On today's show, Megyn Kelly is joined by Mark Thiessen, Bob Beckel, and Frank Lunds, three of her favorites, for news and all the analysis you need coming up on the State of the Race, Town Halls, and much more.
00:10:49.600And they're running around beating, beating people.
00:10:52.240And there's quite frankly, a lot more of them out there causing violence right now at this very moment than there are on the white supremacist side.
00:10:58.740And, and no one asked Joe Biden about that.
00:11:02.760So I think Trump has a very valid point, but again, this stuff helps him.
00:11:07.320You know, his, his, his voters out there are just like, we can't let these people win.
00:11:11.240They're, they're, they're trying to destroy him.
00:11:13.080They've been trying to destroy him for four years.
00:11:14.920His voters are going to crawl over broken glass to get to the polls on election day.
00:11:20.080Well, that's, that's one of the things I saw last night.
00:11:22.180I was watching just YouTube had a split screen of how many people were watching the NBC debate with Trump and how many people were watching Biden.
00:11:29.600It was like 10 times as many were tuning into Trump.
00:11:32.960Now we'll get the ratings shortly, but there's zero doubt, right?
00:11:36.360That Trump is going to win in the ratings war.
00:11:38.060He's just more interesting television.
00:11:40.400And, but it does speak to enthusiasm to something.
00:11:43.500I mean, Trump's voters are more motivated than ever to get out there for him.
00:11:49.100And Biden's voters, they don't so much, according to the polls, love Biden so much as hate Trump.
00:11:53.960And the real question is how many are on both sides?
00:11:57.460Well, you know, it's an interesting thing he said in my interview on our, on our podcast.
00:12:01.060He said that negative enthusiasm doesn't win elections.
00:12:21.480I remember in 2012, and you remember, because we were debating and talking about it all the time on the Kelly file, that, you know, Mitt Romney would be president today if negative enthusiasm won elections.
00:12:30.880So the Tea Party movement had risen up.
00:13:03.360People have to rally around a positive agenda.
00:13:05.260He made the case on your podcast in his interview with you, too, about how bringing people back to the economy and how strong it was before COVID and how he's the person to rebuild it.
00:13:16.380And when you do get reminded of, you know, the record low unemployment and where the stock market was, and actually it's gone back up again.
00:13:22.040I mean, that's a good case for Trump that, you know, he's been hit with a pandemic.
00:13:25.300And I realize the left says he could have handled it entirely differently.
00:13:28.160And there seems to be some people on the right who agree with that, too.
00:13:31.360But for him to get back to remember how good your pocketbook was, especially because, as you pointed out, the the people who say their life is better off four years now versus four years ago is high.
00:13:44.860It it it portends very well for Trump.
00:13:50.140So he said there's Gallup poll came out.
00:13:52.800It says 56 percent of Americans say they are better off now than they were four years ago.
00:13:56.820That is in the middle of a pandemic that has sparked the worst economic worst pandemic since 1918 sparked by the which created the worst economic crisis since the 1930s and also the worst racial unrest in the 19 since the 1960s.
00:14:12.980If you compare that to previous presidents going into who are running for a second term, Barack Obama, I think, had 44 percent said they were better off than they were four years ago.
00:14:22.300George W. Bush in 2004, it was 47 percent.
00:14:25.080Ronald Reagan, morning in America, it was like 40, 48 percent.
00:14:31.660And one of the things I asked him in our interview was why, you know, see, 56 percent of Americans say they're better off now than they were four years ago.
00:14:39.560But only 42 percent say they're going to give you a second term.
00:14:43.360What can you do to say to win those people?
00:14:45.160And I think, honestly, this is going to be the interesting test, is that a lot of people like Donald Trump's policies, but don't like Donald Trump.
00:14:55.080Right. They approve of his stewardship of the economy.
00:15:05.860It's it's the it's the the impeachment and the and the Russia probe and everything else.
00:15:10.680And then the things like his first debate performance, which just, you know, make people want to tear their hair out.
