WEBVTT - Trump's Trial Will "Shrink Him to Nothingness"

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<v Speaker 1>Steve Schmidt has advised presidents run game changing campaigns and

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<v Speaker 1>become an eloquent defender of democracy. His writings in the

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<v Speaker 1>Warning newsletter have marked him as a singular voice of

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<v Speaker 1>moral clarity in his generation. And I'm thrilled he's joining

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<v Speaker 1>us tonight our narrative to discuss the trial and the

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<v Speaker 1>upcoming election. And we welcome Steve Schmidt to the show today.

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<v Speaker 2>How are you, Steve, I'm good, Jeff. It's a real

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<v Speaker 2>pleasure to be with you. Thank you for having me.

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<v Speaker 1>It's great to have you here. You know, based on

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<v Speaker 1>the current swing state polling, if the election were held today,

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<v Speaker 1>it does seem to me that Donald Trump could win

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<v Speaker 1>that election. In most of these swing states. He's still

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<v Speaker 1>six points ahead of Joe Biden. Are we looking at

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<v Speaker 1>a likely second administration for Donald Trump?

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<v Speaker 2>I wouldn't say likely, but he could win, no question

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<v Speaker 2>about it. And in fact, if you elect for were tomorrow,

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<v Speaker 2>he probably would win. You know, reality is that his

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<v Speaker 2>calculus going into this election is that there's enough indifference

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<v Speaker 2>out there, plus the fanaticism of his base to get

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<v Speaker 2>him over the top. Chris Sanunu was utterly humiliated exposed

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<v Speaker 2>for really level of cynicism that's hard to articulate. With

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<v Speaker 2>George Stephanopolis on Sunday, one of the things the New

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<v Speaker 2>Hampshire governor said is that you know, Trump is supported

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<v Speaker 2>by fifty one percent of the country. That has never

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<v Speaker 2>been the case. It will never be the case. There

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<v Speaker 2>will never be a majority of Americans that support This

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<v Speaker 2>question is can it take power with a minority over

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<v Speaker 2>a majority will And the answer to that question is yes,

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<v Speaker 2>that could happen. And you know, Biden is a weak

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<v Speaker 2>candidate in this race. He has enormous liabilities in the

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<v Speaker 2>campaign because this is a communication business and it's going

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<v Speaker 2>to be a campaign where you know, in the end,

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<v Speaker 2>the American people are going to have to evaluate a

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<v Speaker 2>staggeringly easy choice to make in the context of considerations

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<v Speaker 2>around the destiny of the country. Where we're going, what's happening?

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<v Speaker 2>You know, what is Trump? What is his movement, what

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<v Speaker 2>does it stand for, what does it believe in? Is

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<v Speaker 2>it dangerous? You know, all these questions are now in

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<v Speaker 2>front of the in front of the country who's had

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<v Speaker 2>a rather a naive view about it, you know, for

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<v Speaker 2>much of the last decade, which you know will be

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<v Speaker 2>remembered historically as really the trump eraror. Incredibly, it's gone

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<v Speaker 2>on for almost ten years in America.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, I know it is stunning that amount of time.

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<v Speaker 1>I just think about how long I've been doing this podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>When you think about eight years of your life, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's like eight years of how much time it's to

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<v Speaker 1>deal with Donald Trump. It's just unbelievable. But we talk

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<v Speaker 1>about this evaluation that you point you didn't talk about

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<v Speaker 1>the trials Donald Trump may or may not have to

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<v Speaker 1>deal with. Certainly the hush money cases sort of begun.

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<v Speaker 1>Now the Democrats have a lot of weight invested in

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<v Speaker 1>some sort of criminal outcome changing what Americans decide in November.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you view that kind of optimism that some Democrats have,

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<v Speaker 1>that aviction in this case, the hush money case are

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<v Speaker 1>enough to really push Biden over Donald Trump.

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<v Speaker 2>I've done consulting work on political campaigns all over the world,

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<v Speaker 2>and you go into a different country and they hire

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<v Speaker 2>American consultants, and there's this belief embedded in that hire

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<v Speaker 2>that the American consultant is going to bring some sort

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<v Speaker 2>of magic bullet, right, some sort of elixir into the race,

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<v Speaker 2>some alchemy that just because through presence they're going to win,

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<v Speaker 2>and it doesn't work like that. These criminal cases have

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<v Speaker 2>been at a debacle for the cause of defeating Donald Trump.

