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Sen. Graham: Most Republicans Feel Very Comfortable With President Trump; Republican Primaries In MA, VT Too Early To Call; CNN Projects Trump Wins AL, AR, CO, ME, MN, NC, OK, TN, TX, VA. Aired 9- 10p ET
Aired March 05, 2024 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Although that's an early one, in Maine, it's still a big one. Vermont is a small margin.
You come down to Massachusetts. Inside -- I'm saying 20 points as a small margin. That's laughable, in some ways. But I say that just because of what we're seeing, when you walk through your North Carolina's, you come over to Tennessee. You look down in Alabama. You see Oklahoma. And then, Jake, you see right below it, in Texas 76 percent, as we continue to count the votes.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: All right, John, we're heading into a major round of poll closings, with 237 delegates at stake, all voting is about to end in few -- three contests, including one of the delegate jackpots of the night, Texas.
We have more projections to make, right now. Let's take a look. Donald Trump is the projected winner of the Republican primary, in the State of Texas. 161 delegates at stake, CNN is projecting Donald Trump will win Texas.
In the State of Maine, 20 delegates at stake. CNN projecting Donald Trump will win the Republican primary, in the State of Maine.
And in the State of Arkansas, 40 delegates at stake. CNN projecting that Donald Trump will be the winner, of the Republican primary, in the State of Arkansas.
We have a couple projections, on the Democratic side as well. CNN can project that Joe Biden will win the Texas Democratic primary, 244 delegates at stake. Incumbent President Joe Biden will be the winner of the Texas Democratic primary.
In Arkansas, CNN can project that Joe Biden, the incumbent president, will be the winner of the Arkansas Democratic primary, with 31 delegates at stake.
Let's bring you a key race alert, right now. In Colorado, and Minnesota, CNN is projecting it's too early to call, in the Colorado Republican primary, in the race between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. 37 delegates at stake in Colorado, too early to call. In Minnesota, 39 delegates at stake, CNN also saying too early to call, in the Republican primary in Minnesota, between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley.
Let's look at some of the actual votes coming in, right now, if we can. In Vermont, 17 delegates at stake, Donald Trump still eking out a win there, right now, 49.3 percent of the vote, 50,382 votes. That's 776 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 46.9 percent of the vote. That's with an estimated 45 percent of the estimated vote in.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 40 delegates at stake, Donald Trump still with a commanding lead, 57.4 percent. That was just updated, 57.5 percent of the vote, 24,592 votes. It's almost 8,000 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 39 percent of the vote. That just ticked back down, 38.7 percent of the vote, for Nikki Haley. Donald Trump doing well in Massachusetts, although it's only an estimated 7 percent of the vote in, only 7 percent estimated vote in.
In Alabama, 50 delegates at stake. Donald Trump with a commanding lead, 84.1 percent of the vote, 12,178 votes. That's more than 10,000 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 12.2 percent of the votes, 12.2. That is with an only estimated 2 percent of the vote in, still very early in the vote count, in Alabama.
David Chalian, where are we in delegates, right now? Because while all this counting is going on, we are awarding delegates.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, as you're making these projections, and we see the votes coming in, we're able to do so, Jake.
Take a look here in the State of Texas. You said it's the second largest prize of the night. It is. A 161 delegates at stake. Donald Trump getting 114 of those 161 delegates. We still have 47 unallocated, as we wait for more votes to come in, and quite frankly, the Texas Republican convention process, later in the calendar, which will dictate where some of these delegates go.
So, where does that leave us for delegates tonight, on Super Tuesday? Donald Trump so far getting 302 of the 865 delegates, at stake, tonight. Nikki Haley picking up three delegates in the Commonwealth of Virginia, so she gets above that zero-mark.
But look at that divide. This is Donald Trump dominating the evening. And where is he, in the battle for delegates overall? You need 1,215 delegates, to become the Republican nominee, up there in the right- hand corner. Donald Trump is now at 578, nearing the halfway mark. 46, for Hayley. It's not even the same universe of competitiveness.
In fact, let's look at what is the percentage that Donald Trump has won to date. He has won 90.9 percent of the delegates awarded to date. Nikki Haley has only won 7.2 percent. 91 to 7, is the score of delegates so far, when you break it down by percentages.
[21:05:00] What does that mean Donald Trump needs? Well, he is on track. He only needs 35.5 percent of the remaining delegates, that number highlighted in green, in order to secure the nomination. Nikki Haley's need number is 65.2 percent. So, he needs a little over a third of the remaining delegates available, to secure the nomination. She needs two-thirds of them, Jake.
TAPPER: Pretty, pretty stunning numbers, David Chalian.
And let me go to Kristen Holmes, now, who is covering the Trump campaign for us. She is at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida.
And Kristen, the numbers that David Chalian just broke down, so far in this entire primary season, Donald Trump has won 91 -- this is a ratio, not a number, 91 delegates for every one that Nikki Haley -- I'm sorry, 91 delegates to 7, for Nikki Haley, 91 to 7, in terms of percentages.
Tonight, the ratio is 99 to 1. He is having, that is how much of a better night he is having tonight, so far, than the entire primary process so far, which to be frank has been pretty dominant. They must be feeling pretty good over there.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake, they are feeling good. Members of his inner circle are watching the results, in a war room. They are not here, mingling with the crowd at Mar-a-Lago. But this wasn't just about winning. It was about winning enough delegates, to secure the nomination, as early as next week.
Now, they acknowledged to me that it is a narrow path. Nikki Haley would only have to win about 86 delegates, to stop Donald Trump, from becoming the nominee, next week. Now, as you said, it's a pretty striking number, it's much wider path, however, for March 19th. So obviously, we'll wait and see how this plays out.
Now, as the campaign has already shifted their attention, to the general election, I am told by sources, close to the former President that he is still privately complaining, about the fact that Nikki Haley remains in the race.
Now, the reason for that is two-fold. One, he has told people that it is stopping Republicans, from coalescing behind him. But two, is when you look at those high-dollar donors. There is a several high-dollar donors, who backed DeSantis that moved to Nikki Haley. Trump's campaign wants that money.
Now, I am told moving forward they are going to start building out their teams, in places like Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, those critical battleground states. But Jake, to do that, they need money.
And there is something else that is holding up money, for them, with Nikki Haley, staying in the race. And that's the money coming from the RNC. Once he becomes the presumptive nominee, he can start tapping into those resources, those strategies, those operations that are on the ground. So, this is all part of why they have come really increasingly irritated that she hasn't dropped out of the race, because they want to use those funds.
