Trumps Transition Team for most of 2016 and the author of let me finish, his memoir of his time, governorve and his time alongsie President Trump, governor christie, thank you for joining us from your own jersey shore brio. Thank you bob, happy to be with me. Youre one of the few people the president listens to on the outside on political matters and in the newark se post i saw by cindy adams you had come to jesus meeting. Th the golf club in jersey with President Trump, how did that go and did the president decide to make any changes with his campaign . Listen, as you know i boys taken a position that the consultations that i have with the president are between me and the president , i say this i think the president is really focused on thecu next 95 days, really focused on trying to make sure that he lay down his vision to the American People and what he wants an x for years to be and its always good to have some time to visit with him and discuss things as i see them and from where i sit enter try to help him articulate the issues that he wants to articulate over the course of the campaign and thats always attempting to do when we metgn last week. Was he doing right, what is he doing wrong. I think for the most part in the last weekos or two, i think his focus on the coronavirus has been good, i think his focus on encouraging American People to wear masks, letting them know were going to be in this for a while and we have to remain strong and resolute, all things are very important and i think the biggest thing that he needs to do that he has not been doing as much as id like is to articulate a vision for the next four years to contract with the Biden Campaign which is so far and for the east coast its kind of thest seinfeld campaign, a campaign about nothing. All it is is a campaign, dont reelect donald trump, but you dont hear a thing about what joe biden really wants to do with the country for the next four years in any great detail except for his 110 page manifesto bernie sanders. So i listen very carefully to the way the Biden Campaign is being received especially by progressives in the Democratic Party but i would say to one of my sunday show partners, this past sunday did not sound happy about the Biden Campaign and about what it would look like, those who think that the president has to make sure that he contrast by being very bold and direct about what hell do for the next four years to encourage people to come on bo boat. Lets pause on that, i was with the president in texas this week, he is not talking about Vice President biden for the most part, he is talking about the Racial Injustice protest, hes talking about cities like portland and representative because you cortez, why is he resisting the spotlight on biden that youre recommending . Im not recommending a spotlight, what im saying i think the way to spotlight biden is to talk about what you want to do for the next four years to contrast with the fact that hes not talking about much at all. Nobody really knows what joe biden presidency will be like because i dont even know is he going to move to the white house out of the basement in wilmington or will he stay in the basement of wilmington. I dont even think hes promised that yet. Will he actually move or easy to afraid to move. This is a campaign where the president has to layout his vision and when he does that, that will force Vice President biden to layout his, then you have a binary choice, when you have a binary choice, thats the election donald trump can win, he cannot win a referendum election, he can win a finery choice election. Why can he not win a referendum . I think its hard for any income net especially when youre going through some crazies, even the democrats would not blame President Trump for creating the coronavirus. I think they will back off from that in the economic crisis that has occurred over a result of the coronavirus, not his creation but whenn you have thoe crises and then you add on to it, the racial unrest in the country was caused by two factors, number one, the murder of george floyd and not been an indicator of Police Misconduct across the country many places and two, the coronavirus lockdown and i think all of the tension and stress and depression that thoughts caused in the country, i mean mental depression, i think those two things causing a third crisis, its very hard for incumbents to win a referendum race when there crises going on in the country, you need a situation of referendum like Ronald Reagan had in 1984 where everything was going wonderfully, the country was at peace, prosperity was outer presented in levels and then the referendum rates because they didnt even care who the opponent was, they still love the current president. Excuse me when there crises going on, thats not whats going to happen. I know you dont want to talk about the be details of that meeting but that scene with you in your christian or in your former aid the Campaign Manager sitting across from President Trump having a conversation, you have to wonder as a reporter is a candidate on the same page as his own campaign when it comes all the things youre talking about, messaging, strategy. Im not going to get into what he said, not getting into specifics, let me answer your question into reporter youre in the securities, the answer ist yes. He is on the same page with thep people who are advising him now and i think you continue to see that happen over the next 95 days. Mostse americans dont know bill, you readbi your book, you call him stuff throughout the book, hes been one year political aides, one of your aides for years and run your race, what is his plan from your view of how to jumpstart the trumpt campaign . Thats a great thing about him, i dont think hell see as his role to jumpstart the trumpo campaign. I think is because asset is his work ethic. Ive never seen anybody in politics he worked as hard as him. In one of the things i said in the aftermath of his appointment to not be a detail