Politics the former president s pardon play. Donald trumps lawyers make a hail mary request for an april 2026 start to the 2020 Election Trial and try to make sure the case never sees the inside of a courtroom. Plus a game of risk. New reporting outlines how republicans plan to conquer a trumpless debate. How another republican warns his party appears poised to fulfill the textbook definition of insanity. President biden invokes the whole enemy of my enemy is a Friend Theory of Foreign Policy today pushing two neighbors to put aside a generation of bad blood and send a message to the country a couple blocks away, china. Im Phil Mattingly in for dana bash. Lets go behind the headlines and inside politics. Were going to start with this up first. Two questions. Do you know what youre doing on monday . Do you know what youre doing in april, 2026 . The answer is no for me on both of them. Donald trump, though, has plans for both. More specifically mr. Trump knows where he wont be on monday
for candidates like pence and others polling in the single digits they ll have a wide and large audience for one of the first times during this cycle and this might be their last and best chance to not only get on the next debate stage but even continue their campaign. a great point. thanks so much for the reporting. here to share their reporting and insights, my guests. kaitlan is back with us. let s start with the elephant in the room to probably i guess that was bad sorry. maybe not in the room. maybe in the room maybe not in the room. that is the point right? the former president truthing on the debate, many people asking whether i will be doing debates. all americans have been clamoring with a president with extremely high reagan doesn t do it. neither do i. people know my record. one of the best ever. why would i debate? that is not the official announcement he is not going right? but we don t think he is going. he has until monday to make the official call. some people