WEBVTT - Pollster Frank Luntz Talks Republican Party in 2025

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

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<v Speaker 2>When our great producers asked me who would you like

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<v Speaker 2>to talk with on the last show of the year,

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<v Speaker 2>We didn't have to think very hard about it, I

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<v Speaker 2>said Frank. Frank Luntz, founder CEO fil Ink, political strategist.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm supposed to say celebrity polster too, right, Frank. It's

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<v Speaker 2>great to see you. I hope the holiday season is

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<v Speaker 2>going well for you. Happy New Year in advance. With

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<v Speaker 2>everything that I just said, is our nation more or

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<v Speaker 2>less divided now than it was at the beginning of

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<v Speaker 2>the year.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, here's what's interesting. And you and I spend an

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<v Speaker 3>afternoon in the freezing cold of Des Moines, Iowa. Your

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<v Speaker 3>set was only one block from my hotel, and I

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<v Speaker 3>almost didn't make it. And now we end the year

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<v Speaker 3>so still so angry, with half of America in disbelief

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<v Speaker 3>and the other half celebrating looking ahead to twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 3>twenty five as being the best year ever. Are we divided?

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<v Speaker 1>Yes?

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<v Speaker 3>Polarized? Yes? Is their pressure to bring us together? Not really?

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<v Speaker 3>Now that said, let me give you three findings over

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<v Speaker 3>the last few days. Number one is that Donald Trump's popularities,

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<v Speaker 3>favorability is higher now than it was when he became

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<v Speaker 3>president back in twenty seventeen. Number two, there are groups

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<v Speaker 3>within the electorate, particularly Latinos, younger men, Union members, who

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<v Speaker 3>are considering voting Republican more so now than they ever

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<v Speaker 3>have in modern times. And number three, the Democrats are

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<v Speaker 3>divided as to what to do, how to move forward,

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<v Speaker 3>and the only advice I can give them as we

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<v Speaker 3>end this year is this idea being the resistance is

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<v Speaker 3>not what America wants. Even those that did not vote

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<v Speaker 3>for Donald Trump don't want resistance. What they want is

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<v Speaker 3>an alternative vision, an alternative approach, And everyone across America

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<v Speaker 3>watching right now results results that they can count on,

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<v Speaker 3>results that are both meaningful and measurable. That's what the

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<v Speaker 3>American people are asking for.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, so then would it be a misstep for Democrats

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<v Speaker 2>to not help elect a Speaker of the House on Friday,

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<v Speaker 2>knowing that Mike Johnson has four votes to play with

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<v Speaker 2>Frank Well.

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<v Speaker 3>Hakeem Jefferies is one of the best communicators in America today,

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<v Speaker 3>and he has the ability to reach across the aisle.

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<v Speaker 3>Whether he chooses to probably the answers probably no, because

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<v Speaker 3>he has a different point of view than the Republicans,

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<v Speaker 3>and it's not the job of the Democrats to help

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<v Speaker 3>the Republicans. That said, it would be a shock and

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<v Speaker 3>two tens of millions of Americans a disappointment if the

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<v Speaker 3>Republican Party, after waiting this long to have a president,

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<v Speaker 3>a Senate, and a House, end up tearing themselves apart.

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<v Speaker 3>The American people want you to stand up for your convictions.

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<v Speaker 3>They don't want you to give up on your beliefs.

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<v Speaker 3>But they even more so want to get things done

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<v Speaker 3>on immigration. They want to solve the border on prices,

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<v Speaker 3>they want to do policies that effect affordability, and they're

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<v Speaker 3>just tired of this yelling and screaming in Washington, d C.

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<v Speaker 3>That's the message that they need to take home this

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<v Speaker 3>New Year's even.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, so, are we going to find a Republican conference

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<v Speaker 2>that is united on Friday? Where of course, that's the

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<v Speaker 2>intrigue right now is whether we're going to have multiple rounds.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe Mike Johnson can't survive the Tom Massey's or Chiff

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<v Speaker 2>Roy's of the world depending on how they end up voting,

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<v Speaker 2>or is there some real discord inside this Republican Party

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<v Speaker 2>despite the mandate that Donald Trump talks about.

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<v Speaker 3>There is discord and when you when your majorities are

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<v Speaker 3>barely over a minority, you have nothing, You have no gift.

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<v Speaker 3>And the fact is that the public does support most

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<v Speaker 3>of the Republican positions. But mark my words, you can

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<v Speaker 3>play this tape again thirty first, twenty twenty five. If

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<v Speaker 3>they do not solve the border issue, if they do

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<v Speaker 3>not bring down and permanently address affordability, and if they

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<v Speaker 3>continue to fight among each other rather than get stuff done,

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<v Speaker 3>the public will punish them on the reverse. On the contrary,

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<v Speaker 3>if they do solve these challenges, you can see a

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<v Speaker 3>Republican majority for years to come.

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<v Speaker 2>Producers are pulling that cut right now, Frank, to play

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<v Speaker 2>back a year from now, when you consider what we're

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<v Speaker 2>left with here at the end of this year, I

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<v Speaker 2>can't talk to Frank Lunz without getting philosophical. I just

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<v Speaker 2>walked through a couple of pretty wild stages that we

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<v Speaker 2>all experienced in the world of politics this year. They

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<v Speaker 2>included two attempted assassinations, of course, a lot of arguing, Frank,

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<v Speaker 2>and a lot of uncertainty as we went into this election.