that will fall through the crooks with bill in charge. He will work 18 hoursrs a day, e will inspire the people around him to work almost as hard and he will make sure that every detail is attended to in one of big strings is voter identification and voter turnout and hes the field director for the Trump Campaign in 2016 and i think you saw the results in some of the keys swing states whether the turnout was much higher than any poll predicted in any pundit anticipated and i believe its because in large measure because of the work of bill, i think with the president has done has thrown himself a point in a half or two by all the key states by having him in charge in a real pro on the campaign and director will be up to the candidate as it always is, he will not win or lose this race to the president , the president will but hell give a chance to win because of his hard work, his attention to detail and the experience he has had in managing republican races in a blue state like new jersey, he knows how to go into the swing states, identify the persuadable voter and expose them to what the president s plans are for the next four years. There is a person from 2016 and bill spiffy running a campaign, Jerry Koester is there in your there is an outside advisor, any chance a president brings back steeping in . I hope not. I dont think steve would be the least bit productive, i think the role he played in 2016 for having been there the entire time was overplayed and overblown, i think the people deserve real credit for 2016 and include folks like kellyanne conway, jason weller, stephen miller, those of the people that i think are really a long would your christian or one that campaign. I think steve is taking more credit than he deserves and i think that would be a very, very bad for the Trump Campaign to have steve bannon back in any official or unofficial way. When thencandidate trump was on the road in summer 2016 and turned from bannon and conway. He is on the ropes now according to almost every poll. Do you see taking any dramatic action in the coming weeks bring on h so much life. Chris christie i think he did take dramatic action bob. Any hired another person this pretty dramatic action. First off the Campaign Manager about a hundred and 20 days out from the election campaign. I believe he still doing digital work for campaigns my t understanding. Still working on the digital aspect. H he was originally, doing Digital Advertising and such, his background and experience. Hes quite good at it. Sure he will continue to do it for the campaign. But now a different direction. I think that this economy there. Next time that the white house everyday. I can guarantee you hes providing him with great advice and providing bill when bill seeks it. Really beside jared and stephen miller, the original white house person of significance left. Other than the president and the Vice President. I think she is charter staying power and she will continue to show that both private silly and enter consultations with the campaign with the president and youll see her presence even more on the tv is a campaign gets to where the republicans really are paying attention. Bob has the president ever discussed with you in recent weeks the idea of living him off of thebl republican ticket. Chris christie no. This goes along with a campaign war. The Vice President ial candidate, is along with the broker convention. Every four years heur talks abot it. The media talks about with baited breath. It has not happened. Since 1960. And is not happening now. In terms of a broker convention. And hes not going to do that. By the way, the number two on the bob brady are talking about a guy like donald trump, the ultimate alpha, on top of the ticket. But if heg, changed it from my pants to anybody else print that would vote for him. It would have enormous influence on then . Administration. I dont think separated donald trump is in charge and Everybody Knows that. And thats why the Vice President candidate is not a place you would want to go change it for political reasons and subsequently the Vice President has done a good job. From what the president told me. Bob so theres no discussion among kushner are other top officials about the idea. Chris christie nothing i know of. Ive spoken to the present about it as late as last weekend. His perspective vice p presiden. Bob has the debate started. Chris christie no. Not formally. It is not. Well have conversations with the president about it. Its a little bit too early to start that. Bob need didnt played the role of the antagonist in 2016 but you play nuppercaseletter say, during those informal sessions. And elsewhere. Do you expect to have a similar rule this time around. Chris christie if the president asked me to do that, ill be happy to help them in any way i can to gette ready for the deba. If without will up to the president. I continued to be someone who offers my advice to my counsel for head into the president. So im certainly ready to r be there inin whatever role he may want me to play. It. Bob in your book cover, he talked about the most effective in 16, you and ryan were the only two talking in the room to the president. Rather than a whole room of advisors. As a still your advice to him this time. Chris christie absolutely. It is tough enough for a candidate to get ready for. Residual debate. Its even harder for a president to get ready. Hes also running the federal government. You go all the way back to 1976. The modern era of president ial debate from 2020. Whenever the incumbent president has been involved is never won the first debate. Not once. And so part of that is because of how difficult it is to prep a president for debate. And he his mind off of his governing and politics. Get a president who wasnt present. So those are all challenges that donald trump willl face. Because barack obama pasted and lost. Net mitt, romney and lost to jn kerry. In the firstylan debate. You go back as far as jimmy carter with