This was a ‘power play’: Ari Fleischer

Tomi Lahren, Ari Fleischer and Mark Penn discuss former President Donald Trump being removed from the Colorado ballot on ‘Hannity.’

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FLEESHER AND MARK PENN. >> ARI, HEY, ARI, SO FIRST, I WANT TO GET YOUR REACTION HERE TO THE BREAKING NEWS OF THE NIGHT. COLORADO SUPREME COURT OF COURSE SAYING TRUMP YOU’RE OFF THE BALLOT, AN OBSCURE LEGAL THEORY. WE HAVE JONATHAN TURLEY ON HERE.

>> IT’S AN ABOMINATION FROM A LEGAL AND MORAL POINT OF VIEW. WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE FROM COLORADO? DON’T THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO VOIT FOR THE CANDIDATE OF THEIR CHOICE? THESE THINGS ARE JUST POWER PLAYS DESIGNED TO BE ANTIDEMOCRATIC. I CAN’T STAND IT BECAUSE WHAT

ONE PARTY DOES IT, THE OTHER PARTY WILL DO IT. THEY KEEP BREAKING THE NORMS AND REPUBLICANS MATCH. BUT THE DEMOCRATS KEEP BREAKING THE NORMS FIRST. >> THAT’S RIGHT. AND IT IS QUITE A NORM TO BE BROKEN SAYING PRESIDENT TRUMP WE’RE GOING TO PUT YOU IN THE

SAME CAMP AS TWO CONFEDERATES. MARK PENN, COMING TO YOU ON THIS REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT’S AGE. I THINK IT’S HIGHLY UNUSUAL FOR THE FIRST LADY TO BE INVOLVED IN SCHEDULING. IT MAY HAVE BEEN OVER BLOWN. THE REPORT WE KNOW IS TRUE, WHEN YOU LOOK AT POLLING. APNORC.

77% OF AMERICANS SAY PRESIDENT BIDEN IS TOO OLD TO BE PRESIDENT. HOW ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO TURN THAT AROUND? >> LOOK APPLY POLLS TOO SHOW AGE IS A REAL CONCERN, BUT HEY, I AM USED TO FIRST LADIES HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THE SCHEDULE.

SO I DON’T THINK THAT’S MUCH OF A NEWS STORY. LOOK, I THOUGHT THE GOOD NEWS IN REPORT IS PRESIDENT BIDEN IS READY TO GET OUT THERE AND CAMPAIGN. THE AIDS WERE HOLDING HIM BACK. THAT’S A MUCH BETTER STORY THAN THE REVERSE. WHEN THEY WANT TO GET HIM OUT

AND HE SAYS I’M TOO TIRED I CAN’T DO IT. I’M NOT SURE THAT WASN’T PLANTED AS A STORY, HEY, HE CAN’T WAIT TO GET OUT THERE AND DEFEAT DONALD TRUMP. >> TOMMY, THAT’S A FAIR POINT. PEOPLE PLANT STORIES TO GET A NARRATIVE OUT THERE.

IT WAS BIDEN WANTS TO DO MORE THAN HIS AIDS ARE ALLOWING HIM TO DO. THE STORY IS SAYING THE AIDS ARE ROLLING THEIR EYES AND JILL BIDEN IS HAVING TO STOP HIM FROM GETTING ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT JILL BIDEN CONTROLLING HIS SCHEDULE?

>> I CERTAINLY DIDN’T VOTE FOR JOE BIDEN. I DON’T THINK ANYBODY VOTED FOR JILL BIDEN. IT’S NICE TO SEE SHE’S SHOWING CONCERN ABOUT HER HUSBAND. ANY WIFE NO MATTER WHAT SIDE OF THE POLITICAL AISLE SHOULD SHOW CONCERN FOR HER HUSBAND. IF SHE FEELS HE CANT DO THE JOB,

ASK HIM NOT TO RUN FOR REELECTION. IF SHE’S SO CONCERNED, SHE SHOULDN’T PUT HIM UP FOR THIS. AS FAR AS THIS BEING A PLANTED STORY AND AIDS ARE SAYING HE SHOULD REST. ANY WAY YOU SPIN THE STORY, IT DOESN’T LOOK GOOD. IT MEANS HIS AIDS ARE NOT

CONFIDENT IN HIS ABILITY TO SPEAK OR PERFORM. YOU SEE THEM WHITE KNUCKLING IT EVERY TIME HE’S ALLOWED TO GO OFF PROMPTER EVEN HAD HE’S USING THE PROMPTER, THEY ARE TERRIFIED WHAT HE MIGHT SAY AND WHAT HUNTER MIGHT SAY. EVERYBODY WANTS JOE TO GO BACK

TO THE BASEMENT INCLUDING JILL AND THAT DIDN’T BODE WELL FOR HIM OR HIS POLL NUMBERS. WHEN KAMALA HARRIS IS KEEPING UP ON YOU, YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A REAL PROBLEM AT HOME. >> ARI, YOU AND I BOTH WERE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARIES. YOU KNOW HOW JOURNALISM WORKS.

THERE’S ANONYMOUS SOURCES AND STORIES LEAK. THEY WERE FEW LEAKS IN THE BIDEN ERA AND SEEM TO HAVE THEIR STAFF UNDER CONTROL. LATELY, LOOK AT THESE HEADLINES. ALL THESE HEADLINE SAYS OF AIDS WHO MIGHT SEE THE BAD POLLING. RELUCTANT TO ACCEPT HIS OLD ABLING AIDS SAY.

