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Trump And Haley Trade Increasingly Personal Barbs; IDF: Troops Uncovered Tunnel Hamas Used To Hold Hostages; Interview With Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT); DeSantis Cancels Sunday Show Appearances Ahead Of New Hampshire Primary; South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott Snubs Haley, Endorses Trump; New Inquiry Into District Atty In Georgia Trump Case. Aired 6- 7p ET

Aired January 20, 2024 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KARA SWISHER, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, "THE NEW YORK TIMES" OPINION: I'm not sure what he's doing up there, and it is kind of, I don't understand why a congressman when there are so many amazing possible candidates, the Democratic Party is doing this. It's only for recognition and to pal around with this rich friends.

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN HOST: Supposedly, he's also saying, you know, there ought to be a choice.

SWISHER: That is true. That is true.

WALLACE: And he is a proxy for that.

SWISHER: His ice cream is excellent. Talenti ice creams.

WALLACE: You know, I learn so much from you.

SWISHER: Anytime.

WALLACE: Thank you all for being here. Thank you for spending part of your day with us, and we'll see you right back here next week.

[18:00:35]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Good evening.

Tonight, just three days away from the New Hampshire primary and exactly one year from Inauguration Day, it is getting personal.

Nikki Haley who once hesitated to directly criticize her chief rival is questioning former President Donald Trump's mental fitness after this moment in New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By the way, they never report the crowd on January 6th. You know, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley. You know, they did -- did you know, they destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence, everything deleted and destroyed all of it -- all of it. Because of lots of things like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard, whatever they want. They turned it down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Of course, Haley was not even in office on January 6th, Trump apparently confused her with Nancy Pelosi who was never in charge of Capitol security. And the former president was of course, glossing over his actions on January 6th when he egged on his supporters to fight like hell and then watch the attack on the Capitol unfold on TV.

Despite his bizarre blunder, Trump is touting his intellectual prowess, bragging that he aced a cognitive assessment, Haley was quick to pounce on his mental misstep.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not saying anything derogatory, but when you're dealing with the pressures of a presidency, we can't have someone else that we question whether they're mentally fit to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Haley is also sharpening her criticism of Trump's blatant lies and preposterous claims, including this one this week from Trump that presidents must have total immunity from prosecution even in events, that "cross the line."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: Do you get just total freedom to do whatever you want? No, that's never the way it was intended to be. There needs to be accountability. No one is above the law.

And I've seen the commercials you've seen, and let me tell you everything Donald Trump has put out there is a lie, and if you have to lie to win, you don't deserve to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Though Haley is within striking distance, recent polls favor Trump, but a Trump win in New Hampshire could be a knockout punch for the rest of the GOP field. That's despite January 6, despite his lies and incendiary rhetoric, despite the racist dog whistles, despite his mental missteps, all of which his party is brushing aside as they increasingly fall in line behind the former president.

CNN is on the ground across New Hampshire in the final push to the primaries. Alayna Treene is following the Trump campaign, Kylie Atwood is with Team Haley, and Steve Contorno has the latest from the Ron DeSantis campaign and some news on the DeSantis campaign in just a few moments.

But let's start first with Alayna Treene. She is with the Trump campaign in Manchester. Alayna, what's the latest?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Yes, well, Jim.

Trump is really making a key argument to his supporters this week, and we're going to hear that tonight as well, which is Tuesday means a lot, margins matter, and we need everyone to get out the vote. One thing that he said last night, at a rally in Concord, New Hampshire was really warning voters not to get complacent, a message we heard him deliver many times in Iowa as well, but also he argued that he thinks that if he can have a big win in New Hampshire, it could effectively force his rivals out of the race and end the primary early.

And he said as much, and I know from my conversations with Donald Trump's campaign and his advisers, they do believe that. They believe that if he can have a really strong showing here in the Granite State, that maybe he can really lock up the GOP nomination early.

