This is a rush transcript of ‘Fox News Sunday’ on March 3, 2024. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: I’m Shannon Bream.
President Biden and President Trump hoping to rake in a slew of Super Tuesday delegates just days after a faceoff at the southern border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a Joe Biden invasion.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here’s what I would say to Mr. Trump — join me.
BREAM (voice-over): Both candidates trying to address what many voters now call their top concern, America’s border crisis, as some high-profile violent crimes linked to migrants like the killing of a young nursing student in Georgia turbocharged the issue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No policies have been adopted by the mayor or commission that have created sanctuary city status in Athens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, you need to resign.
BREAM: We’ll get reaction from Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democrat Ben Cardin.
Then, President Biden set to deliver the final State of the Union Address of his first term days after Super Tuesday.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is a — the president sees this as an incredibly important opportunity not just to address Congress but also to address the American people.
BREAM: As new polls show him struggling with low approval numbers and pushback in key swing states on everything from his foreign policy to the economy and serious concerns about his health and age.
We’ll talk with Biden campaign co-chair Senator Chris Coons and Republican Congressman Byron Donalds who’s backing President Trump.
Plus —
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Father time remains undefeated.
BREAM: Our political panel weighs in on the race to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
And the rising star set to give the GOP response to the State of the Union as the veep stakes buzz around her ramps up.
All ahead on “FOX News Sunday”.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BREAM (on camera): Hello from FOX News in Washington.
We’ve got brand new polls for you today, two days before millions of voters in 15 states and one U.S. territory go to the polls for Super Tuesday. President Biden’s job approval number is an anemic 42 percent, a 58 percent majority of voters say they disapprove of his current job performance.
In a head-to-head matchup with Donald Trump, Biden is two points down but still within the margin of error, pointing to a very tight race.
By contrast, Nikki Haley pulls eight points ahead of Biden, though she has yet to win one matchup in GOP primary races with Donald Trump.
Will President Biden move these new numbers at all when he gives his State of the Union address before Congress and the nation Thursday night?
In a moment, we will be joined by senators from both sides of the aisle who will be there, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Ben Cardin.
We start though with live team coverage. Griff Jenkins standing by at the border in Texas as the migrant crisis dominates voters concerns. Only the economy in our new polls goes higher.
But we begin with Lucas Tomlinson at the White House.
Hello, Lucas.
LUCAS TOMLINSON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Shannon.
President Biden is spending the weekend in Camp David, likely putting his finishing touches on his State of the Union Address a speech where many lawmakers want to hear but his plans and executive actions he’s mulling over to fix the southern border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REPORTER: Why are you waiting to take executive action on the border?
BIDEN: Because we need more forces on the border. I don’t have the authority to do that.
TOMLINSON (voice-over): President Biden’s approval rating for his handling of the border has reached an all-time low, but a new FOX News poll says it’s not the top issue for voters. It’s the economy, followed by immigration and abortion.
A majority of voters say Biden has made America weaker. Thirty-six percent say stronger, numbers that trail former President Donald Trump in 2020. Only a quarter of those polled say Biden’s policies have helped their family, nearly half say they have hurt. Forty-five percent say Trump’s policies helped.
BIDEN: No excuses, because the truth is, aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough.
TOMLINSON: U.S. military conducted its first airdrop into Gaza when three U.S. Air Force cargo planes dropped 38,000 halal meals to Palestinians below, two days after over a hundred died after a crowd swarmed arriving aid trucks. It’s not clear how many were trampled or shot by Israeli forces.
Many expect Biden to use his address to put more pressure on Congress to pass aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TOMLINSON (on camera): The shortest State of the Union Address by a modern president was Richard Nixon back in 1972, just 29 minutes. Former Reagan speechwriter and “Wall Street Journal” columnist Peggy Noonan says that’s a goal Biden should aim for — Shannon.
BREAM: Many think those days are over, Lucas. Thank you though. Lucas Tomlinson from the White House.
Let’s turn now to FOX News correspondent Griff Jenkins live on the border in Mission, Texas.
A lot of attention there, Griff.
GRIFF JENKINS, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That’s right. Good morning, Shannon.
And immigration remains one of the top issues among voters, according to brand new FOX polling. Eight in 10 Americans say they are concerned about what they see happening at the border and they’re frustrated over a lack of action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENKINS (voice-over): Familiar sites along the southern border, smugglers apprehended in Eagle Pass, Texas, Saturday, attempting to transport migrants past authorities. While a group of more than a turned themselves into agents in Brownsville, just hours before President Biden arrived Thursday.
In the latest FOX polling, 41 percent of Americans consider the situation at the border to be an emergency, up 7 percent since December, this after dueling presidential visits in Texas separated by 300 miles.
BIDEN: We need to act. This time for the speaker and some of my Republican friends in Congress who are blocking this bill, to show a little spine.
TRUMP: The United States is being overrun by the Biden migrant crime. It’s a new form of vicious violation to our country.
JENKINS: The Biden administration receives a failing grade when it comes to improving border security, with less than a quarter of voters viewing their efforts as a success.
As the challenges of the border show no major signs of slowing down, migrant surges are moving west from Texas to Arizona.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom visiting his border in San Diego County to get a firsthand look.
Meanwhile, the nation watched as slain University of Georgia student Laken Riley was laid to rest Friday, allegedly murdered by a Venezuelan man illegally present in the U.S. a scenario top border officials worry most about.