00:15:16.720And so the question is, are they comfortable enough with Joe Biden that they think, well, I did like what Donald Trump did for me, but I just can't take four more years of this.
00:15:26.680And he needs to do what he needs to do, what he hasn't been doing and what he needs to do in the final weeks is convince those people that the next four years won't be like the last four years on that front, that you can have the good the things you like about the Trump presidency.
00:15:41.340But we're not going to have four more years of rancor.
00:15:44.200And he tried and he made that case on our podcast.
00:15:46.720He said that, look, Trump Trump is who he is.
00:15:49.680I mean, the thought that he's going to change his stripes going into a second term.
00:16:02.540By the way, it was handled really badly by a bunch of Democratic governors, too.
00:16:06.440But when you look at how he's handled the economy, it's hard to argue against the numbers, you know, pre covid and the thought that he could get it back.
00:16:35.100I mean, from day one, trying to bring down his presidency, undo the 2016 election, which is what was what's been going on.
00:16:41.280What he said to me was that he thought that after impeachment, there was about a month or two when Democrats started coming up to him and saying, OK, let's try and get some stuff done together.
00:16:51.300You know, it seemed like it was finally over the that and then covid came and they and they saw that he was weakened and they saw maybe we can win this after all and we can destroy him.
00:17:01.660So he thinks that at least on their side, that if he wins this election, they're going to have to accept that he's president finally and that there's going to be a chance for more bipartisanship.
00:17:11.960That doesn't mean he's not going to be Donald Trump and he's not going to do what he does.
00:17:17.920But just it would be nice to think that maybe people could put aside their their animus and actually try and put the American people first for a change.
00:17:25.600Well, and I think, you know, when he gets out here, out there, he made a he gave a speech, I think, in Pennsylvania the other night where he and he's trailing with suburban women in states like Pennsylvania, if you believe the polls.
00:17:43.500It made me laugh out loud because Trump that that's the Trump that works.
00:17:47.660The self-deprecating, funny, yes, you know, charming Trump, as opposed to the weird tweeter Trump, Trump, you know, who's out there about the seal team six.
00:17:56.500Like he should be going with that stuff, like an acknowledgement that maybe he's behind in certain polls or with certain groups.
00:18:02.080And just to remind people, like, look, I realize I'm not the smoothest guy.
00:18:06.260I realize I've got some tough edges, but that's what you need.
00:18:29.760If you go back to 2004, to Bush's reelection, his convention speech, he had a section in there because there were a lot of people who were put off by Trump by Bush's swagger.
00:18:39.740And so he had this he had this great little line where he says, I know that, you know, I'm paraphrasing now, but I know that, you know, my personality.
00:18:46.980Allie wrote people said the wrong way.
00:18:48.660Some people say I have a certain swagger in Texas.
00:18:51.920And, you know, if I'm a little bit too blunt sometimes, blame that white haired lady in the in the in the in the rafters, you know, and it brought the house down.
00:18:59.960But it was an acknowledgment to people like, I get it.
00:19:03.060I know that you don't like certain things about me.
00:19:06.280And I'm you know, Donald Trump should should have done and still could do something like that, saying, look, I'm I'm a New Yorker.
00:19:17.020I know that rubs some people the wrong way.
00:19:18.620But the question is, do you want the economy to come back the way it was or do you want to go back to the people who were were you weren't happy with four years ago?
00:19:44.780OK, now I want to we're going to ask Mark about what's happening at the Amy Coney Barrett hearings, because there were some absurd moments over the past day or two.
00:19:53.400But first, I want to tell you about ZipRecruiter.
00:19:55.720Now, as you know, hiring is challenging, especially with everything else you have to consider today.
00:19:59.580But there is one place you can go where hiring is simple, fast and smart.
00:20:03.860A place where businesses can connect to qualified candidates with ease.
00:20:07.460And that place is ZipRecruiter.com slash MK.
00:20:27.960They'll send your job to over 100 of the web's leading job sites, but they won't stop there.
00:20:32.640They will scan thousands of resumes to find people with the right experience and actively invite them to apply to your job.