Now, another big thing that we've been hearing from Trump is him escalating his attacks on Nikki Haley, really, they've become pretty nasty at this stage in the primary. Last night, he argued that she is not fit for office, she is not tough enough for office and also threw cold water on the idea that he could potentially pick her as a running mate. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: A woman that I know very well, a woman that is not capable of doing this job. I know her very well. She's not tough enough. She's not smart enough and she wasn't respected enough. She cannot do this job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:05:08]

TREENE: Now, Jim, I can tell you that he is going to continue escalating his attacks on Haley. Tonight, we actually received a memo or really a packet of papers from the Trump campaign while waiting for him to come on stage just now, laying out a series of their attacks on Haley, as well. Hitting her on immigration, on Social Security, all things I think you can expect to hear from his speech in just a couple of moments.

ACOSTA: And Alayna, Donald Trump made a pretty major gaffe last night appearing to confuse Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi while talking about January 6th. Has the campaign -- Trump campaign offered any response to that?

TREENE: They have. I mean, well, it wasn't an official Trump campaign response, but we did hear from one of Trump's senior campaign advisers, Chris LaCivita, he posted on X today. He wrote "Nancy... Nikki, it's a distinction without a difference."

So really, his campaign is trying to kind of dismiss that Trump made a mistake last night, that he had a misstep. Clearly, though, I think, you know, I was there. I was watching him. It did seem like a major gaffe confusing Nancy Pelosi with Nikki Haley.

And look, I mean, for Nikki Haley's part, she pushed back very firmly on this as well and argue that maybe this is a question of whether Donald Trump is mentally fit.

And so, I think we're going to stay tuned to see if we hear more of some of those missteps tonight while he's on stage -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Yes, it sounds like cleanup on aisle six for the Trump campaign.

All right, Alayna Treene, thank you very much.

Now to our Kylie Atwood with the Nikki Haley campaign in Keene, New Hampshire.

All right, Kylie, what's the Haley campaign doing right now? What are they saying?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, listen. Nikki Haley has been barnstorming the state over the course of the entire day. This will be her fifth event of the day, and she is really just talking to voters, making her pitch over and over again.

But as you said, as she does that, she is cranking up her critiques of former President Trump. Of course, as you mentioned, questioning his mental fitness, which is something that she has, you know, done in the past, but not in such a pronounced way as she did earlier today, pointing out that gaffe that he made last night in his campaign rally.

And she's also going after him being critical of the ads that New Hampshire folks are seeing on TV, hitting her -- from the former president.

Listen to what she said on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: I've seen the commercials you've seen, and let me tell you, everything Donald Trump has put up there is a lie, and if you have to lie to win, you don't deserve to win.

He says I raised the gas tax in South Carolina. I never raised the gas tax in South Carolina. But you know what he did? He proposed all of us having to pay a 25 cent gas tax hike when he was president in 2018.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: Now, she also went on to defend herself when it comes to her proposal for Social Security reform saying that she isn't proposing to change Social Security for people who are already receiving it, but to change the program for people who are entering the program early on in their 20s.

Now, Nikki Haley is also celebrating her birthday on the campaign trail today, which I think is worth noting out and she told voters earlier that she'd like to receive her birthday presents in the form of votes on Tuesday.

ACOSTA: All right, yes, a big upset would be a huge birthday gift. All right, Kylie Atwood with the Nikki Haley campaign, thank you so much.

Breaking right now, CNN has learned that Ron DeSantis has canceled appearances on both CNN's "State of the Union" and NBC's "Meet the Press" tomorrow morning.

CNN's Steve Contorno joins us now from Lexington, South Carolina, which -- with word on what could be a major development in this campaign.

Steve, I mean, it's never a good sign when a candidate is canceling Sunday morning appearances right before a big primary like New Hampshire. Obviously, they don't want to take questions along the lines of, are you going to drop out? You know, how well do you need to do to stay in this race and so on, but one would think they would want to take those questions on as opposed to just canceling appearances, which is going to generate a lot of speculation.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Jim.

