Sunday Political Talk Show interviews during 2020-2024: on Principles & Values

Ted Cruz: One-time critic of Trump ready to argue case on his behalf

Elizabeth Warren: Supreme Court has lost legitimacy; we need more justices

WARREN: This court has lost legitimacy. They have burned whatever legitimacy they may still have had after their gun decision, after their voting decision, after their union decision. They just took the last of it and set a torch to it with the Roe v. Wade opinion. I believe we need to get some confidence back in our court, and that means we need more justices on the United States Supreme Court.

Vivek Ramaswamy: We should embrace our national identity and be proud of it

Vivek Ramaswamy: Judeo-Christian values cornerstone of American identity

Vivek Ramaswamy: Defining political debate is pro-American vs. anti-American

Cornel West: Everybody could gain by having a relationship with Jesus

Cornel West: America is one of the most anti-intellectual cultures

Tim Scott: Chair of segregationist Strom Thurmond's Senate campaign

Chris Christie: We can't dismiss the question of character anymore

"But beware of the leader who won't admit any of those shortcomings, because you know what the problem is with a leader like that? A leader like that thinks America's greatness resides in the mirror he's looking at," Christie said. "We can't dismiss the question of character anymore. If we do, we get what we deserve."

Chris Christie: A self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog is not a leader

Larry Elder: The Bible is the foundation of who and what I am

Tim Scott: America not in decline; America is the city on the hill

"America is the city on the hill," Scott said in closing, walking off the stage to join standing supporters, as he tends to do on the stump. "I'm living proof that God and a good family and the United States of America can do all things if we believe. Will you believe it with me?"

Donald Trump: FactCheck: No advice-of-counsel defense on election denial

TRUMP: You know who I listen to? Myself. I saw what happened. I watched that election, and I thought the election was over at 10 o'clock in the evening.

Q: Were you calling the shots, though, Mr. President, ultimately?

TRUMP: As to whether or not I believed it was rigged? Oh, sure. It was my decision.

Fact-Check by ABA Journal (August 3, 2023):John Lauro, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump, is pointing to an advice-of-counsel defense in the case accusing Trump of trying to subvert the 2020 election results. Trump thought that he could ask then-Vice President Mike Pence to halt the count of presidential electors based on a "very detailed memorandum from a constitutional expert," Lauro told Fox News. Trump "got advice from counsel--very, very wise and learned counsel--on a variety of constitutional and legal issues," Lauro told NPR. "So it's a very straightforward defense." 

Donald Trump: Questions why Kamala's birth certificate lists "Caucasian"

Mr. Trump also amplified posts from Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist, who had posted copies of Ms. Harris's birth certificate and had spread false accusations that Ms. Harris has lied about her race. [Laura Loomer responded to Trump's NABJ interview by posting Harris's birth certificate, which lists her mother's ethnicity as "Caucasian.] 

Ms. Harris, whose father is from Jamaica, and whose mother was Indian American, has long identified with both her Black and South Asian heritage.

Donald Trump: Questions whether Kamala Harris is Black or Indian

It took Trump all of 10 days running in a head-to-head against the first woman and first incumbent of Black and Indian-American heritage to openly question her background: "I don't know. Is she Indian or is she Black?" Trump said, raising questions that echoed the ex-President's persistent & discredited questions about former President Barack Obama's place of birth. "I respect either one, but she obviously doesn't because she was Indian all the way and then all of the sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person."

Harris has always identified as a product of a multicultural family, being born of Jamaican and Indian immigrants.

Donald Trump: Christians do not vote in large numbers; but vote for me

Some Democrats have suggested the former president was saying there would be no more elections if he won. Instead, Trump repeatedly argued his comments were because Christians do not vote in large numbers.

"That statement is very simple. I said, 'Vote for me; you're not going to have to do it ever again.' It's true, because we have to get the vote out. Christians are not known as a big voting group," Trump said. "This time, vote. I'll straighten out the country, you won't have to vote anymore. I won't need your vote. You can go back to not voting," he added.

"You meant you won't have to vote for you because you have four years in office. Is that what you meant?" Ingraham asked. Trump repeated his argument that Christians tend not to vote in large numbers.

