The Republican National convention, politico talked with mark meadows, discussing the confluence of the Trump Administration and the campaign as well as negotiations to that covid economic responsible. Lets get started. Lets give a warm welcome to white house chief of staff, mark meadows. Think you for joining us. Thank you for joining us. It is great to be with you this morning. It is 69 days until election day. Ing isesidents poll lagging in every swing state that we see. Give us a sense, if the president wins on november 3, it will be because he did what over the next 69 days . I think it is not just what he does over the next 69 days. Let me just be clear. I am going to talk in my personal capacity as we talk about some of these things so that we dont get everybody tweeting at me that i am hatch act. He from a political standpoint, if i put on my political hat, here is what i see. Its not just what he does the next 69 days, but building on the years prior to that, but taking the next 69 days, focusing on what we have accomplished, then what are we going to do next . It is taking it to five different states, wisconsin is one of those, North Carolina is one of those, florida is another, arizona and pennsylvania. If we look at those states in making sure we take the message not only about jobs, but also about how we are going to set a different agenda between this president and candidate, joe biden. Right now, the contrast is still not being made. The only contrast being talked about is that joe has been a nice guy for 47 years and donald has not been in the last four years. If we look at that, lets look at the policies that really matter. About hitting those individuals who are real concerned about their job, but also about what the next four years might be all about for them. You mentioned the hatch act, causing controversy last night, it was a big night, night 2 of the gop convention. Mike pompeo gave a Convention Speech from jerusalem last night. Here he is on an official government trip. Putresident trump has his America First vision into action. Its worked. Can you explain the thinking that went into him doing that after officials were told to stay away from these kinds of speeches . Well, when you look at it, any of us and our personal capacity, and i probably have a different philosophy on the hatch act than a lot of the pundits that are out there, having actually researched it and held hearings on the hatch act when i was on the Oversight Committee in congress. But when we look at that, what what itsdesigned really designed to do is to measure people like myself and others do not use their political position to try to convince other employees, other federal employees that they need to vote one way or register one way or campaign another way. We have taken it will be on the original intent of the hatch act. He used novery clear federal dollars to do that. You guys Cover Congress on the time. When you look at this, can the campaign from their official office . Absolutely not. But we also know that those lines are blurred anytime they are in the speakers lobby were the two of you may be asking them questions. U. S. Political questions all the time, so they would be violating certain ethical concerns on capitol hill. But heres what i can tell you, when you look at official acts, whether it is the naturalization process that went through, where you had new citizens being sworn in, or pardoned, there were a couple of things there are a couple of things you can do to make sure you are in compliance with the hatch act. Nobody vast majority, outside of the beltway really cares. They expect that donald trump is going to promote republican values, and they would expect that barack obama would do the same for democrats. Beings a lot of hoopla made about things mainly because a convention has been so unbelievably successful. I just want to make sure, because i think it might have been taken out of context a little bit. I may have reframed a little bit. I doubt know i took it out of context. I was reframing it for you. What we were trying to say is, we spend a lot of our career working and uncovering breaking the law is not a, but i do see your point. No, no. Here is what i am saying. You cant break the law, you should not do it. You have all done a lot of investigative reporting. I appreciate your clarifying that. Heres what im saying. Never thought that we would be on zoom talking to people live and that we were going to be able to have this conversation from over in the executive building next to the white house, where we were talking about this. It was designe to stop the cronyism of forcing federal employees to become their campaign team. It is a little clearer in the house, less so when it comes to the executive branch. Switch gears a little bit. Promises made, promises kept. People who say to are now that from the coronavirus . What is going on in history right now . Adult know that there is any rewriting history. When the president campaign, there was no reason to believe there would be some kind of pandemic that would have been in year 4 of the administration that the Chinese Government actually hid. The promises that were made in the promises kept, we are at mile 300 on a wall. Have an embassy in jerusalem. We have lower taxes, we have an economy that was moving, yet all a clash,ame really as a head on with this pandemic that came out of china. We