JASON OWENS, BORDER PATROL CHIEF: These are the types of tragedies that they keep us up at night, and this is why we need to have an immigration system that works.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JENKINS (on camera): And, Shannon, Chief Owens also says he needs Congress to pass a real budget and he cannot keep operating on short-term continuing resolutions — Shannon.
BREAM: Which we are once again doing.
Griff Jenkins reporting from the border — Griff, thank you so much.
Joining us now, Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
Welcome to “FOX News Sunday”.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): Thanks, Shannon.
BREAM: So let’s talk about this. Our polling also shows us that when people — everyone agrees the border is a problem — they want to assign blame. Eighty-one percent say it’s Congress’s lack of action.
You voted against the Senate deal. I know a lot of people had problems with it, structurally, and policy-wise.
But what do you tell Americans about what the realistic path forward is on the border?
RUBIO: Well, the realistic path forward if we want to end this crisis begins by Joe Biden reversing the executive orders that he made. Every single one of them was designed to reverse a Trump policy. All those executive orders that are basically for the first time in American history we have a president who will not detain the people who enter this country illegally.
Look, the immigration system in America is complicated but our laws are pretty straightforward. It defines who’s allowed to be in the country and it says if you’re here illegally, you should be detained through removal. And we used to have exceptions to that, but narrow exceptions. But the majority of people were detained.
Now the reverse is happening. Now, the exceptions have become the rule. Today, if you enter the United States illegally, you are going to be released. Your chances of being released into the country very quickly are between 85 and 90 percent, okay?
People know this. The word spreads. They come from all over the world now. There are 7.2 million people in this country that have entered over the last three years, that are here illegally at this moment, entering through different methods and various ways that they’ve gotten here. That’s an unsustainable thing.
And all of that was driven by these changes. You can see it in the numbers beginning in January of 2021 when Joe Biden entered the White House.
He needs to reverse and go back to the policies that were in place before then, when we didn’t have these numbers.
BREAM: Okay. If he does that, would you support him?
Because he’s got a lot of pressure on the left saying do not go — and do things that you blasted President Trump for doing, and it may also actually change what’s happening at the border depending on what he decides to do, giving him potentially at least an optical win in election year.
Would you support him in executive action?
RUBIO: Of course, of course. And not only would we support him, we’ve called for it. He should have done that before.
Look, remember, we spent two and a half years arguing with the Biden administration over whether it was a crisis at all. We — we can’t forget that. For two and a half years, Biden and all of the surrogates and deputies all said there is no crisis, there is no border crisis, there is nothing going on down there that’s wrong. They spent a long time denying it until they couldn’t it anymore.
So, of course, I would support it. In fact, that’s what I specifically have called for. Had he done so, I would have voted for the funding for Ukraine and all the other things, because I’ve supported Ukraine funding.
But we have to prioritize this American crisis that we have in our hands, which I think is now posing a real danger. Six-point-two, 7.2 million people, let’s be conservative about that, let’s say it’s 6.2 million that are in this country illegally right now that have been here over the last three years, if only 1 percent of them are dangerous criminals, that’s 62,000 criminals in our streets today, people that were criminals overseas in their own countries before they even came here, and we’re seeing that play out now every day tragically in the — in the headlines on the news.
BREAM: Well, and folks on the left, though, say you’re using those numbers — the GOP is — to scare people, to demonize.
MSNBC says this: Trump’s recent declaration that migrant crime — there you have that in quotes — constitutes a new category of crime as a clear signal for Republicans to lean even further into the anti-immigrant hysteria. And so they are.
You are the son of Cuban immigrants who came to this country for a better life, what do you say to the left who says the GOP doesn’t want that for other people now?
RUBIO: That’s a silly — that’s a ridiculous argument. There are criminals in every country in the world, okay?
You take 6.2 million people from anywhere, some percentage of them are going to be criminals. Some of them were already criminals. They’re not criminals because they’re migrants. They’re criminals because they’re criminals.
For example, there is a gang in Venezuela, Tren de Aragua, well-known gang, well-known gang in Venezuela that left Venezuela, has terrorized Colombia, has terrorized Peru, has terrorized other countries.
Some of those people have now made their way into the United States. What do we think they do once they get here? Do we think they become stockbrokers? Do we think they now become — you know, they go and run some charity organization?
No, they do here what they did in Peru, what they did in Colombia, what they did in Venezuela before that. They are criminals. Every single day, they’re playing out — again, not because they’re migrants but because they are criminals.
But this is what happens when you allow 7.2 million people to march into the country and invade it the way they have. Some percentage of them are going to be criminals. And guess what criminals do? They commit crimes.
And that’s what’s happening in America now with many of these people.
BREAM: I would expect that the president is going to address a lot of this and continue to point the finger at Republicans on the Hill for this at the State of the Union.
But I want to make sure that we touch on Ukraine because you mentioned that. You’ve said the reality at this point that we have to confront is that that war ends with a negotiated settlement.
What do you mean by that? Will Russia keep some of the territory it’s taken? How much pressure do you think the U.S. or others in the international community should put on these two countries when it comes to finding a solution?
RUBIO: Well, I’m not going to set parameters on what that looks like. It’s not our place to do that. It’s premature to do that.
Here’s what I do know: There is no way that the Russian Federation takes Ukraine, all of Ukraine, half of Ukraine.
And that was — that was Putin’s goal from the beginning, was to carve it up into half — at least half the country including Kyiv. That’s not going to happen. That’s not going to happen.
On the other side of it, we have the reality of it is that Ukraine is small compared to Russia in terms of size and its ability to bring scale, its ability to force conscript people.
So neither — neither can — this is, I’m just being honest and I — and you know, in the past, I have tried not to talk about this publicly because I thought it undermined the leverage that Ukraine had. But now, it’s the reality. Neither side is going to be able to achieve victory as defined in the most idealistic terms.
So then the question becomes, if, in fact, there’s going to be a negotiated settlement, who’s going to have the leverage here? Is it going to be Putin or is it going to be Ukraine?
And I want Ukraine to have the most amount of leverage possible when the time comes for those conversations to happen. They’re not going to have leverage if Putin feels like he has the upper hand, that he’s — he has ways to gain and can force Ukraine into a situation where they become basically a satellite state, which is what he wants. He wants them to be like Belarus.
He wants to keep territory and then whatever’s left over of Ukraine. He wants it to be a country that is forced to remain neutral and that in his orbit and sphere of influence.
So I want Ukraine to have the most amount of leverage. And to do that, we have to help him. And I’m in favor of doing that, but we have to first take care of our country.
So I — yes, I believe that we should help Ukraine but only after we help America through our border, in the same way as Democrats are saying, we won’t help Israel unless you help Ukraine, and because they’re holding Israel as leverage and hostage over Ukraine.
So, at the end of the day, that’s what I hope we can achieve here and I think it begins by the president doing what he should do anyways, which is to reverse the executive orders that have caused this migrant crisis at our border.
BREAM: All right. Senator Rubio, thank you for your time. Good to see you this morning.
RUBIO: Thank you.
BREAM: Joining us now, Maryland Democratic Senator Ben Cardin.
Senator, welcome back to “FOX News Sunday”.
Let’s start with Israel there which just got mentioned by Senator Rubio. There’s word that there may be a ceasefire deal coming together, something temporary that would allow for exchange of hostages, more aid into a very troubled area.
Do we know if there are Americans among the hostages or when this may come together? Because Hamas is now — apparently, it’s in their courts. Are they going to be a good negotiating partner over this?
SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-MD): Well, Shannon, first of all, it’s good to be with you. We do have some understanding as to the first categories of hostages that would be released. They are called the vulnerable hostages, the children, the women, the injured.
But it’s unlikely that many of — most of the Americans we believe were male soldiers and we’re not sure that they will be in the first category. We’re trying to get all the hostages released. It gives us an opportunity not only for the release of hostages but to get humanitarian assistance into the innocent people that have been caught in this war, and gives us a chance to move forward with an avenue towards peace in the region. This is something we all need to work on.
So the area is, first, we’ve got to get rid of Hamas and the terrorists, but then we have to have a game plan for peace in the region. We need to get all the hostages released.
BREAM: Absolutely. OK. I want to look at some new “Fox News” numbers that we have. New polling on how the President is handling this. When people are asked about his job performance on handling the Israel-Hamas conflict, 65% disapprove, only 31% approve. He’s been increasingly publicly negative and critical of the Prime Minister. You talk about a plan moving forward. There’s been a big push by the U.S. publicly and privately about a two- state solution, but there are a lot of folks who worry about that. Obviously, Israeli leaders are rejecting it.
Here’s what foreign policy said. The two-state solution is a recipe for carnage. That follows up with a “Washington Post” opinion piece saying, “There’s every reason to fear that Hamas or similar entities would control a nascent democratic Palestinian state in the near-term aftermath of this brutal war.”
So do we as outsiders have any way to actually assure Israel that some kind of governing body can be set up in that territory that won’t be an existential threat to them?
CARDIN: So let’s be very clear about this. There is no future for Israel or the Palestinians with Hamas in Gaza. Hamas must be taken out. That is very clear for a pathway forward for the people of Gaza, as well as security for Israel.
We have many of the leaders in the region who want to participate in a rebuilding of Gaza. They want to see a future for the Palestinians, both the West Bank and Gaza, but it starts with security in the region and a governance that recognizes Israel’s rights and will live in peace with Israel. That’s absolutely essential.
Is that possible? Yes, it is possible, but it’s going to take a lot of hard work. We’ve been going through this for many, many years. The challenge right now is to find a pathway forward so that we can get to that point. And that means listening to the responsible leaders, the Palestinian Authority needs to be revamped. You need to — by actions and deeds — recognize Israel. And then if there’s peace, if there’s security in the region, there will be a pathway forward for two states living side by side in peace.
BREAM: Do you agree with some of your colleagues, your Democratic senator – – senator colleagues there, and others who are out there saying, they think that there should be U.S. conditions attached to a lot of this aid to Israel now about how they can use the weapons, the decisions they can make strategically when it comes to their military campaign — would you condition aid to Israel?
CARDIN: I would not. Israel is our ally. Israel is in a fight for its security. It needs to defend itself. We have conditions on all aid that we give to any country in regards to using appropriately and for the intended purpose. That’s our current law and that’s — that protects the interest that we need.
Israel has a very challenging battle to get Hamas out of Gaza. They have a tunneling system. There are extreme challenges. We want to make sure that Israel does this in a way that minimizes civilian loss. We’ve got to get humanitarian assistance in. And we need to reach a level. We hope that this — this pause to allow the hostage to be released will give us the opportunity to get to the next plateau where we can look at, getting an authority in, in Gaza that respects the rights of its people and respects Israel’s security.
BREAM: Very heavy lift. We talked about the bad polling numbers for the President on this conflict. They’re also not great on the U.S. southern border. Our new polling shows 78% of Americans think there is a major problem at the border or an emergency.
Peggy Noonan writing about this in “The Wall Street Journal,” says, “People are coming to believe and they are right that it isn’t only a matter of the law, our capacities and our culture, but what is happening now at the border has a huge national security component.”
We got people showing up from places like China and Yemen and Iran, places that do not like the U.S. Do you think the border has become a national security issue?
CARDIN: I do. Shannon, we need to fix our laws. It’s — these laws have been broken. It’s up to Congress to pass the bills necessary to adjust our laws, to deal with the current crisis, and we need to give our immigration people the resources they need to protect our border, to make determinations on asylum at the border that they can’t do today because they don’t have the resources. We had that opportunity. We had a bipartisan bill to fix the border, a very strong bill.
Now, only reason we didn’t pass it is that the former President Trump wanted this to be a campaign issue rather than allowing us to get a major bill done, giving the resources to the people at the border to protect our border. Congress has the responsibility to act.
BREAM: But Senator, do concede that the numbers have skyrocketed. I mean, we’ve hit new records each year under President Biden’s — his watch, his three years. I mean, he openly repealed a lot of action that President Trump had taken. There’s now talk of him taking executive action. People can see that there are two, in some cases, three times the amount of people showing up at the border each year, as did under the Trump administration. Do you not concede that’s happened?
CARDIN: The President’s required to carry out the laws that Congress has passed. We have certain laws that protect in regards to asylum seekers, in regards to people who have legitimate reasons to come to our border. The problem is we haven’t given the administration the resources they need in order to enforce those laws.
BREAM: But Republicans will say that they’ve given you —
CARDIN: And we need to clarify the laws.
BREAM: Republicans will say they’ve given you more money than you even asked for in the last couple of years. And the White House asked for when it comes to immigration. They say it’s not about money. It’s about policy.
CARDIN: Well, it’s about both. And they’re wrong, the supplemental appropriation bill would have given additional resources to the border not only to deal with the immigrant issue with the deal with the illegal federal that’s coming into this country.
It’s absolutely essential that we provide those additional resources. The border people need that, and, no, Congress has not provided the necessary resources to date.
BREAM: All right. Senator, we know there are no easy solutions and we wish all of our lawmakers on the Hill, great success in finding some. Thank you for your time, Senator.
CARDIN: Thank you, Shannon.
BREAM: Up next, a war of words over high-profile crimes involving migrants in the U.S. illegally and the poll numbers that show us even deeper. How you feel the President — the job that President Biden is doing when it comes to immigration and other hot issues as he and former President Trump take trips to the border and each talks about how they think they can fix it. Our Sunday panel is here to react, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: Here’s what I would say to Mr. Trump. Instead of playing policy with the issue, instead of telling members of Congress to block this legislation, join me, or I’ll join you in telling the Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We had no more catch and release. Our catch and release was, we released them in Mexico. And if you broke the law, we caught you, we deported you or we did something else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: I don’t think there’s going to be any kumbaya with those two. That was President Biden and former President Trump, Thursday, each blaming each other for the problems at the border.
Let’s talk about it with our Sunday group. “Bloomberg” White House Correspondent Josh Wingrove, Marie Harf, former State Department Spokesperson and “Fox News” Contributor, Former advisor to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Garrett Ventry, and Stef Kight, an “Axios” Politics reporter.
OK, welcome everyone. I want to put up some more of our polling numbers here on issues and how people think that the President is doing. He’s upside down on all kinds of important issues, but when it comes down to it and we start to look at immigration down by 35 points. Josh, not good news for the White House.
JOSH WINGROVE, BLOOMBERG NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It’s a big one. This is also one where there is a sharp divide between what Democrats are saying and what Republicans are saying. And the problem for Biden is that, it is bleeding into what independents are saying. So they’re starting to share concerns of Republicans. We found similar numbers just this past week in the “Bloomberg News” Morning Consult poll which showed that immigration is rising still and is now the second most important issue after the economy. So it’s gaining steam. And that’s why you saw these dueling visits.
I was with President Biden at the border on Thursday. It’s a pretty sanitized view of the situation there. Brownsville is not a hotspot right now. And he visited an area like a boat launch where we didn’t see or at least I didn’t see one migrant for example.
So he is trying to say, look, it can be orderly. We need Congress to pass these bills. President — former president Trump of course is saying, look, this is chaos. We need to do something.
The question is really, what can a president do. A lot of things President Trump did were subject to litigation. They were struck down in court. Title 42 was a lot of it. It’s gone. So the ability to do stuff is disputed at best. And the personnel to do it, they don’t have it if they don’t have a bill. They just aren’t enough people and that was one thing we heard in Brownsville.
BREAM: Yeah. Stef, these were two very different visits, what they saw, even who was walking with them and the conversation they were having with the border agents, it was just — it was a contrast.
STEF KIGHT, AXIOS POLITICS REPORTER: It definitely was. And it’s not the first time that we’ve seen Republicans and Democrats take different approaches to how they visit the border and where they visit the border. Of course, you know, former President Trump chose to go to a section of the border that has really been ground zero for Texas Governor Abbott’s battle against the administration, going where that park is, where Texas has taken control and is blocking Border Patrol’s access there.
Meanwhile, of course, Biden went to Brownsville, which used to be an area where we saw lots of migration, but that has certainly declined in recent – – in recent years and has not been a hotspot for a long time now.
