CNN: DeSantis called ‘pathetic’ for not addressing Trump directly in rebuke of GOP

CNN contributors Paul Begala, Scott Jennings, Sarah Matthews and Karen Finney discuss Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ momentum ahead of a possible 2024 presidential bid and President Joe Biden’s plans to announce a 2024 reelection campaign. #CNN #News

Transcript

You asked me a decision between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. What I’m looking for is somebody who can come in day one and get America back on trac Donald Trump has done it once he can do it again. We’ve got a great governor. He’s done a tremendous job.

But what we need is a person who can actually lead on day one I think the governor has done a great job in Florida is nothin I’m not it’s not against Governo DeSantis. It’s for President Trump. Welcome back to State of the Uni And my panel joins me now.

What you just heard were a serie of Republican House members from DeSantis, his home state of Florida, comin and supporting Donald Trump just as DeSantis is here in Wash What do you think of that moves got Jennings not surprised. I mean, look, Donald Trump’s the establishment candidate in t He was the president.

He’s running for president for a third time. These are establishment politici and they tend to stick together in campaigns. Does it mean he’s going to win? But I wouldn’t expect an insurgent candidate like DeSantis to get too many. But that was it. That was that was very tactical and by na

And it was, by the way, for the Trump campaign. Extremely smart, tactically wise and it created a narrative on DeSantis this week. But when you’re running the insu kind of campaign, DeSantis is you’re not going to get all the elected politicians who are afraid of Donald Trump to come to your side.

I don’t expect that at all. Speaking of DeSantis, we do have some new sound from h speaking last night in in Utah. I want to hear what he has to sa and talk about it on the other s of Republicans need to shake the culture of los that has developed in recent yea

The time for excuses is over. We must get it done. If we as Republicans provide a fresh vision for American revival, then Republicans will win all ac the country. Paul Begala, he keeps talking about Donald Trump without talking about Donald Trump directly. Pathetic. He’s just terrible at this.

He won his reelection by 19 poin I’m very impressed. Ford’s a tough state to run. I do admire that. But good night. He is. If you’re going to go against Tr go get Trump. If you’re going to be the insurg Sally Scott Jennings. Okay. Higher Scott Jennings. No, I mean, Scott,

You just articulated far better than Governor DeSanti He he said he kind of wanted the endor but then Trump got small. He’s like, you remember, this is a Florida guy. Jose Canseco was a great one of the greatest sluggers who ever lived, played in the ei And eight. But he’s a terrible fielder.

And this is DeSantis is a baseba because they go with time, went out to catch a fly ba and it bounced off his head. And when it went over the fence for a homeru That’s what Governor DeSantis did this week. He’s pathetic at this. And I’m begging him to get bette

I don’t want Trump. I’d much rather have the Senate Or do you want to continue this? Do you want to continue the baseball metaphor? You can’t contribute on the base But I do think that DeSantis has with that electability message and increas in poll from the Wall Street Journal

That was conducted by Trump’s own 2016 pollster. It showed Trump losing to Biden by three points, and it showed DeSantis winning against Biden by three p So that would be my message to the folks that are endorsing Do you want to keep losing? Because I certainly don’t. As a Republican,

I’m tired of losing, and I want And so I think that any other ca would be better to put up against Biden than Tru But you can keep saying that it doesn’t make it true. Now, I know for folks who watch that seems like that’s how you d

You say it over and over, and then that just creates the reality you want. But the truth is, the center says also time and again just shown he is running farther and farthe to the right and being increasingly extreme in his own. People have admitted concern abo how do you then

Run in the general election. So in terms of the electability at least found Trump, it’s a he 2016 didn’t win in 2010 but they haven’t let go of that I mean I’m not sure that argument will really work for DeSantis given that he cannot as Paul has been saying

You know he doesn’t seem to have I can’t imagine him on a debate stage with Donald Tr You can’t talk around him. You’re going to have to say he did win 100% of the professional Democratic class. Once Trump gives 100% of the political media want 100% of the Trump people want Tr

And 100% of the supposed pillars of virtue never Trumpers They also want Trump it is a coordinated campaign. By all this I mean we’ve got Donald Trump’s people tweeting out MSNBC links to attack Ron DeSant This is how they make a living. But it’s crazy. You don’t want to see this

Because he will beat Joe Biden v We could pick somebody out of th phone book who would beat Joe Biden head to Trump. I don’t know, Scott, my friend. I do not want Donald Trump. I think that is terrible for Ame I think it sends a despicable me

To the world that we’ll take any to be our president. I rather have this answer for Tr and I think we’d still beat him. Oh, absolutely. I think most Democrats would be I mean, Ron DeSantis is he’s not getting to the filing deadline. Okay? I’d much rather run against him.