Josh Shapiro: Served as State Rep; practiced corporate law

Shapiro served in the state house from 2005-2012 representing the 153rd District. Now the state's next top prosecutor, Shapiro has never been a prosecutor himself. He has a law degree from Georgetown and practiced corporate law with Philadelphia law firm Stradley, Ronon, Stevens, and Young.

Shapiro's win gave Democrats a sweep of the state row offices on the ballot, with Eugene DePasquale being re-elected auditor general and Joe Torsella winning the state treasurer's office.

Tim Walz: Started "weird" meme to describe Trump/Vance

That changed with Walz's first appearance two weeks ago on Morning Joe, the MSNBC proving grounds for the would-be running mates to perform their routines.

"What I know is, people like J.D. Vance know nothing about small-town America," Walz said. He described a state of divisiveness in the country where "we can't even go to Thanksgiving dinner with our uncle because you end up in some weird fight that is unnecessary." After that got a chuckle, he added, "Well, it's true--these guys are just weird. They're running for 'He-Man Women-Haters Club' or something."

"Weird" took off, earning a battlefield promotion to the top of Democratic talking points against Donald Trump and Vance--both of whom offered plenty of material afterward to earn the descriptor.

Tim Walz: Minnesota Lutheran, a Midwestern cultural subtype

He does not often discuss his faith publicly but has posted about attending worship during Christmas and other services at various Lutheran churches. Walz refers to Pilgrim Lutheran Church in St. Paul--a congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a mainline denomination--as "my parish."

Walz sometimes describes himself as a "Minnesota Lutheran," an identity he frames as a sort of Midwestern cultural subtype. "Because we're good Minnesota Lutherans, we have a rule: If you do something good and talk about it, it no longer counts," Walz said in April. "So what you have to do is to get someone else to talk about you."

The only previous vice president connected to the tradition was another Minnesotan, Hubert Humphrey, who was raised Lutheran but ended up attending a Methodist church.

Nikki Haley: When government stops listening, states' rights matter

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Endorses Trump, to form a "unity government"

KENNEDY: It became clear to me that I did not have a path to victory. President Trump had been reaching out to me and the broad issues that were most important to me--ending the Ukraine war, ending the censorship, and protecting children's health--those are all things that President Trump also wanted to work on, and he invited me to form a unity government. We agreed that we'd be able to continue to criticize each other on issues on which we don't agree. But these issues are so important and their way of unifying our country. We need in this country to reach a point where we love our children more than we hate each other.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Driven out of race by network censorship

KENNEDY: It became clear to me that I did not have a path to victory. Sixteen months of censorship, of not being able to get on any network really except for FOX. When Ross Perot ran, in the 10 months that he ran, he had 34 appearances on the networks. I had two appearances in months. I was blocked out the networks. I was blocked out from the debate. I had no path to victory. President Trump had been reaching out to me and I talked to him a few hours after the assassination attempt and we had a long conversation by phone.

Kamala Harris: This election is about strength versus weakness

KAMALA HARRIS: I literally lose sleep and have been over what is at stake in this election. Ultimately I do believe that this is an election that is about strength versus weakness, and weakness as projected by someone who puts himself in front of the American people and does not have the strength to stand in defense of their needs, their dreams, their desires, the work that must happen to make sure that we are a secure nation. That we are nurturing and protecting our alliances around the world, that we are supporting America's military, that we are fighting to bring the cost of living down for working families, that we are building businesses, building growth.

Kamala Harris: Part of American spirit is the expansion of rights

Kamala Harris: Your choice: a country rooted in freedom? or ruled by chaos?

Our democracy, it doesn't require us to agree on everything. In fact, we like good arguments from time to time. Just think of your own family, right? It's not the American way to not have disagreements. We don't shy away from robust debate. We like a good debate, don't we? And the fact that someone disagrees with us does not make them the enemy within. They are family, neighbors, classmates, co-workers. They are fellow Americans. And as Americans, we rise and fall together.

Kamala Harris: Trump has an enemies list; I'll have a to-do list

These United States of America, we are not a vessel for the schemes of wannabe dictators. The United States of America is the greatest idea humanity ever devised. A nation big enough to encompass all our dreams, strong enough to withstand any fracture or fissure between us and fearless enough to imagine a future of possibilities. So America, let us reach for that future. Let us fight for this beautiful country we love.

