Ask Sen. Graham ward off on DeSantis’ Ukraine comments

>>> FLORIDA'S GOVERNOR FACING SOME SIGNIFICANT BACKLASH FROM HAWKS IN HIS OWN PARTY OVER HIS STANCE ON RUSSIA'S WAR IN UKRAINE. THE FLORIDA GOVERNOR AND LIKELY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DREW A LINE IN THE SAND WHEN HE TOLD FOX NEWS HE DOESN'T THINK.

PROTECTING UKRAINE IS VITAL TO U.S. INTERESTS. INSTEAD, HE CALLED IT A TERRITORIAL DISPUTE AND A DISTRACTION FROM BIGGER CHALLENGES AT HOME. THIS MORNING TOP SENATE REPUBLICANS ARE PUSHING BACK. LISTEN.

>> OUR TERRITORIAL DISPUTE IN THE SENSE THAT ANY MORE THAN IT WILL BE A TERRITORIAL DISPUTE IF THE UNITED STATES DECIDED THEY WANTED TO TAKE CANADA OR THE BAHAMAS. >> TO SAY THIS DOESN'T MATTER IS TO SAY THAT WAR CRIMES DON'T MATTER.

HE'S GOING TO GO BEYOND UKRAINE, PUTIN, IF YOU DON'T GET THAT AND LISTEN TO WHAT HE'S SAYING THIS IS A CHANCE TO STOP PUTIN BEFORE IT GETS TO BE A BIGGER WAR. AND CHINA'S WATCHING. >> THAT'S RUBIO GRAHAM THERE. THERE ARE OTHERS. SO JOINING US NOW, CORRESPONDENT.

FOR “THE NEW YORK TIMES.” GOOD MORNING TO YOU. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS DIVIDE IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ON UKRAINE AS WE WERE TALKING THIS MORNING IN THE MEETING, KAITLAN SAID THIS IS NOT JUST MEMBERS — THESE ARE HAWKS WHO ARE DISAGREEING ARE RON DeSANTIS.

>> THIS IS A BIG MOMENT FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND ITS OWN EVOLUTION ON FOREIGN POLICY AND IT'S A BIG MOMENT FOR THE 2024 CAMPAIGN. >> HOW SO? >> THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HISTORICALLY IS HAWKISH. THEY'VE BEEN WANTING TO PROJECT.

STRENGTH AGAINST RUSSIA AND ABROAD. DONALD TRUMP SAID WE WANT TO STRIKE HERE AT HOME. THE WHOLE AMERICA FIRST AGENDA. THAT WAS AN OUTLIAR. THEY MAKE UP THE VAST MAJORITY OF SUPPORT IN THE POTENTIAL 2024 FIELD.

NOW THEY'RE BOTH COMING IN ON THAT SIDE OF THE LEDGER. SO THAT'S A BIG SHIFT FOR THE PARTY ITSELF. IT'S REALLY NOTABLE. YOU SEE MARCO RUBIO AND LINDSEY GRAHAM. HE IS SUPPORTING DONALD TRUMP BUT CHOOSING TO CRITICIZE RON.

DeSANTIS FOR AGREEING THE CANDIDATE HE IS BACKING IN 2024. >> RUBIO SAYING HE DOESN'T DEAL WITH FOREIGN POLICY EVERY DAY AS GOVERNOR. HE'S THE SENIOR SENATOR IN HIS STATE. WHEN IT COMES TO LINDSEY GRAHAM SAYING, YOU KNOW, TO SAY YOU.

DON'T CARE ABOUT WAR CRIMES, WHAT RAN DeSANTIS IS MORE NUANCE. HE WAS NOT SAYING THAT. IT IS INTERESTING. RON DeSANTIS PREVIOUSLY SUPPORTED ARMING UKRAINE AS POPPY POINTED OUT YESTERDAY. I THINK WHAT IS MOST FASCINATING.

ABOUT THIS IS GETTING THE FIRST LOOK AT RON DeSANTIS' FOREIGN POLICY. >> ABSOLUTELY. HE'S BEEN A BLANK SLATE ON THIS ISSUE. RUBIO IS NOT WRONG. IN TALLAHASSEE, FOREIGN ISSUES ARE NOT CENTRAL.

RON DeSANTIS IS CHOOSING THIS AND THIS THE FIRST BIG THING HE IS SAYING. HE CHOSE TO GIVE HIS OPINION TO TUCKER CARLSON WHO HAS BEEN ALIGNED WITH TRUMP ON SHIFTING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN THIS DIRECTION. ITS NO THE JUST THE ANNOUNCEMENT.

ITSELF OF THE POSITION, WHERE HE ANNOUNCED IT AND HOW HE ANNOUNCED IT AND WHEN HE ANNOUNCED IT. HE IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT AT THIS POINT. >> BUT TO TRY TO ENACT YOUR FOREIGN POLICY POSITION YOU HAVE TO BECOME PRESIDENT.

TO BECOME PRESIDENT, YOU HAVE TO GET GOP VOTERS BEHIND YOU. COULD THIS NOT BE A VERY SAVVY MOVE BY HIM LOOKING AT HOW MUCH REPUBLICAN SUPPORT FOR THE ON GOING LEVEL OF FUNDING AT LEAST FOR THE WAR IN UKRAINE HAS DWINDLED SIGNIFICANTLY? >> HE'S ABSOLUTELY ALIGNING.

HIMSELF WHERE HE THINKS THE MAJORITY OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ELECTORATE IS. THAT SAID, IF YOU BECOME PRESIDENT AND YOU DON'T WANT TO — IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO HIS PREVIOUS POSITION, IT'S VERY HARD TO SHIFT. IF YOU SAID THAT UKRAINE IS NOT.

PART OF THE VITAL NATIONAL SECURITY INTEREST FOR THE UNITED STATES, IT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO MAKE THE CASE IF YOU BECOME A PRESIDENT DeSANTIS TO THE CONGRESS THAT YOU SHOULD BE PUTTING MONEY INTO SOMETHING THAT'S NOT VITAL. >> YEAH.

>> HE LEFT THE DOOR OPEN A LITTLE BIT. >> A LITTLE BIT. >> YEAH. >> ON THE OTHER HAND, DO YOU POINT OUT THAT TRUMP IS THE ONE WHO IS FOLLOWING DeSANTIS AND I'M TALKING ABOUT HOW HE'S TALKING ABOUT EDUCATION?.

? >> YEAH. YOU KNOW, I WATCHED TRUMP'S RALLY THIS WEEKEND. IT WAS AN EDUCATION SPEECH IN IOWA. IT WAS REALLY A TRUMP SPEECH WITH A LITTLE EDUCATION IN THE MIDDLE TOWARD THE END.

BUT IT WAS INTERESTING JUST TO SEE HOW HE IS ADOPTING SOME OF THE SAME LANGUAGE AND SOME OF THE SAME SORT OF EMPHASIS. EDUCATION IS A DEFINING THING — >> SCHOOLS AND — >> ON SCHOOLS AND CRITICAL RACE THEORY. THERE IS A MOMENT WHERE HE IS.

TALKING AND TALKS ABOUT CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND TRANCE — TRANS GENDER. HE TAKES IT IN. HE SAYS, WOW, THAT WAS A LOUD MOMENT. YOU CAN SEE HIM SAYING THIS IS MOTIVATING THE BASE WHICH IS.

SOMETHING THAT DeSANTIS SAW FIRST. >> IT IS FASCINATING HOW THEY TRY TO DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES ON THINGS LIKE THAT.

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