All of this is greatly affecting our country negatively. Jonathan this morning, rick klein breaks down the new numbers, senator tom cotton joins us live, and our powerhouse round table weighs in. Campus clashes. [ chanting ] jonathan student protests erupt over the war in gaza. We will not stop fighting. This is only the beginning. Jonathan police move in. More than 2,000 arrested, many of them not students as universities crack down. There is the right to protest, but not the right the cause chaos. We have to get this under control, end of story. Jonathan the latest from new york city mayor eric adams. And youve shaken this place up. You are the most activist chair in the organization we have had in the longest time ever. Is that fair to say . Jonathan lina khan on her aggressive approach to regulating americas largest companies. Jonathan good morning. Welcome to this week. For as long as ive covered politics, politicians have said, this will be the most important election of our lifetimes. They say that no matter how high or low the stakes actually were. Election day 2024 is exactly six months from today, and this time the divisions in our country are so vast and the choice so stark theres little doubt this really is the most important election of our time. No more crying wolf. This is it. We have some news this morning on the state of the race. Rick klein is here with the new abc news ipsos poll. As you look at the numbers, look past the top line. It shows the race essentially tied, but thats not whats most important. If weve learned anything, its that polls are this far out, theyre of limited value, and predicting who will win. Our new poll does something else, giving us a stark view of whats on voters minds and where the campaign is going. Heres what stands out. Trump has a big doubledigit advantage on most of the issues that americans say are most important to them, especially the economy, crime, and the situation at the border. Even on the issue of who will best protect democracy, biden and trump are tied, but President Biden has a big doubledigit lead over trump on the issue of character. He is viewed as more honest and trustworthy, and this week trump gave voters a lot to consider about both character and respect for democracy. In a lengthy interview with Time Magazine, the man who still refuses to accept the results of the last election refused to say whether he would accept the result of this one, and the man who saw his supporters attack the capitol three years ago said there would not be violence this time if he wins, adding, quote, and if we dont win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of an election. To be clear, trump says no violence if he wins. All bets are off if he loses. And you may have missed this. Trump is now calling for the arrest of special counsel jack smith. He did this in a post on social media shortly before 11 00 p. M. Friday night. In a moment, ill be joined here in the studio by senator tom cotton, a republican who did accept the results of the last election and who has been mentioned as a possible trump running mate this time around, but we begin with abc news political director rick klein with the breakdown of our new poll. Well, rick, it looks incredibly close, and thirdparty candidates represent an x factor here. Yeah, jon. It is such a close rac you can see in our poll, donald trump has a very slight edge over joe biden among all adults, but if you hone in just on registered voters or likely voters, you actually get the likely result, and a fewpoint edge for joe biden, but yes, if you add in thirdparty candidates, 12 overall said they would vote for robert f. Kennedy jr. If he is an option. If he is not an option remember, hes not on the ballot everywhere. 30 of kennedy supporters say they would vote for trump. 24 say joe biden. Its not clear what the actual impact will be, but at least initially it looks like thirdparty candidates like kennedy are hurting trump a bit more than biden. Jonathan so rick, we see that trump has a big advantage on many of the key issues, but many voters arent thrilled with either candidate. Were starting to see daylight open up on whats most salient. Immigration, economy, crime and safety. These are all trump areas. Hes got Significant Trust in handling these issues. The only area where biden has an advantage is health care and abortion, and on these issues, many say they dont trust either of the major candidates for president to handle them. Jonathan and biden seems to be struggling with key demographic groups that he would need to win and win big if he stands a chance of being reelected. Jon, there is significant softness in the support for joe biden among core democrats. In this poll, hes carrying black voters by 61 points. That sounds like a lot, but he carried them by 84 points back in 2024. Hispanic voters, there is a slight edge, but it was 21 points back in 2020, and under 30, hes under trump. Black voters under age 50, far less likely in this poll to say theyre supporting joe biden than older black voters. Jonathan bottom line, rick, this is shaping up as an election between two deeply unpopular men. Yeah. These are dismal numbers for both major party nominees. Joe biden favored by only 49 of the country. 