also know this president is willing to hold the Chinese Government accountable. When you look at that, one death is too many. We mobilize so many different people across. As you know, i came in about the middle part of march. That is when all of this was ramping up. If there was ever a time when you did not want to be in the inrning curve, it was coming to a job in march. I cant say this, as we started we haveize, each time, been trying to sell for different problems. Flattening the curve had nothing to do with the number of people ultimately getting this, and had to do with the Hospital Capacity to make sure we did not have people that could not find a hospital bed. Urgedis what we s the mercy and the comfort to new york. When we look at Hospital Capacity, building hospitals, building ventilators, additional back, yous you look will start to see theres a number of platforms that can be built upon for the necks administration. For the next administration. We are about to make some new announcements that relate to testing. Some of these testing platforms that we are going to have will not only be able to test for the coronavirus, but hopefully for flu or any other potential us disease infectio that we have, so that the next time when we have the equipment, it becomes more of an analysis of the particular virus and how we test for it instead of trying to create an entire system. I will say that most of the system was broken down when we got here. That is not to put a blame on any previous administration. Im just saying, we did not have the backbone to be able to handle the pandemic. I think part of the next four years, you will see a build on chains, bringing supply back from china. We can do that in a very effective way was some of the lessons we have learned. They have been very very troubling. Hopefully, we will be able to handle that going forward. The trendlines are actually looking real good. A look at them this morning. The cases are coming down. It appears the death tolls are coming down. Whether it is 177,000 or whether it is 1, you want to make sure that the federal government as their to be able to address that ash is there to be able to address that. Is there to be able to address that. We are in the midst of trying, as a government, trying to bring together some sort of code relief package. Im wondering if you have had conversations with nancy pelosi or chuck shumer in the last couple of weeks since these negotiations broke down. We have not. As you have reported, i think secretary mnuchin reached out to Speaker Pelosi. Originally, i think she said he will meet us in the middle or cut it in half. We thought that might be an opening to open up the negotiations. ,he quickly changed that to say she misses the 2. 3, 2. 4 trillion two point 3 trillion, 2. 4 trillion package. What she said to us in the room, you give us the amount of will become a we will tell you how we are going to spend it. That is not how they happen. I had my staff reach out to Speaker Pelosis chief of staff to say we have not heard anything from her. That we willipate actually get a phone call. Notobably have had more only good conversations, but very productive conversations with democrats on capitol hill, both on the senate side and house side. A lot of them want a deal. They are being very reasonable in their request. I think if we got back in the room with some of their priorities, we could cut a deal. The president once to do that. Im not optimistic. I think the speaker is going to hold out until the end of september. And try to get what she wants in the funding for the government. Out in hopes of for starting negotiations, it sounds like. We have had some good conversation with democrats on capitol hill. I think there is some common ground. We are having a call with senators every morning, with republican senators. I know they want a deal. They are willing to make compromises. But its really been Speaker Pelosi really driving this train as a conductor more so than anybody. I think she talks privately that she wants a deal and maybe even publicly that she wants a deal, but when it comes to dealing with republicans in the at ministry should, we have seen no auction. No action. You think the strategy will be to try to come together with the funding bill, some sort of covid relief at the end of september. Do you think the government could shut down . Are you concerned about the president getting blamed for that . I can tell you the president doesnt want to shut it down, i dont want to shut it down. Obviously, theres all kinds of lame to go around. Now, do a covid deal right we should do a continuing resolution as part of that so we take shutdown of the table. I know senator ron johnson wants to do that. A number of republican senators want to do that. Yet we know how these negotiations go, you handle it and everybody looks for the leverage, the next deadline to figure out how they can use that to their political advantage. Speaker pelosi is using this for her political advantage. I will be very direct. When she knows theres a number of people that need enhanced unemployment, when she knows there are Small Businesses where we can agree on a ppp deal that would help Small Businesses and she failed to act, when she fails to act, yet somehow brings people in for able still bill on a saturday that is a largely messaging bill the postal problem has been there for a long time. Yet