TOMORROW THE WHITE HOUSE WILL
RELEASE ITS PROPOSED 2020 BUDGET
AND, ACCORDING TO SENIOR
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, IT
WILL INCLUDE A REQUEST FOR $8.6-
BILLION FOR NEW FUNDING TO BUILD
MORE SECTIONS OF A WALL ALONG
THE U.S./MEXICO BORDER.
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO MORE THAN
$6.5-BILLION PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
ALREADY ORDERED REDIRECTED FROM
FEDERAL AGENCIES FOR BORDER
SECURITY.
EVEN BEFORE THE DETAILS ABOUT
SPENDING FOR A BORDER WALL
EMERGED, DEMOCRATS CALLED THE
PRESIDENT'S BUDGET A "NON-
STARTER."
FOR PERSPECTIVE ON THE BATTLE
BETWEEN THE WHITE HOUSE AND
CONGRESS AND THE 2020
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN WE TURN TO
REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST FRANK
LUNTZ.
WHERE ARE VOTERS ON THE WALL
RIGHT NOW?
>> ITS INTERESTING THAT THAT
PHRASE, NONSTARTER, THAT IS PART
OF THE PROBLEM, THAT'S NOT PART
OF THE SOLUTION.
THE GOAL IN THIS, THE MISSION IN
ALL OF THIS IS TO FIND THINGS
THAT EVERY AMERICAN CAN SUPPORT
AND FIND THAT COMMON GROUND
BETWEEN US.
AND NO ONE IS SEEKING IT ANY
MORE.
THE PRESIDENT CONTINUES TO CALL
IT A WALL.
40% OF AMERICANS SUPPORT IT,
WHICH MEANS A MAJORITY DON'T.
BUT A MAJORITY DO SUPPORT A
BARRIER.
THE PUBLIC DOES NOT WANT TO
SUPPORT DONALD TRUMP'S POSITION,
BUT THEY WANT BORDER SECURITY.
AND IF YOU COMBINE A BARRIER AND
HUMAN INTELLIGENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY, YOU'RE UP IN THE MID
70S.
>> Sreenivasan: OF PEOPLE WHO
WOULD SUPPORT IT.
>> OF PEOPLE WITHOUT WOULD
SUPPORT IT, BECAUSE TO THEM
THAT'S GENUINE BORDER SECURITY,
IT'S NOT POLITICS, THEY'RE NOT
LOOKING FOR A TRUMP BUDGET,
THEY'RE NOT LOOKING FOR A
DEMOCRATIC BUDGET, THEY'RE
LOOKING FOR PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON
TO GET ALONG, AND GET SOMETHING
DONE.
AND THAT HE'S NOT THE FOCAL
POINT.
AND IF I MAY, BECAUSE I BELIEVE
STRONGLY IN THIS, THERE HAVE
BEEN ATTACKS ON THESE DEMOCRATIC
WOMEN THAT ARE OUT OF CONTROL.
THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO SAY
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT ISRAEL.
THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO SAY, TO
CRITICIZE AIPAC.
THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO TALK
ABOUT THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
BEING BROKEN AND TO CHALLENGE
THOSE WHO WANT TO SILENCE THEM.
WHETHER OR NOT WE AGREE OR
DISAGREE.
SINCE WHEN DO WE DEMONIZE AND
DESTROY AND DEHUMANIZE MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS SIMPLY BECAUSE WE
DISAGREE WITH THEM.
I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY SAY, THEY
GOT THE RIGHT TO SAY IT.
>> Sreenivasan: YOU TALKED TO
ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A
REPUBLICAN TODAY?
>> IF YOU ARE A REPUBLICAN TODAY
YOU ARE A STRONG SUPPORTER OF
DONALD TRUMP.
HE HAS A GREATER DEGREE OF
SUPPORT WITHIN HIS PARTY THAN
ANY REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT HAS
EVER HAD SINCE THEY STARTED
POLLING.
>> Sreenivasan: IS THIS THE
SAME PARTY THAT PRE-TRUMP.
>> THIS IS A PARTY THAT USED TO
CARE ABOUT THE FEDERAL DEBT AND
THE DEBT IS MUCH BIGGER NOW THAN
IT WAS.
