CNN NewsNight With Abby Phillip 2024 08 23

AND SUPPORT IN GEORGIA. LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR JOINS US NOW AT THE TABLE IN OUR FIFTH SEED WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW TRUMP NEEDS TO WIN GEORGIA, THAT IS DESPERATE NEED FOR THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN. AND I THINK HE, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A PERSONAL THING. I THINK HE WOULD BE PRETTY BITTER IF HE LOST IT AGAIN. BUT HERE'S WHAT HE SAID ABOUT CAMP. JUST EARLIER THIS MONTH AND BRIAN KEMP, THE GOVERNOR, WHO I GOT ELECTED BY THE WAY WASN'T FOR ME. HE WOULD NOT BE A GOVERNOR. I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT IT'S VERY DISLOYAL PERSON, ISN'T DAY VERY DISLOYAL. BUT THINK OF THE WIFE WE CAN NEVER REPAY YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE. SO NOW SHE SAID TWO WEEKS AGO THAT I WILL NOT ENDORSE HER BECAUSE SHE HAS EARNED MY I HAVEN'T EARNED HER ENDORSEMENT. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH HER SOMEWHERE. HE WENT BAD I MEAN HE EVEN BROUGHT HIS WIFE INTO IT BUT NOW IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY. IS AND, YOU KNOW, AT THE VERY LEAST, BRIAN KEMP DIDN'T, DIDN'T PULL WILL SMITH AND DIDN'T TRY AND SAY KEEP MY WIFE'S NAME, BUT HE DID HE DID GET PRETTY SPICY, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SHOWCASES IS THAT BRIAN KEMP IS NOT AFRAID OF DONALD TRUMP. IN FACT, HE SAID IT WAS DEEPLY UNCONCERNED WITH DONALD TRUMP BECAUSE HE DOESN'T NEED DONALD TRUMP FOR THE THINGS THAT HE WANTS. >> NOW HE IS HE'S, HE'S USING OF ENDORSING HIM, BUT HE'S BASICALLY SAYING TRUMP NEEDS TO BE REELECTED RIGHT? >> SO HE'S SAYING THAT TRUMP NEEDS TO BE REELECTED FOR A PARTICULAR SET OF GOALS. HE SAYING THAT WE WANT TO SEND ALL OF GEORGIA'S 16 SET OF ELECTORS OVER TO DONALD TRUMP BUT HE'S ALSO PART OF THE CAMP THAT ARE SAYING, AND I THINK THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND IT'S REALLY IN TERMS OF SETTING UP THE LEADERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, I DO NOT NEED DONALD TRUMP. DONALD TRUMP NEEDS ME. THAT IS EVEN MORE TRUE AFTER THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, KAMALA HARRIS AND DONALD TRUMP ARE IN A STATISTICAL DEAD HEAT IN GEORGIA THERE'S ALSO, IT'S ALSO TRUE THAT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, THOSE INSTITUTIONS, THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HELPED TURN GEORGIA BLUE IN 2020, ARE ALL MOTIVATED, FIRED UP, AND MOBILIZE AND ORGANIZE GOING INTO THE 2024 RACE. >> AND WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED HERE? BEHIND THE SCENES? I MEAN, WHAT DO YOU KNOW HAPPENED? I KNOW YOU STILL HAVE CONTACT X AND THE TRUMP CAMP, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT'S SOMETHING HAPPENED AND J.D. VANCE HAS BEEN ON THE PHONE WITH BRIAN KEMP. THIS WEEK. VANCE ALSO PUBLICLY CAME OUT AND SAID VERY FORCEFULLY THAT BRIAN KEMP IS IN THEIR CAMP WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO GET TRUMP TO MAKE THIS TURNAROUND? >> BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL SORT OF GOT AROUND HIM PLEASE STOP YOUR FIGHT WITH BRIAN KEMP. WE NEED GEORGIA. I THINK THAT'S WHAT ULTIMATELY HAPPENED. I THINK THE MESSAGE FINALLY HIT THROUGH THAT GEORGIA'S A CRITICAL STATE FOR US TO WIN, WASTING RESOURCES OR TIME OR