But again, they were expecting a good night, tonight. The question is just how good of a night are they going to have?
TAPPER: All right, Kristen Holmes, thanks so much. Kristen Holmes, with the Trump campaign, in Palm Beach, Florida.
And Boris Sanchez now has another update for us, in some of these other projections, of other important races, not presidential.
Boris.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Jake, two Senate primaries tonight.
CNN is projecting no surprises in the Republican Senate primary, in the State of Texas. Senator Ted Cruz has won, as the Republican candidate for Senate in Texas. He's seeking reelection for a third term, a one-time presidential candidate, a one-time Donald Trump rival, now he boasts about being one of the most MAGA-aligned lawmakers in all of Congress.
Let's get you a key race alert now, on the Democratic side. There, Congressman Colin Allred has a substantial lead right now. He's leading by about 162,000 votes. He's a former Tennessee Titans linebacker, actually a former Obama administration official, at Housing and Urban Development.
Importantly, in this race, he is 11 points, percentage points, above 50 percent. That is the benchmark that he has to cross, the threshold he has to cross, to avoid a runoff, later in the spring. Only 34 percent of the vote in, about a third of the vote in, right now, in Texas. But Congressman Colin Allred is in a pretty good spot, right now, Jake.
TAPPER: All right. That's interesting stuff.
Let's go to a key race alert now, on the presidential front. CNN is looking at these votes, as they're coming in.
Colorado Republican primary, there are 37 delegates at stake, Donald Trump in the lead, 57 percent of the vote. 87,799 votes, That's 27,087 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 39.4 percent of the vote. So far, it's about a quarter of the estimated vote in, 26 percent, in Colorado, Donald Trump with a commanding lead.
In Vermont, where it's been neck-and-neck all night, Donald Trump starting to edge ahead. There are 17 delegates at stake there. Donald Trump in the lead with 49.5 percent of the vote, 16,000 votes -- I'm sorry, that was just updated. 49.7 percent of the vote. 16,997 votes. That's more than the 1,000 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 46.6 percent of the vote. That's with 49 percent of the estimated vote in, about half of the vote in Vermont.
[21:10:00]
But let's look at Colorado, which is this is just some of the new votes that we're getting in here, with the polls just closed. Donald Trump with a dominant lead, right now. And it's -- there, 28 percent of the vote.
KING: That's the question. So, as we move, we have Maine, we will end on Alaska. We're going coast to coast. The question is does Donald Trump keep running it up by significant margins?
This is very early in Colorado. When the first results came in, it was Denver. And Governor Haley had an early lead there. If you notice, though, that's 95 percent of the estimated vote in Denver County. Blue area, come November, this will be a blue area, come November.
But so if you're looking for where else could she get votes, if you see up there now? Yes, this is Jefferson County, the Denver suburbs, these used to be purple or even Republican, if you go back to when I started doing this a long time ago, Republican areas, they become very reliably blue, right now, come November. But you see Donald Trump getting 57, 58 percent, if you round that up there.
TAPPER: In the Denver suburb?
KING: In the Denver suburb, correct.
TAPPER: I mean, she would need to do--
KING: Right. And Arapahoe just came in. This is where in the mid- 2010s, during the Obama presidency, I spent a lot of time out here, the Tea Party. This was one of the hotbeds of the Tea Party movement, Arapahoe County, Colorado back in the day.
The Tea Party has given way to the Trump party. I mean, if you've just watched over the last 10 -- for 10 years, the evolution, especially the last eight years with Trump around.
TAPPER: But the Tea Party cared about government spending.
KING: It sure did.
TAPPER: And Donald Trump doesn't care about government spending.
KING: It was a very, you know, you remember, even President Obama used to ask this question. They all campaign saying we're going to vote no, and then they all voted no. And he was saying, why are they voting no? Well, they campaigned on it, you know?
TAPPER: Right.
KING: They campaigned on voting no, on every spending bill.
TAPPER: Sure.
KING: Some of them are still around. That has kind of morphed into the Freedom Caucus and other things in the House of Representatives.
But this used to be a hotbed of yes, get Washington out of our lives, cut spending, very Western. TAPPER: No, they had a point.
KING: Yes.
TAPPER: The deficit and the debt are nuts.
KING: Yes, right. But so now you see, you just see that rap -- again, when we get to November, you're likely to see something very different here in this. But not out here. Grand Junction, I'll come back to in a second.
But this Denver and the suburbs have become very, very blue. Back when this was a Republican state and then a competitive state, they fought it out in the suburbs. But now, it is they have become more and more blue.
But again, so you watch this, right that you watch this, come November, and then you come out here. As you move more West here, Mesa County, again, Donald Trump's at 70 percent. Now, you're moving into a much more rural Western Republican Party.
And again, the question is, so you're looking just to Colorado there. You're just looking, again, from coast to coast, and then you start thinking about the margins, right? So we'll see what holds up. This is very early, 57 percent there. We'll see. We'll see.
Again, a lot of suburbs here. So, there's room for Nikki Haley, to make a statement? There's not room -- doesn't look like. We'll see. It doesn't look like there's room for Nikki Haley in the West (ph).
TAPPER: May I make one point on Denver?
KING: Please.
TAPPER: Can you punch in on Denver for one second?
KING: Absolutely.
TAPPER: She's winning.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: She needs to be winning like 80 to 20.
KING: Right
TAPPER: In Denver. She can't be--
KING: Right.
TAPPER: She can't be winning 53 to 42.
KING: There's -- there's not -- you make a key point. I always say that, the close ones are won on the margins. You got to run it up, in the places where you can win, especially if you're running against Donald Trump. And you know, in these rural places? TAPPER: They're all going to come in.
KING: Yes, they're going to.
TAPPER: Yes.
KING: Yes, they're going to come in 70 percent, 75 percent, 80 percent, some of them 85 percent. You got to run it up.
So, no, if she's looking to make -- come back to this, because I don't want people at home, to think I'm trying to play this up. If you're looking to make a statement, you need some yellow.
TAPPER: Yes.
KING: At the moment, you have none.
If you're looking to make a lesser statement, you at least want to start, winning some counties, right, winning some suburban areas, where you can say, hey, look, Republicans, Donald Trump has a problem.
TAPPER: Yes.
KING: He's on a march to nomination. But you should think twice.