she comes in, that is her top priority . That is hard to sell back home on main street. It is hard to sell even with her most loyal, dedicated colleagues that supported her for speaker. They dont understand it. I dont understand it. It is time we reach a compromise, and hopefully we will. Rapidfiree of questions. American airlines is going to lay off close of 20,000 employees if they do not get some sort of package for airlines. Does the white house support that . We have actually talked to both united, american, and delta. Anytime you can keep employers with employees not being furloughed or laid off is a good thing. So we have raised this issue. It would take a cares package to do it. We are looking at other executive actions. I think everybody, every time they hear we are going to do executive actions, they dont believe me. Weve got for executive actions four executive actions that the president took. We will take a few others. If congress is not going to work, this president will work and solve problems. Hopefully, we can help out the airlines and keep some of those employees from being furloughed. If youve got Airline Workers in calldistrict, you need to the speaker or the leader and let them know that it is a. Riority to the vaccine. You told Speaker Pelosi and chuck shumer there will be an emergency use operation for the vaccine in the fall. Will there be a vexing by the fall . A vaccine by the fall . There is a little bit of liberty in terms of the Anonymous Sources in the room that would share that. Im optimistic we will have a vaccine by the fall. There are a number of vaccines that are in phase three clinical trials. We are trying to produce all the candidates, produce hundreds of millions of files of the vaccine vials of the vaccine. Whether it is astrazeneca or any there thatrs out get approved, we are going to mature it is good science, and the efficacy and safety of those vaccines are well. Tried well try. It is warp speed, but im optimistic that one of the seven or eight candidates we have will actually get approved, and hopefully be able to be deployed by this fall. One more question. Russia says it is far ahead on a trial. Are you going to accept any foreign trials . We are not going to accept foreign trials from russia. I think i have made it very clear, obviously, we have the highest health and Safety Standards in the world. That is not something that you can sacrifice. You cant cut the red tape, and you can cut corners. I would nottrial, take that vaccine. We have known you for a long time as a member of congress and now a white house chief of staff. James baker once ascribed the job of chief of staff as being dartboard. Job, hemp 50 for his said you would be his favorite. Are you agreeing with this description . You worry about yourself to much. You are in the wrong business. I can tell you it is a fulltime job. I am getting less sleep. I actually spoke to james baker and a number of other chiefs of staff. If you think you know how to do this job, you dont. When you get here, you have to ask for advice, whether it is from democrats or republicans, jake is a big baseball fan, so it is like going to the little leagues, where you can with ball out of the park a 95 mile an hour fastball, hoping to connect. It comes that you a lot faster, but hopefully the American People will be well served. I know it is the greatest honor of my life and its been a joy to not only get to know you from capitol hill, but continue that relationship now as you try to bring the truth to the American People. Thank you so much, mr. Meadows, for being with us this morning. We continue in just a minute with our secondguessed. Secondguest. Thank you both. We are back. It is great to have you on, kevin. Great to have you on this morning. I wish we were together and in person, but i am committed to try to keep the convention going. I started training monday night and have not stopped. Take everything i say with a grain of salt. [laughter] im drinking coffee. Of theyou are in charge fight against control of the senate, executive director of the nrfc. I wonder what you think is the biggest misconception about republicans position as you guys battle for control here. I appreciate it. I have watched handicappers move these races. I think they are missing the underlying data in all these races. Im not going to sit here and try to tell you they are totally off, but i think that trying to extrapolate out in the middle of a global pandemic, with unemployment at 10 , people are just really, really nervous, this race in the middle on ll of this stuff going and an asteroid coming to earth on november 2, i have been about this for a monthandahalf and nobody cared. Dialed in. S these races are really close and people arent dialed in yet. Just startingally 69, 70 days. A wild, a folks are nervous, were in recession, there is no end in ight for the coronavirus, much data shows in arizona, colorado, maine, North Carolina, can you ake the case that things are going to be better for republicans between now and election day and what would that be . Listen, im not going to sit there, we only have a little bit time. Im not going to debate public poll. Data is a lot different. All of these races are jump least. T the very ill take it every day of the week and twice on sunday. Really strong about our starting position going into the final stretch here. That all of our andidates, we