NewsNation Chief Washington Correspondent and The Hill on NewsNation moderator Blake Burman shares his political reporting and campaign viewpoints leading into the 2024 election.
I woke up this morning to some campaign news, and it made me think for a moment about why I love moderating “The Hill on NewsNation”: We constantly come across smart folks who make us think. If you watch the show, you know we’ve had Dan Kanninen on frequently. I didn’t know Dan until recently, but we kept having him on because his perspective, context and experience constantly stood out. Well, Dan is moving on up. The Biden campaign just announced Dan will be running the key battleground states for President Biden’s reelection campaign. It’s part of a continued buildout for the Biden team, and it’s going to be leaning on the former Obama and Clinton alum to try to get it done where it matters most.
By the way, starting Monday, January 22nd, “The Hill on NewsNation” will be moving to 6p ET. It’s all part of some exciting moves as NewsNation continues to grow.
Now, on to what could be one of the biggest weeks in politics…
The Final Four in a Frozen Iowa
So there are now four major candidates left, and four days until the Iowa caucuses. Long story short: The polling suggests it will be Donald Trump in a runaway. However, Iowa caucus goers are known for waiting until the final moments to decide.
So what is a caucus? NewsNation Political Editor Chris Stirewalt breaks down the unusual format:
It is not unusual for it to be cold in the Hawkeye state in January, but next week will be brutal even by Iowa standards. Temperatures are expected to be below zero. So, how might that impact turnout?
Hogan Gidley, Trump’s former White House deputy press secretary, has helped with two winning Iowa campaigns. He explains why the Trump team is confident, even if weather keeps some folks home: “From what I hear they understand the complexities of this situation and they have the votes. What they want to do is make sure the turnout is there,” Gidley said.
One thing that is unusual this time around is that the overwhelming favorite has campaigned, compared to the other candidates, the least in the state. Take Tuesday for example – instead of being out on the campaign trail in Iowa, Trump was in a Washington, D.C. courtroom. Trump didn’t have to be there, but he showed up alongside his legal team, and spoke to reporters. So what about that decision down the homestretch? Trump’s former Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, told us he thought it was an easy call. “Anytime he can get on TV, it’s a good thing for him, and it is. We’re talking about him now instead of Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. It’s a playbook. He’s been doing it very, very well for the last six months,” Mulvaney said.
Christie’s Goodbye, Hot Mic Moment
First off, this was the initial reaction from Stirewalt and The Hill’s Editor-in-Chief, Bob Cusack, as Christie dropped out. “I think this is the beginning of an intense effort to beat Trump, anti-Trump movement, and we are going to see more things. This is step one,” Cusack said
Conventional thought has always been that if Christie were to get out of the race, that would be a big boost for Nikki Haley’s chances in New Hampshire. A recent granite state poll showed her trailing Donald Trump by just seven points. Christie had routinely run in the low double digits in polls, picked up 7% in the 2016 primary and ran his campaign on the premise of keeping Trump out of the Oval Office again. But here’s the thing: When he dropped out of the race on Wednesday, he did not endorse Haley. Far from it…
A source familiar with the phone call tells me on Wednesday, Ron DeSantis called Christie, and during that call Christie called Haley a “joke” and said she’s not up to the task. That matches with a hot mic moment. Right before Christie got on stage in New Hampshire to end his campaign, the audio from the live feed of the event could be heard. “She’s gonna get smoked and you and I both know it. She’s not up to this,” he said of Haley. Wow!
Happening on The Hill
✈️ We spoke with Rory Kennedy, director and producer of the Netflix documentary “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing.” Will Congress get involved and what might that look like?
Former cabinet secretary in the Trump White House Bill McGinley explained why Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s secrecy over his prostate cancer diagnosis and hospital stay “can’t happen.”
And tonight, Jason Miller, senior advisor to Trump, will join us live from Iowa.
We’ll see you later on “The Hill on NewsNation.” And don’t forget, “The Hill” on NewsNation is now on Sirius XM! Thanks for reading, listening, and watching!
Tune into “The Hill on NewsNation” weeknights at 5/4C on NewsNation. Find your channel here.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.