BIDEN SAID TO BE INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED BY DISMAL POLL NUMBERS. EMOTIONS RUNNING HIGH AT THE WHITE HOUSE AS AIDS REPORT FRUSTRATION WITH ISRAEL IS GROWING. IS THERE THIS CORRELATION BETWEEN POLL NUMBERS DOWN AND AIDS LEAKING? >> THERE ALWAYS IS. PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO TAKE THE

BLAME THEMSELVES. THEY’RE GOING TO LEAK AND SAY SOMEONE ELSE DESERVES THE BLAMES. IF ONLY PEOPLE LISTENED TO ME. THE LEAK ABOUT THE STAFFERS WHO OPPOSE THE PRESIDENT’S POLICY ON ISRAEL? WHO CARES? THEY’RE STAFFERS. THEY’RE NOT THE ELECTED OFFICIAL. THEY ARE PRIVILEGED TO BE IN THE

OVAL OFFICE AND WHITE HOUSE. YOU CAN GIVE YOUR ADVICE. IF YOUR ADVICE ISN’T LISTENED TO, THAT’S THE WAY IT IS. FOR THEM TO SQUAWK ABOUT IT IS JUST ABSOLUTELY OUT OF BOUNDS. I’M KIND OF SHOCKED ANYBODY IN THE WHITE HOUSE, ANY STAFFER WOULD THINK SO MUCH OF

THEMSELVES TO DO THAT. AS FOR THE PRESIDENT’S AGE, KAYLIE, WE ALL KNOW 80-YEAR OLDS AND GOD BLESS THEM THEY THINK THEY CAN PLAY GOLF AND DO THINGS THEY USED TO DO WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER. YOU WANT THAT ATTITUDE WHEN THEY ARE 80 YEARS OLD.

NOT WHEN THEY ARE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES. WHEN YOU THINK THEY STILL HAVE THEIR SWING DOWN. PUT THE COUNTRY AT RISK AND THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS. THAT IS INCREASING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN YOU HAVE 81, 82, 84-YEAR OLD PRESIDENT IF JOE BIDEN STAYS IN THE RACE.

IF HE GETS REELECTED. >> MARK, ONE PIECE OF REPORTING I PICKED UP ON. IT WAS LAST YEAR. IT GETS TO THE INTERACTION BETWEEN BIDEN’S AGE AND CAMPAIGN STRATEGY. WE KNOW HE STAYED IN THE BASEMENT LAST CAMPAIGN. WE KNOW THERE WAS ONE TIME DURING COVID.

THAT MAYBE A STRATEGY THEY INTEND TO REPEAT. CHECK THIS OUT. THIS IS FROM ON POLITICO. THEY BELIEVE TRUMP OR ANY OTHER REPUBLICAN NOMINEE WILL BE RELUCTANT TO WORK ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES BECAUSE OF A HEAD-TO-HEAD DEBATE. IS BIDEN SCARED TO DEBATE? >> WELL, I CERTAINLY AM VERY PRO-DEBATE.

I THINK IT WOULD BE TERRIBLE FOR THE COUNTRY IF THERE WASN’T PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. IT SEEMS TO BE A PATTERN. THE LESS WE SEE OF DONALD TRUMP, THE BETTER HE DOES IN THE POLLS. THE MORE WE SEE OF PRESIDENT BIDEN, THE MORE TROUBLE HE HAS WITH HIS POLLS.

BETWEEN THESE TWO, I DON’T KNOW WHETHER THEY GET TOGETHER OR HOLD A DEBATE. IT SURE WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY IF WE HAD PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. THAT’S WHAT AMERICA REALLY NEEDS TO STAY SINCE KENNEDY AND NIXON, IT’S BEEN A TRADITION THAT HAS BEEN INVALUABLE TO VOTERS.

>> NO DOUBT, TOMMY AND LARA, DO THOSE DEBATES HIM? >> I CERTAINLY WOULD HOPE SEE. WITH TRUMP NOT SHOWING UP TO ANY DEMOCRAT DEBATES, IT’S IT’S EASY OUT. I WISH DONALD TRUMP WOULD SHOW UP AND DEBATE THE REPUBLICAN OPPONENTS. I KNOW HE’S WAY AHEAD ON THE POLLS.

THERE’S NO REASON FOR HIM NOT TO ENGAGE. WE KNOW HE LOVES TO TALK TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. HE NEEDS TO SHOW UP IF NONE OTHER REASON TO NOT GIVE JOE THE OUT. WE NEED TO SEE THEM ON THE STAGE. WE NEED TO SEE THEM DEBATING.

I CERTAINLY HOPE TO SEE IT. DON’T GIVE JOE THE OUT, DONALD TRUMP. PLEASE SHOW MENTIONED. LAST QUESTION, BIG YEAR COMING UP. DO YOU THINK JOE BIDEN IS THE NOMINEE? DO YOU THINK JOE BIDEN SHOWS UP AT THE DEBATES? >> NO WAY ON THE DEBATES.

I CANNOT IMAGINE HIS STAFF WOULD WANT HIM TO SHOW UP AND I DON’T THINK HE’S GOING TO DO IT. THAT WAS A TREND THAT STARTED IN A LOT OF GUBERNATORIAL AND SENATE RACES. IT WILL GO TO THE PRESIDENCY THIS YEAR UNFORTUNATELY. AS FAR AS MY PREDICTION, KAYLIE,

I’M WHERE I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN. I GIVE IT A ONE IN THREE SHOT JOE BIDEN IS FORCED TO DROP OUT BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATS SAY HE’S A SURE LOSER AND DON’T WANT TO GO DOWN WITH HIS SHIP. AT THE CONVENTION, THEY ARE GOING TO FIND SOMEBODY ELSE.

I GIVE THAT A ONE IN THREE SHOT. >> WOW, IT’S GOING TO BE A WILE YEAR. WE DO NO