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CNN This Morning

Haley Touts Two-Person Race After DeSantis Exit; New Biden Ad Blames Trump for State Abortion Bans; Netanyahu Rejects Hamas Conditions for Hostage Deal. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired January 22, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time in 32 years. A 31-23 win over the Bucks with quarterback Jared Goff, the former number one pick, could become an afterthought to many when he was traded to Detroit, but he continues to be lights out in the playoffs.

But it all starts with Head Coach Dan Campbell, the former Lions player, who talked about biting kneecaps at his first press conference. He believed this moment could happen. Now, it's here.

And now we have four remaining. You have those Chiefs and the Ravens in the AFC title game, Lions, Niners, we'll see who can get her done. Can Lamar Jackson, the former league MVP, get another MVP and a Super Bowl title this time? We shall see.

Phil, I'm sorry. I love you.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I was so close to flipping you off, and then I realized I can't do that on live television.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Do you ever do that?

MATTINGLY: I would never do that, ever. I don't know why that even came to me. Jason Kelce, ideal male body. Prove me wrong.

Coy Wire, we appreciate you, as always, my friend. Thank you.

HARLOW: No comment. And CNN This Morning continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. He has my endorsement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign.

NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to keep on going until we're the last woman standing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a two person race, and Donald Trump is consolidating and pulling ahead very early.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris zeroing in on reproductive rights.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Contrast between what they have done on this issue and what Trump has done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is very clear that abortion is on this ballot for all of us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pressure is mounting on Benjamin Netanyahu to strike a deal with Hamas to free the remaining hostages in Gaza.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Netanyahu saying one thing in public and another thing in private about a two-state solution.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Israel's military found significant tunnels in Khan Younis. Around 20 hostages were held in this network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bringing home 136 hostages and bags can never be considered any part of a victory.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Well, a good Monday morning, everyone. I'm Phil Mattingly with Poppy Harlow live at Marianne's Diner in Amherst, New Hampshire. And it is a fairly good chance we don't ever actually leave this place, because I love it.

HARLOW: It is adorable.

MATTINGLY: It's adorable. It's great food, great coffee, but it's also on the campaign trail, which is the best, and that's what we are focused on this morning.

Nikki Haley now the last Trump challenger left standing after Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race. The whole race now on the line here in the Granite State. The final countdown to the primary is on. Some polls opening just 17 hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: We're going to make sure that we fight all the way until the last second. I'll leave you with this, may the best woman win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Four former rivals have now endorsed Donald Trump on his relentless march to the Republican nomination. DeSantis, of course, becoming the latest.

HARLOW: Three candidates have called it quits after Trump's landslide victory in Iowa just last week. Today, Trump is once again spending the day in court in New York City before heading to New Hampshire for a rally. He'll be here tonight.

Also this ahead, Haley is set to sprint through five campaign stops as she seeks to pull off a huge upset in this state, and it's happened before. It's not going to be easy, though. A new CNN poll shows Trump widening his lead over Haley to 11 points.

Omar Jimenez starts our coverage live here in Manchester, New Hampshire. DeSantis drops out, gets behind Trump. Nikki Haley says may the best woman win and we've got 17 hours to go.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, we are one less candidate. We've got one less candidate, I should say, though, the super PAC supporting Ron DeSantis still has its bus here. It's a reminder of the campaign that was. It's still running, so it may too get out of town soon.

And all of this comes as the actual DeSantis campaign had stressed that they were in this for the long haul. Now, here we are a day before the primary, and the question now is, how will this change the race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Thank you, New Hampshire.

JIMENEZ (voice over): It's officially a two person race for the Republican presidential nomination with only a day to go until new Hampshire votes.

HALEY: It's now one fellow and one lady left.

JIMENEZ: Nikki Haley is now the only Republican left challenging former President Donald Trump after this announcement Sunday from Ron DeSantis.

DESANTIS: If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it. But I can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don't have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.

JIMENEZ: It's an incredible fall for the Florida governor who had both money and momentum early in the race. Now, he's wasting no time in backing Donald Trump.

[07:05:02]

DESANTIS: Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honor that pledge.

JIMENEZ: With that endorsement, Donald Trump is now thanking the man he attacked relentlessly for months.

TRUMP: He ran a really good campaign, I will tell you. It's not easy. They think it's easy doing this stuff, right? It's not easy.

He was very gracious and he endorsed me. So, I appreciate it.

JIMENEZ: On the trail in New Hampshire, Donald Trump is aiming to deliver a knockout punch to his former U.N. ambassador. TRUMP: Nikki Haley, I know her well.

