>>> WELCOME BACK TO "SQUAWK BOX." FOR MORE ON THE 2026 ELECTION, JOINING US RIGHT NOW IS POLSTER' POLITICAL STRATEGIST FRANK LUNTZ. GREAT TO SEE YOU, FRANK. WE WANT TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS A COUPLE OF DAYS NOW OUT FROM THE DEBATE. WE ARE GOING TO SEE PRESIDENT BIDEN TONIGHT. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS WILL BE INTERVIEWING HIM. SO IMPORTANT. >> I THOUGHT WE WOULD HAVE TWO NIGHTS. CONVENTIONS DON'T MATTER. THE TWO DEBATES, I DON'T THINK THERE IS GOING TO BE A SECOND DEBATE. THAT TONIGHT'S INTERVIEW COULD ACTUALLY BE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT. IF HE DOESN'T COME ACROSS STRONG, FOCUSED, AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, ON THE FUTURE, THIS IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST COMPLAINT THAT ALL VOTERS HAD REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU'RE REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT, ALL THEY DID FIGHT ABOUT THE PAST. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO FOR ME NOW, NEXT MONTH, NEXT YEAR? >> YOU MEAN WHAT CAN BE UNBURDENED BY WHAT HAS BEEN? >> OH, THAT IS A GOOD LINE. I'M NOT GOING TO -- THAT'S A GOOD LINE. IT'S PHILOSOPHICAL. >> YOU'RE SEEING SOME OF THE DONOR CLASS ALREADY STEP AWAY. >> BY THE WAY -- >> FROM THE PRESIDENT. >> I KNOW YOU'RE A NEWS JOURNALIST. NOT JUST A HOST. THE DONOR CLASS IS ABANDONING HIM. THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE AFRAID. THE GOVERNORS ARE AFRAID. I TALKED TO THEM AND THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HELL WE CAN DO. THE DONOR CLASS IS NOT AFRAID AND THEY ARE SHOCKED AT WHAT HAPPENED AND IT'S CONTINUING. >> OKAY. BEFORE WE GET TO THE PROSPECT OF WHETHER HE GETS REPLACED OR HE STEPS AWAY, JUST WHAT IS HE GOING TO HAVE TO SAY TONIGHT? IF HE PUTS ON A GOOD PERFORMANCE, DOES THAT CHANGE THE DYNAMIC? AND, ALSO, GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS HAS TO PUSH HIM AND PUSH HIM HARD. >> HE HAS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON HIM. I WROTE A COUPLE OF THINGS DOWN. HE CAN'T SAY I HAD A BAD NIGHT. >> HE HAS SO SAY I HAD A BAD NIGHT. IF HE DOESN'T SAY THAT, WHAT WILL HE SAY? >> BECAUSE -- I DIDN'T DO WHAT I WANTED TO DO. I DIDN'T SAY WHAT I WANTED TO SAY. I COMMUNICATED. IT WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT NIGHT AND I DIDN'T COMMUNICATE THE VALUES, THE PRIORITIES THAT ARE SO ESSENTIAL FOR THIS COUNTRY. >> HOW -- >> THAT'S HOW IT'S STARTED. THEN I WOULD DO THREE QUESTIONS. AS REAGAN DID ARE YOU BETTER OFF TODAY THAN YOU WERE FOUR YEARS AGO? I'D ASK THE QUESTION, DO YOU WANT CHAOS AND CONFUSION? >> RIGHT. >> OR DO YOU WANT STABILITY AND PREDICTABILITY? GIVE ME THREE QUESTIONS LIKE THAT. THEN GIVE ME THE PRIORITIES -- >> HOW DO YOU ANSWER THIS FOLLOWING QUESTION? MR. PRESIDENT, YOU ARE THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THIS COUNTRY THERE WILL BE REAL LIFE CRISIS YOU HAVE TO HANDLE AND SOME OF THOSE ARE AFTER 8:00 P.M. AND THERE WILL BE TIMES YOU HAVE TO BE UP AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE A SUPER CRITICAL DECISION ABOUT AMERICAN LIVES AND FOLKS AND MILITARY FOLKS WHO ARE OUT THERE. >> IS THERE ANYONE WHO IS WATCHING WHO HAS NOT GOTTEN A COLD ORL NOT GOTTEN SICK ON THE DAY THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY HAD TO BE HEALTHY? ON YOUR WEDDING DAY? BURYING A VERY CLOSE FRIEND OR FAMILY RELATIVE. THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED. >> YOU SAID NOT TO USE "I HAD A BAD NIGHT. >> >> YOU DON'T USE THAT'S WORDS BUT YOU HAVE TO PLAIN IT AWAY. I'M A WORD GUY. THE PRECISE WORDS HE USES ABSOLUTELY DOES MATTER. >> TO THE EXTENT THERE IS A SIDE CONVERSATION HAPPENING RIGHT NOW ABOUT WHETHER HE SHOULD STEP AWAY AND IF HE DOES, WHO WOULD REPLACE HIM? HOW DO YOU SEE THAT? >> AS UTTER CHAOS. IT HAS TO GO TO THE DELEGATES' NOT A NATIONWIDE PRIMARY. THERE IS NOT TIME. >> YOU DON'T THINK HE AND JOE BIDEN HAVE TO ANOINT SOMEBODY? >> I DON'T BELIEVE HE IS GOING TO GO. I TRUST THOSE WHO SAY THAT HIS SON AND HIS WIFE ARE ADAMANT, AS IS HE, THAT HE IS -- I DON'T BELIEVE THIS, BUT HE FIRMLY BELIEVES HE IS THE BEST CANDIDATE -- >> CAN HE SAY HE HAS THE DELEGATES? >> WHY TONIGHT IS SO IMPORTANT. >> EVEN IF HE SCREWS UP TONIGHT, YOU THINK THE PRESSURE COULD BE SO GREAT -- DO YOU THINK HE HAS SAID TO TWO PEOPLE I MAY OR MAY NOT STAY AND PUTS ON A BRAVE FACES FOR EVERYTHING ELSE BUT DO YOU THINK HE HAS SDCONCEDED IT DOESN'T WORK OUT? >> NOT YET. >> THE REPORTING IS THAT HE IS KIND OF IMPLIED TO THEM THAT IF I DON'T REALLY -- FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS I COULD BE GONE? BUT IF HE DOESN'T WANT TO GO, CAN HE REALLY STAY? COULD HE MAKE THE DECISION TO STAY WITHOUT DONORS, WITHOUT -- EVEN IF SCHUMER AND PELOSI SAY SOMETHING, COULD HE STILL -- >> WHEN HE NANNOUNCED THIS, I'M GOING NOWHERE. MY VOICE RIGHT NOW. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT INTERVIEW FOR ME AND I'M HAVING TROUBLE RIGHT NOW. THESE THINGS DO HAPPEN. WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS. AND HE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT. YOUR CHALLENGE IS A GOOD ONE AND THAT IS WHAT STEPHANOPOULOS SHOULD SAY, BUT IF HE IS DETERMINED TO STAY, HE CAN STAY. IF HE WAFFLES, THEN THEY WILL PUSH HIM OUT. >> IF HE GETS PUSHED, DO YOU BELIEVE THE VICE PRESIDENT STEPS IN THAT ROLE AND THE DEMOCRATS ULTIMATELY SUPPORT HER IN THAT POSITION? OR DO YOU THINK WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TEAM? >> ONCE AGAIN, WHO IS GOING TO STEP UP? I CAN NAME YOU HALF A DOZEN PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE BETTER THAN HER RIGHT NOW BUT I'M TALKING TO THEM AND NOBODY WANTS TO CHALLENGE HER BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS -- OKAY. I'M GOING TO BE DIRECT. >> YES. >> GOD HELP ME. YOU MAY NOT HAVE ME ON THE SHOW AGAIN. NOBODY WANTS TO KNOCK OUT AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN AND BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT AND THAT IS THE TRUTH AND MAYBE I'M GOING TO BE CRITICIZED WHEN I WALK OFF OF HERE BUT SHE'S GOT SUCH A STRONG POSITION BECAUSE OF THAT AND HERE IS THE ISSUE. HER FAVOR ABILITY, SHE IS THE MOST POPULAR VICE PRESIDENT SINCE DAN QUAYLE AHE WAS THE UNPOPULAR VICE PRESIDENT THAN -- >> IS THERE SOMEBODY YOU WOULD PAIR HER WITH YOU THINK WOULD MAKE THEM UNBEATABLE TEAM? >> I THINK OF THE GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND WES MOORE. I THINK OF THE SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY CORY BOOKER. I THINK OF THE SINGLE BEST RETAIL POLITICIA