coast. we obviously had a big show today in that. israeli prime minister visited us after that interview between the saudi crowned prince and the israeli prime minister. reacting to that and the current situation with the war. thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. that's it for this "special report," fair, balanced and still unafraid. "the ingraham angle" is now. ♪ ♪ >> laura: good evening, everyone. i'm laura ingraham and welcome to the ingraham angle from washington tonight. all right. although republicans lost some races on tuesday night, they picked up a senate seat when joe manchin announced he would not seek re-election in west virginia. manchin saw the writing on the wall he was going to lose next november and lose big. >> i've made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that i will not be rubbing for re-election to the united states senate. but what i will be doing is traveling the country and see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring americans together. >> laura: the truth is, over time, the voters saw through manchin's mask. he couldn't play the roll of the good old boy from west virginia and go buddy up with chuck schumer in d.c. his constituents didn't trust him. and the democrats had grown tired of him. >> he has not been a reliable ally to this white house. he has not been a reliable ally to democrats. i don't know if the long term if maybe this means that they shift strategy to invest in other states where, you know, real democrats can play. >> it is -- he has been more reliable than a republican would be though. >> that is true. that is true. that's the argument that has long been made. it's better to have a moderate in that seat than to not have the seat at all. but progressives i speak to have long said well, that's money that can go elsewhere. >> laura: well, but the fact is manchin's exit is a huge problem for democrats who only hold the senate, remember, by a hair 51-49. to keep their majority, democrats have to defend seats in two red states, montana, plus ohio. plus arizona, wisconsin, michigan, pennsylvania. plus they need to keep the white house because, remember, kamala is th tie bake breaker in a 50/0 senate. if democrats falter they must replace one by g.o.p. held seat which ones are those rick scott in florida? ted cruz in texas? good luck with that. but think about the emotion of the past five days. democrats went from feeling dread about biden's horrid poll numbers to jubilation about winning races in virginia and kentucky. and now, with the manchin development, they are back to dread again. >> this cannot be overstated. what a dramatic blow to democratic chances of hanging onto the senate. if jon tester is mentioned in montana or sherrod brown in ohio were to lose, that's the ballgame. never mind battleground states like michigan or nevada or other tough states for democrats. this is a huge blow to chuck schumer's math in keeping the majority. >> as for manchin's political viability on the national stage, well, think of republican's thorn liz cheney after she got trounced in wyoming. she also refused to rule out a white house run but now where is she? >> i'm going to spend the next year between now and the election certainly helping to elect serious people, helping to elect sane people. we could well find ourselves. a situation, given what we know the trump folks are doing in terms of attempting to question the results of the election, we don't want a situation where the election is house of representatives and donald trump has any possibility at all of prevailing under those circumstances. >> laura: blah blah blah, republicans are dangerous, blah blah blah blah, they are anti-democracy. well, the anti-trump establishment is smart enough, i think to oknow that splitting their vote between biden and manchin would be a sure fire way to hand the presidency to a republican. they will never do it. no labels, no win. and now onto the g.o.p.'s 2024 prospects. the media's favorite republican, that's the focus of tonight's angle. >> don't want to move away from israel a year from now. america can never be so arrogant to think we don't need friends. after 9/11, we needed a lot of friends. now is the time to get partnerships. >> i stood on the simon boulevard bridge and watched thousands of venezuelans cross for hours in the hot sun holding their babies. they were fleeing socialism and begging for freedom. >> laura: now, after last night's debate, one conclusion is undeniable, the media wants nikki haley as the g.o.p. nominee. look at these headlines from politico. most of their reporters agreed nikki haley had the best night. and in a tweet, nikki haley's ascension in the 2024 primary was hard to ignore. and high praise over at the "new york times," too. they are saying haley won all three debates. and let's not forget msnbc. they are in as about as much love as they can be with a republican whose last name isn't bush, cheney, kinzinger or romney. >> nikki haley who i do like as a candidate because she has got some spark. >> nikki haley who, you know, having a pretty good night. she has had a couple good debates in a row. >> she showed the kind of determination and steely, i think, strength that needs to go up against foreign adversaries like putin. >> laura: it's nice to get good press. do i get that but politically, this is suicide for nikki haley. there is no future in the republican party for someone who has been endorsed by politico and the "new york times." nikki haley can be a media hero or she can be a leader in the g.o.p. but she cannot be both. so if nikki haley wants to win g.o.p. support, she has to explain how she is just not the second coming of the bushes and liz cheney. right now it appears from listening to her last night, at least, that she is. otherwise, the media wouldn't be rallying to her. but the fact is she is relentlessly pro-war, which in a matchup with biden, would allow him to peace lane. that's great for biden. could she win over the trump voters i guess for her to travel. fight over a cause that actually makes the media mad. how about that? it's my view after last night, as it has been in every debate, that ron desantis emerges strongest. this is because he has the most experience as a successful chief executive along with a clear populist message that voters are aligned with. >> i'm going to stop the invasion cold. i am going to deport people who came illegally. it's a full spectrum approach to be able to fend china off. yes, military deterrence. yes, economic decoupling, but, also their role in our culture. if we don't -- if we ignore