August 25, 2024: Tom Cotton Joins This Week On ABC

at the Democratic Convention I'm joined Now by top Trump allly Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas welcome to this week so what what do you make all those Republicans speaking at the Democratic Convention oh what I uh make of them is that Trump derangement syndrome is a real thing but what most Americans remember is that for four years when Donald Trump was President we had peace and prosperity everything has gone to Hell under Joe Biden K Harris over the last four years and that's a clear contrast we have this is an unusual presidential election because Donald Trump has been president before the American people people know what he did they know that he understands the kind of pain they've suffered for the last four years under K Harrison Joe Biden and I think that's why they're ready to return Donald Trump to the White House but there seem to be a clear strategy on the part of the Democrats to try to appeal to the Republicans and of course Donald Trump has absolutely solid support him on the Republican base but there are a lot of Republicans uneasy uh uh with him as the nominee again and they seem to be going right at them well in every election John you have some members of One party endorsing a candidate of the other party that's a very traditional aspect of American politics I mean look at what just happened this week the Democratic party under KLA Harris has gone so far to the left that you actually had a Kennedy endorser Republican that's pretty remarkable that the Democratic party has become so radical under kamla Harris that a member of the Kennedy family has come out to endorse a republican I don't know if Bobby Kennedy Jr at this point is that representative of the Kennedy family but I want to get to that in a second but but first there there are reports there's obviously a bit of a momentum change here you see it in the polls you see it in the in the money flowing in uh to the Harris campaign and there was a report in Politico that Trump now knows that he has to change things up or or or that he could lose uh you you you talked to him I mean what what what's your sense do you need a change in Direction well president Trump in his campaign has known all along and they've said all along that this race is going to be a close race actually he said it would be a land slide just to be clear he said he was going to win in a landslide so uh but look we we know the race will probably come down to a few hundred thousand votes in a few States cam president Trump has been campaigning hard and vigorously now for months obviously that's going to increase in its Pace as we get closer to the election and president Trump is going to draw a sharp contrast with kamla Harris who has supported things like decriminalizing illegal immigration or giving taxpayer funded health insurance to illegal aliens or taking away health insurance on the job for 170 million Americans Banning gas cars confiscating Firearms these are all what do you mean taking away health insurance what are you talking about she said when she ran for president that she wants to eliminate Private health insurance on the job 170 million Americans johnk yeah I mean I mean that that is not her position now she know how do you know that's not her how do you know that's not her position I mean she she said she no longer supports she she has not said that maybe anonymous AIDS on a Friday night have said that but the re but the last thing that she said on was not a radical uh convention I mean she she she as you heard me go through with Bernie Sanders uh she is not taking the positions of the farle of her party she's clearly making an effort to move to the middle I I did hear what you said to Senator Sanders and I I thought it was clear that he's very disappointed that she's taking these efforts not to change her positions but to hide her positions John the American people are totally justified to conclude that KLA Harris is a dangerous San Francisco liberal based on what she campaigned on the last time she ran for president and what this Administration has done for the last four years again you would have thought watching the Democratic Convention last week that the Democrats are not in office that they're not in power that they're campaigning against an incumbent Republican when in reality she's been part of the failures of the Biden Harris Administration for four years and when she campaigned for president in her own right she did in fact promise things like decriminalizing illegal immigration taking away that's she's clearly changed on and she has said she has changed yes yes yes she has she has not John she has not said that she's not you pointed out cator Sanders repeatedly things that her campaign has said anonymous AIDS speaking on background to reporters has said well she no longer believes these things okay maybe she has changed her position on things like taking away your health insurance and confiscating your gun if she has changed her position she owes it to the American people to come out and say in her own words words when she changed and why she changed that's one reason why she needs to address the American people and speak to these questions because the only basis they have to conclude what she will be like as president is what she's done for four years in this Administration and what she said in her own voice in the last campaign