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<v Speaker 2>Now there's only one of them that is going to

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<v Speaker 2>trial before the election, and that's the one we're in

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<v Speaker 2>right now. There's no question in my mind that the

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<v Speaker 2>lead up to it has benefited Trump enormously. That being said,

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<v Speaker 2>watching him come into the courtroom is a diminishing event.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, this is somebody who is stripped of his trappings,

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<v Speaker 2>is a coutremont. The fact is that he is now

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<v Speaker 2>outside of his rarium, like a fish outside of the tank.

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<v Speaker 2>There is no crowd assembled as in the Mar A

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<v Speaker 2>Lago dining room to stand in a plaud when he appears.

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<v Speaker 2>He is being subjected to the same rules like everybody else.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think he appears a lot like the Wizard

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<v Speaker 2>of Oz, right, you know, unmasked from behind and the screen.

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<v Speaker 2>So we'll see what the accumulation of that is over

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<v Speaker 2>over eight weeks time. I do believe this, and I

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<v Speaker 2>wrote about it today. Presidential campaign, in my view, is

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<v Speaker 2>the greatest non lethal competition in the world period and

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<v Speaker 2>it's a contact sport. The contact that the pebot manifested

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<v Speaker 2>a psychological level. And so you put a picture of

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<v Speaker 2>Donald Trump up on the screen, and the one that

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<v Speaker 2>I gravitated to from yesterday is the image coming through

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<v Speaker 2>the doors. Does he look happy?

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<v Speaker 1>He does not look happy.

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<v Speaker 2>This. Does he look like he's going home with a

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<v Speaker 2>spring in his step to bound through the door at

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<v Speaker 2>Trump Tower to make love to his beautiful Millennia in

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<v Speaker 2>the late afternoon.

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<v Speaker 1>That is not what he appears to be doing, though.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm gonna tell you exactly what he does. He leaves enraged,

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<v Speaker 2>and he goes home and he puts the television on

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<v Speaker 2>and he surveils it, all of it. He watches all

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<v Speaker 2>the jokes made about him for his enemies list, he

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<v Speaker 2>evaluates all of the sycophants that are auditioning to be

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<v Speaker 2>vice president. He's available for flattery from the detritus that

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<v Speaker 2>surrounds him. This is a time where you know where

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<v Speaker 2>he is, what he's watching, And this is when he

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<v Speaker 2>should be visited by the campaign taunting him, mocking him,

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<v Speaker 2>diminishing him, destabilizing him and his team to put him

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<v Speaker 2>off balance. In the end, whoever the person is that

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<v Speaker 2>wins the race is going to be the candidate that

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<v Speaker 2>is able to make the race about the other person.

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<v Speaker 2>In other words, if the race is about you, you

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<v Speaker 2>will be the losing candidate. The race has to be

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<v Speaker 2>about Trump. Incredibly, this massive propaganda apparatus that surrounds Maga,

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<v Speaker 2>manifested in Fox newsmax an all this bullshit has been

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<v Speaker 2>able to destroy Biden's reputation for competence, for probity, for

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<v Speaker 2>rectitude after a lifetime of getting to know the guy.

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<v Speaker 2>It's incredible to watch. It's a huge failure on the

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<v Speaker 2>part of the White House. But this is a Rocky

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<v Speaker 2>Apollo Creed fight. Middle of the ring. The President has

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<v Speaker 2>to debate him, has to face them, and has to

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<v Speaker 2>do the equivalent of knocking this disgraceful, disgusting bully on

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<v Speaker 2>his ass. That's the job that at age eighty two

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<v Speaker 2>Biden has demanded did he gets to do again, and

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<v Speaker 2>so he needs to do it, and we have two

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<v Speaker 2>hundred and two days left form to be able to

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<v Speaker 2>do it in a time of growing momentous crisis in

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<v Speaker 2>the world.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's as fallow up on some of this stuff, because

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<v Speaker 1>if we have a trial here that ends up in

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<v Speaker 1>a conviction for Donald Trump, what does that do to

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<v Speaker 1>the race versus let's say a hung jury in this.

