Full interview with Trump adviser Chris LaCivita at RNC | Politico

please welcome politico's senior political columnist and politics bureau chief Jonathan Martin and Republican National committee's Chief of Staff Chris levita how does he have a credential who gave him a credential good see you man we got some hecklers in the room I here I see oh outstanding my fan club besides lasita oh hello all right everybody grab a seat if you can find one grab a seat if you could find one um thank you for being here on the final day of uh the uh the convention uh that is suddenly the second biggest political story in the world um uh Chris loav uh senior strategist um in the Republican party uh and now uh helping to oversee the the Trump campaign is joining us and we're thrilled to have him um Chris let's just get to the news here right out of the gate right uh what would the replacement of Joe Biden on top of the democratic ticket mean for your candidate your campaign going forward and what are you guys planning to do strategy-wise to reflect that well from a strategic side wouldn't you like to know um I won't tell anybody yeah okay uh but well first and foremost the way we view it uh looking at it as you know uh from where we are I mean this is nothing more than an attempted coup by the Democrat Party they are actively engaged in an attempt in my view and a lot of people share this view in deposing the president of the United States because look you can't step down as a candidate for president because you're cognitively impaired while still being president so you know the two are linked and so you know Hunter loses all access do you guys really think that they're going to give it up that easy you know again it's it's literally a coup for everything that they accuse Republicans of they're actually doing it on on national TV every single day so that's first and foremost what what I think is developing right in front of everybody yep all right that's your punditry thank you for that it's it's it it's it's an it's an actual part of the conversation okay what does it mean for your campaign going forward if kamla Harris becomes the Democratic standard Bearer how do you run against her and does it change the map that you're looking at no no it doesn't because uh the last time I checked it's Biden Harris okay right um so every single thing that Biden did is an issue that is uh uh that that she is complicit in never mind the fact that she's also you know the the uh G lighter in Chief uh specific to oh he's fine he's in great shape I mean do you know how much tape we have on this so you know and that's a character issue so never mind the fact that you know we have them dead to rights on inflation National Security I mean let me go the border the borders are please I'd love it would you Chris consider any kind of uh legal recourse if the Democrats do try to dump Biden from the ticket well let's look at it this way um or let's not forget in 2014 in Kansas uh the Democrat yeah I know yeah he sort of had something to do with that being a race um in 2014 in the state of Kansas the Democrats had I think it was somewhere between 80 100,000 Democrats which I think that's all there are in in the state vote in in the Democrat primary nominated a candidate for the United States Senate then this guy named Greg Orman comes along as an independent Nic looking guy tons of money Democrats decide eh we don't like our guy so they sue they go to court the Supreme Court of Kansas allows the Democrat Party to remove their duly nominated person off the ballot so that it's just Pat Roberts versus Greg Warman an independent so there is precedent here there's history here the Democrats love to take out their sitting incumbents Senate whatever and put somebody else on in and and and so the that's a you know that's a huge issue they're going to disenfranchise um you know millions of people that vote I don't know what the total numbers are but it's it's literally millions that voted in the democr but that's not our problem that's theirs but you're open to pursuing depending on the timeline some kind of legal recourse to keep them on the ballot no I didn't say that okay okay um I'm certainly and we are certainly not going to tip our hand on what we're going to do but you know look this election is not going to be focused on legal battles they would love to talk about anything other than inflation the Border Etc yeah Chris um a lot of the sort of bonus states that are being talked about right now which are states that that have been blue uh really going back to um uh in most cases President Obama's first election 2008 uh but that now are being talked about is coming into play uh our native state of Virginia New Mexico New Hampshire Minnesota um potentially tell me of of those states which of them do you think become more appealing to you if Biden is not the nominee and KLA Harris is the nominee um well I mean well so right now as Emerson just came out with a slew of polls last night yeah um you know and have Trump up two or three uh in the Commonwealth um so look right now the we have about somewhere between 20 and 25 different paths to the nomination yeah I mean to the election yeah just flat out yeah and they have one sure they have W the three great lake States the blue wall right so but again do you think that um a place like New Mexico for example where you've got a lot of non- colge Voters a lot of multigenerational Hispanic voters does that become more appealing to you it does because it's also the I believe the second largest oil producing state in the United States second larg you think that you guys could run more competitively there against conell Harris than Joe Biden um I think it would be no I mean I look I think I think we're in a strong position to beat either one of them in New Mexico but yeah probably so because because not only is it just a a replacing of a name yeah right and and look I I'm not going to seeed this ground that you can talk about one without the other if he steps down as a candidate for president he's