ENERGY ON HAVING AN INTERNAL FIGHT AT THIS CRITICAL TIME IS A WASTE OF YOUR TIME, MR. PRESIDENT, AND IT'S A WASTE OF ALL OF OUR ELSE'S TIMES AS WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL. AND I LOOKED LIKE THE MESSAGE FINALLY GOT THROUGH THIS WEEK. >> RIGHT BUT NEXT WEEK LOOKS DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS PREDICATED ON BRIAN KEMP HAVING TO DO SOMETHING TO BEHAVE IN A PARTICULAR WAY TOWARDS I DON'T THINK IT'S BEHAVIOR TO PARTICULAR WAY, BUT IT'S EXECUTE LIKE HE'S THE GOVERNOR OF HIS STATE, ITS REPUBLICAN STATE FOR A VERY LONG TIME. >> HE NEEDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE APPARATUS WORKS. I THINK THE CRITICISM THE PRESIDENT TRUMP THEN, THAT HE HAD IN 2020, IS THAT EATING EXECUTE? THERE WAS QUESTIONS ABOUT SIGNATURE VERIFICATION WITH REGARD TO ABSENTEES THAT WE COULD HAVE TAKEN A MORE CONSERVATIVE APPROACH BRIAN KEMP IS THE LEADER, TOOK A SORT OF MORE LIBERAL APPROACH AND THAT ANGERED TRUMP, THAT ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN THE LOSS THAT YOU SAW. I THINK THIS TIME WHEN HE CAN DO IS YOU CAN EXECUTE YOU CAN EXECUTE THEM MAKING SURE THAT THE, SIGNATURES. YOU REQUIRE REAL VERIFICATION. HE CAN DO ALL THESE THINGS AND EXECUTE. >> LOOK, I THINK THE REASON BRIAN KEMP PUSHED BACK ON THAT STOP WAS BECAUSE IT WAS NONSENSE IT ACTUALLY VERIFYING SIGNATURES TRUMP'S COMPLAINTS ABOUT ELECTION INTEGRITY IN GEORGIA WERE NONSENSE. HE WAS COMPLAINING THAT THEY'RE JUST WERE NOT ENOUGH VOTES FOR HIM. THAT'S FUNDAMENTALLY WHAT HE WAS UPSETTING. >> NO, NO, I UNDERSTAND BUT I'M NOT SORT OF JUMPING IN ON THAT. I'M SAYING HIS SPECIFIC CRITICISM THAT HE HAD OF CAMP EARLY ON IN 2020 WAS THAT CAMP IN THE APPARATUS BEFORE A SINGLE VOTE WAS CAST, IT DID NOT PUT IN A VERIFICATION FOR THE SIGNATURES. I WAS INVOLVED IN 2020. I MEAN, I KNOW WHAT THAT CRITICISM, YOU KNOW, HE JUST DIDN'T GET THAT THERE WERE 70 VOTES YEAH. THOSE VOTES. >> BUT I'M SAYING THAT THE CRITICISM WHO WAS WITH THERE IN EARLY 2020 WAS BECAUSE HE FELT BRIAN KEMP WAS AN EXECUTING. RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW, WHAT YOU HAVE IS GOING CAROLINA, IT'S ACTUALLY EXECUTING, RIGHT? >> BECAUSE THE FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE OF GEORGIA, HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT TO DO IN ORDER TO MAKE VOTES. THE HARDEST TO CAST IS A REPUBLICAN, RIGHT? >> BRAD RAFFENSBERGER HIM, HE PUT HIS OWN CAREER ON THE LINE AND SAID THAT THE WAY THAT WE DO ELECTIONS IS FAIR AND SQUARE. BUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY IS THAT BRIAN KEMP, WHEN HE WAS RUNNING AGAINST STACEY ABRAMS AND 2018, CLOSED DOWN 214 POLLING PLACES, MOSTLY IN BLACK COMMUNITIES. HE HELD UP 53,000 VOTER REGISTRATION, MOSTLY BLACK PEOPLE. SO HE KNEW WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO AND HE HAD COVERED ALL HE HAD TO SAY WAS THAT THIS IS THE NORMAL COURSE OF THINGS. THIS IS WHAT WE DO IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN OUR SYSTEM. AND SO I THINK DONALD TRUMP WANTED HIM TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN 2020 IT DID NOT WORK, WHATEVER IT WAS THAT THEY TRIED TO DO. AND SO NOW, BRIAN KEMP, WHO DOES NOT NEED DONALD TRUMP, I THINK YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP TRIED TO RUN SOMEBODY AGAINST HIM IN A PRIMARY AND BRIAN KEMP WON. ANYWAY