And they have attributed this change in schedule to some logistical issues that they've had scheduling events with the super PAC that has been hosting him. You know, he's in South Carolina right now. The super PAC is planning events in New Hampshire.

But the fact that he has been going back and forth between these two states sort of just demonstrates the unclear path he has to victory going forward and how little understanding they have and the sort of fly by night nature that they're going about this post Iowa campaign.

They have all but punted on New Hampshire. And yes, he is putting out op-eds in the state.

He is in South Carolina today, seemingly trying to lay the groundwork for a sort of last stand here, but now they're going to go back to New Hampshire tomorrow and this sort of oscillating back and forth is just as confusing to voters as it is to us.

[18:10:10]

He was asked earlier today about his viability going forward from not just reporters, not just hosts on TV, but from voters that want to know why they should get to support him at this stage in the race, and he is trying to make the case here in South Carolina that he is a far more conservative candidate and is a much better fit for the voters here than the former governor, Nikki Haley.

Listen to what he had to say today about her record as governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Can someone tell me major achievements of Nikki Haley when she was governor, anybody? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gas tax.

DESANTIS: Gas tax. Tried to raise the gas tax. That's not an achievement, that's a bad one.

So I just -- nobody can say an achievement. I mean, I just think that's remarkable because I can tell you, like if you were in Florida, and we had, you know, hundreds of people, you started saying -- hands would shoot up, they'd started talking about all the stuff that we've done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, there was a really interesting moment that just took place at the DeSantis event that just wrapped up behind me, Jim.

A woman saw those remarks earlier today on her local television station, and she showed up at this DeSantis event to challenge them and to say, hey, here are a few things that Nikki Haley did well, and she wanted to stand up for her record on schools.

And when she started trying to make that case, he actually shut her down, talked over her and she walked out. We spoke with her afterwards and she said she was here to defend Nikki Haley's record on education.

She also wanted to stand up for her non-binary child and the way that this governor, Governor DeSantis has talked about transgender issues and LGBTQ issues.

She is a Republican voters. She's a teacher in the state for the last 24 years and she will be voting for Nikki Haley and showed up to make her voice heard here today.

ACOSTA: Let me ask you, what does the campaign see as his path to victory at this point? I mean, it can't be going through canceled Sunday talk show appearances. That is usually not a good sign.

CONTORNO: Right. Exactly. And there's this sort of thousand dollar question out there, I guess, because even if he does well at knocking Nikki Haley down in South Carolina, that would mean likely victory for Trump here. That means Trump will be leaving the first four primary states or first four nominating states four and oh.

And how do you come back from that at that point? How does anyone come back from that? So, and really this kind of fight between him and Nikki Haley for second place and his attempts to neutralize her are not making any headway at taking on the frontrunner, Donald Trump.

ACOSTA: No, it is doing a lot of what I saw back in 2016, which is a fractured field, it helps Donald Trump. It happened in 2016, it appears to be happening again in 2024.

Steve Contorno outside Hudson Smokehouse, that's -- I've been there. That's a good barbecue place. I hope you get some good barbecue while you're there.

Steve, thank you very much.

Our live coverage of the 2024 New Hampshire primary starts Tuesday at 4:00 PM Eastern right here on CNN. So stay tuned for that.

Still ahead, Israeli Defense Forces say they've discovered a tunnel inside Gaza used by Hamas to hide hostages. This, as US personnel were injured in an attack in Iraq. We'll be joined live by Democratic Congressman Jim Himes to discuss it all. That's next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:44]

ACOSTA: Tonight, Israeli Defense Forces say they've uncovered another tunnel inside Gaza allegedly used by Hamas to hide hostages. After a firefight at the tunnel entrance, the IDF says they discovered this area some 60 feet underground believed to be where Hamas kept the hostages. No hostages were present during the operation.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in Tel Aviv for us. Nic, what more do we know?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, one of the reasons that the IDF say that they were able to absolutely be sure that this was where some of the hostages were held, some 20 hostages, most of whom it seems were released during that pause in fighting back in November that allowed hostages, a number of hostages, close to a hundred hostages to be released.