And I would rather the Republicans nominate someone other than Trum someone who’s not crazy, chaotic and corrupt and the rest of their field. I would say that I don’t support them on the issu but the rest of them seem like really good people with different ideas. But I’m he’s the SpaceX X

Missile rocket, except it at least got to the la Right. But can you imagine if Republicans are able to nominate someone like a Ron DeSantis, who’s in his forties and he’s running against Joe Bid who’s 80. And with Trump, at least he neutralizes the age I agree. He’s a threat to democracy,

Which is why I do not want to se be the nominee. But you can’t deny that for Demo If Trump is the nominee, then that does neutralize that is a perfect segue way sound soundbite that I want to play from the president from back in March of 2020

And here’s what he said on that Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anyth There’s an entire generation of you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this coun It’s a very long bridge, an eight year bridge, a pretty rickety bridge, a pretty strong bridge

Where we are now able to be sitting around the sa which we could not do in 20, 20 or 20, 21. And an economy that, while people still have a lot of is actually doing better. It is also a bridge, though. I go back to what he said

When he first got in the race, the soul of America. Let’s talk about where this coun right now. We had three incidents this week where young people were shot for just being in the wrong place. Why you have people on the right like Donald Trump basically sayi we’re each other’s enemy. Right.

I mean, again, fueling that suspicion and that divisiveness and that destruction of our Amer Democratic institutions and our You have young voters who will outnumber older voters who are for reproductive freedom They’re for climate change. They are for gun safety measures And so the way the demographics country are changing,

I get it, white establishment is terrified Joe Biden is a bridge and he has been trying to keep a He has a very stellar record to he actually also has a record of promises made and promises kept. And people are generally pretty happy with that. This is an amazing campaign spee

Joe Biden is an old man. The American people do not want him to run again and they don’t want Donald Trump This is a rematch nobody wants. Democrats don’t want Joe Biden, but apparently they’re going to go along with i It’s crazy to me that. 80% of the American people

Would rather do anything else, but the political system is going to give them the rematc they don’t want. Biden is not popular. His policies are not popular. He didn’t win Donald Trump lost The Republicans could do anythin and beat this guy. And we’re not going to fight his in 20, 22.

Paul Begala, what what’s the advice that you would have or you do ha for President Biden when it comes to the age issue which is not going to go away show don’t tell people I don’t mean to buy him the new York Times editorial was like a classic of opinion stupidity.

They said he should have more press conferences. What’s wrong with that. Because you’re the press you want more press conferences. How about okay but that’s not what the American sit here and say boy, I wish Dana Bash would ask Trump I mean, Biden more questions sho

He showed it in the state of the address, right in, I thought, unpleasant way. Republicans interrupted him. They booed him. He bested them. That’s hard to do given a lot of State of the Union addresses I’ve attended a lot of them in r To argue them down and take Social Security

As a win was masterful, and it showed all the energy and that his conservative detractors say he lacks. This will happen again and the fight over the default. Democrats believe that Republicans want to push us to the brink of default and the Biden folks, they know that their man

Is itching for this fight and he will show again. Instead of telling them that you old, he’ll show them by performing and by besting the And they are 20, 30 years younge You know what? He made mincemeat out of them. He made chumps out of them. I will do it again.

I will say, though, it will be really interesting to 20, 20. Biden was able to get away with campaigning from the baseme because of COVID. And so in 20, 24 he is going to have to be out th more obviously he’s the incumbent president so it’s not going to be

As rigorous of a campaign schedu for him not going to have a competitive or anything like that. But I think he is going to have to be out there doing more campaign style events And it is interesting that his team is choosing to ann via video next week his candidac

But it is smart because he can m because we don’t control the mes because he is prone to gaffes. We’re going to have to leave it Thanks for a great discussion.

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