remember these are not like college essays John this is what she was said when she was campaigning for president as a 54y old woman if she's had such a radical change of heart in the last 5 years she owes the people answers so so speaking of radical changes of heart I want to ask you about what Donald Trump had to say just a couple of days ago um he said and this is an exact quote statement he put out my Administration will be great for women and their Reproductive Rights is he now going to be campaigning on abortion rights what's going on here he will be great for women he was great for women women had great opportunities under Donald Trump you had a healthy growing economy you had safe communities and had I'm asking you about the reproductive Democrats can use phrases like Reproductive Rights all they want to describe their pro-abortion position which would force Americans to pay with tax dollars for abortion up to the moment of birth that's the Democratic position they can use that phrase if they to they don't get a monop they don't get a monopoly on the language to cover up their radical positions but but but I just ask you it's now Trump using those words Reproductive Rights but and he's also said we also heard from JD Vance that he would veto a National Abortion ban and he uh came out against using the comto ACT uh to uh to prevent the uh the shipping of the uh the abortion pill so what what is happening I mean in fact I he he said just the other day he suggested that he may support the amendment on the ballot in Florida to provide a constitutional right to an abortion I mean what what has happening with Trump on abortion so John I I think you just made a very important point the only candidate here proposing a national law is KLA Harris and we know what that law looks like because Congressional Democrats have voted on it it would require taxpayer funding for abortion up to the moment of birth they want to codify roie Wade that's not all they say about their law I'm asking you about Donald Trump though what what you you you have been you have a solid pro-life record for as long as you've been in public office what do you make of what he is saying now saying he is going to be protecting reproductive freedom and then he could even support a constitutional amendment in Florida legalizing abortion I voted on the law you didn't it does not codify row it goes far beyond what row says it would provide taxpayer funding for abortion up to the moment of birth Donald Trump has been consistent he said that roie Wade was wrongly decided before roie Wade this question was largely regulated by the states now that roie Wade has been reversed it will be again largely regulated by the states Comm Harris is the one that proposes the radical National Abortion law I I also want to ask something else that that Trump had to say recently is saying that the presidential medal of freedom which is something presidents give out I mean Trump gave one to uh uh you know to Devon Nunes the former Congressman um uh is is the equivalent and much better than the Medal of Honor which of course is is the practically as you know as a combat veteran sacred I mean it is the nation's highest military what what do you make of that it's totally taken out of context it's not taken out the point he was making is that he gives the presidential medal Freedom just like other presidents do to civilians who have done important things for their Nation but who haven't sacrificed life and limb and when you go to a medal a medal of honor ceremony at the White House and you're presenting it to a soldier who sacrificed his body or to his parents or to his children or his spouse that it is of a different order of magnitude it's totally of context Donald Trump do you agree that the presidential medal freedom is much better those are his words John John it was totally you're totally taking that out of context Donald Trump was great for our military he is great for our veterans KLA Harris is the one who's proposed for instance to cut the military every single year KLA Harris is the one who voted for military cuts when she was in the Senate Donald Trump has utmost respect for our veterans and our troops and you see that by his record in office and and and before you go I I I want to ask you about something else uh Trump said this is about the 2020 election it's something I have never heard him say before this was a last week in office for me because of a horrible horrible election where I got many millions more votes than I got the first time but didn't quite make it just a little bit short but short is he now finally acknowledging the truth about the 2020 election that he lost well John what he is saying there is that there are a lot of irregularities he challenged them in court those Court challenges didn't succeed it's as simple as that it's what he's saying about this election no he had said before it was stolen and he had many millions and more votes then uh then then than Joe Biden all stuff that isn't from you know we've been over this I mean he's well look I mean obviously Joe Biden and KLA Harris are the president vice president there in the White House that's why people are suffering so badly his court challenges did not succeed that's the only point he's making there I I okay well thank you very much Senator cotton I appreciate your time thanks for coming on this week coming up former party there's Donna