Amelia Aloni was a small girl, one of the hostages, and it was her drawings that were found in one of the rooms there that gave a strong clue to the IDF about which hostages had actually been held in these rooms.

They said they found five rooms that had bars on the doors, that also had toilets nearby. This is an area of Khan Yunis, where they also found other tunnels, a tunnel incidentally, that the IDF took us down about 10 days ago, showed us areas where they believed hostages were also held.

They had found evidence that the hostages have been held in these tunnels that they've taken us down as well and even showed us some video of this tunnel system that they're now reporting about.

So this is, I think, what we're understanding from the IDF here is clearly, they are beginning to release more information about these very sophisticated, very deep tunnel systems that have been used to hide the hostages.

The complexity when you get down there, it is staggering, the amount of work, effort, time, and money that Hamas put into making these tunnels.

Some of the rooms there, they are tiled floor to ceiling. The toilet room is tiled floor to ceiling. There are lights -- there are light switches. There are plug sockets.

There is even a room that's equipped like a kitchen, remembering you're 60 feet underground, and very hot and humid. That was our experience down there. That was something the IDF spokesman, Rear Admiral Hagari spoke about, just the awful conditions that it would have been like down there for the hostages.

[18:20:10]

ACOSTA: Yes, Nic, this comes as we're seeing some spillover -- some continued spillover from the conflict. Today, US military personnel were injured in an attack by Iranian backed proxy forces at an airbase in Iraq. Anything you can tell us about that?

ROBERTSON: Yes, some of the military personnel there are being examined to see if they have sort of traumatic brain injury. It was a series of ballistic missiles and rockets fired a couple of hours after dusk in Iraq. They were fired by an Iranian backed Iraqi proxy, if you will, militia force.

These forces have been targeting US personnel since October 7th, multiple times in Iraq and Syria, but this is by far the biggest raid we've seen so far, defensive missiles were deployed. They intercepted some of those munitions heading for the base.

But this is very reminiscent, if we remember back four years, Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force, the Iranian -- Iran's sort of top military commander for overseas operations, the United States killed him in a drone strike. And within a week or so of that, the Iranians fired a massive missile barrage at a US airbase inside Iraq.

And at that time, again, it was traumatic brain injury that many of the troops there suffered, and it appears, we can't quite compare the magnitude of the two attacks at the moment, but it does appear that some of the troops are suffering from that.

So this is a significant, significant strike on a US base, perhaps one of the biggest we've seen since October 7th.

ACOSTA: All right, Nic Robertson, thank you very much for that reporting.

For more on this, I want to bring in my next guest, Democratic Congressman of Connecticut and ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes.

Congressman, your reaction to this attack in Iraq. It must be very worrisome.

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): It is. It is and, you know, we hope, just as we hope every day that this is not indicative that Iran has changed its posture from one of trying to quell, you know, the more aggressive tendencies of its proxies to one of them encouraging it.

You know, as horrible and as appalling as this conflict has been now, these 100 days or so, it has been largely contained. And so, you know, we need to watch and wait, but the Iranians need to remember that, you know, if this gets expanded, it does not end well for them. It doesn't end well for anybody, but it certainly does not end well for them.

ACOSTA: And Iran is vowing to retaliate \following these deadly strikes in Syria, and they are accusing Israel of carrying out the attack. The Israeli military has not commented. What's your response to that? Do we have any information on that?

HIMES: Well, again, the big picture here is what it always has been. So the Houthis for example, you know, lob drones and missiles against commercial seas, we take out their missile launchers. You know, so long as it is a cycle of proportionate responses to aggressive activity, and not an expansion of that aggressive activity, we have a terrible situation, but it hopefully does not become apocalyptic.