She's made an unholy alliance with the RINOOs, the never Trumpers, Americans for no prosperity, globalists, the radical left communists, and they want to get liberals and Biden supporters.

JIMENEZ: Meanwhile, Haley is doubling down on attacking Trump's mental fitness.

HALEY: He claimed that Joe Biden was going to get us into World War II. I'm assuming he meant World War III. He said that he ran against President Obama. He never ran against President Obama.

Don't be surprised if you have someone that's 80 in office, their mental stability is going to continue to decline.

JIMENEZ: Both Trump and Haley will be on the ground in the Granite State again today, battling for votes. Haley will hold five campaign events after a new CNN poll shows she has 39 percent support among likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire, compared to Trump's 50 percent. Still, she says she's in it to win it.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's you and Donald Trump. So, if it's not you, I know you hope it will be, and you're working so that it is. But if it's not, if it's Donald Trump, will you support him as a nominee still?

HALEY: It's going to be me. And I know you all want to talk about it like it's still him. 70 percent of Americans don't want to see a Trump-Biden rematch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): And that is a lot of what Nikki Haley has been campaigning on as of late. You hear it at almost every one of her campaign stops.

And while she has been more pointed towards Donald Trump specifically over recent days, a lot of her criticism has included both the former president and the current one.

Now, after Iowa, she said it was a two-person race, that became a reality now. But with DeSantis out, the task of defeating Trump doesn't necessarily get any easier. But that's why she's back out on the campaign trail. But, oh, by the way, so is Donald Trump a day out before the primary here.

HARLOW: All right. Omar Jimenez, thank you very much.

With us to discuss, Alex Thompson, national political reporter for Axios, Nancy Cook, senior national political correspondent for Bloomberg. Good morning, guys. Thank you for being with us at the most picturesque diner in this state.

So, you were the first, Nancy, to report that DeSantis was out. He gets right behind Trump eight days after saying this. Let's listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DESANTIS: He's running a campaign about putting himself and his issues first. That's what he cares about. You can be the most worthless Republican in America, but if you kiss the ring, he'll say you're wonderful. You can be the strongest, most dynamic, successful Republican and conservative in America, but if you don't kiss that ring, then he'll try to trash you.

You know what? You deserve a nominee that's going to put you first, not himself first.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: But now he's all in behind Trump. And DeSantis pulling out doesn't necessarily help Nikki Haley all that much here, does it?

NANCY COOK, SENIOR NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, BLOOMBERG: It doesn't help her at all. All of DeSantis supporters are expected to go to Trump. He was really always seen as like a Trump-lite in the Republican Party with a lot of the same conservative policies and rhetorics. In many cases, he went even further than Trump, particularly on abortion. So, I expect to see that him getting out, his supporters will go to Trump and just potentially further the gap in the polling between Trump and Nikki Haley.

MATTINGLY: Alex, I'm digging for the metaphor of, like, the Never Back Down bus not moving, but it's running and burning gas that will cost money, but nobody is in it. It's not going anywhere.

HARLOW: There is no more money.

MATTINGLY: Fair. But to that point, what do you think DeSantis' angle here is beyond there's no more money, there's nowhere to go, dropping out right now, right before this huge moment for Nikki Haley, kind of the last stand moment for any other Republican in the race?

ALEX THOMPSON, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, AXIOS: Yes. I mean, I think it's not just that. It's probably sets him up for his future, right? I mean, if he wants to run again for president in the future, getting out earlier helps, getting behind the frontrunner helps. But I also do think there was a little bit of a parting shot, a little bit of he wanted to sort of hurt Nikki Haley on his way out. There was a parting shot in his speech. He didn't just endorse Trump. He also made sure to criticize Nikki Haley, calling her a Republican of yesteryear.

And to Nancy's, sort of be careful what you wish for. She has the one- on-one race, but the fact is that she would have probably been better off if you had sort of zombie DeSantis taking away.

[07:10:05]

Well, look, because he was getting about 6 to 10 percent of the vote in New Hampshire. Yes, he's taking it from Trump. Now, it's possible that he's backing him. Trump could get 60-plus percent in the state. HARLOW: Yes. Looking ahead to what she has to do here, some folks here are going to start voting, as we said, in about 17 hours. She's got five stops today, I think, in New Hampshire. What does she have to do here? Because this is a state where there have been surprises. This is a state with a more moderate electorate. The evangelical vote here is much smaller than it was in Iowa. So, there are big differences here.

COOK: New Hampshire really is her best place, because it is more moderate, and she could win over independents. Democrats who change their party affiliation back in the fall can also vote. And so if Democrats decided they liked her back in the fall, they could participate.