33 of the country only. Thats a third of people overall have a favorable impression of donald trump, and heres a really interesting nugget as we look to see what the potential things could happen to change the course of this race. Among trump supporters, 20 thats one in five, say they would reconsider or no longer support trump at all if hes convicted of a crime in that new york city hush money case. Thats a huge, huge chunk in an election that could be as close as this one. Jonathan all right, rick. Thank you. One more note. If you are an undecided voter in the 2024 election, we want to hear from you. Just scan the qr code on your screen right now for more information on how you can make your voice heard in this election. All right. Im joined now instudio by republican senator tom cotton. Senator cotton, before we get to the campus situation and 2024, i want to ask you about ukraine. You have been a prominent and consistent supporter for u. S. Support for ukraine against russia, but right now we are seeing a situation in the house where speaker of the house johnson is facing an effort to throw him out as speaker because he made it possible for the house to pass that bill. Well, first off, i want to say i think speaker johnson is doing an outstanding job. I agree with President Trump on that. I agree that we have to have unity in our party right now as we face off against joe biden and the democrats. The legislation in the house passed and the one that passed after the house, it was also supporting israel and taiwan, and making sure tiktoks Parent Company has to divest, new sanctions on russia, the ability to take russian assets to support the ukraine war effort in the future. It was a vital piece of National Security legislation. A large majority of republicans supported it and i think youll see the large majority of republicans back speaker johnson next week as well. Jonathan but actually in the house, a majority of republicans voted against it. About twothirds of House Republicans said they wanted to support ukraine in one way or other even if they didnt support that legislation. It was a small majority that voted to cut off aid entirely. Speaker johnson has about twothirds of his entire conference behind him on that specific issue and almost all of them behind him on the question of israel or taiwan, for instance. Unlike the democrats who are deeply divided about israels war of survival against hamas in gaza. Jonathan and in the senate, it was a solid majority that supported this, but 15 republican senators voted no, and i was struck by what senator mike lee, your republican colleague in the senate, said about ukraine funding, taiwan, israel, that whole package. He said, it was unadulterated capitulation to vote for that bill, and that it was a bill that was a warmonger wish list. A warmonger wish list pushed through by speaker johnson. Are we seeing a return at least in some quarters to kind of an isolationist Republican Party . I think what you see among a lot of republicans, they have legitimate and reasonable concerns about our Defense Industrial bases ability to support our own military, much less other countries wars. I share those concerns, and the way to do that is to invest more in that industrial base. Thats a practical difference about circumstances here and our Defense Industrial base. They have deep philosophical divisions. Thats why you see those gazans on campuses chanting vile rhetoric. That is not something thats going to go away. Jonathan let me ask you about that. We saw President Biden come out. Im sure you think it was too late, but we did come out and he clearly condemned the violence. Hes condemned the antisemitism. I assume you agree with what he did so so no. I think youre mischaractering what he did. It was absolutely too late, and it was the prohamas fanatics had set up these little gazas. He didnt speak to what theyre saying and what theyre doing. Theyre chanting final solution. Theyre telling jews to go back to where they came from. Theyre spray painting buildings with vile, antisemitic hate. He said we shouldnt have antisemitism or hate speech in the abstract or islamaphobia. Where are the encampments spreading islamaphobia . Jonathan can i ask you engaging in hate speech against jews, insulting jews, disobeying the law, the some fictional encampment jonathan you just used the phrase little gazas. What do you mean by that . They call themselves the gaza solidarity encampment. They are little gazas. Jonathan it seems like youre mocking the situation in gaza. A lot of people do deserve to be mocked. Jonathan no. Gaza. Im talking about College Campuses. Jonathan the World Food Program has just now said that there is an outright famine in parts of gaza. Tens of thousands of people have died. Youre using this phrase little gazas which is 100 the fault of hamas just like every single fatality in gaza is the fault of hamas, yet joe biden has leaned on israel, has pressured benjamin netanyahu, has told him to stand down when they get attack bid iran, has said they cant go into the last holdout where hamas has its final terrorist battalions. These students deserve mockery. Theyre out there in n95 masks with their gluten allergies, demanding uber eats gets delivered to them. They should not have been allowed out there. They should have been cleared out the very first day they set up their tents. Jonathan its clear theres been vile stuff going on in some of these protests. People have also been protesting. You can protest all you want. If you want to make a fool of yourself and support a terrorist group. If you are a foreigner, you cant. Wheres Joe Bidens Administration demanding that universities turn over the students of any foreign students revoking their visas and deporting them . Thats something they can do today. You cannot allow them to violate the rules and break the law. Where was he sending in the police on the very first day . We should not have tolerated this for a moment. Jewish students have been assaulted on campus. They have been told, its not safe for to you come. Just blocks from here, jon, you have one of the Biggest Little gazas left in George Washington university. Yesterday they called for a guillotine for the beheading of university administrators. Is that not violent. Jonathan i said theres no doubt theres theres lots of vile things going on, and theres