admitting to the people of the United States he's not fit abity to so does he want his legacy to be defined by the fact that he bailed after years as president of United States because he's cognitively inable to do the job I I don't know you know your own party well but I I I take it that your working assumption is that she would be the nominee if Biden is not the nominee right well apparently to Nancy Pelosi that's not the case um you know there's reporting out there that she's not happy with having Kamala Harris is the nominee so that will be fun but you guys are are yeah plan yeah okay I mean look we plan for everything um worry about everything plan for everything and and and then we execute so uh and and you know I know the one thing that this campaign and certainly uh led by Donald Trump uh has proven its ability to do which is to improvise overcome adapt and Achieve regardless of what the scenario that is thrown in front of us let me ask you one last thing on this topic just directly which is more of a challenge for you guys a a politically damaged Joe Biden or a politically healthy K Harris well I mean look if if if if they depose um the sitting president of the United States as a candidate uh and they depose him as the President of the United States that's going to create a whole host of different issues I truly believe that well to some extent I believe that the Press no offense guys will give her a reset there's no press here okay that you promised me there would there wasn't going to be I mean he sent me all the questions ahead of time um he handw wrote them though uh you did a prep obviously for it no but you know so that it just creates a whole new set of issues but I you know Chris um one of the themes of this campaign I think for a lot of folks who are watching it closely is what the hell did you do with Donald Trump uh you know where did he go the the person who's firing off tweets at all hours weighing in on issues like the the quality of Diet Coke or a reality show outc that's legitimate that's come on but but but in all seriousness though I mean what have you guys done or has he basically realized that he wants to get the brass ring once more and that to get it back he's got to be disciplined what just take us through how you've gotten somebody who was famous for being a newsmaker in the most let's say extemporaneous ways somebody who's a much more uh focused at least for now politician um so I love how that you know anything positive develops in Trump World it can't not be him it just it can't be something that he came up with so um look you you you don't you don't run for president three times in a row and be president and not learn something uhhuh uhhuh I mean I'm sorry but you know this is something that that that you know um and so he has been you know and the fact that that we worry about things that we can control and and all of you in here have heard me say this on more than one occasion you know our Focus has always been and our our job had always been and he made it very clear give me the operation that I need uhh to be successful and so we worry about that we worry about the nuts and bolts we worry about the details these things matter I mean the convention thus far has been executed I think Rel pretty flawlessly um from the message discipline um to the visuals to the message obviously we're trying to um push to voters so we worry about those things that we can control that's something that we have a direct impact in on and and it's actually very important aspect of politics and so when when you have that level of of when the boss has that level of confidence in the operation it takes a little bit of the pressure off of him and but he has told me I'm more than one occasion you just secure the vote yeah I'll take care of everything else and Twitter did him a favor by throwing him off Twitter too I'm not going to go there yeah okay uh but he is obviously a much more it's truth yeah he's on Truth still but it doesn't have the same obviously impact uh Chris what what keeps you up and or what wakes you up at night when you bolt out of bed at 3:00 in the morning besides the copious red wine and massive elk that you've shot and killed and eaten that day um what what wakes you up at three not a copious amount very what wakes you up at 3 in the morning where you you say oh my God you know I just don't know uh what what is the one thing that could stop this from happening I mean obviously you guys are leading the polls now but what keeps you up as the the one big impediment to Trump winning again this fall well well first of all I don't get up at 3:00 in the morning nothing gets me up and when I hit the hay I'm out okay um for 5 hours but you do worry yeah um well we worry about everything I mean Susie and I worry about absolutely everything all the time but but well I I will tell you and I have said this weeks before I was always worried about safety just was and and unfortunately it was something that played out in front of everybody did you make inquiries about safety in the months before Butler no because we had no we have phenomenal detail you felt good about it but 100% but how was it on your mind like explain that well I mean it's just again there are things that you can't control right um and and and I worry about I worry about um you know I don't worry about these bigger things that are out there be that I know I have no control over and and all of you have been through the presidential Cycles before there you know a campaign can control but so much in an actual presidential campaign I mean right I mean there you know and so we just try to take advantage of opportunities I worry about more than anything about our operation a being able to do the job correctly not missing an opportunity not being not taking advantage of an opportunity or a fast ball when it's thrown across the plate I want to attack every freaking day 12 hours a day just nonstop because that's the nature of the new cycle I don't want to miss anything I don't want to let anybody off of the hook