00:20:39.480They make it all efficient and effective with features like screening questions to filter the candidates because you don't want all the losers.
00:20:45.720It'll take you forever to go through them.
00:20:47.180And an all-in-one dashboard where you can review and rate your candidates.
00:20:51.400ZipRecruiter is so effective that four to five employers who post on it get a quality candidate within the first day.
00:21:11.060Mark, we have this feature called Sound Up here on The Megyn Kelly Show where we talk about sound bites that are making the news.
00:21:18.060And I've been watching this Amy Coney Barrett hearing with horror.
00:21:21.740And I wanted to ask you about a couple – so Spartacus is back, Cory Booker, Senator Booker, who's always – he's always looking to make it about himself.
00:21:31.760I don't know if he's crying in this clip.
00:21:34.380I want your opinion on this exchange that he had.
00:22:34.720And now with Amy Coney Barrett, like there's not even there's no allegation that Amy Coney Barrett has any inclination towards white super.
00:22:50.960I mean, the Democrats are in a box of their own making.
00:22:55.380So they made the catastrophic decision because in a peak of a peak of anger over over Neil, over the Gumeric Garland, the Republicans blocking Garland.
00:23:06.580When Neil Gorsuch was nominated, they filibustered him.
00:23:10.480He was the most qualified person put up to the Supreme Court.
00:23:14.560Even liberals came out in favor of him, like Neil Katyal and others, and they still filibustered him.
00:23:22.640If they hadn't filibustered Neil Gorsuch, Republicans would have never gotten rid of the filibuster for Supreme Court justices.
00:23:28.540If they hadn't gotten the filibuster, then Brett Kavanaugh would not be on the court today because he couldn't get 60 votes.
00:24:38.400Senator Harris, yes, every package of cigarettes warns that smoking causes cancer.
00:24:44.500And do you believe that climate change is happening and is threatening the air we breathe and the water we drink?
00:24:51.360Senator, again, I was wondering where you were going with that.
00:24:54.960But you have asked me a series of questions like that are completely uncontroversial, like whether COVID-19 is infectious, whether smoking causes cancer, and then trying to analogize that to eliciting an opinion on me that is a very contentious matter, opinion from me that is on a very contentious matter of public debate.
00:25:14.940I will not express a view on a matter of public policy, especially one that is politically controversial, because that's inconsistent with the judicial role, as I have explained.
00:26:00.500You know, I think the best comment on Twitter I saw was that I feel sorry for Amy Coney Barrett's husband because he obviously never wins any arguments at home.
00:26:09.000You know, it's just she's so calm, so collected, didn't take the bait.
00:26:15.800And, you know, she's going to be a fantastic Supreme Court justice.
00:26:19.380And honestly, to equate it, to equate climate change, which is controversial.
00:26:23.640There are a lot of differing opinions on that to whether cigarettes cause cancer, which, as Barrett points out, is written right on their packs.
00:26:34.400Talk about I mean, in in the law, you get an objection to improper impeachment and it would be sustained.
00:26:40.320OK, one more one more greatest hit for you from who else?
00:26:43.640But Maisie Hirono, who decided to go the are you bigoted way?
00:26:48.800Listen, not once, but twice you use the term sexual preference to describe those in the LGBTQ community.
00:26:59.140And let me make clear, sexual preference is an offensive and outdated term.
00:27:05.560It is used by anti LGBTQ activists to suggest that sexual orientation is a choice.
00:27:12.580It is not. Sexual orientation is a key part of a person's identity.
00:27:18.320That sexual orientation is both a normal expression of human sexuality and immutable was a key part.
00:27:26.820Maisie Hirono. And and sadly, and then Amy Coney Barrett apologized if she had said anything offensive.
00:27:32.800And then that day, Miriam Webster changed the definition of sexual preference in the dictionary to note that it is, quote, offensive.
00:27:42.580I mean, tell it to Joe Biden, who used that term earlier this year, as have half of the Americans in this country.