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<v Speaker 2>Case, I think it shrinks him to nothingness. He will

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<v Speaker 2>be revealed over the course of the trial to be

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<v Speaker 2>what I believe him to be, which is a low

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<v Speaker 2>life criminal. That being said, and I've said this right

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<v Speaker 2>through all of this, is that the American people have

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<v Speaker 2>to believe in their institutions here right, and have to

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<v Speaker 2>have faith in them. What Donald Trump did, and I

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<v Speaker 2>say this is someone who plays a concession phone call

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<v Speaker 2>I placed it for John McCain to Barack Obama is

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<v Speaker 2>break his oath and assault in the most dastardly way possible,

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<v Speaker 2>the cornerstone of American civilization, the peaceful transition of power

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<v Speaker 2>and the apportionment of political power through the outcome of

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<v Speaker 2>an election. Now his fate rests in the hands of

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<v Speaker 2>a jury of his peers. It make no mistake, right,

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<v Speaker 2>this Manhattan jury is a jury of his peers. Donald

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<v Speaker 2>Trump is of this place, are in Seoul, and so

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<v Speaker 2>even his most ferocious critics like me have to be

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<v Speaker 2>the people who are the most steadfast and demanding that

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<v Speaker 2>those jurors, those citizens, follow their oath and give him

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<v Speaker 2>a fair trial. But if he's found guilty, then it's

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<v Speaker 2>going to hurt him, is what all of the Poland

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<v Speaker 2>seems to suggest. And I just don't believe that there

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<v Speaker 2>is a movement of Americans out there that will rally

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<v Speaker 2>to the jail house and surround it to break their

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<v Speaker 2>guy out. You have a couple hundred people at the

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<v Speaker 2>most on the streets. This is a TV show, and Trump,

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<v Speaker 2>at the end of the day, is a philosopher of

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<v Speaker 2>fuck youism. That's his appeal. If you obliterate trust in

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<v Speaker 2>every institution in the country, and your average person out

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<v Speaker 2>there looks at government, they're not expecting a result. They

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<v Speaker 2>just want to deliver a little bit of agitation back

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<v Speaker 2>towards the people that have been for the last ten

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<v Speaker 2>years completely destabilized by Trump. The banks, the tech companies,

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<v Speaker 2>whatever it may be, the elite of the country. Trump

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<v Speaker 2>is their vessel, not to make their lives better, but

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<v Speaker 2>to deliver a type of sugar high a fuck you,

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<v Speaker 2>because sometimes that fuck you feels good, right, whether you're

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<v Speaker 2>driving down the.

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<v Speaker 1>Road, sure yeah, and.

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<v Speaker 2>Anytime, any day of the week might be time for

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<v Speaker 2>a delicious fuck you. Someone years we have this situation

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<v Speaker 2>and that's what this guy is. And in order to

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<v Speaker 2>beat and put it away. You have to offer better.

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<v Speaker 2>And the reality is right, this is true. There's five

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<v Speaker 2>hundred background quotes to back it up. The Biden team

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<v Speaker 2>wanted Trump, they did it, wanted them in the race,

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<v Speaker 2>right because he was the patchy right, He was the

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<v Speaker 2>easiest opponent. He was the guy that justified the rationale

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<v Speaker 2>for Biden to run for a second term. Only Biden

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<v Speaker 2>can beat Trump, beat him again, and'll lock him on

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<v Speaker 2>his ass again. But hey, uh, somewhere along the way

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<v Speaker 2>right now, Biden's the incumbent. Trump's the challenger. Right, what

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<v Speaker 2>was up is down, and down is up, and red

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<v Speaker 2>is blue when blue is red. And while I all

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<v Speaker 2>of a sudden, Trump looks like he's the only guy

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<v Speaker 2>right that any Democrat right could conceivably be beaten by. Right,

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<v Speaker 2>he is Biden, and so say so. But at any rate,

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<v Speaker 2>wherever we are right now in this moment, the choice

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<v Speaker 2>is the choice, and the choice is Biden versus Trump,

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<v Speaker 2>and it's close race. I'm Steve Schmidt. This is the warning,

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<v Speaker 2>and I invite you to join. Subscribe on our sub stack,

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<v Speaker 2>on our YouTube channel, follow us. Welcome to the community.