The problem is, and you were talking about this with David earlier, when he's running up the delegates, the District of Columbia, she has won. You're looking at this. This is your delegate count, at the moment, right?
Number one, if you're Governor Haley, who has run a race, had financial backing. You have no wins to show for it except the District of Columbia. You're getting swamped in the delegate race, and you're asking people now. He's getting 91 percent of the delegates, so far. You're getting 7.2 percent.
You need, as David just noted, around 35 percent? You need to start winning -- you need to start with 65 percent of the delegates that means, to catch up two-thirds of delegates. You're winning 7 percent. You need to win 67, 68 percent. The map says you're not doing that.
It's pretty hard to convince the donor, even to convince your staff that this is a fight to continue worth fighting, because the math, Jake, is just mind-blowing. It's overwhelming.
TAPPER: All right, John King, thanks so much.
And CNN has another projection to make. CNN can project in the State of Alabama, known for many things, including our own Kaitlan Collins, Donald Trump will be the winner of the Republican primary. 50 delegates at stake, Donald Trump is projected to be the winner of the Alabama Republican primary, this evening.
On the Democratic side, we can also make a projection. CNN can project that incumbent President Joe Biden will be the winner of the Democratic primary in Alabama, 52 delegates at stake. Portending perhaps of the showdown that we knew was coming, Joe Biden versus Donald Trump, they are the victors in the Alabama Republican and Democratic primaries respectively.
[21:15:00]
Let me bring you a key race alert now. Let's take a look at the vote, as it's coming in.
In Vermont, Donald Trump maintaining his lead, 17 delegates at stake, 49.8 percent of the vote. That is 18,627 votes. 1,274 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 46.4 percent of the vote. That is with more than half of the vote in, from Vermont, 53 percent of the estimated vote.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 40 delegates at stake, Donald Trump again maintaining a healthy lead, 59.9 percent of the vote, 36,807 votes. That is 14,352 more than Nikki Haley, who has 36.5 percent of the vote. That's still with only an estimated 10 percent of the vote in. But at this early hour, Donald Trump with a dominant lead, in Massachusetts.
In Colorado, where the polls just closed, 37 delegates at stake, Donald Trump in the lead there too, 59.8 percent of the votes. 163,982 votes. That is almost 64,000 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 36.6 percent of the vote. That's with almost half of the vote in, 46 percent of the estimated vote in Colorado.
Now, I'm going to go to Dana Bash, who is going to interview a key Trump supporter.
Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake. Thank you.
Here with me now is Republican senator, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, very much a key Donald Trump supporter.
Now, you've been watching, Senator.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Yes.
BASH: Very, very big night.
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: Huge night.
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: For Donald Trump.
GRAHAM: As he would say.
BASH: As he would say.
Nikki Haley, though, is still winning about a third of the vote, if you--
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: --sort of average it all together.
One of the things that was really striking is the exit poll from North Carolina found that 78 percent of Haley supporters said they would not commit to voting for the Republican nominee in November.
So what is the Trump campaign plan, to bring Haley voters into the fold, for the general election?
GRAHAM: I think draw a contrast between what President Trump would do, on the border, on energy independence, on keeping us safe, making sure that people who are unsure about who to vote for, will be well- informed about how bad things are, and what Trump would do to fix things. So, I think a contrast on policy is the key to getting these people back on board.
BASH: You think policy will sway people, who just don't think Donald Trump is the right kind of person to be president--
GRAHAM: Well if you--
BASH: --for various reasons?
GRAHAM: --if you don't think he's the right kind of person, then you'll have to vote for Biden. I don't know what -- all I can say is, I think, a policy contest is the best way, to secure people, who are on the fence.
Because the border is a nightmare. There's a way to fix it. Trump can find that way. We got to become energy-independent again. So, the issues of inflation, personal security, I think, cut toward Trump.
BASH: One of the things that we have seen, historically, is when people battle it out, in primaries, the winner in the primary--
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: --and maybe the next behind them--
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: --they have a kumbaya moment.
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: And that helps to bring--
GRAHAM: I hope so.
BASH: --that helps to bring the losers'--
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: --supporters along.
However, we have seen and heard Nikki Haley, in the past couple of days, suggesting that she might not honor her pledge--
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: --that she signed before the debates, to back Trump if he's the nominee.
GRAHAM: Yes. You know, these things are tough. I mean, number one, Nikki's done better than anybody, in the history of South Carolina. She's a talented person. I hope she can support President Trump. She can make the case of why she would vote for Trump versus Biden on policy, I think, would resonate with people.
I'm pretty confident, I've known her most of my political life that, that she'll be a team player, that there will come a time, and I hope sooner rather than later, when she realizes this is not her moment, and there's a lot at stake. So, I find it difficult to imagine that Nikki Haley would not support President Trump, when it's all said, and done.
BASH: Do you think she should drop out tonight or in the next 24 hours if--
GRAHAM: I think it's pretty clear that people have spoken. I voted for Trump, not against Nikki. And at the end of the day, there's really no pathway left. The sooner we can come together, the better. I think Nikki Haley can make a case why Trump is better than Biden, on a lot of issues, better than most Republicans.
BASH: Let's talk about some of the warning signs we're seeing for Trump, separate from the Nikki Haley supporters, who say that they wouldn't back him. He's struggling among college graduates, moderates, independents.
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: What does Donald Trump need to do differently, what will he do differently to try to lure those voters?
GRAHAM: I think, make it a policy contest. I mean, you got Biden, who most people think are too old. You got Trump, who has a personality problem, with a lot of people. You got to choose between two people you'd prefer not to vote for. So, I think policy will win the day.
[21:20:00]
Most Republicans feel very comfortable with President Trump, being the right guy, at the right time. I do. But people, who are unsure about who to vote for, because of Biden being too old, and Trump being too disruptive, I think the policy debate will gravitate toward Trump.
Because we're going in the wrong -- the one number I look at more than anything else, Dana, is right direction, wrong direction. If you believe we're on the wrong track, voting for Biden just reinforces staying on the wrong track.
BASH: There's a lot of talk about who Donald Trump is considering, for his running mate. When you and I spoke the night--
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: --of the South Carolina primary, you said that you're all in, on your fellow South Carolinian, Tim Scott.
GRAHAM: Yes.
BASH: You golfed with Donald Trump, the next day.
GRAHAM: Yes, I did.
BASH: Did you press your case personally with him?
GRAHAM: Well.