So, this is, given the makeup of the electorate, her best chance to kind of slow Trump's momentum. But she would have to coalesce and excite all of those people and potentially try to eat into Trump's support a little bit.

But, you know, I was at his rally Saturday night. The crowd was electric. People were very excited. He still has a very strong grip on the Republican Party here, and voters here still really like his message on the economy and immigration. And I expect that to carry the day here.

HARLOW: Electric is the same word that the Republican Party chair here used to describe that rally.

MATTINGLY: Which is different I think than the general vibe of New Hampshire writ large, which has been something that has been struck by. You've been here on the ground for a week. You've been going to rallies, not just Republican, Dean Phillips as well. What is your sense? Because it does feel different here than it did back in 2016 or even back in 2012. Why?

THOMPSON: Well, I would say a few things. I've been to a bunch of Nikki Haley events, and electric is not the word that I would use. I think there's enthusiasm for her, but it's much more polite. They're accepting, they're listening to her. But having her talk ten minutes about why -- how she's going to reform Social Security, but not for people on Social Security, just doesn't, and how she's going to support Taiwan and Ukraine, it just doesn't have the same vibe as the Trump rally thing.

And the other thing that's happened that's different than 2016 is, you know, we've heard all year, oh, the Republican field has to consolidate, has to consolidate so someone can take on Trump. Well, this did happen, right? Like, we now have a one-on-one race before New Hampshire. The problem is that everyone that dropped out, they all consolidated behind Trump this time. And that's a huge change for me years ago.

HARLOW: Chris Christie, obviously, hasn't officially endorsed him, but he also said Nikki Haley was going to get smoked, his words.

THOMPSON: Well, we're going to find out if he's right. Now, as you said, New Hampshire is extremely contrarian, right? And they don't like to just rubber stamp anything. But Nikki Haley, the first three days out of Iowa, she was a little lackluster. She, to me, seemed a little bit shell shocked by the third place finish in Iowa. She's ramped it up considerably. She's now really going after Trump. But part of the problem is a lot of people are saying, well, where was this message about his mental acuity three months ago.

MATTINGLY: Right, five, six events a day, millions on air. We'll see if it has an impact. Alex Thompson, Nancy Cook, thanks guys.

Well we have new footage in from the IDF revealing tunnels allegedly used by Hamas to hold as many as 20 hostages.

HARLOW: Also today marks 51 years since the Supreme Court's landmark Roe vs. Wade decision that made abortion a constitutional right until it was overturned in '22. How the Biden administration is now putting reproductive rights front and center in their campaign next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I learned that the fetus would have a fatal condition and that there was absolutely no chance of survival. In Texas, you are forced to carry that pregnancy, and that is because of Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: That is the Biden campaign's first abortion focused ad of this year. The woman you just heard from is an OBGYN and the mother of three in Texas. She says she had to travel out of state to get an abortion because of the Texas ban.

The ad comes on the 51st anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in roe versus wade that made abortion a constitutional right, a decision that was overturned in 2022.

In a statement this morning, President Biden noted the anniversary and said Republicans are, quote, putting women's lives at risk. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hoping to put this issue front and center in the upcoming election as they get set to headline an event in Virginia tomorrow focused on abortion rights.

Joining us this morning is Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois. She is also the co-chair of the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign. I really appreciate your time this morning.

I do want to start on this issue of abortion rights. Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer did a really interesting interview with CBS Face the Nation Margaret Brennan, and she said it would be good if the president himself focused more on the abortion issue. Listen to this exchange. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe Biden doesn't talk about abortion much. In fact, he has said he's not big on it because of his faith. Does he need to talk about it more?

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): I think it would be good if he did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think he needs to be the messenger on that more?

WHITMER: I don't think it would hurt. I think people want to know that this is a president that is fighting, and I think he has said that, to use maybe more blunt language, maybe that would be helpful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Do you agree, senator?

SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): Well, I do agree that abortion is an issue that a vast majority of Americans are worried about, and we should be much more clear about what the choices are at this election in November, and that is that women's access to basically reproductive health care and to control their own bodies.

HARLOW: Should the president himself, as the messenger, be more clear and more forceful on sending that message? I mean, that's what was striking about what Gretchen Whitmer said.

[07:20:00]

DUCKWORTH: Well, I think he can be more forceful about it, absolutely. And we should also be very clear about the range of reproductive health care that is being affected in all of these states where they're trying to enact abortion bans.

It's not just about access to abortion. It's about the whole of your reproductive health, such as access to in vitro fertilization, assisted reproductive technology, birth control, all of these things are at stake.