also people legitimately protesting israeli policy. Jonathan its antisemitic and antiisraeli. Whats underneath it all, jon whats underneath it all is a hatred for this country. Thats why you find fliers once they get cleared out and it says death to america and blocks from where we sit right now, these fanatics have defaced the statue of George Washington. They spray painted it calling him a genocidal warmongerer, and a terrorist head dress on George Washington. Jonathan thats indefensible. But let me move on. Thats what joe biden and the democrats are tolerating. Jonathan you made it abundantly clear, but let me move onto 2024. You were mentioned as a possible running mate. Is that real . What were talking about is 2024. One of the many reasons why donald trump is going to win this election is youve got democratic protesters out there putting a terrorist head dress on a statue of George Washington. Jonathan i dont know who is a democrat or not. A lot of people are very upset with joe biden. About you, are you is that real, this talk of you being a running mate . You have patriots like these frat boys at unc around the country who are defending the American Flag and joe biden refused for two weeks to come out and denounce it. That is the 2024 election. Now as far as your question is concerned, i know that you and everyone else loves to speculate and its part of the game of whos hispanic be the Vice President , and who will be in the cabinet. I dont think its particularly helpful to donald trump. I dont think its good to be out there campaigning and putting stuff jonathan would you serve with him . Its not helpful. What donald trump is focused on is winning this election. What im focused on is helping him win and making sure republicans win the congress. When hes ready to make his decision about Vice President , he will, and afterwards, hell make his decision about the cabinet. Until then, anyone campaigning for the job or pushing for the job is not helpful to what we should all be focused on which is winning the election. Jonathan you remember what happened to the last Vice President , mike pence. Did pence do the right thing by not doing what trump asked him to do on january 6th . I think the constitution was clear that neither the congress nor the Vice President had the ability to reject those electors. Its also clear it wasnt going to work because nancy pelosi controlled the house. Jonathan you were very clear on what you said on january 6th, and in the aftermath. I want to pull up a quote of a specific line you said on that day. Its past time for the president to accept the results of the election, quit misleading the American People, and repudiate mob violence. More than three years later, trump has still not accepted the results. He is still misleading the American People. Jon, he did it that very day. He put out videos and he put out statements on social media telling those rioters to stand down. Just like he had said in that speech. Jonathan you said past time to accept the results. Peacefully. Jonathan he still hasnt accepted the result of the election. He said that the election was not fair and it was rigged in many ways with democratic states changing election law and practices up to the last minute with 51 democratic intelligence operatives saying there was russian disinformation. And social media has been censoring those things. Social media has been deeply unfair. Jonathan donald trump said there were rigged Voting Machines and everything else. I never said crazy conspiracy theories about venezuela rigging the Voting Machines. Jonathan one last thing. Hes also calling the people that attacked the capitol hostages, and hes suggesting that he would may pardon all of them. I mean, i assume you dont agree with that. He would consider them. Some of them probably deserve it. Jonathan hes calling them hostages. Some of them have been held in detention longer than jonathan you agree theyre hostages . Some have been held in detention longer than the degree of the crime theyre charged. For people who were just wandering the capitol who they thought was open or on the grounds, and where jonathan this wasnt wandering. You havent said this. I have said for a long time that the doj is using investigative techniques and tactics that they didnt use for instance when you had a leftwing street militia threatening to assassinate Supreme Court justices. Theyre not using. Jonathan for the record, youre not in favor for people who attack Police Officers or broke into the capitol building. People who were involved in that riot who assaulted Police Officers, or who defaced and damaged public property should face the legal consequences, but we shouldnt be using jonathan is it odd that the republican nominee doesnt agree with that . He does agree with that, jon. What shouldnt be used is every grandma who had a red maga hat shouldnt be sitting in pretrial detention for a longer time than the crimes they might face in the senate. Jonathan senator cotton, thank you very much for joining us here this morning. Up next, will columbia and other schools be able to hold inperson graduation ceremonies . Ill speak with new york city mayor eric adams. Were back in two minutes. Our grandchildren. Fisher Investments i understand. Thats why at Fisher Investments we start by getting to know each other. So i can learn about your family, lifestyle, goals and needs, allowing us to tailor your portfolio. wife what about commissionbased products . Fisher Investments we dont sell those. Were a fiduciary, obligated to act in your best interest. husband so how do your Management Fees work . Fisher Investments we have a transparent fee, structured so we do better when you do better. At Fisher Investments, were clearly different. 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