and so so I'm constantly you know harping on staff to make sure that don't miss anything attention to detail is the singular most important thing in my view so it's literally it's nothing big or I worry about you know you know Martian Landing or some crap I literally worry about these small things because seing opportunities yeah not being not doing the Small Things leads to missing the big thing so seizing opportunities is key key to go on the offensive and in a campaign it's like a hockey game What's the best way to go on the off off of against k Harris what's the one best issue to go on the offensive when it comes to K Harris borders are border okay what what makes her slightly stronger than bid that could create some challenges for you guys well I mean she's has an amazing ability to I think from a word salad standpoint make as much sense as Joe Biden so that's a good thing um for us anyway I mean in all seriousness I mean she she obviously is a a a younger person she'd be the first black woman president in American history she obviously could bring stuff to the ticket too right yeah I mean sure but you know at the end of the day you know the American public wants answers to inflation they want answers to the Border they want answers to insert issue they don't want to talk about issues and oh by the way this notion of oh this is a war against democracy that contrast is falling apart before our eyes because they're the ones conducting a coup Chris you weren't in Butler on Saturday thank God uh uh when I saw you uh savaging the media on on on Twitter I felt I felt relieved that uh you you were alive and well to be up to your old tricks um uh tell me about that first conversation you had with with the former president on Saturday when you talked to them I'm not going to I'm not I'm not going to some conversations are private I do know that keep yes yeah like did you say them or that guy I'm not going to I'm not going to go into specific there bomb wasn't there I'm not going into any details but but you know I I was talking to Su uh you know and she and Chung were in the car and and the Dan scavino um they were in the in the chase vehicle on the way and and you know there was a very hurried um you know convers cuz I was on the phone with her and then just hung up when it all happened and I'm was actually watching it in my hotel room with my daughter and um you know but I I I I'll be honest with you I had a little bit of guilt not being there why just cuz well when your friends go through something traumatic like that you want to be there with them you know yeah yeah when you talk to the staffers who were in The Chase vehicle afterwards uh what was their family you know Trump was defining you said like you know what was the the same the the same but I mean we had a few we have a few younger staffers who were in the line of fire uh we had a uh um one of our press Advance was her second day on the job and and there's this horrific picture of her uh on the the ground reacting to you know what was transpiring and so her mom and dad came and picked her up and took her home yeah Chris can can the former president used this opportunity to convey to his supporters that no this was not some kind of a democratic plot there there's so much circulating out there that frankly is detrimental to to the country politics aside can can the president use the opportunity to convey to his supporters who may be falling prey to some of that BS that that that know this was not a conspiracy by democrats or George Soros or whoever well I I think isn't that important for the country to hear that well yeah but it's what what's important is that um you know the the speech is very you know forward focused and and I and and um we're very happy with with where that is but it'll things will change CU it's still early in the day yeah um but in terms of I mean look there are not enough facts um and and you know it's not just up to us yeah uh to talk about you know the facts resulting around what had happened it's also incumbent on the United States Secret Service and clearly the director has no intention of saying to anybody because she ran from five US senators last night here so I mean should she resign oh yeah yeah 100% was there Anger from your colleagues about the performance of The Secret Service not his detail personally but the broader service I mean I think that look I I'm not going to get into all the specifics of of that but I will tell you that the members of the United States Senate who were discussing with her yesterday I mean you can you can talk to Marsha she'll be you know the senator from tenness she'll tell you whatever you want to know um you know that they weren't answering the questions that they felt they needed answer and that's a problem and Chris you aren't a doctor uh but do you have a sense for what the prognosis actually is on you on his ear no no yeah no uh is there Pain still you know I don't know have you asked him it hurts nope yeah no okay um do you know how how long he has to wear the B hey look I got shot in the face yeah I know Chris won a Purple Heart in the first you don't win one you get one but was awarded the Purple Heart in the first go for serving the Marine Corps yeah and and it took me it took me a good 30 seconds to get back up off my feet and I was I so I was like I don't know how the hell he did that I don't know how plus he had you know five grown men and uh uh and and and a a female agent on top of them so I you know it's kind of remarkable have you talked to the speech writers who are crafting president speech for tonight in the last day yeah um what are they doing to incorporate language into his remarks to reflect the uncertainty about who your opponent's going to be have you added language so you know going through the process of preparing a speech for president Trump you know I don't I'm not going to get into too much detail but you know look it's a it's a process but I I don't think people what people don't know is that he spends he being the candidate the president the former president spends an enormous amount of time reading every single line and he'll change a period he'll change a comma he'll change a whole paragraph he'll take a paragraph and move it to this and because he wants the flow he wants the and what people don't realize either is that and we've tried to convey this um this whole debate about the um uh wasn't much of a debate uh for the platform I mean he he went through every single page up until 10:30 yeah Sunday night and I had have the thing at the printer at midnight so it' be ready at 6:00 a.m. it was clearly his voice oh oh 100% you see the but yeah no oh no I know and well you know everybody wants to see the draft and I'm like well actually he was on the phone with Vince going through Vince haly he and Ross the chief speech writers but I I mean so it's a process he goes through every single line and and um I mean look there's a body of work with with President Trump and and in his speeches there's a body of work in terms of his issues but you guys have had to update the remarks in the in the last day or you will today to reflect the uncertainty of who's going to run look I'm not going to I'm I'm not going to yeah the spe the speech it'll be fantastic we'll see tonight what he says beautiful be beautiful um speaking of beautiful remarks did um what was that conversation like that he had with President Biden the other night wasn't there I just know it was you know short yeah yeah and President Biden inquired about him and yeah I I wasn't there so I I don't try to you know insert myself and stuff like that speaking of conversation that that that uh clip of Bobby Kennedy Jr um and uh the Pres the former president talking on the phone leaked um um uh you guys think that that at some point here in the next 120 days that it's plausible the candidate can endorse I I mean look I that was obviously the ask yeah yeah I I mean it's it's say well you know the great thing was I was here yeah and so um I wasn't in the no I wasn't here no no no um but it is the hot spot in town it's no doubt um but uh you know the conversation that they had was very straightforward and I thought pretty benign and you know I thought it was pretty shitty what he you know what they did but I mean that's what you get had did it leak his son taped it apparently that's apparently what what what it was and then posted it on like uh like Facebook live or uh Myspace one of those PS okay good uh unclear what it was yeah um so you think though it's possible that you guys could land Kennedy right does he take more votes right now mid July from you or from Biden Kennedy it depends on the state okay let's literally Mich uh Michigan probably a touch more from Biden than us here like for one for every for every vote he takes from us he's taken two from Biden how about here in Wisconsin about the same Pennsylvania much more from us why I don't know I haven't figured it out yet that's for brizo you might know yeah yeah uh maybe I know maybe I'm just not going to tell you it could be a possibility too so um better to have him on the ballot or off the ballot but I mean you know generally gener I mean what between he and and and and and Cornell I I mean you know we're going to have four people on the battle three people on the battle they just restored Kennedy on the ballot North Carolina right after they they made that that the the Board of Elections down there made that BS move um so I mean they the Democrats are really good at keeping people off ballots um Chris speaking of Michigan Wisconson Pennsylvania the three blue wall States what's the former president's floor in these three states what's the minimum percent of the vote is it is it 46 it 47 like like what's is floor in these three states um it's def I mean the floor is definitely the high very high 40s High 40s the floor in these three states so what you're telling me in a multi-candidate ballot if president goes higher goes higher I mean look we're polling in some of these states a lot of these states we're in a head-to-head we're already over 50 you know when you get over 50 I mean it it becomes increasingly difficult and you hold that but you know the numbers have fluctuated but they've only fluctuated by one or two points at most and all of the margins are plus or minus four so you're talking about statistically no difference the thing that we again track more than more than any anything else are you know the averages I mentioned Tony That's Tony fabrisio president former president Trump's pollster has he gone into the field yet to test the strengths and vulnerabilities of not just KLA Harris but other potential Democrats who could be the nominee no I'm not going to answer that why not cuz it's private polling I'm asking for the results I'm asking for the results I'm asking for if he's doing it yeah I mean look we do a lot of things okay I just don't always have a need to share it with the world yeah right yeah yeah would it be would it be safe for us to assume that in the near future your research team is going Prof operation John what the hell do you think okay we'll take that as a strong yes that you're going to test the various strength weaknesses of kamla Harris and the other possible Democrats who would run a roster that includes uh potentially JB priter Gavin Nome uh Josh Shapiro um you didn't think I was going to be easy yeah no I'm still working on you so uh are there any folks out there Democratic names Chris that that you think would be stronger or weaker than others if it's not K Harris I I mean look there's a a lot of data public data out there that has shown you know a lot of different things I as a matter of fact I believe the White House did their own polling on this matter and released it publicly which I mean that that was quite entertaining um but but and and you know I think basically the you know Cala is polling at about the same um in public polls um I I've seen some data that suggests that she's actually polling worse yeah um I think that's probably why Nancy Peli is talking about if you know