CNN’s morning show crew took on former President Donald Trump’s claim he won’t run again if he loses in November — noting what he didn’t say is almost as telling as what he did.
Over the weekend, Trump dropped the quiet bomb as he wrapped up an interview with Sharyl Attkisson on her show Full Measure:
On Monday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning, anchor Kasie Hunt played that exchange, and asked her crew of regulars to weigh in. Analyst David Frum said Trump is “pre-losing” and has “tasted defeat,” and even frequent Trump defender Matt Gorman was “struck by” the comments.
Panelist Meghan Hays made an observation that Hunt found persuasive — that Trump didn’t bother to say he’s going to win and/or be cheated:
KASIE HUNT: All right. Our panel is back. David Frum, you heard him there saying he’s not going to run again if he loses. Your thoughts?
DAVID FRUM: Trump is pre-losing. He’s losing in his own mind.
That’s why he’s desperately selling silver coins when he should be campaigning. That’s why Mike Johnson is ignoring Donald Trump’s demands and threats and keeping the government open. The speaker is keeping the government open when Trump wants the government shut.
That’s why his wife is hawking this book and that’s why he seems so depressed every time you see him. He is tasting defeat. He knows what’s happening and he can’t exert himself or mobilize himself in order to do anything.
That’s why he’s doing so few events. He’s listless, he’s lethargic, and he’s losing in his own mind. His world is crashing in on him. He’s pre-losing.
KASIE HUNT: Matt Gorman, do you think Trump is losing the election right now?
MATT GORMAN: I mean, look at the polls. I mean, I think he’s certainly not. It is a momentum. He’s not in the kind of the cat-bird’s seat. I mean, Harris campaign can claim they’re the underdog, going to get its talking points.
But right now, the polls show they’re not, especially coming out of the NBC poll and a couple others we’ve seen so much in the last five or so days.
Now, look how tight– we all are. We all went through this exact same process a month ago with the never ending honeymoon. And it’ll tighten back down where we’re still, you know, 40 some odd days is an eternity.
But that being said, right now, you know, the more preferential position is where the Harris campaign is, rather the Trump position.
I was struck by his comments, though, too. I think he was– it was very blunt. Now we’ll see. I mean, who knows? A lot can kind of happen to change that. His age certainly notwithstanding.
But yeah, I was struck by the comments, too.
KASIE HUNT: Yeah. Alex Thompson. Honestly, 40 some odd days is an eternity in politics. Anything could change here. There is this question of another debate. You heard what McKinnon had to say. I mean, I tend to agree with him, right? It’s if Trump’s losing, he needs to do something to change it. That’s an opportunity. Does the Harris team think that there’s going to be another debate if if at the end of October?
ALEX THOMPSON: They’re really not sure. And let’s do a few things. Trump’s comments that it’s too late to do a debate are complete B.S. because Donald Trump also participated in October debates the last two election cycles.
So but the fact of the matter is that Donald Trump’s campaign, there is a thought that because Kamala Harris is much more comfortable on debate stage than she is during (inaudible) and in some ways, by denying her debate, it’s denying her oxygen since she is not doing interviews.
And so there is if you, if you’re Donald Trump and you think she needs oxygen, she needs to be able to introduce herself to make voters more comfortable with the idea of her being president. Not doing the debate could also deny her oxygen.
KASIE HUNT: Meghan Hays, what do you think? Are we going to see another one?
MEGHAN HAYS: I actually do think we will see another debate because I think that he will feel desperate and need to get out there.
But on the comments that he made about about losing, the one thing that struck me was he didn’t even fight, that he wasn’t going to lose.
He wasn’t trying to muddy the waters, that the election was going to be rigged and all of the other things that he normally does, which I think shows that he, like David Frum said, is probably more accepting that he might lose the election and is more coming to reality with that.
KASIE HUNT: Yeah, it’s an interesting– it’s a good it’s a good point that you raise that he often tries to suggest that something is going to be nefarious, and he didn’t do it there.