>> Hill: THIS THURSDAY WILL MARK

ONE YEAR SINCE A VIOLENT MOB OF

SUPPORTERS OF FORMER PRESIDENT

DONALD TRUMP ATTACKED THE U.S.

CAPITOL AND TRIED TO STOP THE

CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTION OF

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN.

THERE IS A VIGIL PLANNED ON THE

STEPS OF THE CAPITOL, AND

PRESIDENT BIDEN IS SAID TO

ADDRESS THE NATION THIS

JANUARY 6.

MR. TRUMP, WHO IS ACCUSED OF

INCITING THIS ATTACK, ALSO SAYS

HE WILL HOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE

THAT DAY, A MOVE THAT MAY BE

PART OF AN ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO

OFFICE.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL

CORRESPONDENT JEFF GREENFIELD

JOINED US FOR MORE ON

PRESIDENTIAL RE-RUNS.

>> WELL, MICHAEL, IF DONALD

TRUMP TRULY MEANS TO RUN FOR

OFFICE AGAIN, FOR SOME PEOPLE

THAT MAY SEEM LIKE JUST ANOTHER

EXAMPLE OF HOW TRUMP IS

DIFFERENT FROM EVERYBODY ELSE.

BUT, IN FACT, SEVERAL EX-

PRESIDENTS HAVE TRIED TO GET THE

JOB BACK.

SEVERAL HAVE TRIED, ALL HAVE

FAILED.

ALL BUT ONE.

WHEN PRESIDENT GROVER CLEVELAND

LOST HIS REELECTION BID TO

BENJAMIN HARRISON IN 1888, HIS

WIFE TOLD THE WHITE HOUSE STAFF

TO KEEP EVERYTHING IN PLACE,

BECAUSE THEY'D BE BACK IN FOUR

YEARS.

SHE WAS RIGHT.

FOUR YEARS LATER, CLEVELAND

SOUNDLY DEFEATED HARRISON,

BECOMING THE FIRST, AND STILL

THE ONLY, EX-PRESIDENT WHO WON

THE JOB AGAIN.

BUT SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE TRIED,

BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER CLEVELAND.

MARTIN VAN BUREN, OUSTED IN

1840, CAME VERY CLOSE TO WINNING

HIS PARTY'S NOMINATION FOUR

YEARS LATER, BUT CAME UP SHORT.

IN 1848 HE RAN AGAIN, AS THE

NOMINEE OF THE FREE SOIL PARTY--

AND LOST AGAIN.

MILLARD FILMORE, WHO BECAME

PRESIDENT WHEN ZACHARY TAYLOR

DIED, LOST THE WHIG PARTY

NOMINATION IN 1852, AND RAN FOUR

YEARS LATER AS THE CANDIDATE OF

THE NATIVIST AMERICAN PARTY,

BETTER KNOWN AS THE "KNOW

NOTHING PARTY."

HE GOT 20% OF THE VOTE.

ULYSSES GRANT HONORED THE TWO-

TERM TRADITION BY NOT RUNNING IN

1876, BUT FOUR YEARS LATER MADE

A STRONG BID TO WIN THE

REPUBLICAN NOMINATION.

HE FELL JUST SHORT AFTER A 36

BALLOT MARATHON.

JUST AFTER HIS LANDSLIDE

ELECTION TO A FULL TERM IN 1904,

THEODORE ROOSEVELT ANNOUNCED HE

WOULD NOT RUN AGAIN IN FOUR

YEARS.

WHILE HE ENTHUSIASTICALLY

SUPPORTED HIS SUCCESSOR, WILLIAM

HOWARD TAFT, HE CAME TO REGRET

HIS DECISION.

BY 1912 HE SOUGHT TO TAKE THE

REPUBLICAN NOMINATION AWAY FROM

TAFT.

WHEN HE LOST THAT FIGHT, HE RAN

AS A PROGRESSIVE BULL MOOSE

CANDIDATE, WINNING 27% OF THE

VOTE AND 88 ELECTORAL VOTES.

HIS SECOND PLACE FINISH STANDS

AS THE BEST THIRD PARTY RESULT

EVER.

AND IN 1980, GERALD FORD MADE IT

CLEAR THAT HE WAS INTERESTED IN

AVENGING HIS NARROW 1976 LOSS,

ARGUING THAT RONALD REAGAN WAS

TOO CONSERVATIVE TO WIN.

THAT DIDN'T STOP HIM FROM

SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING BECOMING

RONALD REAGAN'S RUNNING MATE, A

NOTION THAT ULTIMATELY DID NOT

HAPPEN, BUT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE

MOST UNUSUAL POST-PRESIDENTIAL

COMEBACK EVER.

SO, WHAT OF DONALD TRUMP'S

PROSPECTS AS A POTENTIAL

CANDIDATE?

AMONG REPUBLICANS, HE HOLDS A

HUGE LEAD IN THE POLLS.

NO ONE ELSE COMES CLOSE.