But again, it would be very, very smart, you know, even all parties, right? You know, Iran is obviously the bad guy here, but when Israel sort of threatens about taking up preemptive attack on Hezbollah, you know, everybody needs to, in an already very difficult situation, make sure that escalatory steps are not taken.

ACOSTA: And we just saw Nic Robertson's reporting on the tunnels believed to be by the IDF, to have been used for holding hostages. Your thoughts on the danger posed for those hostages, as Israel continues to bombard parts of Gaza going after Hamas? Do you think that there is a case to be made that more caution has to be exercised here by the Israelis, given what we're seeing in these tunnels?

HIMES: Yes, I mean, in a horrible situation, that's a particularly appalling chess game that the Israelis need to play here. I mean, any veteran will tell, you any soldier will tell you that urban warfare is bad enough, but trying to penetrate into tunnels, which in many cases will be booby trapped, in which you don't have good visibility, in which your communications don't work is probably one of the most difficult military tasks that can be undertaken.

Now, the one thing that should give us some hope for those hostages is that frankly, it's all that Hamas has right now. It is the only bargaining chip that Hamas has. They know that, the Israelis know that, and so what I hope happens here again, in the spirit of de- escalation, is that we can see another negotiation for the release of those hostages.

But yes, these tunnels are awful. By the way, the Palestinians should look at where the money that might have gone to build their schools, to provide development in a very, very poor region, they should take a good hard look at where that money went and reflect on whether Hamas is the right group of people to lead the Palestinians into the future.

[18:25:21]

ACOSTA: And, Congressman, I did also want to ask you, President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu, they continue to be at odds publicly over this fundamental question of what will happen to Gaza at the end of this war. And there's, of course, this conversation going back and forth about a two-state solution. The Prime Minister sounded as though he was rejecting any possibility of a Palestinian state. The Israelis are now clarifying that somewhat.

What do you make of all that? And I mean, what should the White House, what should the president be saying to the prime minister? How well should they be listening there in Israel when the president speaks?

HIMES: Well, Jim, I understand given what Israeli society went through three months ago, I understand why your average Israeli or maybe every Israeli would say that a two-state solution must never be allowed to happen, given the brutality of the October 7th attack, however, I've been thinking about this problem for decades, and there is no real other option.

And so for the prime minister to sort of take that off the table, for his ministers, people like Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to be calling openly for ethnic cleansing, that is to say, the removal of Palestinians from Gaza into some unspecified third place, it is not an exaggeration to say that that is just unbelievably unhelpful.

Again, I understand the emotions of the Israeli public, but simply taking off the table two-state solution is destructive to a medium- term solution, a long-term solution to this problem.

ACOSTA: And not to drag domestic politics into it, but is it unhelpful to President Biden from a political standpoint to have the prime minister saying that?

HIMES: Yes, it is always hard to make the transition in a situation where so many hundreds of people are dying and so the political effects feels a little dirty.

But yes, yes.

Look, you know, and I'll say this. This is my own opinion. You know, Prime Minister Netanyahu, who I've met on many occasions, his whole brand was built around the notion that I will keep you safe. That brand was obviously destroyed on October 7th.

And so this notion that I will now stand up against the -- you know, the idea of a two-state solution feels to me like his is a personal attempt to keep himself politically relevant.

And again, because I happen believe that that's a terribly destructive thought to put out there, it is pretty, it's pretty discouraging. I know, probably, the president who is doing all he can and has been doing all he can to keep this from escalating, I suspect finds it is not constructive as well.

ACOSTA: All right, Democratic Congressman Jim Himes, thank you so much for your time tonight. We appreciate it.

HIMES: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, back to the breaking political news right now. Tonight, Ron DeSantis, canceling both of his scheduled Sunday show appearances, including CNN's "State of the Union" and NBC's "Meet the Press." That is just two days before the New Hampshire primary. We should note though, at the same time, he has added a campaign event tomorrow in New Hampshire, but all of this comes as questions swirl about the future of his flailing presidential campaign.