Donald Trump: Cut GOP platform by 3/4, & pushed his version at Convention

"Within minutes of their arrival, their cellphones were confiscated and placed in magnetically sealed pouches. There would be no leaks of information. It was only then that the delegates received a copy of the platform language the Trump team had meticulously prepared, which slashed the platform size by nearly three-quarters."

Said Trump on a phone call to delegates: "This is something that ultimately you'll pass. You'll pass it quickly."

Politico: Trump doesn't want to talk about abortion. Most GOP delegates are fine with that.

Jill Stein: European Green Parties ask Jill Stein to endorse Kamala

Stein is on the ballot in almost every critical U.S. state and polls between 1.1% and 1.4%, meaning her candidacy could cost Harris critical votes in the tight race for the White House.

"Right now, the race for the White House is too close for comfort," the statement said. "We call on Jill Stein to withdraw from the race, and endorse Kamala Harris for the presidency of the United States."

Kamala Harris: Endorsed by 100+ Republican lawmakers & officials

"Donald Trump's susceptibility to flattery and manipulation by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, unusual affinity for other authoritarian leaders, contempt for the norms of decent, ethical and lawful behavior, and chaotic national security decision-making are dangerous qualities," the letter states. "He is unfit to serve again as President, or indeed in any office of public trust."

Kamala Harris: Endorsed by group of 25 Muslim imams

The 25 Islamic religious leaders who signed the letter, which comes a year after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack that sparked the war, argue that Muslim voters have a duty to think logically about their voting decisions and that backing Harris "far outweighs the harms of the other options."

"She is a committed ceasefire candidate too and is the best option for ending the bloodshed in Gaza and now Lebanon," they wrote.

The imams argued that former President Trump is a threat to their community. "Given [Trump's] well-documented history of harming our communities and country," the letter argues that the leaders have "a responsibility, an Amana, not to place our community in harm's way."

Kamala Harris: Endorsed by 400+ economists and policymakers

"The choice in this election is clear: between failed trickle-down economic policies that benefit the few and economic policies that provide opportunity for all," the endorsement document reads. "It is a choice between inequity, economic injustice, and uncertainty with Donald Trump or prosperity, opportunity, and stability with Kamala Harris, a choice between the past and the future. Nonpartisan researchers have predicted that if Donald Trump successfully enacts his agenda, it will lower GDP growth and increase the unemployment rate."

Kamala Harris: Endorsed by 700 national security officials

The letter criticizes Trump for praising "adversarial dictators" including China's Xi Jinping, North Korea's Kim Jung-un, and Russia's Vladimir Putin, "as well as the terrorist leaders of Hezbollah," while denigrating the U.S.

"The contrast with Mr. Trump is clear: where Vice President Harris is prepared and strategic, he is impulsive and ill-informed. We do not agree on everything, but we all adhere to two fundamental principles," the letter said. "First, we believe America's national security requires a serious and capable Commander-in-Chief. Second, we believe American democracy is invaluable."

"Our endorsement of Harris is an endorsement of freedom and an act of patriotism. It is an endorsement of democratic ideals and of relentless optimism in America's future."

Kamala Harris: FactCheck: Yes, has always claimed Black identity

Harris has always identified as a product of a multicultural family, being born of Jamaican and Indian immigrants. Her single mother, a Hindu adherent, embraced Black culture. Harris went on to study at Howard University, a historically Black university, where she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc., one of the nation's preeminent historically Black Greek-letter organizations.

"Today's tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump's MAGA rallies this entire campaign," a Harris Campaign spokesman said. The White House press secretary [reacted], "What you just read out to me is repulsive. It's insulting. No one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify," she said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Suspends campaign and endorses Donald Trump

Kennedy cited free speech, the war in Ukraine and "a war on our children" as among the reasons he would try to remove his name from the ballot in battleground states.

"These are the principal causes that persuaded me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, and now to throw my support to President Trump," Kennedy said. Kennedy said his actions followed conversations with Trump over the past few weeks. He cast their alliance as "a unity party," an arrangement that would "allow us to disagree publicly and privately and seriously." Kennedy suggested Trump offered him a job if he returns to the White House, but neither he nor Trump offered details.