are spending currently going in, so that is someplace we havent been. We were outspent by 144 million and we won. Strong about where we sit and where were going. The only competitive republican speaking at the onvention, a different convention than years past, how o you explain that, how do you explain that there are senators up in red seats around the speaking . At are not what should we take away from that . Every single senator to my participating at some level or another. Its just a different type of convention. I dont think we should read too much into it. I think that all of our focus re committed to working on a unified ticket. There is no question about that. Think that strength is in unity. Politics is about addition, not seen, tion and so i have we have worked great with the versa. Campaign and vice so i feel very strongly about oar in theulling the same direction going in the final stretch. To mark just talking the next covid happen. Going to how concerning to you if there isnt a deal as soon as ossible, it will be a drag for republican incumbents . I have got a lot of things me up at night and i to tighten up the circles i give a you know what about. Control. I can all of those things outside my control, i dont worry about. There is a commitment to get something done, what it xactly will be, to be determined. I do think that i will tell you in our polling, overwhelmingly still today, in swing states, in purple and blue independents, you know, all voters overwhelmingly have a very, very positive opinion of the cares act. Done res act and what was very rapidly unanimously was very well received. 80, 90 approval by voters. I dont have any issues like ever. So i think its conspicuous that it. Re running on our candidates in maine, susan what we have s on done. Act are attacking the cares that passed unanimously in the senate. Disingenuous, i think its a mistake on democrats part to attack a bill 80 approval. Yesterday maine, the state you just mentioned where susan very tough race, the race of her life against her opponent, thats a state that president is convinced he can do pretty well in. Kind of a , just broad read on collins political more, a and further question im not going to let of, to encourage the president to hold an event in main. N collins i dont think its the opinion that the president can make maine close. 2008, barack obama won maine by 17 points. In 2016, the president lost it three. So maine is a blue state. Im not going to sit here and try to convince everybody that a purple state or whatnot. Ts a lighter shade of blue than most people think it. Its a different electorate. In second part of this, too, 2008, ironically, Susan Collins ballot, she won by 22. Her stature in the state is enormous. And those who are covered her or work with her know her work know she is a grindr politically. , this entire time, if democrats her, they better pack a lunch, she plays for keeps. Ur data has her outside the margin of era on gideon, winning outside the margin of error. You encourage her to stand beside President Trump in that state . Her howot going to tell to win in maine. Thats not a weasel out. Her to do to tell something, i think you know how that turned out. Knows that state backwards trying ards and i mean, to tell her or convince usually, not that she wont do it. Rying to say this is how you should do it in maine, i would encourage you to have that first and report. Well let you know how that goes. Minnesotan, i went to college there, know the state well. Trump Campaign Says they can win in minnesota. How much of a chance do you give trump actually winning there . Its an uphill climb. E has shown he has appeal there. Obviously was a lot closer, as a lifelong minnesotan, i love the all of my friends and family and i talk to them often. About how d bag people feel president ial right now. I think its a heavy lift, but the president and his team have something that i havent done before. So, you know, there is a reason or them to be optimistic about it. There is so much unrest right there right now and so much tuff going on, its a really hard place to get a read on. I do think you have a lot of very, very scared look at the ou defund the police issue, the issue of defunding the police, minneapolis, i mean, people might be sympathetic to that are being raised n the civil unrest and the protests around the country. When youre talking about defunding the police, they it. Nt into they definitely want reforms or its ing like that, so open there and the president is convinced to it. No one has spent money there in the recent past, so if he is putting money in there and putting people on the ground, its a jump ball. Kevin, the one thing we lways hear from people when theyre raising money, one thing we hear often consistently raised, im it in the four years before. This. T me ask you one thing we always hear is that epublicans or democrats are trying to keep control of the chamber, oftentimes say, listen, you need us to keep a check on whoever is in the white house or keep a check on whoever comes and im curious what are right now as you sit here 69 days away from the election . Has never been and will not be an either or pitch. I think that like our pitch has been and its an incredibly successful, we literally as of have raised the most money in an entire cycle ever through august 9. Still have three months to go at that point. We have broken