We'll talk about that with our panel, Ana Navarro and Geraldo Rivera. There they are. They'll be with us in just a few moments. Stay with us.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:32:59]

ACOSTA: A potentially major development in Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign tonight. The Florida governor canceling appearances on both CNN State of the Union and NBC's Meet the Press tomorrow morning, right before the New Hampshire primary. At the same time, we are told, we should note, he is adding an event tomorrow in New Hampshire.

Joining us now to discuss CNN Political Commentator, Ana Navarro, and journalist and former Fox News host Geraldo Rivera.

Guys, great to see both of you. Ana, what do you think?

GERALDO RIVERA, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: You too, Jim.

ANA NAVARRO, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I don't think - I don't know if it's today, tomorrow, next week or the following week, but obviously the man has run out of steam, out of options, out of money, out of a path. He has run out of runway. And so he simply has no path forward. He's got to somehow rehab his image a little bit because he's got to come back to Florida and be governor here for three more years. He's got a legislative session going on right now in Tallahassee.

So I think it gives him a little bit of a way of easing back because he's got to come back to Florida and be governor. Not that I want that, but that's what's happening.

ACOSTA: Yes, Geraldo, it's never a good sign when you're canceling Sunday show appearances right before a big primary like New Hampshire.

RIVERA: Really a very coveted slide. Everybody wants that, especially before the big primary. He has run a terrible campaign, boring, lackluster. He's one of those guys, the more you see him, the less you like him. He's not emphasized his strong suit. To me, it's always been his wonderful family and his military service. Instead, he's been on these social issues that really just screech like fingernails on blackboard.

They say he's - a Wall Street Journal dumped him a couple of days ago, said he had no clear path, as Ana suggests, so ... ACOSTA: Yes, and he said he ...

RIVERA: ... better - sooner than later.

ACOSTA: ... he wasn't - he should have done more than just Fox News, Geraldo. He - I mean, not to interject, but he said he made a mistake.

[18:35:02]

RIVERA: Well, I agree with that assessment. I think he did - he could have been more gregarious, more the common man, look at me and my military service. Look at my wonderful kids, my wife, the service that we provided to Florida, the booming boomtown now. Instead, he got all surly and combative and every question is a debate, better late than never.

ACOSTA: Yes, Ana, I mean, what would ...

NAVARRO: Well, because part of reason ...

ACOSTA: Go ahead.

NAVARRO: ... well, part of reason he could only go on Fox News is because from ab initio of this campaign, from the very beginning, he decided to manufacture and wage the social culture wars. And frankly, the only place where he would be applauded and where he could go tout those stupid manufactured wars where only - the only place where he could go tout being at war with Disney and at war with drag queens and at war with diversity, equity and inclusion and at war with ESG and at war with AP black history and at war with books in favor for banning books, it's Fox News. He could not go somewhere else.

It wasn't until he shifted his campaign when that failed miserably and he started talking about policy issues that Americans are actually interested in that he was able to do things like a CNN Town Hall and do other outlets. But the way he initiated and he crafted his campaign was that of this ultra Uber (ph) conservative culture warrior and the only place he could vote to sell that was Fox.

ACOSTA: Yes. And I do want to note that, I mean, they are scheduling this event tomorrow night in New Hampshire. But I do want to move on to this back and forth between Trump and Nikki Haley. Geraldo, you've known Donald Trump a long time. I'm sure you saw this gaffe where he mistook Nancy Pelosi for Nikki Haley and mixed them up at this campaign event.

RIVERA: They sort of look-alike.

ACOSTA: And now Nikki Haley is questioning whether he's mentally fit to be president. I mean, what do you think? Is this the same old Donald Trump that you've known?

RIVERA: Well, just - in my family, I've got five kids, five grandkids, three dogs. I'm constantly mixing up who's who, the names. So the difference is between a Biden gaffe and a Trump gaffe like this is that Trump is an expert in scorn and ridicule. So Biden makes a mistake. It's cognitive dissonance. He's lost it. He's feeble minded and Fox and the conservative echo chamber will pick up on it.