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<v Speaker 2>What is the electorate left with? How do we feel?

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<v Speaker 2>Where are the bruises and the wounds that could be

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<v Speaker 2>exposed in the new year.

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<v Speaker 3>We have a Okay, I'm going to just make everything worse.

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<v Speaker 3>So if you want to be excited and optimistic, you

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<v Speaker 3>need to. I don't want to tell them when to

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<v Speaker 3>turn off their TV or their radio, but this is

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<v Speaker 3>not going to go well for you. We have a

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<v Speaker 3>lower degree of trust and confidence in our institutions than

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<v Speaker 3>at any time in forty years. We do not believe

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<v Speaker 3>we're being told the truth by the media, by journalists,

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<v Speaker 3>by the politicians, and the various elites in America. And finally,

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<v Speaker 3>we are the belief that the country is seriously off

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<v Speaker 3>on the wrong track, although those numbers have begun to

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<v Speaker 3>change in the last two months. If you I've been

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<v Speaker 3>doing this now for over thirty five years and have

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<v Speaker 3>not seen a time of more anger and division. But

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<v Speaker 3>what concerns me the most is two data points. A

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<v Speaker 3>third of America don't believe that they are invested in

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<v Speaker 3>the future of the country, and two thirds of America

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<v Speaker 3>believe that their country is not invested in their own future.

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<v Speaker 3>That is horrific. We need to address that, not just

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<v Speaker 3>for right now, but for the long term, because in

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<v Speaker 3>the end. Our economic success depends on it. Our political

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<v Speaker 3>our democratic institutions depend on trust and confidence. We have

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<v Speaker 3>to get to the truth, and we have to do

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<v Speaker 3>so now because we've done so much damage to our

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<v Speaker 3>politics and to our faith and confidence in the future.

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<v Speaker 3>It's time to turn that around.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, let's talk about who's invested in America, because, as

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<v Speaker 2>we've discussed, Frank, you spend a lot of time at

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<v Speaker 2>West Point, and you've conducted some fascinating conversations with the cadets.

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<v Speaker 2>They are focus groups that we can learn a lot from.

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<v Speaker 2>You just had one recently that I had a chance

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<v Speaker 2>to watch, and it was inspiring, and you asked the

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<v Speaker 2>cadets in the room, tell me what you love about America.

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<v Speaker 2>Here's a sample of what Frank her.

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<v Speaker 4>Tell me what you love about this country.

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<v Speaker 5>The values that we are a country build on values.

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<v Speaker 5>We all hear officers and the cadets where knows of

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<v Speaker 5>the Constitution that not to a president, not to a leader,

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<v Speaker 5>and that the standard in America, because we're based on values,

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<v Speaker 5>is set so high that we're striving towards more perfection.

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<v Speaker 4>So you just mentioned the Constitution. This is the single

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<v Speaker 4>greatest misconception I think Americans have is that they don't

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<v Speaker 4>realize that that's where your oath is. What does the

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<v Speaker 4>Constitution mean to you?

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<v Speaker 1>America? The Constitution means America because the Constitution is the

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<v Speaker 1>very soul of America. That's what it is. When the

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<v Speaker 1>Constitution and its ideas were first written over two hundred

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<v Speaker 1>years ago, it was an experiment, it was an idea.

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<v Speaker 1>They didn't know it was going to work, just like

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<v Speaker 1>with the revolution. They had no idea if it was

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<v Speaker 1>going to work or not. But they had the dream

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<v Speaker 1>and they had the hope. And for me, that inspires

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<v Speaker 1>my dreams and my hopes.

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<v Speaker 2>Our future leaders. Talking with Frank Lunz at West Point,

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<v Speaker 2>Frank short of our listeners and viewers all in listen

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<v Speaker 2>thing in the military on this New Year's Eve? What

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<v Speaker 2>should they learn from this?

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<v Speaker 3>That there was a group of young people and I swaar.

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<v Speaker 3>I was not going to get emotional because it's the

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<v Speaker 3>end of the year. I want you to have me back.

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<v Speaker 3>But they inspire me and they should inspire the country.

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<v Speaker 3>Service with character and sacrifice, a commitment to the Constitution,

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<v Speaker 3>not partisanship, not politics, but the most important document in

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<v Speaker 3>global history. These cadets work harder, train harder, and make

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<v Speaker 3>a greater effort for the country. And they do so

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<v Speaker 3>because they love their country, and they will protect each

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<v Speaker 3>other and they protect us. And they'll give you one phrase,

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<v Speaker 3>the Army Navy game. I wasn't too happy about the

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<v Speaker 3>outcome this year, but this is the only game that

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<v Speaker 3>is played for the people on the field commit to

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<v Speaker 3>defend everyone in the stands and everyone watching. The people

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<v Speaker 3>on the field will give their lives for the people

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<v Speaker 3>we're watching. That's west point. That is what makes America great.

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<v Speaker 3>And thank God and God bless these cadets because they were.

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<v Speaker 2>The last that you can bring this to us, Frank,

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<v Speaker 2>they are indeed, and this is why we wanted to

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<v Speaker 2>talk with Frank Luntz on our final show of twenty

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<v Speaker 2>twenty four. Founder CEO fi L Frank, Happy New Year.

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<v Speaker 2>It's great to spend some time with you. As always,