that, we're not going to be able to win the fight. >> laura: he is the only one you can actually sees a presidential material, someone you know would make good decisions if trump somehow stumbles no sign of that happening. that's the angle. joining us now mollie hemingway editor and chief of the federalist and kayla mcgee white washington examiner. mollie, who was the biggest winner last night. >> probably the same as it has been for every debate which is trump who succeeds by not showing up at these debates and that is a significant issue. i agree with you that ron desantis had the best answers. he understands the policy the best. it's not surprising that they would -- that you would have so many people in the media claiming that it was nikki haley. >> laura: what do you think? >> i think desantis did a great job at making sure that he stays in second place and nikki haley third place. mollie was right the runner-up and who is going to be in second and third place. what's the point of continuing the charade. trump is 50 points bo every single person on that stage except for desantis. no one comes close to him. he is what the primary voters want. >> also true that vivek ramaswamy had a very good night. >> laura: going to get to him. he is coming on the show in a moment. can you give us your take. >> willing to say things that are truth of that nobody else is willing to say. he doesn't have a political background. the previous successful nominee also was an outsider you saw how fresh and exciting it was. >> also the only one aligned with g.o.p. primary voters when it documents foreign policy. 52% of republican voters do not want to continue sending billions of dollars of foreign aid to ukraine. every other single person on that stage with the exception perhaps of ron desantis supports the blank check. ramaswamy was the only one who firmly said no, no more. >> laura: three populists are trump, ramaswamy and desantis. when you add up all their support last time i checked it was about 84%. when you add up all of them. they are the fringe. they're the fringe. >> not really a debate in the republican party about where they want to be going. the debate' among media people they wish the republican party could be returned back to the pre2015 area where they were easily controlled. where they had the burden of pushing their wars, which were very politically toxic and unpopular. they liked when the republican party had that -- was carrying that. they don't like that the republican party has thrown that off and that it s. embracing more of a populist message. >> laura: nikki haley, "the washington post," the "new york times," msnbc, i think, i mean, i don't think one major media outlet who didn't say that she absolutely won that debate last night. you know, she had some very -- there were emotional exchanges. i'm going to ask vivek about those later. they are emphatic. don't you think that they see if haley is the nominee, if they can run the same campaign, you know, they ran against mccain and against romney successfully. >> it's not just that i think this tells us that they ultimately see her as a person that they control. if she were to beat biden. if she is in the white house, she is establishment through and through. and we got to talk about the weird tweet and the comment that she made to ramaswamy about how her heels are ammunition. i'm still trying to figure out what that means. is she going it send it to zelenskyy to help the ukrainians. it was cringe to use gen z slang. >> laura: i missed that. msnbc is pushing the idea that the no labels party will actually stop trump real question is to no labels. you have two people on that stage right now who could challenge donald trump with all your dollars behind them. what exactly are you doing? >> mollie, there is no labels group drafting romney and manchin together. that, to me -- it's one of the funniest things i have heard next to the stilettos comment. >> clearly a lot of investment in having the winner of the next election not be president trump and because he is polling so well in the primary and polling well in the match against biden, willing to do all sorts of things. i don't know what th logic ther. not people hungry for manchin, even fewer people hungry for romney. >> do they remember what they said about romney in 2012. thursday stolen howell iii. mean to his dog. they just savaged romney and they did mccain. oh we love john mccain and ronald reagan. what did they do to those candidates. >> the media love republicans no threat to them or the establishment. >> democratic amnesia they apparently love the republicans they used to hate. i think the claims that no labels is somehow going to help biden instead of hurting him is the same claim that people are making about r.f.k. jr. how they think that he is going to hurt trump more than biden. it's just not true. trump has been shoring up his support among the g.o.p. primary base for months now at the same time biden cannot even hold on to california voters. he is losing support among his own base. a third party bid is only going to hurt biden. >> laura: i think it's the most ridiculous idea ever. do you think it's actually going to happen? do you think manchin will actually throw his hat in? >> he clearly indicated that he wanted to do that today. there is a lot 6 money invested in third party run. it's going to hurt biden. >> laura: love him or hate him, there was one candidate who created the most news, mollie indicated at last night's debate. in moments, vivek ramaswamy is here with his thoughts and, yes, that includes his now infamous dust up with nikki haley. stay with us. ♪ with fastsigns, create custom graphics that get tails and tongues wagging. ♪ fastsigns. make your statement. we're travelling all across america, talking to people about their hearts. how's the heart? i feel like it's good. how do you know? let me show you something. it looks like a credit card, but it is the kardiamobile card. with kardiamobile card, you can take a medical-grade ekg in just 30 seconds, from anywhere. kardiamobile card is proven to detect atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of stroke. get a jump on the holidays. kardiamobile card is now just $89. buy it for yourself or a loved one at kardia.com or amazon. (tony hawk) skating for over 45 years has taken a toll on my body. i take qunol turmeric because it helps with healthy joints and inflammation support. why qunol? it has superior absorption compared to regular turmeric. qunol. the brand i trust. >> do you think the democrats would actually hire greg gut fold host the democratic