When Trump makes a mistake, they kind of - it's like his private past. It's like it never happened, like these criminal indictments, like they never happened. He's - he really is 'The Teflon Don' in many ways. And the fact that he is more exuberant, has more energy than Joe Biden, even though they're - in age, they're only a couple of years apart, I think, is really very telling, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes. But Ana, when he is trying to, I guess, go after Nikki Haley now out on the campaign trail and he brings up January 6th and instead of criticizing Nancy Pelosi, he's talking about Nikki. I mean, that is - there's something going on there, isn't there?

NAVARRO: Listen, if Joe Biden did that, everybody in Fox News and frankly, even Democrats would be running up the hill with an ambulance trying to intern him in some sort of old folks home. The - here's the thing. Donald Trump says crazy things practically every time he opens up his mouth. This is just the latest one, but it's not the only one.

I mean, I've seen clips of him this week talking about windmills and talking about magnets and saying that the banks are going to de-bank you out of your convictions and your principles.

ACOSTA: Right.

NAVARRO: I mean, just absolutely crazy things that make no sense. The difference is that Republicans decide, okay, this is our horse and we don't care if he is senile, orange and crazy. We're sticking by him, whereas Democrats are publicly wringing their hands and clutching their pearls and having this existential crisis.

I don't see it as a problem that Fox News and the right wing criticizes Joe Biden as Sleepy Joe and all the things they say about him. I see it as a problem that Democrats themselves are amplifying that when this is obviously a Joe Biden candidacy that we - that the Democratic Party has.

[18:40:02]

What we have is - what we're going to have in all likelihood is Trump versus Biden.

So I would say to Democrats, instead of focusing on the flaws of Joe Biden, go look at how old and decrepit Donald Trump looks and make that comparison. At least one of them has a little bit of - has a lot of heart and decency and is not under 91 indictments.

I think the Democrats should have a very simple campaign slogan, 81 versus 91, 81 years old versus 91 counts, 81 votes versus 91 counts, that's the choice.

ACOSTA: All right. Geraldo and Ana, stand by, much more to discuss after the break.

Geraldo, I'll get your response to that when we come back. Be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): We need a president who will unite our country. We need a president who will restore law and order. We need Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: There's Republican senator and former candidate, Tim Scott, snubbing his fellow South Carolinian, Nikki Haley, this weekend, endorsing Donald Trump.

Geraldo, is that that big of a deal do you think? And what happens on Tuesday if Trump wins big again? Is this thing basically over?

RIVERA: I think so, Jim. I think it is basically over. I think that - I just want to say one thing about Trump and his fitness for office, because he will be the nominee and it probably will happen on Tuesday.

ACOSTA: Sure.

RIVERA: He's unfit to be president, but it has nothing to do with the size of his waistline or his golf swing. His unfitness has to do with his character. In terms of Tim Scott's endorsement, it was very coveted. There's no doubt that, in my view, Tim Scott really made the - propelled the Trump candidacy to new heights. I think it's basically ending this whole session, this primary session.

Tim Scott from South Carolina enormously popular. When he and Trump stand together, it's a good looking team. I predict that that's why he said those awful things about Nikki Haley not being fit to be vice president, because he had promised Tim Scott, in my surmise, that that job could be yours. I think that what underlies this surprise endorsement. But I think that it is a huge, a huge statement and development in this race.

ACOSTA: Yes.

RIVERA: Basically ending the primary race, I think.

ACOSTA: Yes. Ana, I mean, I also want to ask you what Tim Scott said, that Trump is going to be the one who unites the country and that is all about law and order.

