Why did you leave Capitol Hill OF PENNSYLVANIA BACK WITH US ON
BLOOMBERG. WELCOME BACK. WHEN YOU SEE A HEADLINE LIKE
THIS AND LOOK AT AN IMAGE LIKE THAT, IS THAT THE REASON WHY
YOU LEFT CAPITOL HILL? >> I'M NOT ABLE TO SEE WHAT
HEADLINE OR IMAGE YOU ARE REFERRING TO. JOE:
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE APPEARING WITH DONALD TRUMP AT MAR-A-LAGO.
>> IT IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR THE PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE OF EITHER
PARTY TO BE THE LEADER OF THAT PARTY.
THAT WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED UNUSUAL.
WHAT IS UNUSUAL IS DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF OF COURSE.
THAT MAKES THIS AN INTERESTING MOMENT.
IT IS COMPOUNDED BY THE TENUOUS POSITION THAT SPEAKER JOHNSON
IS IN. WHICH DONALD TRUMP COULD MAKE
BETTER OR WORSE. AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WILL
PLAY OUT. THIS IS WHAT IS UNUSUAL ABOUT
THIS MOMENT. KAILEY: AND THE IDEA THAT IT SEEMS
WHATEVER LEGISLATIVE ISSUE CONGRESS IS DEALING WITH, IF
TRUMP DOES NOT WANT TO SEE IT DONE, IT IS NOT DONE.
IT IS -- IT IS IT -- IS IT TYPICAL FOR SOMEONE NOT
CURRENTLY IN OFFICE TO HAVE THAT INFLUENCE OVER POLICY AND
LEGISLATION? >> I THINK YOU MIGHT BE
OVERSTATING IT SOMEWHAT. I THINK -- I'M NOT SURE DONALD
TRUMP REALLY WANTED TO SEE THIS REAUTHORIZATION PAST BUT IT DID.
TWO THIRDS OF REPUBLICANS VOTED IN FAVOR -- IN FAVOR OF IT.
THERE IS A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE AID FOR UKRAINE DOES END UP
PASSING. YOUR BASIC POINT I AGNELLO.
IT DOES APPEAR -- I ACKNOWLEDGE. IT DOES APPEAR DONALD TRUMP IS
ATTENDING TO EXERCISE MORE CONSORT -- MORE CONTROL OVER
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ukraine funding AND YOU WOULD NORMALLY EXPECT
FOR SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A SITTING PRESIDENT. JOE:
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? THERE ARE GREAT QUESTIONS ABOUT
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO UKRAINE FUNDING.
WILL IT DEPEND ON WHAT HAPPENS TONIGHT OR DO YOU SEE A WORLD
IN WHICH THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE WORKS AROUND THE RULES,
BRINGS IT TO THE FLOOR AND HOPES FOR THE BEST? >> I'M HOPING THAT IS WHAT
HAPPENS. I THINK IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE
THE SPEAKER COULD PERSUADE DONALD TRUMP TO TAKE A PASS ON
THIS. THERE ARE THINGS I THINK WOULD
MAKE GOOD SENSE. THAT WOULD MAKE IT A LITTLE
LESS CONTROVERSIAL AMONG SOME REPUBLICANS. FOR INSTANCE I THINK AT THIS
POINT, RUSSIAN ASSETS SHOULD BE USED TO FUND UKRAINE, ITS
RECONSTRUCTION, ITS DEFENSE OF ITSELF.
THE BEHAVIOR OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT IS SO APPALLING AND
SO OUTRAGEOUS I THINK THAT IS A COMPLETELY REASONABLE RESPONSE. AS FAR AS MAKING THIS A LOAN,
IT IS NOT REALISTIC UKRAINE IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO PAY BACK
VERY MUCH OF THE AID THEY HAVE GOTTEN.
IF THAT IS SOMEHOW ACKNOWLEDGED IN THE FORMULATION, THEN
CALLING IT A LOAN IS NOT THAT BIG A DEAL .
THE IMPORTANT THING IS THE U.S. HAS TO DEMONSTRATE WE ARE GOING
TO FULFILL OUR COMMITMENT. WE ARE GOING TO STAND BY A
FRIEND, A COUNTRY THAT HAS BEEN TRYING TO BREAK FREE OF THE
APPALLING DOMINANCE OF RUSSIA, HAS TURNED TO THE WEST AND
PURSUED DEMOCRATIC AND MARKET REFORMS. IF WE ARE GOING TO
ABANDON A COUNTRY LIKE THIS TO A RUTHLESS AT AUTHORITARIAN WHO
ROLLS THROUGH WITH TANKS, COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE
GOING TO RECALIBRATE AND RECALIBRATE WHAT IS IN THEIR
INTEREST AND IT IS GOING TO BE BAD FOR THE UNITED STATES.
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT WE GET Republican Party THIS AID TO UKRAINE DONE.
KAILEY: AS WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION
WITH YOU, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS STILL SPEAKING AT
MAR-A-LAGO SPEAKING TO THE POSITION THE SPEAKER FINDS
HIMSELF IN. HE SAYS IT IS NOT AN EASY
SITUATION FOR ANY SPEAKER SHOULD HE THINKS HE IS DOING A
GOOD JOB GOING ON TO SAY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE WHO HE
SAYS HE GETS ALONG VERY WELL WITH UNDERSTANDS THAT IT HAS A
LOT OF RESPECT FOR THE SPEAKER BUT MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE AND
OTHERS IN THE HOUSE WOULD NOT LIKE TO SEE UKRAINE AID.