BASH: What did he say?
GRAHAM: It was pretty funny. We played golf, and we talked about a lot of things. But he's just really impressed with Tim's enthusiasm. The way that Tim really sells Donald Trump, be -- you know, he makes a joke that Tim's better for me than he was for Tim. There are a lot of good choices. I just feel like Tim Scott is ready to be president on day one, if Trump liked it (ph).
BASH: Does Donald Trump think so too?
GRAHAM: Yes, I think so. I mean, I'm not -- you know, he's the one picking, not me. But I think one of the characteristics, of who you want to be on your team, is can they be president, on day one, and. And I certainly think Tim can be.
But he'll have a lot of good choices. Really, in many ways, this is our election to lose. And policy matters.
BASH: Senator, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it.
GRAHAM: Thank you.
BASH: And this Super Tuesday is shaping up to be unlike any we've seen, in modern presidential politics, with former President Donald Trump, scoring eight wins, tonight, and counting. We are tracking the uncalled races and any potential bright spots for Nikki Haley, at this very critical moment, in the fight for the GOP nomination.
Stay with us. Much more ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:25:56]
TAPPER: And we are back with another Super Tuesday projection, we can make right now, in the State of Colorado, with 37 delegates at stake. CNN can project Donald Trump is the winner of Colorado's Republican primary, 37 delegates at stake, yet another states on the big board for Donald Trump this evening.
On the Democratic side -- let's look at that, states won to date. Look at all those states, lots of red. On the Democratic side, CNN can project that in Colorado's Democratic primary, incumbent President Joe Biden will be the winner of that state's 72 delegates, 72 delegates, CNN projecting that Joe Biden will be the winner of the Colorado Democratic primary.
Let's bring you a key race alert, and get you up to date on some of the votes still coming in, in some of the states that we have not called in.
Minnesota, these are new votes, with 1 percent of the estimated vote in, 39 delegates at stake, Donald Trump taking an early lead, 78.6 percent of the vote, very few votes in, that's 1,737 votes. That's 1,300 more than Nikki Haley, who has 18.8 percent of the vote. Again, that's only an estimated 1 percent of the vote in from Minnesota. The polls just closed at 9 PM Eastern.
In Vermont, which we've been watching seesaw all night, Donald Trump still has a lead, 49.6 percent of the vote. That's 19,311 votes, a 1,100 or so votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 46.7 percent of the vote, her strongest showing so far this evening, with 56 percent of the estimated vote. But she is still not in the lead.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with 40 delegates at stake. Donald Trump, 59.4 percent of the vote, 44,285 votes. That's 16,657 more than Nikki Haley, who has just 37.1 percent of the vote. That's with an estimated 13 percent of the estimated vote, 13 percent.
Let's go to Kylie Atwood, who covers the Haley campaign for us. And it's in Charleston, South Carolina.
Kylie, what is the Haley campaign saying, about where they're hoping to pick up delegates, this evening? She's only picked up a few.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well Jake, I want to be frank with you. We haven't heard much from the Haley campaign at all in recent hours.
But what I can tell you, from my conversations, with campaign officials, before the night began, is that they were looking at two things, specifically. First of all, they were looking at some congressional districts, where they felt like they could do well.
Like, you look at Texas, right? There's congressional districts 2 and 12, where Fort Worth is located, where Houston is located. Those are places that Nikki Haley just had campaign rallies, yesterday. They feel like they could potentially pick up those districts that would give them a few delegates, in Texas.
Of course, they're not expecting to win the state. But it could give them some delegates. There's also other congressional districts and other states that she has visited, where they're looking to, right now.
The other thing that they have been looking at are two states specifically, where they feel like Nikki Haley could have a solid showing. Those states are Utah and Vermont. Of course, we've been tracking Vermont really closely. It's neck-and-neck between Trump and Haley right now.
And this all comes as Haley and her campaign have publicly been very weary to talk about what their specific goals, heading in tonight actually were.
Nikki Haley just told you yesterday, Jake, that she was hoping for a competitive night. She said that they had goals, numbers that they were looking to. But she didn't reveal what any of those numbers actually are. So, we'll just have to watch and see particularly when those congressional districts that they're watching the results there come in.
Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Kylie Atwood, in Charleston, South Carolina, with the Nikki Haley campaign.
Let's go now to MJ Lee, who is at the White House.
MJ, what is the word from the Biden campaign? What is the word from the Biden White House, this evening, as they watch the results come in?
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, as the Biden campaign has been watching Donald Trump sweep the evening, they have really been zeroing in on areas of weaknesses, for Donald Trump, particularly with moderate voters, suburban voters, and of course with Nikki Haley supporters.
[21:30:00]
Campaign officials, I have been speaking to, have been particularly interested in exit polls, and anecdotal evidence that shows Nikki Haley supporters, who have said either that they are unwilling to support Donald Trump, come November, or they're not willing to commit to supporting whoever the eventual GOP nominee ends up being.
Now, these voters in the view of Biden campaign officials are the so- called gettable or turned-off-by-Donald-Trump voters. And that second description, Jake, is so important because Biden campaign officials don't think that Donald Trump has done himself any favors, by continuing to use divisive and corrosive rhetoric.
And as you know, from our recent reporting, the President himself has very much directed his campaign aides, to be even more aggressive, in highlighting some of the more unhinged and erratic comments from Donald Trump.
Now, I should also note, it goes without saying that this is really the beginning of the official start of the general election, for the Biden campaign, as one senior campaign official put it to me, earlier this evening. Tonight really, really is important for starting to crystallize that choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, going into November.
Jake.
TAPPER: All right.
MJ Lee, at the White House.
Kylie Atwood with the Haley campaign, in Charleston, South Carolina.
And it was a week ago tonight, seems like seven years, but it was one week ago tonight that we were looking at Joe Biden's weaknesses, in the Michigan Democratic primary--
KING: Right.
TAPPER: --where more than 100,000 Democrats voted, Uncommitted, rather than voting for the Democratic incumbent president.
Let's take a look at Democrat -- at the Democratic votes--
KING: Sure.
TAPPER: --coming in.
KING: And so, maybe we don't spend enough time on this. But over your shoulder there is Donald Trump, who's on a march, to the Republican nomination, and the delegates.
And then, over here, on this wall, is the incumbent Democratic President of the United States, who is also on a march to re- nomination. And like Donald Trump, considerable strengths. And as you noted, one glaring weakness, last week, and there are some others, as you look at President Biden--
TAPPER: Yes.