THIS IS A PARTY THAT BELIEVED IN
OPEN FREE TRADE AND NOW IT'S A
PARTY THAT HAS COME TO SUPPORT
TARIFFS.
AND YET IF I CAN BE CANDID
WITH YOU, EVEN MY OWN POSITION
HAS CHANGED ON AN ISSUE LIKE
THAT.
I DO SEE THE THREAT FROM CHINA.
I DO BELIEVE THAT THE POLICIES
OF REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS AS
THE PUBLIC DOES HAVE FAILED.
AND THE PUBLIC IS ACTUALLY
SAYING AND AGREEING WITH TRUMP
THAT UNLESS WE HOLD CHINA
ACCOUNTABLE, UNLESS WE GET TOUGH
WHICH MAY INCLUDE TARIFFS, THEN
WE'RE GOING TO LOSE AND LOSE AND
LOSE AND LOSE, AGAIN AND AGAIN,
YEAR AFTER YEAR.
>> Sreenivasan: JUST THIS WEAK
THERE WAS A "MOTHER JONES"
ARTICLE THAT WAS LOOKING INTO
WHETHER OR NOT ONE OF TRUMP'S
SUPPORTERS, THE WOMAN WHO
ORIGINALLY SET UP THE MASSAGE
PARLORS THAT ROBERT KRAFT, THE
OWNER OF THE PATRIOTS AND
SUPPORTER OF THE PRESIDENT GOT
CAUGHT AT.
SHE NOT ONLY HAD SELFIES WITH
THE PRESIDENT BUT HAD A SIDE
BUSINESS WHERE SHE WAS SELLING
ACCESS TO THE WHITE HOUSE, THE
PRESIDENT, HIS FAMILY.
IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT LIKELY TO
RESONATE WITH VOTERS?
BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT HIS
SUPPORTERS SAY FORGET IT.
>> THEY LOOK AT ALL OF THIS,
THEY LOOK AT, AND THEY SEE THE
SAME THINGS ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS
AND DOUBLE STANDARDS, IT'S ALL
A DOUBLE STANDARD.
WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING IS
TALKING ABOUT GETTING SOMETHING
DONE.
THE REASON WHY CONGRESS HAS SUCH
A LOW APPROVAL RATING, IT'S
THEIR OWN FAULT.
WE ARE NOT PRODUCTIVE ANY MORE,
IN POLITICS AND IT REQUIRES THE
BUSINESS LEADERSHIP TO SET UP.
IT REQUIRES EDUCATION LEADERS TO
STEP UP AND SAY ENOUGH IS
ENOUGH.
WE'RE NOT REPUBLICAN AND
DEMOCRAT, WE'RE AMERICAN.
>> Sreenivasan: THE INCENTIVE
STRUCTURE FOR MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS OR LEADERSHIP IN THIS
COUNTRY SEEMS TO BE STACKED IN
THE ABSOLUTE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
MEANING IT IS NOT ABOUT
BRIDGING, BUILDING BRIDGES
ACROSS THE AISLE BECAUSE IF YOU
DO, ARE YOU GOING TO BE
PRIMARIED FROM YOUR OWN PARTY.
>> WE ARE NOT REWARDING HONESTY
AND INTEGRITY.
WE ARE NOT REWARDING PEOPLE WHO
GET THINGS DONE.
WE'RE REWARDING PEOPLE WHO
CHOOSE SIDES.
BUT ALSO, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT,
AND NOT HERE, BUT IT HAPPENS IN
THE MEDIA AS WELL.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" PUBLISHES
THE MOST EXTREME POSITIONS ON
BOTH SIDES.
WHAT DO WE GET FROM CNN, MSNBC
AND FOX, THE MOST EXTREME
POSITIONS.
THEY PUT THEM OUT THERE AND THEN
THEY PILLORY THEM.
AND THE PUBLIC THINKS THAT
EVERYONE IS NUTS RIGHT NOW.
THEY THINK WE'RE ALL NUTS.
AND WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY IN
TIMES LIKE THIS TO PUT ALL OF
THAT ASIDE, BE HONEST, BE
TRUTHFUL AND TRY TO UNIFY.
>> Sreenivasan: FRANK LUNTZ,
GOOD NOTE TO END ON.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU.