Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Mary Bruce & Dan Balz Talk politics FULL

>> WHEN I HEARD DESANCTIS TALK ABOUT EIGHT YEARS, WE NEED EIGHT YEARS, YOU DON'T NEED EIGHT YEARS. YOU NEED SIX MONTHS. WE CAN TURN THIS THING AROUND SO QUICKLY. IF YOU NEED EIGHT YEARS, WHO THE HELL WANTS TO WAIT EIGHT YEARS? YOU DON'T NEED EIGHT YEARS. >> THE FORMER PRESIDENT SAYS HE CAN SLAY THE DEEP STATE IN SIX MONTHS. MY QUESTION TO HIM WOULD BE, YOU ALREADY HAD FOUR YEARS. WHY DIDN'T YOU SLAY IT THEN? >> THE RIVALRY BETWEEN THE TWO FRONTRUNNERS FOR THE GOP NOMINATION INTENSIFIED THIS WEEK. LET'S BRING IN THE ROUNDTABLE FOR MORE. WELCOME BACK DONNA BRAZILE AND REINCE PRIEBUS, OUR CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT MARY BRUCE AND "WASHINGTON POST" CHIEF CORRESPONDENT DAN BALZ. WELCOME TO YOU ALL. WELCOME TO YOU AGAIN. MARY, I WANT TO START WITH YOU. YOU'RE AT THE WHITE HOUSE EVERY DAY. YOU SEE THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN, YOU SEE THE WHITE HOUSE OBVIOUSLY. WHAT'S THEIR VIEW OF THIS REPUBLICAN FIELD? >> I THINK THE BIGGER THE REPUBLICAN FIELD THE BETTER IT IS FOR THE BIDEN TEAM. THE MORE REPUBLICANS ARE CHASING EACH OTHER ALL OVER IOWA WHILE THE PRESIDENT IS NEGOTIATING A DEBT DEAL TO STAVE OFF A ECONOMIC DISASTER MAKES BIDEN LOOK PRESIDENTIAL. THEY FEEL AS LONG AS THIS IS DONALD TRUMP'S RACE TO LOSE, HE'S STILL THE FRONTRUNNER, THAT PUTS THEM IN A GOOD POSITION, BECAUSE THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN, CERTAINLY THE PRESIDENT, THEY BEAT TRUMP BEFORE, THAT HE'S THE BEST AND UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO BEAT HIM AGAIN. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THAT HOLDS, BECAUSE 2024 IS NOT 2020. >> DAN BALZ, YOU KNOW HOW QUICKLY THESE THINGS CAN CHANGE. IT IS STILL TRUMP'S RACE TO LOSE, HOWEVER, DESPITE THE LEGAL PROBLEMS. DONNA BROUGHT THAT UP. >> YEAH. I THINK THAT'S RIGHT. IT IS HIS LOSE. HE'S IN SUCH A DOMINANT POSITION. IF WE WERE SITTING HERE SIX MONTHS AGO WE WOULDN'T NECESSARILY SAY THAT. HE LOOKED, COMING OUT OF THE MIDTERMS, THAT THAT HE WAS A DAMAGED CANDIDATE, BUT GOVERNOR DESANTIS HAS HAD SOME PROBLEMS IN THE EARLY STAGE, AND THE FORMER PRESIDENT HAS BEEN STRENGTHENED IN PART BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE LEGAL ACTION THAT'S GONE AGAINST HIM, BECAUSE IT'S RALLIED PEOPLE AROUND HIM. HIS BASE IS STRONG. HE HAS THE CLEAREST -- STRONGEST BASE WITHIN THE PARTY. EVERYBODY ELSE, YOU KNOW, AS REINCE SAID EARLIER, EVERYBODY ELSE HAS TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GO AFTER HIM, AND DENY HIM THE NOMINATION THAT OTHERWISE IS LIKELY TO BE HIS. >> AND REINCE, BACK TO DESANTIS, YOU WATCHED HIM IN IOWA. YOU WATCHED EVERYBODY. WHAT WAS YOUR TAKEAWAY FROM WHAT YOU SAW DESANTIS DO IN IOWA AND WHAT HE TALKED ABOUT? >> WELL, I THINK THAT HE'S GOT A GREAT RECORD. I THINK THAT HE'S TRYING TO MAKE A GOOD CASE FOR AN EIGHT-YEAR TERM. SO HE'S TRYING TO POSITION HIMSELF AS, HEY, LOOK, I'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING DONALD TRUMP GIVES YOU, MINUS A FEW TWEETS OR THE TRUTH SOCIAL, BUT I'M ALSO GOING TO GIVE YOU EIGHT YEARS. THE PROBLEM IS THAT DESANTIS IS HITTING TRUMP FOR NOT GETTING ENOUGH DONE IN THE FIRST FOUR YEARS, BUT DESANTIS IS SAYING, BUT