the fundraising record overall. Entire pitch is regardless where you stand on everything else, i said before, politics is about addition, not subtraction, we got to keep what we got and build from there. And so, you know, looking at donors especially, i dont know it extrap lates down to you, but what democrats are talking about doing if they get the majority is terrifying the donors. Im just telling you. Filibuster, f the passing the supreme court, admitting new states. Donors literally have panic youre talking to hem and so it is a its a really compelling argument, incredibly successful so far. We spent a lot of money. I spent more money, we went up n june for our independent expenditure you want, thats two months earlier than we have gone up. Appraising, out guns im spending a ton of money in the next two months and i like im a tombstone fan, you think we may be down out, hell is coming, im coming and hell is coming with me. Going to blow some stuff up in the last 69 days. Time, re running out of were talking about mailin voting. The president has continued to ttack this across the board, but a lot of states where you are having very close races, montana, all mailin voting, how do you kind of essage that, that youre going to need to have a g. O. P. Base feel confident enough that they mail, te through the otherwise isnt it going to depress turnout and hurt your states . In those its not Republican Voters election day voters. Its an issue regardless of what is going on. Data, ok at any poll, any we are overwhelmingly election day voters. The first thing i would just tell people in the data that looking at right now, theyre out ters, on that. Unequivocally in the last six or eight months have robust e unded mail programs and programs through the mail. Hate the player, hate the game, right, people can debate all good, nt whether its bad, or indifferent. What were doing here, we got to play it. Tojust got to do what we got do. So thats the mentality we have taken throughout this whole thing. As you re going to see have in the past, youre going to see that early ballots coming to be better ing for democrats than republicans. Thats not a pandemic thing, way it always is. E will be committed to it, aggressive in it and our job just got a little tougher. Work for a marine, senator young is a marine. Him at the called day after the first impeachment and i said how was that sitting hours, 15 ir for 14 hours, and he he was like, ok, they had snacks. Also said you just embrace the stuff, kevin. We s just the mentality have here. Is. T is different, it e embrace it and have a great old time doing it. Inspiration. The the day after election day, longer, ittle bit january 25, who controls the senate and by how many seats . There is no doubt that republicans will control the senate. I feel really good. Democrats at what have to do, just look at this, alabama, going to win the core four states, arizona, colorado, maine, and north run the they got to table there and win the white house. There will be a 50. They dont do that, they have to win one of the following tates, montana, iowa, georgia, kansas, or texas. If i was sitting in a chair at now, i er place right wouldnt feel very good about that. Theyre not going to go full states. Those we have better candidates running better campaigns. Matter. Fact of the i know it sounds like a slogan. Worked in 2014, 2016, 2018, i now how to beat guys like hicken looper, we know how to beat these guys, we have done it again. D time and time were going to do it again. Its really a pleasure. Time. Were out of i have all kinds of stuff to tell them about them. That, im veryto upset about it. You know where to find us. Have to wrap up and we appreciate your time and the great conversation. It over to ick charlie in florida and scott who take us through another swing state, addition of the swing state map. On the great state of florida. Thanks, guys. Thanks, kevin. Thanks to the architecture of President Trumps 2016 victory and were talk to about one of key states today. Im joined by my colleague, matt explore the new swing sync the that will outcome. Thats right, today were states, at one of those florida, florida, the nations biggest swing state. I have covered politics for 12 years. Im currently the coauthor of florida playbook. Reporting is on governors response to the president ialnd the election a lot from florida. Before we kind of dive into the issue, politico video producer mary new unanimous provides some background. Take a look at that. A dinner party, hey, you know should invite, a bunch of lderly jewish people and some gay people and a bunch of conservative cubans. Outf you havent figured it yet, he is talking about florida which is a major swing state and President Trumps official residence since last year. Florida has quite the reputation, both in politics and culture. The demographics are wideranging, particularly with latino populations. One out of 10 lives in florida, Largest Community in that and many racial minority groups, the latino vote is grossly oversimplified. All you have to do is look at i sink in. T that down here is where a majority of andn americans, the largest most conservative latino population in florida live. Up here in the middle is where of the ind the majority more liberal puerto rican population, the Fastest Growing state. Base in the in 2016, close to three quarters voted forrican voters Hillary