HARLOW: And talking about IVF just for a moment, because you've been open with your own experience using in vitro fertilization, to grow your family, you are out with legislation once again this cycle called access to family building. That's the name of the act.

Can you explain your concern why you're putting this forth and whether you think this can get 60 votes in the Senate?

DUCKWORTH: Well, it's about access to growing your family. It's not actually about access to abortion. And so I do think we can get to 60 votes. It's about people and families wanting to start and build their own families.

And what is happening is, in these states where you have these bands or the movement towards proclaiming that a fertilized egg is a human being with rights and personhood, it means that things like IVF could actually become outlawed.

My process, for example, we created five fertilized eggs, three were non-viable, we discarded those and we implanted one of them. And so my doctor said, you know, if I were in a state like Texas, potentially, those discarding those three non-viable fertilized eggs could be an act of manslaughter on my part.

And, in fact, the Assisted Reproductive Technology Association for Physicians who practice ART are actually warning their doctors in places like Texas that maybe you don't want to practice there anymore.

HARLOW: I wonder what you say to some of your fellow Democrats who are concerned about the Biden administration really focusing its message on protecting democracy. I know he's not a Democrat, but Mitt Romney is no fan of Trump, and he, a couple of weeks ago, called it a bust to focus on that, that that is an older argument.

Do you think it would be more fruitful for the Biden campaign to really go all-in on policy, abortion being at the top of that list?

DUCKWORTH: Well, I think that it's about freedom, right? It's about protecting democracy, but protecting freedoms. And one of our freedoms is the right to control our bodies and control our reproductive cycles, also talking about the right to the freedom from student loans, the freedom to walk down the streets and not have to worry about being target of racial attacks. Those are all freedoms that we can certainly talk about.

And I do think that really focusing on policy and describing freedom in those terms would be helpful.

HARLOW: Talking about democracy, I want your response to what Dean Phillips, Democrat, Minnesota congressman, running against Biden in the primary here in New Hampshire had to say. This is a message he's been sending about President Biden, but here's him most recently.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-MN): What was done to all of you is one of the most egregious affronts to democracy I've ever known in my lifetime, initiated ostensibly by the President of the United States of America, who is the leader of the Democratic Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: He's talking about the DNC with the backing of Biden moving South Carolina to be the first Democratic primary state. What do you say to voters in New Hampshire who feel like we're not going to count here and that doesn't feel like protecting democracy to us, our delegates aren't going to count?

DUCKWORTH: Well, I think their votes were certainly counted. They can certainly write in the president's name. And I would urge all of those votes in New Hampshire who don't want anybody else to go ahead and write in President Biden's name on the ballot when they cast that ballot. Listen, states move around their dates all the time. I mean, when President Obama from my home state of Illinois was running for president, we moved our time, our caucus time up to February from the normal March timeframe.

So, this happens and, frankly, I think the folks in New Hampshire can certainly write in President Biden's name.

HARLOW: Senator Tammy Duckworth, thanks for your time this morning.

DUCKWORTH: My pleasure. Thank you.

HARLOW: Focusing on the issue of abortion rights, tonight Laura Coates Live, she's going to sit down with the vice president, Kamala Harris. You can bet they'll talk about that and a whole lot more, the state of the race, and how she and President Biden are trying to win a second term. That is 11:00 P.M. Eastern only right here on CNN.

Donald Trump will be in New York City today in a courtroom again. A big question, will he testify?

MATTINGLY: And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting Hamas' conditions for a hostage release deal. How the decision plays into his strained relationship with President Biden.

We'll have more. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

MATTINGLY: Well, we're live in New Hampshire with less than 24 hours to go before voters head to the polls, but we are also watching developments in the Middle East this morning. There are significant developments, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he, quote, rejects outright Hamas' conditions for a hostage deal.

HARLOW: Those terms include a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to the war in exchange for the remainder of those being held hostage. And this comes as President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu over the weekend for the first time in a month as tension between the two have been intensifying over a potential two- state solution.

We've got team coverage with Arlette Saenz at the White House, Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. Let's begin with Arlette at the White House.

They have this phone call, and the readout from the phone call -- or not a readout, the reporting that CNN has from the phone call is completely different from what Prime Minister Netanyahu goes on to tweet, which is no way two-state solution. Where are we?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy, President Biden made clear to reporters he will continue to try to convince Benjamin Netanyahu to sign on to a two-state solution, even as the Israeli prime minister so far has really shown no signs of budging. As you mentioned, as recently as Saturday, he posted on social media that he would not compromise when it comes to Israeli security control in Gaza.

[07:30:04]

And, really, this episode speaks to the latest tension point between the two men.