KING: --as you go through, if you look at the battleground state polling, and the like. But you mentioned last week. This is not tonight. This is Michigan, last week (ph).
Uncommitted got 100,000 -- 101,000 votes, 13 percent of the vote, largely, not exclusively, but largely because of progressives, Arab Americans mad, mad at the Israel-Gaza conflict, and President Biden, in their view, siding too much with Israel and Netanyahu.
So, the question was there are two places tonight, where we can watch does that -- does that continue, right? One of them is Colorado, which is voting right now. And look, the President of the United States is getting 85 percent of the vote. Uncommitted is getting 7 percent. So yes, that's, you know -- you won and you won big. And let's not, you know, let's not shy away from that. So, that's the thing. OK. You got to pay attention to that. There is no question there is a bubbling of anger, frustration, in the progressive Democratic base, about Israel-Gaza. Now the President has shifted in recent days, hasn't been able to get Israel to go along. But instead, he wants a ceasefire. They're airdropping humanitarian aid. And so, we'll see. We'll see if that.
But the President, just like we say Donald Trump has problems to do in the suburbs, so too President Biden has problems to deal with as well. You see in Minnesota, Uncommitted getting 18 percent. This is the--
TAPPER: Wow.
KING: This is the home state of Dean Phillips, by the way, the Democratic congressman, who gave up--
TAPPER: Yes.
KING: --gave up his seat, to run against. The Dean Phillips seat is to the west of Minneapolis here. You see Joe Biden's winning everywhere, so far.
But again, in a progressive -- in a state that has a deep progressive activist base, like Minnesota, 18 percent. So, is it a five-alarm fire? Yes, I'll leave that up to the strategists and the people of the campaign.
But Joe Biden -- Minnesota, go back to 2020.
TAPPER: It's a battleground state.
KING: Yes. Go back to 2020. Let me come out here to the presidential race. So, let me get out of the primaries here. And come up. Yes, he won the state, pretty healthy, 52 percent to 45 percent. But it is a place where Democrats are always worried because of Donald Trump's support among blue-collar voters.
So, as you come forward now, let's come back to the Democratic race, you're looking at every one of these states, right? And so, you're trying to figure out, OK, that's healing that has to be done.
Now, are progressives going to vote for Donald Trump? I would say 99.9 percent of the cases, probably not.
But we talked about this a bit earlier. If you stay home, or you vote third-party, especially in a closed battleground state? And I don't know that Minnesota will be one. But Michigan will be, Wisconsin will be, Pennsylvania will be, Georgia will be, Arizona will be, Nevada will be. And potentially, throw in North Carolina, Virginia or Minnesota in there, if that's where we end up, come October, November, in a battleground state, you worry. You worry.
Colorado used to be a battleground state. It has trended blue. Now, you might say, oh, 85 to 7, whoop-de-do. This is the primary. Those are your voters.
TAPPER: Right. KING: You need them in November.
TAPPER: Yes. No, it's interesting.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: And it's important though, you point out, this is really about Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel--
KING: Right.
TAPPER: --more than it is about the country of Israel itself.
KING: Yes.
TAPPER: And the reason I say that is because this is not a night for Israeli politics.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: It's a night for American politics.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: But Prime Minister Netanyahu, according to polls, is incredibly unpopular in Israel.
KING: Right.
[21:35:00]
TAPPER: Forget among Democrats in Minnesota. In Israel, he's incredibly unpopular. But that's a -- that's a conversation for another time.
KING: It's a different map.
TAPPER: A different -- a different map, yes.
KING: Yes, right.
TAPPER: And fewer battleground states.
Erin Burnett?
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Jake, thank you.
All right, so where they're talking about though, this issue of healing, and in the context of Israel-Gaza.
KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.
BURNETT: So, you look at where they're looking right now, 3 percent of vote in, in Minnesota. OK. But 18 percent uncommitted.
BEDINGFIELD: Yes. BURNETT: As John said.
BEDINGFIELD: Yes.
BURNETT: That's healing.
What does that say to you?
BEDINGFIELD: Well, I think there's an important point here, which is that Donald Trump has been largely absent from the narrative on Gaza.
Understandably, Joe Biden is the President. People who are upset about the United States policy relative to Israel, are frustrated with Joe Biden. Understood.
However, this election is going to be a choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Donald Trump went on Fox News, yesterday morning, and was asked what -- whether he supported what the IDF is doing in Gaza, and said they need to go in and finish the job, they need to finish the problem, excuse me, they need to go in and finish the problem.
So, again, if you are somebody, who is concerned about the United States not--
BURNETT: Civilian death toll, yes.
BEDINGFIELD: Right, the civilian death toll in Gaza.
Are you going to turn out for Donald Trump? You're not.
Now, this point about, are you going to stay home is valid. But I think this is actually a perfect example of how the urgency will turn up, as Trump, as we move into the general election, as Trump is front and center, as he is held accountable for the things he's saying. Most people, who weren't watching Fox News, yesterday, don't know that he said that. But once he is the nominee--
BURNETT: The focus.
BEDINGFIELD: --this is more front and center. So, I think that that is a piece of this that hasn't been -- hasn't been discussed.
And also, I would say to the point about, 7 percent uncommitted, 18 percent uncommitted. I mean, look at the numbers, for Donald Trump, coming out of these primaries. I mean, 35 percent of Republican voters are not supporting him, 40 percent.
So, if we're talking about who's pulling their coalition together, more effectively, Donald Trump is the one who has the bigger numerical problem.
BURNETT: And--
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well-- DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, we were talking about this before.
JENNINGS: Yes.
AXELROD: Because what is true is that when you look at Haley's vote, about two-thirds of her voters, in all these states are Independents and Democrats. There's no Democratic race for President right now. So, they're playing in the Republican Party. My research assistant, Scott Jennings, pointed out to me that--
JENNINGS: Oh.
AXELROD: --that in the New York Times poll, on Sunday, in the race for the Republican nomination, only 9 percent of the people, who say they were for Haley, voted for Trump in 2020.
So now, having said all that, this is going to be a marginal race, OK? So, all of these things matter, including these third-party candidates.
And one of the concerns that I think that the Biden campaign should have is some of these young voters not voting at all, or migrating to one of the third-party candidates. And I think that generally, the third-party candidates are more advantageous to Trump than to Biden. I think Trump has a high floor and a low ceiling. And the lower the threshold is, the better the chances he has with them.