And we really are — and what was notable was that Biden went. I heard from multiple people who felt that it was important for the President to at least show that he was there, that it was an issue he was paying attention to. Because this has been an issue he has not wanted to pay attention to, for years. We look at these polling. We see that immigration is the number two issue for a lot of voters. We see the, you know, terrible ratings for the current President when it comes to immigration.
And only recently has he and his administration decided that they’re going to take this on head on. Only recently have they gone on offense. But it’s still a question whether they can actually make any improvement on this issue.
BREAM: Well, and it’s coming as there are these high-profile cases involving people who are here in the country illegally and or alleged suspects in a number of these. And here are the dueling headlines. “New York Post” says this, “The migrant surge brings killers and criminal gangs victimizing innocents like Laken Riley.”
“New York Times” says this, “Migrant crime wave not supported by data despite high-profile cases.” They go on to say, “It’s hard to quantify the crimes because the police aren’t allowed to ask about a suspect’s immigration status.”
But Garrett, I mean, the right is taking heat over quote unquote demonizing people by highlighting these cases.
GARRETT VENTRY, FORMER SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE SENIOR ADVISOR: Yeah, I think if you take a step, like no, it’s demonizing because they’re migrants or demonizing because there are migrants that are committing crimes here. And that’s the big issue here.
If you take a step back here, you’re talking about President Trump has a massive lead over Joe Biden on immigration, continues to be a number one, number two issue for voters here. And the reason why is, voters can see what’s happened over the last four years. President Biden, his first 100 days issued almost 100 executive orders, undoing a lot of President Trump’s border policies.
He’s talking about got rid of Remain in Mexico, halted construction on the border wall. Let Title 42 expire, did nothing then to try and find a solution there. And we’re back at catch and release. So it’s no — it’s no reason that voters, this is the big reason why voters are blaming Biden for this.
He’s underwater by 30 points in this. Sure, they don’t like the Congress didn’t take action, but Joe Biden’s not running against Congress. He’s running against President Trump here. And he is losing the issue on immigration and border security.
BREAM: Well, and there are a number of blue state mayors and governors and, you know, folks that are out there publicly speaking members of Congress, Democrats saying to the White House, you got to fix this. This is not a partisan problem. It is a problem. So it’s not just the right who’s talking about it. And now we have from the White House that maybe they think it’s time to be done with sanctuary cities or their policies.
Telling our “Fox News.com,” “We welcome local law enforcement support and cooperation and apprehending and removing individuals who pose a risk to national security or public safety.” They wanted to say if there’s a public safety threat, we do want people to share that information with ICE. But even if they do, if they won’t hold people until ICE can show up and get them, there’s still very much areas that are operating as sanctuary cities and states.
MARIE HARF, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: Well, and I think what’s interesting in our polling is that more people blame Congress for the lack of action on securing the southern border than blame Joe Biden.
And that’s part of the message the campaign wants to make. Joe Biden has supported the toughest immigration bill any Democrat in history has ever supported. Taking on the far left part of the party, Joe Biden is not on the far left on any issue and certainly not on immigration.
And the reason Congress won’t pass it is Donald Trump. He has said it publicly, Republicans have said it, and they’re going to hammer that home. Shannon, every chance they get, you heard President Biden talking about that this week.
But, you know, this polling, I think in many ways, should be a wakeup call for the Biden team. They need to sharpen their message. They need to get a more aggressive campaign going. But there are some bright spots, right?
Independents still overwhelmingly going for Joe Biden, where Joe Biden’s support is a little weaker. It’s not translating into support for Donald Trump. He really still has a hard ceiling on his support, even on issues like immigration, even on issues like crime.
And the proof is in the pudding. The best indicator of how voters will vote is how they’re voting. And in every election, since 2018, Democrats have been overperforming.
So I think these polls and issues like immigration are wake up calls and should get the Biden team really aggressively out there sharpening their message. But there are some silver linings here the Democrats are picking up on this morning.
BREAM: All right. We’ll see if they’re taking notes on what you’re putting down this morning.
(LAUGHS)
All right. We’ve got a lot more to dig into with these polls with our panel a little bit later in the show.
But up next, Super Tuesday, just two days away, millions of Americans set to cast their ballots. We’ve got campaign surrogates here next to make the final pitches before more than a dozen states head to the polls.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BREAM: Former president Donald Trump picked up more early state wins on Saturday, as he inches closer to a probable rematch with President Joe Biden.
New Fox News polling out this morning is giving a clearer picture to us about how voters view the candidates when we put them head-to-head.
We are joined by a surrogate from the Biden campaign, Delaware Senator, Chris Coons. And a surrogate from the Trump campaign, Florida Congressman, Byron Donalds.
We begin with Senator Coons. Welcome back to FOX NEWS SUNDAY.
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Thanks, Shannon. Great to be on with you.
BREAM: All right. Let’s start with the polls. Head-to-head choice for president. If you were voting right now, Donald Trump has a two-point advantage in our latest poll. And then when we ask about, do you view this candidate in a favorable or unfavorable way, back in February of 2020, Joe Biden was a plus four in the favorable column. He’s now in a negative 18 points. How do you make the pitch for him at this point?
COONS: Well, Shannon, I was just in Michigan campaigning for our president this weekend. And I saw a remarkable positive energy on the ground there because of the real difference that President Biden’s leadership has made in the lives of Michiganders.
I was up in Bay City, near Saginaw, where there have been real and concrete announcements of high wage, high quality new jobs and manufacturing in semiconductors, investments and infrastructure, a double-digit raise for the members of the UAW.
