OF HIS VOLATILITY. >> AND FULL OUTLYING. PEGGY NOONAN HAS A NEW PIECE ENTITLED MAY TRUMP SOON REACH HIS WATERLOO. AND SHE WRITES IN PART, THIS WEEKEND I REREAD PAUL JOHNSON'S NAPOLEON WHICH CAME OUT IN 2002, PART OF HIS SERIES OF BRIEF LIVES. JOHNSON RESULTS OF THE CULT OF FLORIDA POLIAN WHICH IS NOW PERTINENT. IT WAS WIDE BUT IT DID NOT LAST. IT HAD POWER IN THE MOMENT, BUT IT PASSED. REALITY SETTLED IN, HISTORY MADE ITS JUDGMENTS. CULTISTS CHANGED THE SUBJECT OR ADDED NUANCE WHEN PRESSED TO EXPLAIN THEIR PREVIOUS SUPPORT. BACK TO NOW, CHRIS CHRISTIE COULD EASILY DEFEAT JOE BIDEN. SO COULD SEVERAL OF THE GOP CANDIDATES NOW IN THE FIELD. DONALD TRUMP WOULDN'T. FOR ONE BIG REASON. HIS SPECIAL SUPER POWER IS THAT HE IS THE ONLY REPUBLICAN WHO WILL YOU 00 NIGHT AND RALLY DEMOCRATIC BASE AND DRIVE INDEPENDENTS AWAY. MANY BRIGHT TRUMP SUPPORTS SENSE THIS. BUT CAN'T CONCEDE IT AND BREAK AWAY FROM HIM. THIS WEEKEND AT A PARTY ONE OF TRUMP'S SUPPORTERS QUICKLY MADE HIS WAY TO ME TO SPEAK OF HIS HERO. HE SAID SURELY HE CAN ADMIT HE WAS A GOOD PRESIDENT. HE WAS ALL WOUND UP, SO I SPOKE SLOWLY. I WILL TELL YOU WHAT HE IS. HE IS A BAD MAN. I KNOW IT. AND IF YOU WERE A LESS COURTEOUS PERSON, I WOULD SAY THAT YOU KNOW IT TOO. HE WAS STARTLED. DIDN'T REPLY. AND LITERALLY TOOK A STEP BACK. BECAUSE I THINK HE DOES KNOW IT. POLITICAL CULTS ARE NEVER GOOD, OFTEN RISE, ALWAYS PAST. >> AND I JUST HAVE TO CORRECT SOMETHING. WHEN PEOPLE GO AND THE ECONOMY WAS SO GREAT. NO, IT WAS HORRIFIC. WORST FOUR YEARS SINCE HUBERT HOOVER. EVEN BEFORE COVID, HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SO MUCH. >> SO MANY DEATHS. >> THE MISHANDLING OF COVID, DENYING THAT IT WAS COMING, NOT PREPARING BUSINESSES. AND THEN THE SHUTDOWNS LASTED LONGER BECAUSE OF IT. AND EVEN BEFORE COVID, HE RANKED SEVENTH SINCE 1960 IN GDP. JIMMY CARTER HAD GDP GROWTH THAT WAS HIGHER THAN DONALD TRUMP'S, BUT DONALD TRUMP JUST KEPT REPEATING IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND THE NEWS PEOPLE WOULD REPEAT IT AND PEOPLE FOLLOWING HIM WOULD REPEAT IT. >> IT IS NOT TRUE. >> HE WAS NOT A GOOD PRESIDENT WHEN IT CAME TO THE ECONOMY EVEN THOUGH HE HELPED THE RICHEST 0.01% IN THE WORLD. IN THE COUNTRY. AND SO, CHRIS, THERE IS PEGGY NOONAN TALKING ABOUT WHEN THE FEVER BREAKS. WE'VE BEEN WONDERING WHEN THAT FEVER IS GOING TO BREAK FOR SOME TIME. I'M NOT SO SURE IT HAS TO BREAK ALL THE WAY WHEN YOU HAVE 20%, 25% OF REPUBLICANS SAYING THAT THEY WOULD NEVER VOTE FOR HIM. YOU KNOW, YOU NEED 1% OR 2% TO SWING THIS WAY OR THAT IN WISCONSIN, MICHIGAN AND PENNSYLVANIA FOR AN ELECTION TO COMPLETELY GET OUT OF THE REACH OF DONALD TRUMP. >> YEAH, I THINK IT IS THE SAME SEVEN OR EIGHT STATES THAT WE SAW IN '16 AND '20 THAT WILL DECIDE THIS ELECTION, WHETHER WISCONSIN, GEORGIA AND ARIZONA OR PENNSYLVANIA, MICHIGAN AND WISCONSIN. IT IS IN THAT GROUP OF STATES THAT WILL MAKE UP THEIR MIND. I THINK TRUMP IS FOLLOWING A STRATEGY, MAYBE I'D BE RIGHT ABOUT THIS, BUT I THINK THAT HE HAS BEEN DRAGGING ALONG DeSANTIS AS HIS MAIN BOXING PARTNER, HIS SPARRING PARTNER. I WATCHED HIM YESTERDAY IN IOWA. HE REALLY WANTS TO KEEP ONE OPPONENT OUT THERE, ONE OPPONENT THAT HE CAN BEAT IN IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE AND THEN GET RID OF THEM ALL. WITH CHRISTIE COMING ON AFTER HIM AS A PROBLEM BUT NOT A REAL THREAT. I'M NOT SURE THAT CHRISTIE COULD BEAT HIM BEING A TOTAL TRUMP OPPONENT. WHEREAS DeSANTIS IS NOT REALLY AN OPPONENT. HE IS READY TO JUMP ON THE TICKET IF HE CAN, IF NOT ON THE TICKET, SUPPORT HIM AT THE CONVENTION IN MILWAUKEE. I THINK THAT TRUMP IS TRYING TO CARRY ONE OPPONENT AT A TIME AND THAT IS DeSANTIS. AND I WATCHED HIM DO IT IN IOWA WITH FARMERS ISSUE, AGRICULTURAL ISSUES. HE WANTS TO KEEP ONE GUY IN THE FIELD AGAINST HIM SO HE CAN BEAT HIM EARLY ON. I THINK THAT IS WHAT HE'S UP TO. >> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT JOE BIDEN ON THE OTHER SIDE. WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HOW HE IS THE MOST UNDERESTIMATED GUY, WRITTEN OFF AS FINISHED AFTER IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE IN 2020. AND JOE BIDEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN UNDERESTIMATED, ALWAYS BEEN MOCKED, RIDICULED. GOING BACK TO THE '87 CAMPAIGN. BUT UNDER ESTIMATED THERE. HE IS TOO OLD TO WIN IN 2020. HE ENDS UP WINNING. AND THEN UNDERESTIMATED, THIS POOR OLD MAN THINKS THAT HE CAN GET BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION. HE PASSES MORE IN TWO YEARS THAN ANYBODY ELSE SINCE REAGAN OR LBJ. AND THEN IT IS, OH, BUT HE'S STILL TOO OLD, WE'LL GET CRUSHED DURING THE MIDTERMS. HE ENDS UP HAVING THE BEST MIDTERMS -- FIRST TERM MIDTERM IF YOU LOOK AT GOVERNORS' RACES BEING PICKED UP. GO BACK TO FDR'S MIDTERM TO COMPARE A PRESIDENT THAT DID AS WELL AS HE DID. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, AS SOON AS THAT, THEY ARE LIKE, YEAH, OKAY, GREAT, WELL, HE'S STILL TOO OLD. AND THEN HE DELIVERS A STATE OF THE UNION THAT WORKS. BUT WE HEAR IT DAY IN AND DAY OUT. I KNOW YOU HEAR IT DAY IN AND DAY OUT. HE'S TOO OLD TO RUN. AND THAT IS COMING FROM A LOT OF DEMOCRATIC INSIDERS. WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> WELL, INSIDERS IS A GOOD PHRASE. IT IS THE INSIDERS THAT ARE CHATTERING ABOUT THE VICE PRESIDENT AND WHETHER SHE SHOULD BE ON THE TICKET. BUT SHE WILL BE ON THE TICKET AND HE WILL BE THE NOMINEE. IT WON'T BE BOBBY KENNEDY JR. IT WILL BE HIM. IT WILL BE A STARK -- IT IS ALL TRUE, THEY ARE ALL FACTS ON THE TUBLG. TRUMP SAID ON ABORTION THAT HE IS TRYING TO SAY THAT THE EVANGELICALS CAUSED THE WHOLE PROBLEM WITH ROE AND EVERYTHING. HE WAS THE ONE ATTACKING ROE. HE WAS THE ONE SAYING THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME FORM OF PUNISHMENT FOR WOMEN HAVING AN ABORTION. SO THIS IS HIM. IT IS HIM WHO WAS OPPOSING ANY AID TO UKRAINE. IT WAS HIM, HE KEEPS ATTACKING HIMSELF. HE IS THE VILLAIN, HE HAS CAUSED ALL THE TROUBLE POLITICALLY FOR THE REPUBLICANS. THEY ARE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY WITH THE RUSSIANS. THEY SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED HAD THEY ARE SUPPORTING THE RUSSIAN, BUT THEY ARE. THEY ARE QUESTIONING NATO. HE WANTED EVERYONE TO PONY UP MORE MONEY TO BE A PART OF NATO. HE WANTED FEWER MEMBERS. HE IS THE BAD GUY. AND THAT IS AN AWFUL THING TO SAY ABOUT ANOTHER HUMAN BEING, BUT HE IS THE VILLAIN OF HIS OWN STORY. >> ABSOLUTELY. AMEN.