Joe goes we can't have Kamala so um but I mean you know newom is is it's kind of weak um the governor of California is kind of weak right yeah week in a general election or weak I think so I mean if you love California and if you love everything that he's done for California he'll love what he'll want to do to America so you guys would love to run against Gavin Newsome this fall if you could R any of them yeah any of them yeah we'll take any comers right you one of the things that I've said is that you um at this point perhaps the Democrats can't win the election any longer but that I don't I I look please yeah no I mean we don't we don't we don't even think that way I I mean our focus is our determination the way we're structured the way we're made in this you know our brains function we it just we grind every single day until it I mean it's not over until he puts his hand on the on the on the you know on the Bible and takes the oath it's not over till then it's not over on Election Day it's over on inauguration day CU I wouldn't put anything past anybody what do you mean I just don't I don't put anything past you think you think Democrats of the Court there is a there is a there is a well documented a well documented um report that talks about all of the efforts that the Democrats had in place uh in 201 20 to despite all everything that had happened that there was a well documented about ways to prevent um if Donald Trump had quote unquote won so so you know we like I said we plan for every worst case scenario that way we're ready for it is that Molly Molly is Molly B is that your story he's talking about no something else um I I wasn't finished with what I was saying I what what I was saying was that possible the Democrats can't win any longer but right it's also possible that Donald Trump can lose and he can give away the election that this is incumbent on Trump now to sustain his discipline for the next 120 days which leads me to a couple of questions see I look the campaign the election is about we keep the the the focus of the campaign on the issues that are in front of us okay that we're going to win okay ISU one of the issues that I know is significant for a lot of Voters is he he keeps talking about pardoning the January 6th riers Chris is he going to stop doing that and does he understand why why that's politically self-defeating for him to keep saying well you know I always find it amazing that that you know your your guys are the ones that bring it up that's not true well I've been in a lot of interviews it's the first question you guys ask so he's volunteered any number of rallies over the years look again the what we're talking about right now are the issues that matter and that's Social Security protecting Social Security and Medicare it's you know closing the Border I mean we have so much to talk about and that's where our focus is in a perfect Chris lval world he would never say the words January 6 hostages ever again Social Security Medicaid closing the Border deportation yeah I said it uh all of those things uh let me ask you about project 2025 um never heard of it yeah uh the president um uh to borrow a phrase from the great Haley Barber uh ran like a staled dog uh about project 2025 when he was oh I consider that funny I never even heard I don't know anything about it which obviously is not true he knows plenty about it the architects of it worked for his first term and are very likely to work for a second term if if he does win um what can you say to to voters who are concerned that he's going to implement some of the more extreme elements of that project see I love the way you just structured that question because you made statements that are complet utter just not true okay um starting with that that okay I think the only statement of fact and what you just said was they used to work for SC a dog well he no we're the ones that poured the water and and so this this oh that these people are you know they used to work for him so therefore they're the ones driving Chris so what okay what makes you think he's going to run it again because because you're going to be retired block that's pure speculation on your part it's complete and utter for any reporter to WR that this is the way it is because it's not that's what the left wants but I'm not going to give into that and Susie is not going to give into it and the president's made it clear these people do not speak for him they do not speak for the campaign and I love the fact you call them grifters you call them grifters the Campa oh the campaign the campaign well yeah campaign is 100% focus on we're the ones that are putting out the Poli look I think that in the perfect world from their perspective they would love to drive the issue set but they don't get to do that now you guys sure as hell give them a lot of leeway because you're always writing the Trump campaign un is going to start with the next Trump they're hurting your campaign the next Trump camp they're jaming you the ne no they're a pain in the ass yeah yeah so the the because they change the the issues that are going to win us this campaign are not the issues that they want to talk about and you guys know it which is the reason why you're right about it have you told Steven Miller he's a pain in the ass no Steph's been great he's not part of project 2025 he's he's not part of you should spiritually part of spiritually okay no I mean pick up the phone and call him and you'll find out he's not has the former president told them to to knock it off that he that that these folks are are hurting his campaign did you did you read what he put out I saw it yeah I think that was pretty clear he detached himself from it yeah well no he made it perfectly clear they do not speak for me yeah Chris you serve and usually usually that's enough right but no let's go find another guy who worked you know cleaning up uh you know the West Wing back back office and who's going to write a policy statement and you guys are going to write a story about this is the you know a new policy