LEAVE BEHIND AND IN BOTH OF THOSE CASES, THEY LEFT INDELIBLE WORK. >>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE FIELD OF CANDIDATES VYING TO BECOME THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE. MIKE PENCE, HIS CAMPAIGN RELEASED A POLITICAL AD THIS MORNING TAKING AIM AT PRESIDENT BIDEN. >> OUR COUNTRY IS IN A LOT OF TROUBLE. PRESIDENT BIDEN AND THE RADICAL LEFT HAVE WEAKENED AMERICA AT HOME AND ABROAD. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS BEING CRUSHED ON RUNAWAY INFLATION, RECESSION IS LOOMING, OUR SOUTHERN BORDER IS UNDER SIEGE AND THE ENEMIES OF FREEDOM ARE ON A MARCH AROUND THE WORLD AND WE ARE STILL, TIMELESS AMERICAN VALUES ARE UNDER ASSAULT AS NEVER BEFORE. >> HE KICKS OFF HIS CAMPAIGN TODAY IN DES MOINES, IOWA KATELYN, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. MIKE PENCE MENTIONS GOD AND FAITH, A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THIS ADD. I SUPPOSE IT'S NO SURPRISE AFTER ALL, EVANGELICALS ARE AN IMPORTANT PORTION OF THE REPUBLICAN BASE BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY IN IOWA. >> WE'VE BEEN COVERING CHRIS CHRISTIE WHO GOT INTO THE RACE LAST NIGHT AND NOW MIKE PENCE IS JOINING THE RACE, IT SHOWS HOW BIG THIS FIELD IS EXPANDING AND WHAT WAS NOTABLE ABOUT HIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO IS THAT YOU WILL FIND NO TRACE OF DONALD TRUMP, HIS FORMER BOSS, THE PRESIDENT, UNDER WHICH HE SERVED, AS VICE PRESIDENT, SO YOU HAVE A REALLY NOTABLE MOMENT HERE, WHERE YOU HAVE A FORMER VICE PRESIDENT, RUNNING AGAINST HIS FORMER RUNNING MATE, SOMEONE HE RAN WITH, TWICE, IN 2016 AND 2020. OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN TERMS OF THEIR PARTING OF WAYS. HE WILL FOCUS HIS CAMPAIGN ON EVANGELICAL VOTERS PARTICULARLY BECAUSE HE'S FOCUSING ON THIS RELIGIOUS CONSERVATISM. AND IF YOU LISTEN TO HIS SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS THAT HE'S DONE, WE SAT DOWN WITH HIM RECENTLY AS WELL AND HE TALKS ABOUT A MUCH MORE CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN PARTY, HARKENING BACK TO KIND OF THE ERA BEFORE DONALD TRUMP, WHICH OF COURSE IS REMARKABLE BECAUSE HE SERVED IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BUT HE TALKS ABOUT CULTURAL CONSERVATISM, HE'S LEANED INTO THE ANTIABORTION FIGHT. AND HE'S ALSO TALK TALK ABOUT A MORE HAWKISH FOREIGN POLICY, SO WE WILL SEE WHETHER THAT HAS ENOUGH APPEAL. THE CHALLENGE FOR HIM IS GOING TO BE TRYING TO GET OVER THIS HURDLE THAT IS THE TRUMP BASE WHICH IS STILL VERY MUCH UPSET WITH HIM OVER JANUARY 6th. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE, CHRIS CHRISTIE, HE HAS ANNOUNCED THAT HE'S TRYING TO GET TO THE WHITE HOUSE. THE THING ABOUT HIM IS HE HAD BEEN A LONG-STANDING TRUMP ALLY, REALLY, UNTIL THE LAST ELECTION WHEN TRUMP WAS DENYING THAT HE LOST THE ELECTION. THAT'S THE ONLY TIME YOU SPLIT WITH HIM. WHAT IS HE GOING TO TRY TO DO HERE? WHERE DOES HE SEE HIS LANE, MY GRAMMAR IS ALL OVER THE PLACE TODAY BUT I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TRYING