Clinton and 20 polling hows similarly large margins for biden. It could be a threat to trump in november. Nother factor is the response to Hurricane Maria, an estimated 400,000 Puerto Ricans moved to after the hurricane ripped through the island in 2017. Miami,p00,000 cubans were eligible to vote. Those votes were solidly read in and 2018 despite the trend latino voters being reliably blue. The Republican Party is rooted in skepticism of the Progressive Democratic socialists. When fidel castro came into you know what he did, he had a massive literacy program, a bad thing even though he did it . The kely cuban America First being kamala harris, a surge of energy among these communities in florida. A coalition of noncuban aribbean voters go blue, they could equalize the conservative vote. Citizens, a voting lock that republicans didnt have to orry about until coronavirus changed everything. The pandemic has drastically lowered the amount of lower state. In the 83 of coronavirus deaths were people 65 and older. Demographic shift that could up end the Political Landscape by he battleground state november. Floridas demographics and a mixed bag. Ns are 12 serial killers and the people in the world trying not to pay taxes and at the end of the dinner party, they decide who the president is. No denying that their influence on the president ial huge. Ions is thats for a whole other video. Needless to say, florida, keep on swinging. Occupy a has come to special place in the electoral special in nt mean the good way. Here was the 2000 election andco, the butterfly ballot recounts and miscellaneous screwups. Could florida be a problem spot in november . Is no. Answer lets turn our focus specifically to mail ballots on this one. Predicting that the root cause of floridas election mishaps, but there is a new in 2020 that is a massive amount of new mail ballots the coronavirus, two acted in how its 2020, a massive wave of mail allots from democrats and republicans are going back and kind of focusing on inperson the g, those are what numbers showed us preprimary. Note that the to republican had the mail program in florida. That element of the election, but if president mail has started hammering voting, g. O. P. Numbers have fallen off. A 285,000 vote by mail lead which isnt normally here. T goes that is definitely a noticeable trend. Lorida has had a robust early mailin voting system. A lot of people vote before election day in florida. Understand this year, days before the august 18 primary, 2 Million People had already voted. That about a half million more than the 2016 primaries, the ast president ial election if youre comparing cycle to cycle. Democrats 5,000 more cast mail ballots through friday before floridas primary and frame of imilar time 2016 and 100,000 more voters with nor Party Affiliation out compared to 2016. Florida has a new massive wave mail ballots. Most local Elections Officials mailin encouraging voting because of the pandemic. Localrgest companies, the Election Officials sent vote registration forms to every registered voter in the county. It does add a huge unknown variable. In new york where mail ballots counted for weeks after the primaries, the change can be a problem. It doesnt necessarily sped as some would like to imply, it has new complications. It could be complicated, florida doesnt have the best track recounts. Here are chief congressional and legislative primaries with close votes. Goes f everything perfectly, for florida, lets be a wild night. L be they have been hit hard by the pandemic, the human toll or impact of covid19. Thats going to affect the lection environment, so im wondering, what kind of effect do you think it might have on he election dynamics in november . 400 global hot spots as voters have noticed, to that, the sevenday period before the state primary, ugust 18 primary, florida averaged about, a little over 12 of w cases daily, all cases nationally. That was down. Through the in july heart of the summer, there were and a new cases for weeks Positivity Rate of 10 . Things have deteroriated from front, but the Huge Public Health adaptors in public polling, biden has on average a five or sixpoint lead. There is really no chance he is margin. Win by that florida has long been kind of a state, anything above one point and the coronavirus has been bad for the president and republicans at large. He most recent public polling here in florida found 44 of people approving or strongly president s the pandemic response. That same poll showed Floridians Biden and the democrats to 35, 47 the coronavirus by margin. Polls, florida is always really close. 