Chris you served in uniform you obviously bled for the country while you received a purple heart and you took an oath the Constitution do you believe that that former president Trump um has any grounding in the Constitution has any what grounding in the constitution is I do I do I I think it's a um well obviously he's a big believer in the First Amendment okay uh clearly a big believer in the Second Amendment for for himself at least yeah okay so and well I mean says you yeah I mean you get to say something and so do I right so um you know I think that um um I think that and and obviously the position that he's taken as Leisa relates to the do's decision uh from a 10th Amendment standpoint but yeah I think I clearly he hasn't he clearly he's taken an oath to the Constitution does he believe in the rule of law in this country 100% I mean he wasn't one to let the Cities Burn he's not the one that has the I mean last time I checked it wasn't Republican commonwealths attorneys or district attorneys that were letting criminals out on the street and not Prosecuting crime last time I checked you know min inota was burning you know Kenosha was burning Seattle was burning I mean you know we have a lot of capital police officers here in in Milwaukee right now protecting attendees uh and a lot of them obviously were attacked in the line of duty some of them um Steve scales was almost killed some of them bitterly so Donald Trump so when I ask about the rule of law I say that because the former president is talking about pardoning criminals who beat in some cases almost killed uh dozens of police officers who were protecting the US capital I just don't understand how that how that suggest he believes in the rule of law if he wants to Pardon criminals who attack almost kill police officers in in there well first of all he said I think pretty clearly you know about protesting peacefully now granted you you know everybody you guys have your opinion on that it's very well um based in your opinion but the fact of the matter is is you know I think Nancy Pelosi's on tape and it's made perfectly clear she was the one that denied the request for the National Guard so um I mean look there's a lot of back and forth but to make this broad statement that he's against the Constitution and against the rule of law with the body well you sure as hell alluded to it when the when the when the body of evidence from our standpoint shows the complete opposite ask especially as it relates to the left yeah uh but for the record I you're eager to hear him talk about a set of policy issues not pardoning a bunch of criminals we're talking no the campaign is about a very specific set of issues um Chris you worked in politics for decades you worked for a lot of winning campaigns campaigns that were less successful um and uh you kind of came up in the mainstream Wing the Republican Party um tell me about sort of how you have gotten to this place working for president Trump who obviously has taken over the party it's his party now but for a while obviously he was something of an outsider politically um do you think that your perspective on politics has changed in recent years after going to work for him so almost 35 years yeah um mostly Statewide races for Senate and Governor um a lot of super packs um my you know look I'm a political professional who gets paid to beat Democrats that's what I do right it's not difficult that's always how I viewed myself right sure it's not my name on the ballot understand but um you know when you but at the same time you in order to it's an exhausting business it's a very consuming um job really and consuming career because it's it it's almost cultural yeah I mean and so I mean we it just seems that my head seems to be hardwired a different way um but um in terms of changing I mean hasn't really CH I mean there the same things that I have always believed in and by the way you have to actually believe in what you're doing or you couldn't do this you just couldn't do this and that's why you don't find political Consultants who work for the right and the left they work for one side or the other but you work for a bunch of figures including Senator Mitch McConnell through the super packs who think that um the former president is somebody who is um well not fit for for public office he Endor why are they okay I know or okay once believe that so I guess what I'm asking is you've obviously come to believe that a lot of those people in your party have it wrong right that they didn't understand the last time I checked it wasn't a lot because you know well they retired or you or or or what or they were like oh yeah yeah I agree but like why is the CH family he's sitting at he's sitting at 95% that he's sitting at 95 why is the chy family wrong about Trump I I I mean look I I I don't know what liberals I don't know what what what Liz Cheney's problem is I mean oh yeah I do I mean you know Donald Trump endorsed her opponent and she lost yeah that's that probably piss her off she had problems before that too though right yeah yeah yeah so your perspective hasn't really change your focus is still beating Democrats and Trump's the vehicle to do that now right well but and at the same time but it's he's actually the leader of a real movement yeah right I mean it's more about that it's undeniable I mean it it just is and nothing like this right you've seen right huh nothing like you've seen before I'm no I've never SE was Obama the closest to this yeah probably but but but I actually think this is um it's just it's it it manifests itself on a level that Obama couldn't Chris what do you think it would mean if he not only won the electorial vote but if you won the popular vote victory that hasn't happened since 204 uh on your side right um do you think that that would strengthen his hand both in terms of politics and policy going forward and is that your goal to win not just electoral vote but to win the popular vote well I mean look how much does that matter the goal is the goal is obviously winning the White House