TO ASK. >> ABSOLUTELY, ANNE-MARIE, WELL CHRIS CHRISTIE, AS YOU NOTED WAS A FORMER ALLY OF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP. HE RAN HIMSELF IN 2016, REALLY DID TERRIBLY IN IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE, DROPPED OUT, ENDORSED TRUMP, HELPED PREP HIM FOR DEBATES AND THEN FOR A TIME, LET THE TRANSITION TEAM INTO THE PRESIDENCY. NOW, HE'S RUNNING AS THE TOUGHEST TRUMP CRITIC IN THE RACE. HE TALKED ABOUT THAT EVOLUTION LAST NIGHT WHEN HE ADDRESSED A TOWN HALL IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE ARE GOING TO SEE FROM THIS CAMPAIGN. A LASER FOCUS ON PLACES LIKE NEW HAMPSHIRE, WHERE YOU CAN KIND OF TALK TO INDEPENDENT VOTERS. AT THE EVENT LAST NIGHT WHERE WE WERE COVERING HIM, I TALKED TO SEVERAL VOTERS WHO IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS INDEPENDENT. THEY SAID THEY WERE LOOKING AROUND THE FIELD BUT THEY KNEW THEY WANTED SOMEONE OTHER THAN DONALD TRUMP, SO, HE COULD TRY TO APPEAL HERE BUT REALLY, HE IS STAKING OUT A CLAIM IN THIS RACE, AS SOMEONE WHO IS UNAFRAID TO GO AFTER DONALD TRUMP AND DO SO PRETTY FIERCELY. LAST NIGHT, HE SAID DONALD TRUMP IS JUST A POWER HUNGRY PERSON, HE'S IN IT FOR HIMSELF, HE ACCUSED HIM OF ALL SORTS OF THINGS AND HE SAID HE WANTS TO TELL ITLIKE IT IS AT A TIME WHEN THESE OTHER CANDIDATES ARE TRYING TO THREAD THAT NEEDLE, NOT REALLY CRITICIZING TRUMP FOR FEAR OF ALIENATING THE BASE BUT ALSO TRYING TO SHOW CONTRAST. WE WILL SEE WHETHER CHRISTIE CAN PUL IT OFF. >> YOU KNOW WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT, TAKING ON THAT POSITION, IS, THAT'S FINE, BUT IT'S NOT JUST TRUMP YOU HAVE TO GET PAST, YOU HAVE TO GET PAST GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS, TOO. AND A LOT OF THESE CANDIDATES, WHETHER THEY ARE BEING OVERT OR SUBTLE ARE TARGETING TRUMP BUT RON DESANTIS IS PULLING QUITE WELL, OBVIOUSLY. SO TO PENCE OR CHRISTIE HAVE A CHANCE AGAINST TRUMP OR DESANTIS? >> AS KRISTI SAID LAST NIGHT, THE REASON HE'S GOING AFTER TRUMP SO HARD IS BECAUSE HE'S THE FRONT RUNNER, HE JOKED, WHO AM I GOING TO GO AFTER, NIKKI HALEY? OF COURSE I'M GOING TO GO AFTER TRUMP BUT YOU BRING AN INTERESTING POINT THAT DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF, HE IS STILL KEEPING HIS FOCUS ON RON DESANTIS, NEARLY EVERY DAY YOU HEAR ANOTHER HIT FROM TRUMP TO RON DESANTIS WHO APPEARS AT LEAST AT THIS POINT, TO BE PULLING AS THE MOST VIABLE OPPONENT TO TRUMP. YOU HAVE SEEN THESE CANDIDATES TAKE SWIPES AT RON DESANTIS AND NOT AS MUCH AT DONALD TRUMP. CHRIS CHRISTIE HAD WORDS FOR DESANTIS LAST NIGHT. A LOT OF THE CANDIDATES HAVE BEEN CRITICAL OF HOW HE'S BEEN HANDLING HIS FIGHT WITH DISNEY, SO THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE SEE POTENTIALLY TUNED UP ON THE DEBATE STAGE WAS BRINGS ME TO ANOTHER POINT, WHICH IS, THAT'S ALL CHRISTIE IS FOCUSED ON, IS GETTING TO THAT DEBATE STAGE, TO TRY TO REALLY GO TOE TO TOE WITH DONALD TRUMP AND TAKE HIM DOWN. THAT COULD ALSO GIVE SOME OTHER CANDIDATES SOME POLITICAL COVER AND LET CHRISTIE TAKE THE HITS