2018, three statewide in mitt a and in 20008, romney lost by two points compared to landslides. The politics are the population. What are you seeing on the ground in terms of how the biden and Trump Campaigns are trying reach and win over these voters . Well, what is interesting florida, the most foreign statement, theyre iverse, largely centered in south florida. Republicans even complicates it more and a good number of Puerto Ricans in the came after that Hurricane Maria when they came decimated bynd was the storm. In the e best summed up word socialism. There is always a messaging push candidates in miami socialists. Them as of the most recent high profile, a c. E. O. Said the blessed to have trump as president. He Trump Campaign ran Spanish Language ad to find the which is a a. O. C. Common heel on republican messaging. Those are things that we see its after cycle here and playing out on the stage in 2020. Biden has gotten some criticism outreach in nic august, a group of 94 biden letters saying he was suppressing the hispanic vote. The chief concern was that the had Spanish Speaking organizers in central florida, gotten icans, he has some bad headlines, he has been up significantly with hispanic voters. Most polling has biden up by double digits, but one number to hispanic looking at vote is 27. Thats how many points clinton florida in y in 2016. Trump won the state, but public in some as him weaker other areas of the state in which he did well in 2016. Team will be very happy. White voters also play a role in florida elections, how those p faring among voters, he won pretty handily in 2016 my grandparents including mine who are retired. Context, ttle bit of about 20 of floridas population, one in five are older than 65. If you take a look, lets talk about some of the recent public polling. If you four or five, combine those numbers, trump has or 15 points with those voters. Going to win that conservative bloc. About 33 ofon got the votes here in florida, that jumped to 40 for in nelson, democrats florida in that offyear election. That 40 threshold is seen as good for democrats. He is not going to win it. If he can keep that share around 2018 levels, i think thats looking to be. Its basically going to be a margin game. Into President Trumps lead and ultimate likely flock of voters. Donald trump has an unusually close relationship with florida. Allied with the governor and other republican officials and operatives there, frequently as you know and changed his residence o maralago so he is officially a registered florida voter. What makes florida so important that and what explains connection . What mentioned earlier, is important, anyone can win here. S mentioned earlier, its a onepoint state. It has been for the past president ial cycles. Its so close that every november election goes to court, really good christmases for attorneys. Aw this is also important to note trump is losing a little bit of ground to biden. That team trump as a path forward without florida. Its part of the electoral and strategy, so trump, it can be seen probably clearest manages to get the key mailin votes. Vote by mail has been a constant drumbeat by the president about fraud, but that hasnt been the ase necessarily here in florida. He tweeted in early august that States Election system, encouraged people to vote by which is drastically different messaging than other country. The another one of my favorite data points, i point to this one in cycle is to n underscore floridas National Media bias. S digitalion spent on tv, and radio, the most in the country and its so much, its ore than the next two states combined which is North Carolina and pennsylvania. Both of those states are around million. The number is even more mpressive, there isnt a Key Senate Race or anything like that. Its congressional races and the president ial race and florida is still lapping the field when it comes to ad data. Florida is a must win state. Dont believe me, just follow the money. Amount ly got a limited of time left, lets do a lightning round of questions. Let me start with this one. There is one thing the Trump Campaign must do to win florida, be . T would that i think trump needs to tap into the overwhelming sort of base party enthusiasm. Democrats really want to beat arent as base voters enthusiastic about biden as trump. Their eyes. Wrong in they continue to brand biden extremist, it would help keep margins in the important counties, he is not there, if he can peel away some of the voters, it a matter in a place with tiny statewide overall margin. Let me ask the same a bigy need to produce early vote. The independent vote outright. Which is what clinton failed to do in 2016. He needs to have a better performance than hillary and key battleground states. Thank you for everyone for joining us. It has been a blast chatting with you. We have one more state to go. Turn in tomorrow as we look at North Carolina. Have been covering conversations around the Republican National convention, at 3 00 p. M. Eastern we have talking about how things stand today on day three of the convention. , linda hour later mcmahon talks to the about efforts to reelect President Trump. Our live coverage of the Republican NationalConvention Continues night. Vice president pence, second lady karen pence, and kellyanne conway. Watch live on cspan and listen with the radio app. Also, our email newsletter word for word offers a synopsis of the days events. Sign up at our website. Before the evening session, watch the span for past Convention Speeches by actors including christopher reeves, angie harmon, Clint Eastwood metonymy lead, and scarlett johansson. Host rob smith is with us this morning. Author of the book always a soldier service, sacrifice, and coming out as americas favorite black, gay republican. What is this book about . Guest this book is about my story of being born lower middle class in akron, ohio. Basically joining the military at 17. I got a chance to see the world and do a lot of different things, but it is the journey about serving in the dont ask dont tell era, and deploying to iraq and overseas and how i basically learned to love america. Then came out as conservative in