NAVARRO: Well, I don't know what the good senator was drinking, but certainly Trump had four years as president to unite the country and did nothing but divide the country further. And you cannot talk about Donald Trump as being for law and order when he is calling insurrectionists hostages and when he is under four different indictments and 91 counts in different cities and venues across the country. I also - I would say about Tim Scott, I mean, there's just this entire campaign, there's been a lot of snubbing going on and betrayal and lack of loyalty going on. In 2010, I remember the Bushes being very loyal to Nikki Haley. Nikki Haley returned the favor by endorsing Marco Rubio, not Jeb Bush in 2016. And Marco Rubio just returned the favor last week by endorsing Donald Trump ...

ACOSTA: Yes.

NAVARRO: ... the day before Iowa. And now Tim Scott, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Gov. Nikki Haley ...

ACOSTA: Right.

NAVARRO: ... is endorsing Donald Trump. So if you want some loyalty in Washington, do what you did, Jim Acosta, get a dog.

ACOSTA: Exactly. Yes, as they say, the only cure for Potomac fever is embalming fluid.

All right, Ana and Geraldo, thanks a lot. Appreciate it. We'll be right back.

RIVERA: Jim, my pleasure. Hi, Ana.

ACOSTA: Great job, guys.

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[18:52:57]

ACOSTA: In Georgia, Fulton County commissioner says he started an inquiry into allegations against the district attorney there, Fani Willis, who is leading the state's criminal case targeting former president, Donald Trump. Willis is accused of accepting gifts and other benefits from the lead prosecutor, Nathan Willis. Court filings, excuse me, I think that's Nathan Wade. A court filing show Wade bought plane tickets for himself and Willis on two out-of-state trips.

CNN's Jessica Schneider has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FANI WILLIS, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, FULTON COUNTY: (Inaudible) done, y'all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There is now a full-on battle between Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis and the wife of Willis' top prosecutor in the Georgia election case against Trump, the back-and-forth in the divorce proceedings is threatening to shake up the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: The Black man I chose has been a judge more than 10 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER (voice over): Fani Willis is facing allegations she had an affair with Nathan Wade, something she has not addressed. Instead, she has defended naming him as special prosecutor in November 2021, one day after he filed for divorce from his wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: Isn't that someone never see, a black man as qualified, no matter his achievements?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER (voice over): Now, there is a swirl of tension to try to get to the bottom of this alleged affair. New court filings from Wade's wife show Nathan Wade bought tickets for Willis to accompany him on at least two out-of-state trips, copies of credit card statements show Wade purchased airline tickets for himself and Willis, including for trips to Miami in October 2022 and San Francisco in April 2023.

Jocelyn Wade saying in the filing that her attorneys want to depose Willis in the divorce proceedings to determine details surrounding her romantic affair with Nathan Wade, as there appears to be no reasonable explanation for their travels apart from a romantic relationship. Willis is trying to stop the questioning, saying it's being used to harass and damage her professional reputation and is obstructing and interfering with an ongoing criminal prosecution.

This exploded in the public eye earlier this month when one of the defendants in the Georgia election subversion case, Mike Roman, a former Trump campaign official, move to disqualify Willis, alleging she had an improper relationship with Wade.

[18:55:04]

Roman alleges Wade was paid more than others in Willis' office and used money he billed for his work, so far adding up to more than $650,000, to take Willis on romantic and lavish vacations.

Roman has not provided any public proof for the accusations, but Trump's lawyer says this is another reason the case should be tossed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALINA HABBA, TRUMP ATTORNEY: This case is tainted from the start. Never mind all the other things that were seeing come out that show absolute corruption. It's all planned. It's election interference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER (voice over): The judge overseeing the Georgia election case has now set of February 15th hearing to consider whether Willis and Wade should be disqualified from the case. Willis hence defended her prosecution team and said they have all been paid the same.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: I appointed three special counsels. It's my right to do. Pay them all the same hourly rate. They only attack one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And our thanks to Jessica Schneider for that report.

Still ahead, Scott Peterson convicted of murdering his wife and unborn child is getting new legal help. We'll explain in our next hour. Stay with us. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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