AND HE MADE IT THAT A
WAY.
HE MADE IT CLEAR -- AND HE
REALLY OWNS THAT.
THE OTHER IS THE ECONOMY.
NOW, DONALD TRUMP CLAIMS THAT,
YOU KNOW, IT’S A GREAT ECONOMY
BEFORE HE ARRIVED, BUT THE FACT
IS HE CERTAINLY HASN’T DONE
ANYTHING TO MESS IT UP, BECAUSE
BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO FLOCK
THERE.
THE INCOME TAX RATE IS STILL
ZERO LAST I CHECKED.
THEY HAVE ALL OF THESE VERY LOW
REGULATORY STATE AND BUSINESSES
ARE JUST FLOCKING THERE FROM ALL
OVER THE COUNTRY, ALL OVER THE
WORLD REALLY.
>> RIGHT.
DAVID: YOU COMPARE THAT TO NEW
YORK, CALIFORNIA, ILLINOIS, ALL
THESE DEMOCRATIC STATES WHICH
HAVE THESE, FORGIVE ME, BUT
TERRIBLE ECONOMIC POLICIES THAT
ARE DRIVING PEOPLE AWAY.
WHY DOESN’T HE FOCUS ON THAT?
>> YEAH, I THINK HE SHOULD.
HE HAS A GOOD STORY TO TELL.
I JUST THINK THAT IN TERMS OF
DONALD TRUMP HE HAS TO BE
CONFRONTED HEAD ON IF ANYONE’S
GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW DONALD TRUMP
HAS HIS VIEWS, MOST OF THE
PEOPLE ARE SAYING I AGREE,
RIGHT?
SO WHY GO FOR THEM WHEN DONALD
TRUMP --
DAVID: RIGHT, RIGHT.
>> -- IS WHAT YOU WANT.
DAVID: I HEAR THAT ALL THE TIME.
>> I THINK THERE THE HAS TO BE A
SHAKE-UP, AND IT WILL COME WHEN
THEY FACE EACH OTHER.
AND THAT’S WHY DONALD TRUMP MAY
BE UNFAIR BY NOT AGREEING TO THE
FIRST DEBATE, BUT, YOU KNOW,
HE’S NOT GIVING THEM A CHANCE TO
DO THAT.
I I THINK THE DANGER FOR THESE
CANDIDATES, THEY SNIPE AT EACH
OTHER OR SNIPE AT DeSANTIS
BECAUSE HE’S IN THE LEAD, OR
THEY JUST ARE, LOOK QUARRELSOME,
AND DONALD TRUMP LOOKS LIKE HE’S
ABOVE IT ALL.
DAVID: NOW, YOU ALSO HAVE
PROBLEMS, THE DEMOCRATS HAVE
THEIR OWN PROBLEMS ABOUT
COMPETITION FOR BIDEN.
>> RIGHT.
DAVID: FIRST OF ALL, THE BIG
QUESTION, WHETHER BIDEN CAN CAN
RUN OR SHOULD RUN WHEN IT COMES
DOWN TO IT.
BUT YOU HAVE THIS RFK
PHENOMENON, A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY
HE’S REACHED A CEILING OF ABOUT
4, 15%, HE CAN’T GET BEYOND
THAT, BUT THERE’S ALSO THE
QUESTION OF EXACTLY HOW HE’S NOW
BEING ATTACKED BY DEMOCRATS AND
THE MEDIA IN GENERAL.
HE WAS ON WITH MARIA BARTIROMO
OVER THE WEEKEND.
PLAY TAPE.
>> I DON’T KNOW WHETHER IT’S
THROUGH THE PODCAST OR THROUGH
SOCIAL MEDIA, MY UNFAVORABILITY
RATINGSINGS SHOULD BE OFF THE
CHARTS IF PEOPLE -- I MEAN,
LISTEN, IF I BELIEVED THE STUFF
THAT’S WRITTEN ABOUT ME IN THE
PAPERS AND REPORTED ABOUT ME ON
THE MAINSTREAM NEWS SITES, I
WOULD NOT HAVE -- I WOULD
DEFINITELY NOT VOTE FOR ME, AND
I WOULD NOT, YOU KNOW, I WOULD
THINK I WAS A VERY DESPICABLE
PERSON.
DAVID: I THINK HE’S ON TO
SOMETHING THERE BECAUSE THE
PUBLIC DON’T TRUST THE MEDIA
ANYMORE BECAUSE SO MUCH OF WHAT
THEY SAID WERE LIES WHETHER IT
WAS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP OR
WHETHER IT WAS ABOUT THE
PANDEMIC OR WHATEVER, AND
THEY’RE SAYING THE SAME THINGS
ABOUT HIM.
THEY SHOUTED HUM DOWN -- HIM
DOWN, THE DEMOCRATS SHOUTED HIM
DOWN DURING THE HEARING ON
CENSORSHIP.
THEY WERE TRYING TO CENSOR HIM
RIGHT THEN AND THERE.
I MEAN, THEY DIDN’T GET IT.
I THINK THE PUBLIC DOES.
>> THEY HAVE A WEAK CASE, AND
THEY KNOW IT.
THAT’S WHY THEY’RE AFRAID OF RFK
JR.
THEY DON’T THINK BIDEN IS UP TO
DISPATCHING HIM ON HIS OWN.
I’LL SAY ONE THING, YOU CAN’T
BLAME PRESIDENT BIDEN FOR THE
FACT THAT NO SERIOUS DEMOCRAT
LIKE GAVIN NEWSOM, GRETCHEN
WHITER IN HAS -- WHITMER HAS
CHALLENGED HIM.
IT’S NOT HIS FAULT THAT THEY
DON’T STEP UP TO THE PLATE.
BUT I THINK THE FEAR WITH JFK,
THEY DON’T -- THEY’RE AFRAID
BIDEN’S GOING TO LOOK BAD, AND
HE’S GOING TO REELECT TRUMP.
IT’S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
AND BIDEN, ONE OF THE THINGS
OVERLOOKED IS LESS POPULAR IN
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY THAN TRUMP
IS IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
YOU KNOW, TRUMP IS HALF OR
NEARLY HALF THE VOTE IT IN THE
REPUBLICAN POLLS.
YOU KNOW, TWO-THIRDS SAID THEY
WANTED ANOTHER CANDIDATE, I
THINK THERE WAS ONE POLL THAT
SAID ONLY 47% SUPPORTED BIDEN,
WANT HIM TO BE THE NOMINEE.
BUT 81%ED SAID THEY WOULD VOTE
FOR HIM IF HE WERE.
SO I THINK TODAY KNOW THEY HAVE
A WEAK CANDIDATE, AND THEY CAN’T
KEEP HIM IN THE BASEMENT THE
WHOLE CAMPAIGN THIS TIME.
DAVID: INTERESTING STUFF.
I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT
THE RECENT SCANDALS, BUT WE’RE