00:27:52.320Yeah. And I mean, I think our friend Guy Benson tweeted out an article from The Advocate using it, you know, which is a which is a gay magazine.
00:28:01.880Yes, exactly. So, I mean, this is just first of all, you know, I think this is probably a term that's been used in law on this for a long time.
00:28:10.340It may be. I mean, it's hard to keep up with what terms are OK and are not because it's changing so constantly in the cancel culture.
00:28:19.340And I guess she hadn't heard she hadn't gotten the press release that sexual preference was no longer a OK term.
00:28:26.020But, you know, this is the same Maisie Hirono who, you know, was questioning whether, you know, whether her Catholicism disqualified her.
00:28:34.040So it's a little bit rich for her to be suggesting that she's a bigot in any way when Maisie Hirono, you know, thinks that faithful Catholics shouldn't be serving on the on the on the as judges.
00:28:43.860Well, and meanwhile, I mean, who can keep up? Because in today's day and age, it's like the kids are they're they're straight one day and then they're then they're pansexual the next day, meaning they they they like everybody.
00:28:55.400They don't and you know, they haven't settled on a preference and then they're they're gay or they're like, it's like I can't keep it.
00:29:01.140So like the kids today are telling us it might be fluid.
00:29:04.180You know, maybe you're born with a but like maybe you could change.
00:29:07.260Well, that's right. Yeah. Because they say gender is fluid, right?
00:29:09.720Gender is fluid. Gender is not determined on birth.
00:29:12.020Fluid preference could be, you know, your sexual preference could be fluid, too.
00:29:14.980So I don't know. Maybe it's her her disdain, like her dripping sanctimony and speaking to Amy Coney Barrett as though she's, you know, she's sitting as though Amy Coney Barrett is sitting there in a, you know, in a white hat with a white robe.
00:29:27.880And it's like she said sexual preference. Calm down.
00:29:31.420I just I I hate these hearings because they always make me want to punch somebody in the face.
00:29:36.920I really that no one gets to me like lawmakers, like stupid lawmakers get to me.
00:29:40.800And that's what you're seeing. A lot of stupid lawmakers trying to score political points.
00:29:44.660But the American public are too smart for them. And here's the bottom line.
00:29:47.780Amy Coney Barrett is getting confirmed. I'll give you the last word.
00:29:50.660You you must be very frustrated then because there's a lot of stupid lawmakers.
00:29:54.240But all I could say, Megan, is, you know, all I could say, Megan, is when the last time we had a Supreme Court justice hearing, it was the Kavanaugh hearings.
00:30:04.100And compared to that, this was just like a is it was a walk in the park.
00:30:09.100So, you know, I think I think they realized that what they did to Brett Kavanaugh cost them control of the Senate.
00:30:15.660They lost at least like we can document three Senate seats where the Kavanaugh hearings were the deciding factor that cost them Senate sitting Democratic senators.
00:30:24.780And so they realized if they went after Amy Coney Barrett the way they did Kavanaugh, they were going to they were going to blow their chances in this election.
00:30:32.720So they decided to stand down. So this is their way of looking tough while they're throwing in the white towel.
00:31:12.960What do you what is the Bobcast is a podcast?
00:31:15.480Well, it was. But actually, what happened was I had just went through three back operations.
00:31:20.780So I've been laid out for about a year now, but I'll get back at it.
00:31:27.620I have no doubt. I've been watching this crazy election cycle and wondering what you think of it.
00:31:34.760I have no doubt you are not a Donald Trump fan. But what do you think about where we are now?
00:31:39.760I guess it's really just over, you know, it's about two and a half weeks away from Election Day.
00:31:44.900What where what's the state of the race?
00:31:47.120Well, I mean, unless they somehow defy every thing I know about campaign politics, presidential politics and polling, it's Trump is in the worst shape of anybody who's been an incumbent president trying to get reelected.
00:32:05.940The real problem he's got is, I mean, last night was a classic example.
00:32:11.220He sounded like he was at a rally with his people talking about those strange things.
00:32:16.620But in a silent room like that, it just it seemed, well, seemed like Trump.