Ronald Reagan. And gerald ford of the jimmy carter. So intent is been a pattern. The pattern dimension president hopes is going to be able to break on september 29th. Bob power the negotiations going on the president ial debate. Is the president committed at this point to showing up to all three debates. Chris christie i think motivates. If they could work out the timing. These are member something. A lot of people are going to start voting before september 29th. And they may not see one president ial debate by then to me seems ridiculous predict i think we should move the date up or add additional debates prayed between the president and the Vice President. The phenomenon of early voting. I think youll absolutely see him on stage for all three of those debates pretty quite rightly, he wouldve have more. Bob is that in discussion right now. Is actually a chance of that happening. Pretty firmlly the with his plan of three president ial and one Vice President ial. Chris christie backup to the bill in the campaign to the negotiations. Im a bystander in that regard in terms of the negotiations. Thus my views given what i know about the president. I think he would want to have more debates. Sooner rather than later. Because of the early voting phenomenon. I think no one should be able to cast a vote in the country before hearing the president ial debate. If youre going to have them. Bob the pandemic hovers over this entire campaign. Everybody knows that. Would you advise the president to do more particulate with the defense production act at this point. Chris christie will had advised that all ofdv the way back in te beginning of march to invoke the production act earlier. And he on ventilators of ppe. And also on reagents protect tents. I dont know whether we need it right now. The only areaa i think we might need right now. And whether or not there is enough time to invoke that to make it meaningful. If thats an open question ill leave that for the present to decide. I advised the president at the time. I think its one of the things that the public about the handling of the pandemic. It was very aggressive in terms of banning travel from china, banning tribal from europe. So in certain aspects he was very aggressive. And i wish he wouldve been more aggressive. We are where we are now. Went to continue noo i think the key to make sure the people understand the risk t that are involved. Make sure the ring smart. You need to close the whole country down again. It would be a gross overreaction. We need to get the economy going and get people back to work. You saw new jersey in the last two months. Opioid debts one of 20 percent last year. Using Domestic Violence numbers go up. You seen suicides go up. Those are all connected to this shut down. And that shut down being so complete that its ruined peoples lives. In their ability to support their families and pay the bills. So dont think we need to go back to Something Like that. We need to reopen, wear masks, the smart greeted washing their hands created the need to be taking the proper precautions and to be able to keep themselves safe and most importantly, we need to shelter the populations. So if you have a comorbidity, if you are elderly, the new company much more careful. Then a safe somebody the mid 20s. Bob should the president be wearing a Face Covering more frequently and should he mandate masks nationwide. Chris christie the president has decided not to give national mandates until of the governors to their own choices. That is a philosophical judgment that been made. In her now that everybody should be wearing a mask. A larger weight during the campaign. I think you will see the president wearing mask much more frequently than youve seen him hard in the past. I think you need to be right in the white house. Bob ho we didnt see that in tes on this trip. I was there pretty. Chris christie i said more frequently not every time. And the fact not going to the whiteno house which would be a little bit ridiculous. Tested very frequently as i understand it. But in the end, setting a good example by wearing ao mask, wil be the right thing to do. And i think the president will do that. A. Bob thereve been cases inside of the white house. Chris christie he has been tested himself. However, mask is to protect others, not to protect yourself. The mask is not the type of mask that will bar anything from coming and that is out there. So what youre talking about is the president , these being tested, frequently, numerous times. [inaudible]. Then rather than him having it bob, is highly unlikely. So mask remember, is to protect others like yourself is almost at a party to investigate, then the president wearing it inside of the white house, would be more for show than anything else. But outside he should be wearing it. Let me be clear. I absolutely believe the great example to set to be wearing a mask. And so you can debate the evidence under certain circumstances but which candidate is the a fact that the example for the emergent people. Speech of youve had your ups and downs over the years. What is your assessment of his handling of the administrations testing strategy. Chris christie is that though the jarrett is the person in charge of that. I dont know. Im not there everyday and i cant make thatha evaluation. I can say that he works very hard. And out of all of the things he is doing for the president every day. Im not there. Im not the in the position to judge bob. Speech of youve often said the president not being well served by his staff. You send over the years from time to time. What is your great infarct menace, new chief of staff so far. Chris christie incomplete so far. Hes really only been there, a couple months now. Bob. And i think he is still getting used to everything in working with us president. And being one of his supporters, i am sure he is learning that now predict so think how is he going to handle the gives difficult andd guidance and during the president ial campaign