And so on the follow-up to last Tuesday’s primary, what I saw in the Detroit area and in the center of Michigan was positivity because of the leadership President Biden has shown in reducing prescription drug prices, and standing up for our veterans, in investing in infrastructure, and in helping create nearly 15 million new jobs through the private sector while he’s been president.
Only one president in modern times has had as bad a job record as Herbert Hoover, and that’s Donald Trump.
BREAM: OK. But — OK.
COONS: And no president has had as low unemployment and as greater record on investment through bipartisan bills as Joe Biden.
BREAM: It’s fair to point out there was a pandemic during the Trump administration. And there are a number of fact-checking organizations, not us, but all over the place that have said, this president did not create 15 million jobs. Those were people coming back to work at the end of the pandemic. So we can continue to debate that.
But you had more than 100,000 people take their time to show up in Michigan and vote uncommitted. They clearly have different policy differences with the president.
But when we look down the number of issues in our new Fox News polling, he’s underwater by 20, 30 plus points in any number of things, the economy, China, inflation, Israel and Hamas, immigration.
There is a solid majority of Americans out there who feel like he is not getting the job done on issues they say they care most about.
COONS: So, Shannon, two things about that. First, what matters is how people vote. And we have consistently, as Democrats, overperformed polls, not just in the special election that just happened in Long Island, in the midterms in ’22, but in election after election.
And I’ll remind you, former President Trump is underperforming. In Michigan, nearly 30 percent of voters came out and supported Nikki Haley.
And whether it’s in South Carolina, New Hampshire, or this coming Super Tuesday, we have 20 percent or more of voters saying they will never vote for former president Trump, partly because of his 91 criminal counts that he’s facing, partly because of the chaos that he created as a former president, partly because of his ongoing statements.
Just last night at a rally, he said that President Obama does not deter President Putin. He keeps saying things in public that make folks question his mental fitness, as well as his moral character.
BREAM: Well, and yet, when you ask people, head-to-head on these issues that they care about, who’s better equipped to handle things, they are giving President Trump the nod.
I mean, in issues like immigration, years ago, it was like a 16-point advantage for him. That’s now more than double to 35 points, an advantage that people think what is their number one or number two issue on all the polls. They think that they want President Trump back, that he had better control of things like the border.
COONS: Shannon, more than two-thirds of Americans strongly supported the bipartisan deal that we hammered out in the Senate.
It was a deal that would have invested $20 billion in combating fentanyl, in hiring new border patrol, in finding new deportation flights, and in securing our border.
And as you saw in their two border visits this week, President Biden asked former President Trump to work with him, to stop seeking an election issue, but instead deliver a solution for the American people. Former President Trump called his allies in the Senate and defeated that bipartisan bill because he wants an issue, not a solution.
I think when the American people see such a sharp contrast on an issue that matters to all of us, where President Biden is showing bipartisan leadership willing to take the tough stances and invest in making us safer and stronger, and they see former President Trump simply trying to have an issue for election, on an issue, frankly, a bill that was endorsed by the Border Patrol, by “The Wall Street Journal,” by the Chamber of Commerce, I think the American people see who’s interested in and capable of leading, and that’s President Biden.
BREAM: Well, they also have great skepticism after watching the skyrocketing numbers over the last three years.
So as the president weighs possibly taking executive action and he doesn’t think that deal is dead on the Hill, we wish you luck in getting something done.
Senator Chris Coons —
COONS: Thank you, Shannon.
BREAM: — thank you
All right. Joining us now, Florida Congressman Byron Donalds. It’s good to have you back.
Let’s start here. You heard what the Senator said about the fact that 30 to 40 percent of primary voters in a number of states are showing up to vote in the GOP primary for Nikki Haley.
Now, not all of those are closed, and so there’s going to be some party crossover. But why can’t President Trump put this thing away? Why are still 30, 40 percent of people showing up and voting in these primary contests for someone other than him?
REP. BYRON DONALDS (R-FL): Well, first of all, Shannon, it’s good to be back with you.
Let me first say this. In some of these early states, they allowed Independents and Democrat voters to vote on the Republican side when it comes to picking a nominee in these states.
And even with that influx with some Independents and Democrats, Donald Trump overwhelmingly won every single state.
Now we move to Super Tuesday. And let me just tell you, it’s basically over already. It’s going to be over Tuesday night when Super Tuesday ballots come in because there is no path to victory for Nikki Haley.
Look, on our side of the aisle, we believe in choices. We want options. The Democrats are the ones who basically kicked Robert F. Kennedy out of their primary. They basically stopped Dean Phillips from being able to even try to mount a campaign against Joe Biden.
Nikki Haley had an opportunity to run like everybody else. They all lost. Donald Trump’s the nominee. We’re going to move forward to November.
BREAM: So he is essentially, many people think, running the party. You’ve heard a number of accusations on the show if you’ve been able to listen today that he’s the one who told you guys to kill a border deal.
He’s not the only one saying that though. That accusation is coming from both sides of the aisle. Take a listen to both sides.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): Donald Trump simply has said to the MAGAs on the House side, don’t do it. Don’t do anything. Keep it a political issue.
NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Congress should have gone in a room, strengthened it and passed something out. But Donald Trump went and told the Republicans, don’t pass anything until after the general election because it would hurt him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: Your response.
DONALDS: First of all, you can’t listen to Nikki Haley. She’s the opponent. By the way, she’s losing big time.