I mean right that's the bottom line and and you know you've got to set a very specific goal because of the sheer volume of money that you're spending um and you got to make sure you accomplish it if those other things happen wonderful that's great right and that gives you you know clearly gives you added juice um but it still doesn't take away from the fact that you're the president so um you know it's it's we just don't spend a lot of time you WIP think about that I mean who wouldn't yeah but that's that again the goal is 270 yeah Chris tell me about the the art of Donald Trump and working with Donald Trump and for Donald Trump how do you what have you learned about the power of persuasion of of making your case to him of of how to get through to him like tell us how that works how how do you how do you make a case to Trump I I mean it's it's it's um well most of the interactions um are on the plane um and and so you you have to make your case does he eat on the plane usually yeah yeah that's where he eats you never see him eating right yeah no never a camera with him eating around that's intentional right no what there's never a camera in around what he's eating right he's very careful about that right um yeah I mean I guess I mean I actually I never really thought about it but you know I mean we've had you used to have press on the on the plane quite a bit you don't anym why I think we'll get back to doing that at he threw he threw somebody's phone right who was that reporter he threw the phone v h was there it wasn't he didn't throw his phone he was like whose phone is this oh it's mine like it was a mild toss yeah it was it wasn't even a toss the Press will come back on the plane the Press will come back on the plane before the election's over his plane I think so okay I think so so all right so so you're on the plane tell us about that we're on Trump Force One you got to get to them about something tell us how that works well you got to find a way to lower the music the volume what's he playing usually I mean his playlist I mean it's James Brown pa uh no seriously and no well not so much but but Phantom of the Opera uh well and then our favorite is is uh is uh Guns and Roses so you turn down the volume the music and then turn turn down down volume make sure that there's not a UFC fight on um um no I mean it's it's it's it look it's a very informal kind of thing and and and you know you have your you know you make your you have your conversations about very specific things you know got paper like do you give them a note card or a one pager or or is it all oral yeah no no it's it's combination of oral and it's also a combination of like PowerPoint kind of thing okay but but but you're not going to hand them 20 slides and say you know read this and make a decision because he the way he processes information it's completely just completely different is it better to do a one-on-one with him or is it more effective to have somebody or two people next to you talking to him I mean it just depends on the situation I mean I've had private conversation ations with him about policy or about strategy and then Susie and I the vast majority of time do it together yeah he he he's such a fascinating figure in political history the sheer volume that he reads I don't I mean people don't understand I mean that stack of papers he carries around with him everywhere and they're printing stuff out stuff he goes through all of that stuff and he's also a big phone guy when I say phone I mean the old the old the old term the old uh he calls people calls people yeah on their cell does Hees he number in his phone matter of fact John Carl calls him too yeah John Carl just left here because he's called Trump right now uh he's saiding you're going to carry New Mexico now apparently so all right so um he calls folks does he have the number saved in his phone how's that work yeah it's an iPhone he just yeah BS it out one of the things that that that was notable to me after the shooting was how many people he talked to on the phone it almost became a kind of sign of like being in the club and the giveaway of course was Kevin McCarthy America's thirstiest man who who said um who said that that he had just to Trump on the phone because that was sort of the cool thing to do but he he's an old school like LBJ style phone guy he's constantly up against the con constantly does that do that help you in some ways because he gets Intel or does it kind of complicate your life I I don't worry about it because what are you going to do take his phone change his numbers tell him he can't make phone calls yeah what right yeah I'd be on the backseat of that plane and then out the door does he ever text at all or is it all is it all phone I don't see him text yeah do you text him no do you email him email yeah no right right so it's all it's it's all call I mean you you he's I mean he talks to so many people on a daily basis that you know he talks to you know corporate guys and talks to his friends he talks to his golfing buddies it's a big phone tree call John daily just you know they'll just and talk and stuff I mean he talks to people about all kinds of stuff so when he told me he calls Cindy Hyde Smith between the hours of 5: and 600 in the morning because he knows Senator Smith is a farmer and she's up between 5 and 6 in the morning would surprise me and Trump Trump's also up early he knows that she'll be up too yeah um so he's calling all kinds of folks and he's getting all kinds of Intel all right so if you have to get to him on on policy versus politics are there different people that you deploy oh yeah yeah yeah I'm not I don't go and discuss the finer points of trade policy right you know but if you have to get to something very self-aware you have your own phone Tre of folks to get to them how yeah yeah well no I mean it's not a matter of there are a lot of people out there that you know obviously being a former president you have a a wealth of people that obviously were maybe in the administration or um that have a level