BURNETT: Well, as we're sitting here, RFK Jr. gets on the ballot, he says, in Nevada--
JENNINGS: Yes.
BURNETT: --which now gives him Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, three, obviously, battleground must-win states.
JENNINGS: I mean, are there 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 people in each of those three states that could--
AXELROD: Yes.
JENNINGS: --easily pick a third door? You bet. I mean, because both candidacies have glaring weaknesses, any remotely viable third option. I mean, we've had a few elections in the last 20 years, where a third party getting just enough votes, tipped a state. And he's doing well, better than that in a lot of the polling. So depending on their ballot access here, I mean, could be an issue, yes.
BURNETT: This is one you're watching very closely?
VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, the RFK Jr. factor is something I think people are underestimating.
JENNINGS: Yes.
JONES: I think most of us, in the establishment press, kind of see him as a kind of a fallen star, used to be a good environmental guy, became like an anti-vax nut, and we just kind of ignore him.
He is growing. He is building. And he's doing it online, with all this stuff that most of us aren't really following. And I think that's going to be an increasingly big factor.
My problem with him, right now, is he's only cherry-picking these swing states, where he can hurt Biden, but he can't possibly, right now, put together enough votes, to become president.
AXELROD: Yes. Well I--
JONES: So, what is he doing?
BEDINGFIELD: Yes.
JONES: So, that's what.
AXELROD: Well, I mean, I think--
BEDINGFIELD: Yes.
AXELROD: --that's important to emphasize.
JONES: Yes.
AXELROD: A third-party candidate is not going to be elected President of the United States in 2024.
JONES: Right.
AXELROD: But a third-party candidate, or the aggregation of them, can choose who the next president is, through the votes that they deprive a candidate.
BEDINGFIELD: Yes, no question.
DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, I'd say -- so, I'd say--
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, I--
URBAN: So, I'd say just the overall theme here then is who would you rather be, right now, this point tonight? And this race is Donald Trump. Momentum, 9-0 Supreme Court decision, cutting through the states like a hot knife through butter, right?
AXELROD: Yes.
URBAN: Despite the fact that he's got--
AXELROD: Sure.
URBAN: Despite the fact that he's got these cases looming out that these legal cases, right? He's still ahead in every poll in America--
FARAH GRIFFIN: Well and-- URBAN: --against a head-to-head with Donald Trump.
BEDINGFIELD: Well days there (ph) since Election Day.
[21:40:00]
URBAN: And you're -- we're just talking about third-party candidate weakens Joe Biden. I'm just saying, we haven't -- we haven't picked Tim Scott yet, for the vice president. When that happens, his numbers will go up. Lots of good news yet on the horizon for the Trump campaign. And I just say, at this point in time tonight, on Super Tuesday, he'd rather be in that -- you'd rather be at Mar-a-Lago than in Wilmington.
FARAH GRIFFIN: I have--
AXELROD: I want to hear from the party pooper.
BEDINGFIELD: Farah would never rather be--
FARAH GRIFFIN: No, no. And I--
(CROSSTALK)
FARAH GRIFFIN: --I agree with Urban on this.
URBAN: Wait. Wait. What did you say?
FARAH GRIFFIN: I agree with David Urban.
URBAN: Oh.
JONES: Oh.
FARAH GRIFFIN: I have genuine fear--
URBAN: Well Haley's got the race now. She's got to come home.
BURNETT: It's an early birthday present.
URBAN: She's got to come home.
FARAH GRIFFIN: I have a genuine fear that the Biden campaign has just not awakened to the strength of Trump. And I mean, look no further, this more speaks to Biden's weakness.
91 felony counts, four indictments, this is a man, who, it should be very easy to defeat Donald Trump. There are many Americans, like myself, who believe he is fundamentally unfit, and the most dangerous president in my lifetime. Yet, he is, if you were -- if the election were today, he would beat him. That shows that Democrats have a problem.
And when I hear this sort of defiant tone, from Biden, of I alone can beat him? A, it sounds Trumpian. But it also he's not -- he's not listening to what voters are saying, which is they want virtually any other option. And he's not also trying to reach Republicans, who could be swayed to come to his side. I mean, waiting to put off to deal with the border until three years in? That's a major failure.
JONES: Our coalition is harder to hold together. The Trump coalition is more demographically and geographically concentrated. We've got -- we got to hold together a coalition that's -- goes from the Never- Trumpers to folks who might have marched with Antifa. That's a hard coalition altogether.
URBAN: Maybe just so you agree with me, that's OK.
JENNINGS: Antifa?
JONES: No, I'm just saying -- no, I'm saying that's how broad our coalition could--
JENNINGS: Well, I mean, I do--
BURNETT: All right.
JENNINGS: --I do admit that--
JONES: Yes.
JENNINGS: --I'm loving this video--
JONES: Yes.
JENNINGS: --of the people chasing AOC, around Brooklyn, right now, I mean, you can have--
BURNETT: OK, all right.
JENNINGS: --you can have a broad coalition.
BURNETT: All right. Brief pause. Nine wins, so far, for Donald Trump, tonight. And Super Tuesday is far from over, a bonanza of delegates still up for grabs. California, the polls close at 11 PM Eastern Time.
Stick around. We're taking a very brief break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:46:08]
TAPPER: And let's bring you a key race alert, as votes are coming in.
In Vermont, which has been a seesaw all evening, 17 delegates a stake, Donald Trump still maintaining his lead, 48.6 percent of the vote, 23,134 votes. That's 424 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 47.7 percent of the vote. That's with an estimated 68 percent of the vote in, in Vermont.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 40 delegates at stake. Donald Trump has 60 -- 60.3 percent of the vote. That's 66,325 (ph) votes. That's more than 26,000 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 36.3 percent of the vote. That's with about a fifth of the vote, 18 percent of the estimated vote in.
In the State of Minnesota, with a vote -- where the polls just closed at 9 PM Eastern, 39 delegates at stake, Donald Trump in the lead there, dominantly, 69 percent of the votes, 39,883 votes. That's more than 23,000 votes more than Nikki Haley, who has 29 percent of the vote. That's 18 percent of the estimated vote in, in Minnesota.
Let's go to Kristen Holmes, at Mar-a-Lago, where Donald Trump is hosting a watch party, no doubt, celebrating given the domination he has demonstrated, this evening.
Kristen, a huge night, for the former President. What are we expecting to hear from him, and when?
HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. And we are expecting to hear from him shortly after 10 PM. He's going to come out and take the stage.
Look, this is a crowd, full of his supporters. But not here are members of his inner circle, because they are watching the results, in a war room, off-stage. And this is better than they even anticipated.
Remember, it wasn't just about winning. They knew they were going to do well tonight. They even just made it they might win every single state. But it was winning by enough delegates, so that next week, he can become the presumptive nominee.
Now obviously, we'll have to wait until every vote is cast, every vote is counted, and that those numbers are finalized. But they are feeling very good about his pathway to the Republican nomination, as soon as next week.
They are telling me that they have pivoted to the general election. But there are some things that they need to actually be the presumptive nominee to get. Now, some of that is just donors and fundraising. But another part of that is the access to the Republican National Committee, the RNC, and their fundraising, their donors, their infrastructure.
Remember, they have kept a very lean team, up until now. They want to tap into those resources. And hopefully, they believe, to them, hopefully that they -- will happen next week, at the earliest. So that is what they are contemplating, right now, expect him to be very victorious, to take a victory lap.
But I do want to note one other thing, Jake here. It's not just politically speaking that they are feeling very optimistic. This combined with the wins that they feel like they have gotten in the legal space, as well, really is giving them an optimistic look, going into the next several months, as they head into this general election rematch, with President Joe Biden.
TAPPER: All right, Kristen Holmes, important point there, won the legal victories as well as the political ones.
Kristen Holmes, in Palm Beach, Florida, at Mar-a-Lago.
The Super Tuesday contests are moving west. The Republican caucuses in Utah are going to be winding down soon.
Brian Todd is at a caucus site, in Sandy, Utah. That's around Salt Lake City.
Brian, give us an update on what's happening there.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, Jake. So, what you're seeing is a caucus room in action right now. The caucusing, the actual caucusing has begun in earnest, with a few glitches along the way.
These are people, in one precinct that you're looking at here. I am not allowed to step in the room and talk to voter -- talk to viewers live. But my camera's allowed to be in there, and show this live.
This caucus chair, who's running this precinct, his name is Nick Roberts (ph). He is now explaining the party platform to these people. He's going to make sure that everyone is registered in this precinct. And then, he's going to give them their paper ballots to fill out their choice for president, in this primary.
[21:50:00]
But I got to tell you, this man, who's running this particular room, in this particular precinct, Nick Roberts (ph) is also running this entire location with thousands of voters here. And he's had a very stressful night.
The computer system backed up, and people were slow to get registered. So, he stood on a chair, and started yelling at the top of his lungs, for people to go to this room, that room, corresponding to your precinct number. And that's how he got this thing going.
But this process started about a half hour late, in some cases, in these caucus rooms, like this one that you're seeing live. So, this is kind of the process. It's a cool process. It's inclusive, of course. But it's messy. And it was messy here tonight.
And you're seeing the caucusing, in effect right now. They're going to fill out their ballots, in just a minute. And then they're going to start counting. And we'll be able to show you the counting.
Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Brian Todd, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
We're also watching the all-important state of California. Texas is number two. California is the biggest delegate prize of the night. Voting ends there at the top of the hour.
CNN's Nick Watt is at a polling location in Santa Ana, California.
Nick, what are you hearing from voters there?
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is beginning to pick up. There weren't that many voters. Remember Jake, Californians love to mail in their ballots. But here,
the excitement is beginning to build, as we get closer to the end of the polling hours. This is the tally room that people have just started moving in there, getting ready to tally up this vote.
And where we are Jake, in Orange County, is actually a fascinating little county. Between 1936 and 2012, Orange County voted Republican in every single presidential election. Then, in 2016, they went Hillary Clinton. In 2020, they went Joe Biden.
Ronald Reagan once said of Orange County, back in 1988, he said this is where good Republicans go to -- go before they die. A few of those people have died that Reagan was talking about, and the demographic has really changed, in this country -- in this county.
The diversity is it's far more diverse. So, it's really, it's not a red county anymore. It's a purple county. It is just as Los Angeles, suburban, affluent, educated. So, it's going to be interesting to see how Donald Trump does here. 2016 primary, he got 76 percent of the vote in Orange County. John Kasich came in at very distant second, on about 11 percent. It's going to be interesting to see what votes Haley picks up here, and might give us an indication of that sort of suburban educated issue that Donald Trump might have.
Now, the other issue right here, this is one of the key districts for the House that the Democrats want to take. It is currently held by a Republican, serving her first term. But Joe Biden took this district, last time around. So this is one of the districts that the Democrats are really focusing on, the House race, to try to win back control.
So, we're going to wait. Polls close about an hour or so. We'll see what happens.
Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Nick Watt, in Orange County, amidst those Santa Ana winds.
And we can bring you a projection, right now, from Minnesota, CNN can project that Donald Trump will be the winner of the Minnesota Republican primary. 39 delegates at stake. And Donald Trump is going to pick up the Minnesota Republican primary vote, this evening.
On the Democratic side, on the Minnesota Democratic primary, CNN can project that incumbent President Joe Biden will be the winner of that state's 75 delegates, the Minnesota Democratic primary.
Let's bring you a key race alert now. Let's look at the actual votes, as they put them on the board. In Vermont, which has been neck-and- neck, all night, Donald Trump still in the lead, for that state's 17 delegates. 48.3 percent of the vote, that's 23,721 votes, 147 votes more than Nikki Haley. This is her strongest state yet in the Super Tuesday contest. But she's still pulling up the rear, 48 percent of the vote. That's with an estimated 70 percent of the vote in.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with 40 delegates at stake, Donald Trump has 61.4 percent of the vote, very dominant, 86,387 votes. That's 36,807 more than Nikki Haley, who has 35.2 percent of the vote. That's about a quarter of the vote is in there, about 23 percent of the estimated vote, in Massachusetts.
What do you got for me, John, looking at the Haley vote, looking at the Trump vote?
KING: Right. If you look at the Trump vote, let's start there. He's the headline. He won. You just added Minnesota to it. If you look across the map, the states that we have projected, and some that are still to come tonight, at the moment, they're all Trump-red.
So, if you're at the Trump headquarters, you're happy. You're dominating, you're approaching 700 delegates. You could cross the 1,000 by the end of the night and clench this a week from now. So, you could say Trump is dominant, he doesn't have to worry about Nikki Haley.