00:32:25.360Biden, on the other hand, did his contrast, which he wanted to do, which was to sound presidential to talk about, you know, his issues, domestic and foreign policy and the virus.
00:32:37.620So I think you saw two very different types of of American politician last night and the Biden town hall.
00:32:48.000The Biden town hall, what I thought when I switched over was this is so boring.
00:32:52.200And then I thought boring is exactly what millions of Americans may want.
00:33:00.900They're just like I think people are just tired of Trump, to be honest with you.
00:33:05.540I mean, they've it's the same thing every day.
00:33:08.940He dominates the news and he does that by saying outrageous things and apparently doesn't care about having the checks.
00:33:16.900And he when you look at it and with this coronavirus behind it as a backdrop, he looks even more in it.
00:33:26.700And I think that's probably where Joe wants.
00:33:29.720You know, I mean, I'm trying to think about what I would do if I were 11 points down in a presidential race with less than three weeks to go.
00:33:49.940He's going to be able to say it's a bill.
00:33:51.580And I think that last debate is probably now going to shape up to be certainly to Biden's strength on foreign policy.
00:34:01.260But if Trump keeps going on in the manner he's going on, people just remind you about how off center he is.
00:34:09.620But let me let me ask you about the polls, because, you know, about polls and there there was a there were a couple of good articles posted on RealClearPolitics.com today talking about how this time, last time around, October 14th through 16th, you had Monmouth, CBS News, NBC, Wall Street Journal, all showing Hillary Clinton with a double digit lead over Donald Trump.
00:34:30.200And now some of those same polls and averages are showing Biden 11 points ahead in the race.
00:34:37.020And then when you look at the battleground states, it shows that this time, last time around, it showed that Hillary Clinton was up three point eight in Florida.
00:34:45.400Right now, it shows Biden up two point seven in Florida.
00:34:47.580Michigan showed Hillary Clinton up ten point seven over Trump.
00:34:51.060Right now shows Biden up seven point two over Trump.
00:34:54.140North Carolina showed her up three over Trump, shows Joe Biden up three point three over Trump.
00:34:59.040In Pennsylvania, showed her up eight point three over Trump, shows Joe Biden up seven over Trump.
00:35:04.640Wisconsin showed her six point seven over Trump.
00:35:07.100Now it's showing Joe Biden up six point three over Trump.
01:00:06.060I agree with you that if he came out and he smiled a lot and he turned on the charm and he was a little self-deprecating, that could work.
01:00:14.180But I don't think they want to see weakness.
01:00:17.120His own people don't want to, but his own people are voting for him and no one's going to not vote for him because he shows a little bit of vulnerability.
01:00:33.020But the Democrats are going to get way more of their voters than last time.
01:00:36.680And Donald Trump cannot win simply by turning out everybody who voted for him because Trump's voters are more than 10 years older than Biden voters.
01:00:46.840And Trump voters are, so many of them from 2016 aren't even alive in 2020.
01:00:54.780And all these new voters, the 18, 19, 20, 21-year-olds who just entered this voting system, by 70, 30, they support Joe Biden.
01:02:51.120These are some of my favorites from The Kelly File, who I haven't gotten the chance to talk to in a long time.
01:02:55.560Great to hear their voice and their analysis, which I've missed a lot.
01:02:58.120And listen, if you're enjoying the podcast, stay tuned.
01:03:01.060First of all, A, go subscribe, go download, go rate, and go review, please, on Apple and iTunes because I read them all and it's super fun.
01:03:09.720But also, don't forget to tune in on Monday and download that episode because we're going to have Abigail Schreier.
01:03:16.280She's the woman who wrote that book, Irreversible Damage.
01:03:37.000It's about what's happening with teenage girls and whether there are clusters of sort of a peer contagion when it comes to trans issues.
01:03:46.240In any event, it's one of the most interesting reads I've had in months.
01:03:49.540And her thoughts on being a woman in America and the messages we're sending little girls right now, I thought were the most fascinating part of the book.