I NEED EIGHT YEARS TO GET IT DONE. I MEAN, IT DOESN'T REALLY JIBE WELL. BUT I THINK THAT HIS PROBLEM IS GOING TO BE MOMENTUM AFTER IOWA, BECAUSE YOU LOOK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE, YOU LOOK AT SOUTH CAROLINA, AND YOU LOOK AT WHERE THAT MAGA BASE IS AT. I MEAN, DONALD TRUMP IS -- YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, HE'S A FORCE OF NATURE IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY RIGHT NOW. AND WHAT THEY'RE ALL WAITING FOR ARE THINGS THAT YOU CANNOT -- WE CAN'T PREDICT. AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS. >> DONNA, I WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT -- YOU BROUGHT UP YOUR TV HUSBAND, CHRIS CHRISTIE, FORMER ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR, FORMER GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY. HE'S ONE WHO'S DIRECTLY TAKING ON DONALD TRUMP. WAY MORE SO THAN ANYONE ELSE. WILL THAT RESONATE? >> ABSOLUTELY. LET ME SAY A GOOD WORD ABOUT CHRIS CHRISTIE. I HOPE HE DOESN'T DISAVOW HIS FORMER TV WIFE NOW THAT I'M A POLITICAL WIDOW. HERE'S THE POINT. CHRIS KNOWS HOW TO BEAT HIM. CHRIS KNOWS DONALD TRUMP. HE KNOWS HOW TO GET INTO HIS SKIN. I THINK THAT'S GOING TO -- >> HE DIDN'T BEAT HIM LAST TIME. >> LOOK, WINNING ISN'T ALWAYS DECLARING VICTORY. IT'S ABOUT HOW TO TAKE ON A CHALLENGER LIKE DONALD TRUMP. IT'S A DELICATE DANCE TO NOT ONLY COURT THE SUPPORTERS WITHOUT ALIENATING THEM, BUT TO ALSO GIVE THE OTHER REPUBLICANS CANDIDATES AN OPENING. I THINK CHRIS CHRISTIE IS WELL POSITIONED, IF HE CAN RAISE THE MONEY, BECAUSE THE RULES TO GET ON THE REPUBLICAN STAGE THIS TIME, IS THERE WON'T BE A KIDDIE DEBATE, IS TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, 400,000 -- >> 40,000. >> 40,000 -- LET ME GET IT RIGHT. >> A LOT OF SMALL DONATIONS, PUT IT THAT WAY. >> I WROTE IT DOWN, BECAUSE I'M NOT A REPUBLICAN. CHRIS WILL HAVE TO DO THAT. HE WILL BE A STRONG CHALLENGER. HE WILL HELP THE REST OF THE FIELD. I HAVE TO MAKE FUN OF MR. DESANTIS. HOPE TO SEE HIM ONE DAY, SO I CAN LOOSEN HIM UP. I THINK I CAN LOOSEN HIM UP A LITTLE BIT. HE SAID HE'S THE BEST CONSERVATIVE RUNNING. HE SAID HE'S MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN TRUMP. THAT'S THE ARGUMENT HE WILL MAKE. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT GAINS ATTRACTION. BECAUSE HIS AGENDA IN FLORIDA WAS NOT A FREEDOM AGENDA. IT WAS AN ANTI-FREEDOM AGENDA. >> MIKE PENCE GETTING IN, HOW HE DID IN IOWA. >> I THINK THE FORMER PRESIDENT IS IN A VERY AWKWARD POSITION. HE'S RUNNING AGAINST THE PERSON WHO BROUGHT HIM ON TO THE NATIONAL TICKET. RUNNING AGAINST THE PERSON HE SERVED LOYALLY FOR MOST OF FOUR YEARS UNTIL JANUARY 6th. WHAT'S HIS CASE AGAINST DONALD TRUMP? AT SOME POINT HE HAS TO MAKE AN EXPLICIT CASE -- >> BEYOND JANUARY 6th. >> RIGHT. WHICH HE DIDN'T MENTION AT ALL YESTERDAY. WE'LL SEE IF HE DOES LATER THIS WEEK. HE HAS TO MAKE AN EXPLICIT CASE WHY DONALD TRUMP IS UNFIT TO BE PRESIDENT AGAIN, BECAUSE HE'LL TAKE CREDIT, AS HE DID IN IOWA YESTERDAY, FOR A LOT OF THE POLICIES THAT THEY HAD IN THOSE FOUR YEARS. SO I THINK HE'S IN A TOUGH POSITION. BUT CLEARLY HE SEES AN OPENING IN IOWA, BECAUSE IN IOWA, YOU KNOW, EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS HAVE A VERY STRONG VOICE IN THOSE CAUCUSES. I