[21:55:00]
I just want to show you some of this. Gets a little complicated, so follow along with me. First we're going to go to the full county level of the map, right? This is now the map by county and by townships, when you get up into New England. But this is the Republican race so far. So, you see a lot of Trump. That's the red, and the yellow.
So, I'm going to isolate for you here, counties won by Nikki Haley, right? Let me bring this out. Come with me and bring this up.
These are the counties just won by Nikki Haley, 214 counties and townships in Vermont, and in New Hampshire, that's what they call them instead. As that slides across, you see most of them are up here, in the New England area.
But you see these other ones across the state. Those are the areas Nikki Haley has won in the Republican primary. Again, if you're watching this at Trump headquarters, it's not that much. You're not that worried about it, right?
So now let me overlay this. Let me bring in these Haley counties. Oops, jumpy on me there. And let's overlay it with counties that Joe Biden won in 2020, right? So, about (ph) 95 percent, it's fluctuating, because we're still counting votes, in some of these, but more than 90 percent of the county, she has won in the Republican primaries, are counties Joe Biden won in the 2020 general election.
So, one way to look at that is if you're a Republican, so what? She's winning where the Democrats win. But that's the wrong way to look at it. That's the wrong way to look at it. Because where is she winning? Let me just--
TAPPER: Because her voters are mostly Republican voters.
KING: Right. For example, you'll come in here, if you want to win Virginia, or if you want to win Pennsylvania, you got to win places like this, these suburbs here, these suburbs here, these suburbs here, right? So, she is winning in places that matter, come November.
Trump is dominating the race. I'm not trying to say he's not dominating the race.
But that's just one there. And then you come up to, in New Hampshire, again, a state that could be in play in November.
TAPPER: Absolutely.
KING: It was very -- Joe Biden won it by more than Hillary Clinton did, in 2016. But again, if you want to win New Hampshire, you got to do business here, here, and here, and a lot of these other places, too. But these are the places that Nikki Haley is winning.
So, when you look at her vote, it's easy to say, OK, that's Nikki Haley. That's Donald Trump.
TAPPER: Right.
KING: It's dominant. And it is.
TAPPER: Right.
KING: It is. He is dominating. But the places that she is winning are places that in the key battleground states, even in these states here, or places like them, that matter, come November. So there's a fascinating case study. Even as she is losing, and being overwhelmed in losing, there are some very important lessons in there.
TAPPER: Yes, it seems as though this is also just looking at the fact with Donald--
KING: She has just to -- sorry to interrupt you. But she has pulled ahead narrowly.
TAPPER: She's pulled ahead?
KING: By 97 votes.
TAPPER: 97 votes ahead.
KING: In the state.
TAPPER: With 74 percent.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: This could end up in the w-column for Nikki Haley. We don't know.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: It's so close.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: But in any case, the point you were making, Joe Biden won the 2020 election. And despite what--
KING: Right.
TAPPER: --some people out there might think, that is a fact. Joe Biden won the 2020 election. And one of the ways he won--
KING: Right.
TAPPER: --was a lot of people, who would like to vote for Nikki Haley for President, voted for him.
KING: Like right here. That's what I just circled, right?
TAPPER: Yes.
KING: So, she's winning -- she's winning there, tonight. Joe Biden won Virginia by 10 points. I mean, it was -- it was considered a close battleground state. Again, since 2008, it's been Democrat. So, I'm going to say if at least leans blue, until somebody convinces--
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: Sure.
KING: But yes, that's so you have to--
TAPPER: But the point is more who those--
KING: Yes.
TAPPER: --women and men in the suburbs are.
KING: Right. Right. And so, Joe Biden won New Hampshire. Where was I just a minute ago? Right here, and right here, and right here, right?
And so, if you're a Republican, so you say, well, she's just getting Democrats, so she's just getting Democratic-leaning independents. She's also getting independents, who lean Republican, and some Republicans, who might vote for a Democrat in the fall, if they can't stomach voting for Donald Trump.
TAPPER: But let's talk about Biden's weakness for one second, if you'll indulge me.
KING: Sure.
TAPPER: Punch up, if you would, Minnesota.
KING: Let's come back to 2024, the Democratic primary.
TAPPER: OK.
KING: There you go.
TAPPER: So that's?
KING: 16 percent.
TAPPER: Right.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: 16 percent. 9,729. It's still early.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: That number is going to grow. But the bottom line is, again, Democrats dissatisfied with Joe Biden. Again, as we said, with Trump--
KING: Right.
TAPPER: --he's dominant.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: He's winning. Give the man his due. Give the devil his due, whatever, like he is doing what he needs to do. But look at all these people dissatisfied with him.
KING: Right.
TAPPER: Now, if you could indulge me for one more second, show me the Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump, Minnesota. I see it up there, right? Now she won.
KING: Yes.
TAPPER: But she only beat -- she only be Trump by 44,000 votes.
KING: Right, 44,000 votes. And you look, I mean, she won in the urban areas, and this close in suburbs, and he won just about everything else. It's blue-collar areas up here.
TAPPER: We don't know what the uncommitted vote's going to be in Minnesota by the end of the night. But it could be more than 44,000.
KING: Right. So, she was, yes, 44,000 points there. Joe Biden stretches it out much more. So again, this is because of the suburbs.
TAPPER: Yes.
KING: This is because of the suburbs, and younger voters. And younger voters as well.
And so then now you come forward to where we are now, and you are with the Democratic primary. Yes, in a state that you don't think it's going to be in play, but just might be in play, or voters like that here, who might live somewhere else, who are just mad, and they're looking for something to do. So, you watch that number. It's 16 percent, if you round that up, in Minnesota right now.
[22:00:00] I just want to check on the totals in Colorado. It's just 7 percent. It's a smaller number. But still, still those are your voters. Those are your voters, who are saying, on this night, even as you run away with things that they're mad at you.
And this was the high point. We expect this to be the high point, because of the Arab American, Muslim American, and the college age population, in Michigan, 13 percent, more than a 100,000 votes a week ago.
But yes, just as Donald Trump is marching to re-nomination, or to nomination, excuse me, he's not an incumbent, Joe Biden is marching to re-nomination, Jake. And Donald Trump has some serious things, to deal with, to try to heal, if he wants to be a stronger candidate in November. So too does the President.
TAPPER: All right. As Donald Trump scores win after win, this Super Tuesday, the biggest prize on the Super Tuesday, is still ahead. It's now 10 PM Eastern.