debate? they wouldn't do it. and so the fact of the matter, it's actually about you and the media and the corrupt media establishment asking the trump russian collusion pushed on this network for years. was that real or was that hillary clinton made up disinformation answer the question. go. >> several people on that stage are just auditions for the next tv contracts and vivek someone of those. >> vivek ramaswamy is symptom of something else. the weakness of the rest of them in old times he would be gone because he was a clown. >> the problem is he is so annoying. >> laura: think the media is starting to warm up to him. joining us now the aforementioned vivek ramaswamy, oh vivek, they are after you, vivek, for people who missed it, this was the moment that really sent everyone into the stratosphere. >> she made fun of me for actually joining tiktok while her own daughter was using the app. for a long time you might want to take care of your family first before preaching -- >> leave my daughter out of your voice. >> laura: couldn't have you made that point without invoking her daughter? >> well, look, i think actually the point is not a criticism of her daughter, laura. it was a criticism of nikki haley. because i am also on tiktok. the point i have made is that we as a republican primary voters and republican leaders need to reach the next generation. so the fact of the matter is nikki haley offensive often tat new generation of leadership. the problem is she is on the wrong side generational divide with an astounding lack of self-awareness, criticizing other people for not looking after their kids or families for using social media or tiktok when in fact that is a gapping hole that does deserve and bear mention. i don't want to hear someone like nikki haley use high horse. poll test with tropic hunter biden all the time. if you can't handle the heat stay out of the kitchen. called me four letters words in the last of the two debates. i can handle it. if you can dish it, you better be willing to take it. that's what i say this is a presidential context test. if you want to sit across the table from xi jinping you better have a spine and get ready to roll. >> laura: she called you scum. i'm not sure anyone would get away. maybe trump would. it was uncomfortable for people to watch. i get your point, but then, new national poll "the washington post" ipsos came out of likely voters, vivek, who watched the debate, they found that you came off more negatively than most. your reaction to that. >> i was criticizing everybody 360 degrees on the stage. i want accountability for the chair of the rnc. i was the only one who on that stage called for i think we require. new leadership at the rnc. ronna mcdaniel took over in 2017. 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 lost it or losing our expectations. is that a positive fact? no, it's not, laura. the underlying reality is not positive. >> laura: she responded to you today. >> something that requires accountability. >> laura: msnbc news other candidates on that stage. so when we require making an actual observation, the underlying truth negative, i'm not going to sugar coat it. >> laura: ronna mcdaniel responded to your comments today, watch. >> he needs headline, i am going to say what i have been saying to republicans all along. our headline should be about joe biden. i also will stand by my record as rnc chair. now the rnc doesn't do state races where federal committee. we weren't involved in those races on tuesday. i know vivek is kind of newer to the party. he voted for obama, so he may not know that i have elected four times unlike somebody else who came after me last night. >> laura: she has been elected four times, vivek, what's your response to that. >> first of all, i find that outright lying ridiculous. i never voted for obama in my life. for the chair of the rnc to be saying that on national television is malpractice, as it was also malpractice for her. reported last night. supposedly cheering and booing against me in the middle of a debate. think about that. as the chair of the rnc and saying that they won't be giving me another penny of their money. she almost proves my point about the corruption. it's not her money. and that's the way the people in this party have thought about this for a long time. they think it belongs to them. it doesn't. it belongs to the voters, the actual base that that we are supposed to serve. when you have a managerial class of,a swamp within the republican party, that has lost its way so badly, longing to go back to an older era of establishment quasi corruption, yes, we require new leaders who will lead this party forward. that requires people coming from the outside and from the next generation, that's why i'm in this, laura, i think that's what is going to be required to revive the republican party revive this country. if you look at the debate stage last night a good example of moderator selection to the comments she made afterward that proved my point. >> laura: "the national review" editorial board, establishment outfit. but they accused you of pandering to the isolationist inclined populist of your party. and claims that all you want is a future media gig. do you want a future media gig, vivek? >> i don't. i think what i want is to revive this country. and, fact of the matter is, that's a long-winded way a national national reviewesque way of saying that i'm giving the g.o.p. primary voters and the penapeople of this country y want and rather than dick cheney 2.0 crawling over that debate stage last night. the reality is we are fighting foreign wars in places like ukraine that have not advanced the american interest. i don't want to see iraq 2.0 or afghanistan 2.0 with 7 trillion added to our national debt and thousands of people my age sent to die. america's son and daughters in wars that didn't advance the american interest. >> why do you think you are higher in the polls? if your view is so popular. only trump is the big dog in the pen, why are you not doing better in the polls? i think there are two solid america first candidates in this race. donald trump and myself. voters face a choice. in donald trump's case they get somebody who was tried and true. good president. that's why he is doing so well in the polls. i have something he doesn't. i have fresh legs, i'm young. my belief is it will take somebody from the next generation to reach the next generation and revive national pride and i'm new. i think, laura, we're going to be very successful heading to the iowa caucus and otherwise. i'm going to keep speaking the truth. the unvarnished an