You can’t listen to Mr. Meeks because the Democrats never want to solve the border issues. They’re the ones that created it.
Here’s what happened. The House Republicans passed H.R.2 over a year ago. Chuck Schumer did nothing with that bill. Never came up for a debate. The Senate never came to the House and said, you know what? Let’s work together in a bipartisan fashion based upon what the House has passed. And let’s see where we can meet in the middle.
You had Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats go into a smoke-filled room. They created a terrible deal.
And when the elements of this deal started being leaked out early, the 5,000 entrants per day, the fact that Joe Biden will be able to have waiver authority over all the provisions, House Republicans started signaling very early, led by Speaker Johnson, that we did not support that deal.
When it finally came out and everybody could read it, then everybody rejected it. Even Mitch McConnell voted against it. So it was a bad deal from the start.
The Democrats are playing the worst kind of politics, because Joe Biden is the one who broke our southern border. Those are his executive orders when he came into the White House. These are the 10 million people who’ve come in under his watch and he refuses to lift a finger.
Don’t talk about bipartisanship when the Senate Democrats would never even talk to House Republicans about what are the solutions. Because if there is going to be a compromise to be found, it is a negotiation between Senate Democrats and House Republicans.
Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden do not want to have that conversation.
BREAM: OK. And just to clarify, because it keeps coming up, this issue of 5,000 people a day, the backers or the drafters of this, including James Lankford, who I know that you know and respect said, once you hit an average of 5,000 a day, which would happen in week one, then the entire border was closed, not that an additional 5,000 would be able to come.
Of course that went nowhere because I know there were other problems people have with the bill.
I want to read you something at “The Daily Beast” this weekend talking about a book that is not kind to Trump reporters — Trump supporters. They call them a threat to democracy and say this.
“In the popular imagination of many Americans, the typical MAGA supporter is a rural resident who hates black and brown people, loathes liberals, loves God and guns, believe in myriad conspiracy theories, has little faith in democracy, and is willing to use violence to achieve their goals. According to this new book, “White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy,” these aren’t hurtful elitist stereotypes, they’re facts.”
What do you make of that assessment of Trump supporters?
DONALDS: I find it to just be insane. I find it to be gaslighting black people and Hispanic people in our country.
I find it to be devoid of facts. Michael Cohen, obviously, has never been to a Trump rally and actually talk to Trump voters. That is a lie. It is disgusting. Are we even just having this conversation?
Let me tell you the truth. People who are MAGA Republicans, they just want the country to follow the law. They want the country to follow the Constitution. They want our leaders to put America first, not last.
They actually want sound money. They want low inflation. They want a secure border. And yet, they want to be respected across the globe. They don’t want to have to live under a president like Joe Biden who has a terrible foreign policy that has put our men and women overseas at risk, that is putting our allies at risk.
MAGA Republicans want a great America. They don’t want a fleeting America. They don’t want America in decline. That is what the Democrat Party has brought us. That’s the crazy progressive agenda from the radical left. The same radical agenda that would have us choose Hamas over Israel.
So whatever Michael Cohen wrote in his book, I really don’t care, because it makes no sense at all, because those aren’t the facts. I would invite him to come to any Trump rally he chooses. I’ll walk side-by-side with him and he can see what’s really going on.
BREAM: OK.
DONALDS: And stop putting out this foolishness.
BREAM: You tell us, and we’ll send a camera. I’ll join you two.
Congressman, thank you very much for your time. Always appreciate it.
DONALDS: Anytime.
BREAM: Coming up, the Supreme Court takes on yet another case involving President Trump and a third state decides the former president shouldn’t be on their ballots. Our panel, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT WURM, COLORADO VOTER: I just think that we just need to be sensible. We need to figure out what’s really good for this country.
JOSHUA HALL, COLORADO VOTER: The economy is one of the biggest things. The crisis at the border.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: A couple of voters from one of the states voting on Super Tuesday, Colorado, where there are questions about whether a vote for President Trump will count. We’re still awaiting a ruling from the Supreme Court about whether or not the state was right to decide it could block President Trump from the primary ballot. Now Illinois has decided to do the same thing. We’re back with our panel.
But the big news out of SCOTUS, as we wait on that this week, Garrett, is that they’re taking up the immunity case and many on the left very upset because it delays the Jack Smith case.
In “The Atlantic” they say, “the delay in justice makes it impossible that Trump will never face federal criminal charges for his role in inciting the January 6th insurrection. The Supreme Court will have been complicit in affording him the delay he so desperately desires.
VENTRY: Yes, and, I mean, if you look at this, you covered the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court doesn’t exactly move at like Usain Bolt pace, right? They move very slowly here.
BREAM: True.
VENTRY: And they’re actually moving a little more quickly than usual. You’re talking about a April timeframe to June here. So that could be still set.
And if you take a step back, why we are here? Democrat prosecutors, Jack Smith’s – Jack Smith, Biden’s DOJ, Fani Willis, all these folks waited about two and a half years to charge President Trump. They took their grand old time until he was a declared candidate for president surging in the polls. So, they waited to actually do this. Now we’re talking about having this before an election, which would be completely unprecedented.
As you remember, Democrats flipped out on James Comey. This is a hundred times this. You’re talking about trying to maybe put a president in jail before the election.
And I would also say, if you’re talking about presidential immunity, President Trump’s argument, actually is very interesting. Judges and members of Congress have immunity when acting in their official capacity. You can disagree with President Trump on whether or not there was voter fraud, but he was clearly acting in his official capacity.