RIGHT NOW HE RUNS EVEN WITH OR

AHEAD OF JOE BIDEN.

AND HIS POSITION IS MADE

STRONGER BY THE FACT THAT A

LARGE MAJORITY OF REPUBLICANS

SUPPORT HIS BASELESS CLAIM THAT

THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN FROM

HIM.

THIS, IN TURN, HAS COMPLICATED

THE POSITION OF OTHER POTENTIAL

CANDIDATES.

NONE OF THEM CAN OPENLY OPPOSE

TRUMP FOR FEAR OF ANGERING THE

BASE.

>> Hill: JEFF, A NUMBER OF

INFLUENTIAL REPUBLICANS HAVE

SOME SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT TRUMP

AND HIS ACTIONS.

FOR INSTANCE, HE'S BACKING

DIVISIVE PRIMARY REPUBLICANS.

AND COULDN'T THAT HURT

REPUBLICAN PROSPECTS OF

REGAINING THE MAJORITY IN THE

HOUSE IN THE FALL ELECTIONS?

>> REPUBLICANS HAVE PAINFUL

MEMORIES OF WHAT HAPPENED BACK

IN 2010, AN OTHERWISE GREAT YEAR

FOR REPUBLICANS.

AND THEN AGAIN IN 2012, WHEN

WINNABLE SENATE SEATS WERE LOST

BECAUSE THE PRIMARY VOTERS

NOMINATED CANDIDATES WHO WERE

JUST UNACCEPTABLE TO THE GENERAL

ELECTION PUBLIC.

AND WE'VE ALREADY SEEN EXAMPLES

WHERE SOME OF TRUMP'S FAVORITES

HAVE HIGHLY CHECKERED PASTS,

INVOLVING EVERYTHING FROM

FINANCES TO DOMESTIC ABUSE.

AND SO, YES, THERE IS A CONCERN

THAT WHILE TRUMP CAN PROBABLY

PERSUADE A LOT OF REPUBLICANS TO

VOTE FOR HIS CANDIDATES IN A

PRIMARY, THAT MAY LIMIT NOT JUST

WHAT THEY COULD DO IN 2022, BUT

MIGHT SUGGEST THAT TRUMP HIMSELF

IS WEAKER AS A GENERAL ELECTION

CANDIDATE IN 2024.

>> Hill: THERE ARE CLOUDS THAT

OVERHANG A POSSIBLE TRUMP 2024

CAMPAIGN, NAMELY JANUARY 6 AND

THE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE

INVESTIGATING WHAT HAPPENED.

FELLOW REPUBLICAN LIZ CHENEY AND

OTHERS HAVE RAISED THE

POSSIBILITY OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT.

WOULD THE COMMITTEE'S FINDINGS

TARNISH OR EVEN HURT TRUMP?

>> IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

PROBABLY NOT, BECAUSE THEY'VE

ALREADY, IF I CAN PUT IT IN A

WAY THAT HIS CRITICS SAY,

THEY'VE DRUNK THE KOOL-AID.

THEY ARE CONVINCED THAT THE

WHOLE JANUARY 6 EPISODE, OR

CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION

RATHER, IS A POLITICAL EVENT.

BUT I THINK THE CHARGE OF

CRIMINAL CONDUCT AGAIN IS NOT

HOW YOU WOULD WANT TO LAUNCH A

CAMPAIGN TO REGAIN THE WHITE

HOUSE.

I SHOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT

THERE ARE PROSECUTORS IN

MANHATTAN, THE NEW YORK STATE

ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE IN

GEORGIA, LOOKING AT DIFFERENT

QUESTIONS OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT

INVOLVING EVERYTHING FROM TRYING

TO OBSTRUCT THE ELECTION COUNT

TO FINANCIAL MIS-DOINGS IN

TRUMP'S BUSINESSES.

SO THOSE, YEAH, YOU WOULD NOT

WANT THAT ON YOUR RESUME IF

YOU'RE TRYING TO GET THE WHITE

HOUSE AGAIN.

>> Hill: JEFF, THERE ARE PLENTY

OF PEOPLE WHO SAY, OH, NO WAY,

TRUMP IN 2024.

HOW NAIVE IS THAT?

>> UH, FROM 1-10, IT'S AN 11.

ANYBODY WHO HAS SEEN THE LAST

SIX YEARS OF AMERICAN POLITICS

AND THINKS, "WELL, THIS TIME IT

CAN'T POSSIBLY HAPPEN," HAS NOT

BEEN WATCHING AMERICAN POLITICS.

IT IS SIMPLY A WAY OF PUTTING

YOUR HANDS OVER YOUR EYES AND

SAYING, "I DON'T WANT TO SEE

THIS."

IF YOU'RE NOT TAKING DONALD

TRUMP SERIOUSLY AS A

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, IN MY

VIEW, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE

POLITICAL UNIVERSE WE LIVE IN

TODAY.

>> Hill: JEFF GREENFIELD,

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL

CORRESPONDENT.

THANK YOU, JEFF.

>> THANK YOU.