of expertise so why would not you you know why wouldn't you go back to them yeah yeah but we're not picking up the Heritage Foundation and asking them right why not 2025 they just jammed you guys on that I'm not just not interested in talking to them yeah yeah there there it is again yep uh Chris uh we're winding down here um you got to have one really good really memorable Trump story that kind of reveals who who he is so far right tell us that that was compelling interesting amusing poignant whatever come on I I mean I look it's it's not so much just I mean obviously Saturday's kind of shaded everything I mean I I puts because you're a lighthearted guy so is he and it's a more sober moment now right yeah it's a little different yeah it's a little different yeah and it's about you know the energy or the uh the emotion that you feel when something like that happens how do you how do you utilize it um how do you utilize it for good to get to where you need to be well how do you utilize it to win the election or how do you utilize it to bring the country together I think it's both can you do that you think yeah I mean a lot of folks in this room are very skeptical he's ever going to change at all from who he is that he is the most consistent man there is the presidency did not change Donald Trump the oil paintings hanging around him did not change Donald Trump that he's not going to change at all why are they wrong and why is this time different because on so many occasions they've proven themselves too be wrong there's a body of evidence that suggests a whole lot of idea I mean look let's just talk about the Russia stuff let's just I mean there so many cases I can point to they were wrong so do you think that he has I reject the premise that the Press is always right I'm sorry from talking to him since Saturday Chris has he said that he wants to try to be more unifying in this speech and and Beyond the camp I'm not going to get in front of him on it watch it pay attention to it and you know all right Chris one of the cool parts of this campaign for you I know has been working with your daughter who's here with us today Victoria who's running comms for you guys in Michigan Michigan y tell us what that's been like work working with your kid on a campaign especially a campaign for president well I mean I you know she was doing the coms for attorney general's race uh is she on message usually or is she off mess like if she's not she's going to get a phone call from me um because she doesn't get treated any differently than anybody else and she'll tell you probably worse um uh no it's it is cool it is cool because you you know you never know what your kids are going to do and I've never put my finger on the scale of what they wanted to do just do what you want to do and and and be happy about it first and foremost love what you do I certainly do um I try to have fun in it I love it I'm passionate about what I do um so it's thrilling to be able to work with her and and uh and you put her at no pressure low Stak State Michigan I mean look you know yeah but it was a real pain in the ass driving 11 hours though to move her in on I think I had one the one day off and then we were having dinner that night Saturday night and I I realized that Biden was flying in on Sunday into Detroit so I just you know and I have I try to have a little fun on Twitter every now and then but I sent out a tweet something about going to Detroit my phone exploded because everybody thought maybe Trump was coming to Detroit and I did it on purpose but of course you're moving in your kiddo uh Chris bottom line here as we close January 20th 2025 you obviously hope that Donald Trump has has taken the oath to be president again what's the best case scenario if he does become president again in terms of the electoral votes how many could he win what's the best case scenario best case yeah it's over 320 over 320 yeah and the worst case scenario but still winning is what statewise two well I mean I need 270 I'm trying to think of what that last Model was our worst case scenario model Biden carried two but not three ofall states yeah yeah and where is Biden the most and and then also watch what's going on in in Omaha the single congressional district in terms of legal issues correct in terms of does it stay so you guys think it's possible that that that the vote from Nebraska a special session in August so it's possible that Nebraska could give all of its Electoral College votes to the winner almost certainly Donald Trump instead of splitting it and having the Omaha based congressional district do its own Del that's interesting there's actually an effort I believe in Maine too to do the same thing they also have a split congressional district issue and they're two seats uh and lastly which of the three blue wall States whether it's Harris or whether it's bid which of the three blue wall states do you think today the Trump van sticket is best positioned in well right now it's all three I I know that sounds like a answer but it does but yeah I know but it I I mean the last time I checked we were up six in Wisconsin which I mean look that's rich right I mean I you know I know this state extremely well and and and that's a that's a that's a rich lead and I don't expect something like that to hold it'll be very very tight so all three you're feeling good about but Wisconsin's really Wisconsin's a battle M Michigan's tough I mean Pennsylvania by the year size volume and I mean the and the spend right is is tough but um I mean I'm I'm I'm we really are bullish on all three and we're just we're going to fight it out for all of them but you feel the best about Wisconsin right now probably Michigan and Pennsylvania Michigan First and Pennsylvania even though Wisconsin's plus six and Part B is Michigan Biden will or whoever it is will lose third party votes to they will yeah they will here subm Michigan could be the blue wall back Democrats yeah guys Chris lasita give him a round of applause thanks so much for being here appreciate it good