Here’s why it opens up a Pandora’s box. Does that mean that, you know, the Afghanistan servicemembers, their families, could they sue President Biden for manslaughter? He was acting in his official capacity. President Obama with drone strikes. You’re opening up Pandora’s box in these cases.
BREAM: Well, and nine very wise people, not us, luckily, are going to have to make that decision.
But as to accusations the Supreme Court is gaming the system for President Trump, Jonathan Turley writes this, “The claim that the court is moving slowly is factually and historically untrue. Indeed, in comparison to most cases, this is a Nascar pace for an institution that is more focused on issuing right rather than rapid decisions.”
Marie.
HARF: Well, we shouldn’t pretend like the Supreme Court doesn’t have politics as part of it. .They are not some apolitical people that sit above D.C. and don’t have feelings or thoughts on the political system. It may —
BREAM: But you think that judges can separate from that and make responsible decisions?
HARF: Well, it may be –
BREAM: That’s their job.
HARF: That is their job. They may be moving more quickly than normal, but that doesn’t mean that our judicial system is set up to allow voters to adjudicate President Trump and his fitness for office after being, you know, being held accountable in these judicial processes.
I think voters should know the answer to the Jack Smith case, to the Fani Willis case, to – we have, you know, verdicts in New York and other places. Donald Trump is facing 91 criminal indictments.
I think that voters should know the answers to those questions before they go to the polls. And I think our judicial system should move as fast as possible because it is – it is ludicrous to say that trying to overturn an election is part of his official capacity. That is a ludicrous argument the Democrats will make.
BREAM: OK.
VENTRY: By the way –
BREAM: All right, I – we’ve got to leave it there. Real quickly. Just – only because I want to make sure that we get to the news that Mitch McConnell is moving on and already people getting into the running for this. “The New York Times” says “the contenders immediately began wooing their colleagues for the chance to become the first new face of their party in the Senate in almost two decades.”
Stef, we – we have at least John Cornyn in. Others expected to join as well.
KIGHT: Exactly. And they certainly have moved quickly. I was on The Hill talking to senators and – and multiple offices told me that they’ve already been hearing from, of course, the three Johns, John Thune, John Barrasso, John Cornyn, of course, and so they are moving quickly. This is, of course, going to be a long leadership election, but, you know, there are certainly some who think that is important to kind of stake your claim early, start working the phones, start, you know, campaigning with candidates across the country.
Of course, what happens in November is going to be critical to how this leadership election plays out. And, of course, some people are also keeping an eye on Steve Daines, who is leading the Senate Republicans’ efforts this – this year, in this election year. And we know that former President Trump has been quietly urging him to get into the race the past month or so.
BREAM: All right, a quick final word to you on that, Josh.
WINGROVE: Well, President Biden’s tribute to Mitch McConnell, I think, was interesting. You wouldn’t really see that in past eras. Like, he’s – you know, he looked back on the Senate as this grand institution. I think that his departure obviously shifts things more towards Trump’s influence in that chamber. I think that is going to have a lot of ripple effects regardless of who wins control. And, of course, you ask most people, think the Republicans were — are – have the inside track to take control of the chamber.
BREAM: Yes, they’ve got a better map for them this time around.
WINGROVE: Yes.
BREAM: OK, panel, thank you very much.
The president, right now, working through the weekend to prep his State of the Union Address that he will give on Thursday. So, who is the individual giving the GOP response? We’ll introduce you to Senator Katie Britt, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BREAM: The president will deliver his State of the Union Address in primetime this week. The GOP has chosen freshman Senator Katie Britt to give the response. So, who is she? Here’s a bit of my conversation with her shortly after she arrived here on Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KATIE BRITT (R-AL): To have been here as an intern, and then now to come back and my name be on the door, the gravity of that is – is pretty remarkable. You know, to have had the opportunity to have learned and to have been here, to have met people, to have built relationships, to have seen things work and, in many times not, and now to have a shot to be a part of that, a part of making our nation better and stronger, it’s truly an honor of a lifetime.
BREAM: You’re replacing somebody who was here for decades. You worked for him. He was very well-established. What’s that experience like?
BRITT: You know, I think we’re seeing it across the nation that people are ready for new blood. And so, coming in here, but realizing the reality that there aren’t too many of us that are from my generation that are here, and the responsibly that that carries because there is parents and hard-working Americans that are our age all across the nation that want a voice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: We’ll see what argument she makes on Thursday night. I’ve got you covered then as President Biden delivers his State of the Union and Senator Britt responds. I’m anchoring live coverage at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on your local Fox station.
And, of course, a reminder, on Super Tuesday, we’ll also have live coverage through primetime for you on the Fox News Channel starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Results coming in from 15 states and one U.S. territory.
And before we go, a college basketball star is poised to break another big record today. You can watch history unfold on Fox. Iowa senior Caitlin Clark is currently the all-time leading scorer in major women’s college basketball history. Today she attempts to become the all-time scorer among both men and women. Coming into today, Clark has 3,650 career points, just 18 points shy of Pistol Pete Maravich. You can see her in action as Iowa hosts number two-ranked Ohio State, 1:00 p.m. Eastern on your local Fox station.
By the way, Clark announced this week she will go pro after this season.
That is it for today. Thanks for joining us. I’m Shannon Bream. Have a great week. We’ll see you for special coverage Tuesday and Thursday nights. And I’ll see you back here for the next FOX NEWS SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
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