THINK THAT HE WILL PUSH TO TRY TO FIND THAT SPACE IN ORDER TO BREAK OUT IN IOWA. IT'S A TOUGH PATH FOR HIM. >> MARY, YOU COVERED THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN IN 2020. YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE OUT THERE AGAIN COVERING CAMPAIGNS. JOE BIDEN NAVIGATED A SIMILARLY LARGE FIELD. REPUBLICANS HAVE ANY LESSONS TO LEARN? >> IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. I THINK BACK TO 2020, AND FOR A LONG TIME BIDEN'S CAMPAIGN WAS BASICALLY WRITTEN OFF FOR DEAD. HE FIZZLED IN THE EARLY CHALLENGES. A COUPLE THINGS STAND OUT, RIGHT? HE ALSO HAD A CONSISTENT MESSAGE. HE STILL DOES. HE'S RUNNING BASICALLY ON THE SAME MESSAGE NOW. I DO THINK HE ALSO BENEFITED FROM THAT PILE-ON EFFECT ON THE EARLY FRONTRUNNERS. I THINK BACK TO THAT SOUTH CAROLINA DEBATE WHERE EVERYONE SORT OF HAMMERED BERNIE SANDERS. I'M NOT SURE THAT APPLIES HERE, THOUGH, WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH TEFLON DONALD TRUMP, WHO SIMPLY SEEMS TO WELCOME A LARGER FIELD. HE THINKS THAT WILL HELP HIM. I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY OF THOSE LESSONS NECESSARILY APPLY, BECAUSE TRUMP ALWAYS BREAKS THE MOLD. >> BUT EVERYONE IS WATCHING. REINCE, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE NEW DEBATE RULES, THE 40,000 INDIVIDUAL CAMPAIGN DONORS, 1% IN MULTIPLE NATIONAL POLLS, BUT THIS ONE, WHICH IS NEW, A PLEDGE OF SUPPORT FOR THE EVENTUAL NOMINEE. WHY THAT? WHY NOW? >> IT'S REALLY NOT NEW. WE DID IT IN 2016, IF YOU REMEMBER THE FAMOUS -- >> RAISING THE HANDS AND -- >> -- TOWER TO GET THE PRESIDENT TO SIGN THE PLEDGE. HERE'S THE PROBLEM. NATIONAL PARTY, THIS IS THE NOMINATION FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS DATA AGREEMENTS WITH ALL THESE CANDIDATES. REPUBLICAN PARTY SAYS I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL OF OUR DATA, OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE, AND YOU'RE GOING TO USE IT AND YOU'RE GOING TO EXCHANGE DATA BACK TO THE RNC. I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE THAT DATA TO A CANDIDATE THAT'S GOING TO TELL ME THEY'RE NOT GOING TO SUPPORT THE NOMINEE. SO IF YOU WANT TO GET THE DATA, RUN FOR OUR PARTY NOMINATION, THESE ARE THE RULES. THERE'S LOTS OF PARTIES. GO RUN IN THE INDEPENDENT PARTY, FARM LABOR PARTY, DO WHAT YOU WANT, BUT IF YOU WANT TO BE THE NOMINEE OF OUR PARTY YOU FOLLOW OUR RULES. >> AND WILL DONALD TRUMP APPEAR ON THE DEBATE STAGE, DO YOU THINK? >> I THINK HE WILL DEFINITELY WILL APPEAR ON THE DEBATE STAGE. >> YOU THINK HE DEFINITELY WILL. DONNA, DEMOCRATS HAVE SIMILAR DEBATE REQUIREMENTS. IS THIS THE WAY TO GO? IS IT FAIR? ASA HUTCHINSON COMPLAINING ABOUT THEM. >> I THINK IT'S MORE THAN FAIR. IF YOU'RE ABLE TO STRIKE FIRE IN THE EARLY STATES, ACCRUE THE EARLY SUPPORT BY GETTING $5 AND $10 DONATIONS FROM EVERYDAY AMERICANS, THEN YOU'RE NOT FIT TO RUN THE GAMUT. TO RUN THE GAMBIT. REPUBLICANS HAVE DIFFERENT RULES WHEN IT COMES TO ACCUMULATING DELEGATES. AFTER YOU GET OUT OF THE EARLY STATES, IT'S WINNER-TAKE-ALL ON SUPER TUESDAY STATES ON MARCH 5th. IF YOU CAN'T STRIKE FIRE EARLY, HMM, YOU'RE GOING TO BURN OUT QUICKLY. >> MARY, I WANT TO TURN TO THE DEBT CEILING, WHICH YOU'VE COVERING FOR MONTHS. >> FOREVER. >> FOREVER. PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS STRESSED BIPARTISANSHIP. THAT'S CLEARLY A MESSAGE GOING FORWARD. IS THAT ENOUGH? >> YEAH. WE CLEARLY HEARD A BIG TEMPLATE OF HIS CAMPAIGN MESSAGE. THE WHITE HOUSE BELIEVES THIS FIGHT WAS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF BIDEN CAN MAKE GOOD ON THE PROMISE TO REACH ACROSS THE AISLE AND GET SOMETHING DONE WHILE ALSO PRESERVING HIS PRIORITIES, RIGHT? THEY DON'T FEEL HE GAVE UP TOO MUCH ON HIS ECONOMIC AGENDA HERE. I WILL SAY, THOUGH, I THINK WE HAVE TO BE REAL ABOUT THIS, NEGOTIATING A BIPARTISAN DEAL WHEN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY IS ON THE BRINK OF DISASTER IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN ARGUING, AS WE'VE SEEN THE PRESIDENT AND THE SPEAKER -- >> YOU'VE SEEN A CHANGE IN WASHINGTON. >> I WOULDN'T HOLD YOUR BREATH FOR A LOT OF BIPARTISAN KUMBAYA MOMENTS GOING FORWARD. >> DAN, OF COURSE, WHATEVER MESSAGE THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS TO GIVE OUT, HAVING THE PRESIDENT IN THE OVAL OFFICE THIS WEEK, WE SAW AN IMAGE THAT STAYED WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND THAT IS THE PRESIDENT FALLING DOWN AFTER THAT AIR FORCE COMMENCEMENT SPEECH. HOW DOES THAT PLAY? WE TALK ABOUT THIS EVERY WEEK. THAT VOTERS ARE LEGITIMATELY CONCERNED ABOUT PRESIDENT BIDEN'S AGE. >> TWO THINGS, MARTHA. ONE IS WE KNOW THAT MOST AMERICANS HAVE NO ENTHUSIASM FOR A REMATCH BETWEEN THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND THE CURRENT PRESIDENT. THAT'S POINT ONE. BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN IF THAT IS THE REMATCH THAT PEOPLE WILL NOT IN A SENSE TAKE TRADITIONAL SIDES, THAT THEY WILL MOVE TO THE RED CAMP AND THE BLUE CAMP. AGE IS CERTAINLY A FACTOR FOR BOTH MEN, BUT MORE SO FOR THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE'S OLDER AND BECAUSE HE'S SHOWN SOME SIGNS OF THAT AGING. BUT I THINK IN THE END PEOPLE WILL NOT NECESSARILY MAKE THEIR DECISION ON THAT. THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE THEIR DECISION ON WHAT EACH CANDIDATE, WHO'S THE NOMINEE, IS OFFERING THE COUNTRY, AND THE ARGUMENTS BETWEEN THE TWO ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THE OTHER BECOMING PRESIDENT. ULTIMATELY WE GET DOWN TO THAT IN THE FINAL STAGE. BUT AS THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID, AGE IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE. AND VOTERS SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT THAT. >> QUICK THOUGHT FROM YOU THERE, REINCE, JUST TO WRAP IT UP. >> OH, WELL, LOOK, AS TO THE DEBT CEILING, MOST PREDICTABLE THING, YOU KNOW, AS PREDICTABLE AS THE DETROIT LIONS NOT MAKING THE SUPER BOWL. I THINK KEVIN McCARTHY DID A GREAT JOB. BOTH SIDES SAYING THEY CAN WIN. TO DAN'S POINT, YOU HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT BOTH PARTIES ARE IN A HUGE ROOM, AND THEY ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER ABOUT WHO THEY WANT TO EMERGE FROM THAT ROOM. IT'S NOT THE MEDIA. IT'S NOT PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE. IT'S NOT PEOPLE READING NECESSARILY ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE ALL READING. MOST LIKELY YOU'RE GOING TO GET THE PEOPLE THAT -- AT THIS POINT THAT DAN IS REFERRING TO, THE PRESIDENT AND FORMER PRESIDENT. >>