THERE IS A FACTION WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE THAT DOES
NOT SHARE THE VIEW THAT YOU HAVE.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HOW THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS BEEN
RESHAPED, ARE WE SEEING SOMETHING THAT COMES -- THAT
GOES FROM INTERVENTIONIST ISOLATIONIST IN TERMS OF
GEOPOLITICS AND FOREIGN POLICY BUT PERHAPS MORE
INTERVENTIONIST IN OTHER AREAS LIKE IN MARKETS AS YOU SEE JOSH
HAWLEY TRYING TO PROPOSE AN INTEREST RATE CAP ON CREDIT
CARDS? >> THERE IS A LOT TO UNPACK
THERE. I WOULD NOT SUGGEST AN INTERVENTIONIST TO MUCH AS A
READY THAT ACKNOWLEDGE AND RECOGNIZE THE LEADERSHIP ROLE
UNITED STATES PLAYS AND IS UNIQUELY ABLE TO PLAY AND HAS
BEEN IN OUR INTEREST TO PLAY THAT LEADERSHIP ROLE THAT WE
HAVE PLAYED SINCE THE END OF WORLD WAR II.
THERE IS NOW A FACTION THAT REJECTS THE IDEA THAT THE U.S.
BENEFITS FROM THIS LEADERSHIP THAT WE PLAY, FROM THE FACT WE
ARE ABLE TO BUILD LARGE AND BROAD COALITIONS THAT SUPPORT
EACH OTHER AND SUPPORT US. THERE IS A FACTION THAT REJECTS
THAT IDEA. DONALD TRUMP SEEMS TO GENERALLY
REJECT THAT IDEA. WE HAVE TO WIN THAT ARGUMENT
INTERNALLY AMONG REPUBLICANS SHOULD I THINK IT IS STILL A
MAJORITY OF REPUBLICANS THAT RECOGNIZE IT IS IN OUR INTEREST
TO CONTINUE TO LEAD THE WORLD RATHER THAN LEAVE THE WORLD IN
OUR OWN INTEREST TO THE TENDER MERCY OF THE CHINESE COMMUNISTS
OR VLADIMIR PUTIN. WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT FIGHT AND
YOU ARE RIGHT. THERE IS SIMULTANEOUSLY A
MOVEMENT WITHIN THE PARTY TO EXPAND THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
DRAMATICALLY. MY OWN VIEW IS WE ALREADY HAVE
ONE PARTY IN THIS COUNTRY THAT ONCE A POWERFUL CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT THAT ERODES OUR FREEDOM, REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH.
WE DON'T NEED A SECOND PARTY TO DO THOSE THINGS.
OUR PARTY HAS BEEN FOR MANY DECADES MUCH MORE COMMITTED TO
PERSONAL FREEDOM AND ECONOMIC FREEDOM AND TREMENDOUS
PROSPERITY THAT COMES WITH IT. WE CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT CAST
THAT ASIDE FOR SOME COLLECTIVIST CENTRALIZED MODEL
THAT IS INSPIRED BY A SOCIALIST Trump IMPULSE THAT WILL NOT PROVIDE
THE PROSPERITY AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE. JOE:
IT SEEMS YOUR PARTY HAS SETTLED ON A NOMINEE.
IT IS DONALD TRUMP THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THIS COUNTRY IN
2024? >> I HAVE BEEN VERY CLEAR
DONALD TRUMP IS NOT MY PREFERRED CANDIDATE BY ANY
MEANS. HE IS ALSO NOT PARTICULARLY
IDEOLOGICAL. HE DOES NOT SPEND TIME READING,
ACCUMULATING KNOWLEDGE AND TAKING DEEPLY ABOUT THESE
VARIOUS CONSTRUCTS AND IDEAS. HE HAS RELATIVELY FEW VERY
FIXED IDEAS ON -- IN THE ECONOMIC REALM OR OTHERS.
ONE IS HE IS VERY HOSTILE TO TRADE.
HE IS HOSTILE TO FREE TRADE. VERY MISGUIDED AND IF HE COULD
-- IF HE BECOMES PRESIDENT AGAIN, I THINK WE WILL GO
THROUGH VERY DIFFICULT TARIFFS THAT WILL BE DAMAGING TO THE
ECONOMY, DAMAGING TO AMERICAN EMPLOYMENT.
BUT HE SEEMS TO BE ON THAT PATH. OTHER AREAS, HE GOVERNED AS A
MORE CONVENTIONAL REPUBLICAN. HE WAS BIG ON ROLLING BACK
EXCESSIVE REGULATION. UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION,
WE HAD MASSIVE REGULATION SHOULD IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO
ROLL THAT BACK AND DONALD TRUMP CERTAINLY DESERVES CREDIT FOR
HAVING DONE THAT ON JUDICIAL NOMINEES HE PRETTY MUCH WENT
ALONG WITH CONVENTIONAL REPUBLICAN ORTHODOXY AND
NOMINATED PEOPLE CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS WANTED. IN SOME WAYS, HE GOVERNED AS A
TRADITIONAL REPUBLICAN BUT I GET THAT IN MANY IMPORTANT WAYS
HE IS NOT THAT IT IS A CHALLENGING TIME FOR OUR PARTY.