enough cash on hand to load through -- but my last survey in south carolina she was behind by 38 points. i don't see how she makes it up. once super tuesday comes, it's the end of the game no matter what, she cannot -- she's out of money, out of ideas, out of time. -- they fallen in love with, they needed someone who could beat trump and make a case against him. and she didn't start making a case against him until three days ago. >> with that, we'll have to leave it there. rick wilson, thank you very much for this hour. -- i'll be back with you and our my regular time slot for the sunday show, six pm eastern, when our coverage continues with the reverend al sharpton and politicsnation right now. d al sharpto and politicsnation right now good evening, welcome to politicsnation. we start with the breaking news out of new hampshire tonight. or florida governor ron

desantis has dropped his bid for the gop presidential nomination. desantis made the announcement on social media, the social media platform, ex, hours ago, he since endorsed donald trump for the nomination over nikki haley, who says this is now, quote, a two-person race. we're going to dive deep tonight into what this departure really means for the race. the cultural wars gripping our country right now that desantis was a major figure in, standing by tonight we will talk with to florida former congressman, congresspeople, one democrat and one republican. and we'll hear from up bishop of one of the major churches in florida, who's been on the frontlines fighting

desantis on the so-called war on woke, and what desantis coming home will mean to blacks in that state and the ramifications nationwide. we have a lot for you right on the ground to dig into what this means. but first, from manchester, new hampshire, is msnbc shaquille brewster, shaq, can you recap what happened to desantis's campaign two days before the primary? >> rabbits, important for us to go back to earlier this morning. you look at meet the press, other sunday shows what we expect to see ron desantis appearing in his campaign last night announced he wasn't going to appear on those shows. we know the past couple of days, instead of being in new hampshire, he was campaigning in south carolina seemingly looking to turn a page on the contest here in new hampshire. over the course of the day, over the course of the morning and afternoon, because of his lack of appearance on the sunday shows, it led to

questions, we knew he was struggling here in new hampshire, it didn't appear he was doing much better than any other state. then we learned later this hour, he was indeed suspending his campaign. he posted as you mentioned on to twitter, the platform acts, he posted an extensive video where he touted his accomplishments in florida, talked about his records, repeated the campaign lies and themes that we become familiar from hearing. but then he said, he did not see a viable path forward, he couldn't have his volunteers come out, he couldn't have his supporters donate money when he didn't see a path to the nomination. he ended up endorsing former president donald trump, saying, he still had the support of the majority of republicans. ron desantis never making it back to the campaign trail. there was supposed to be an event this evening we were gonna see him --

he never ended up flying pakhtun hampshire, instead staying in florida. we got a response from the trump campaign, a look down and read from that, he says it's now time for all republicans to rally behind president trump to defeat crooked joe biden and his disastrous presidency, one message you heard from former president trump, and from ron desantis in that video which he suspended his campaign. they don't believe that nikki haley is the best option. meanwhile, nikki haley as she campaigns, she said this is now a two-person race that she's been looking for, that she's been framing this election since the iowa caucuses. she sat in her words, may the best woman when. she's going, on moving forward with the campaign, she has more support here in new hampshire, and more polling -- it's down to two candidates, donald trump and nikki haley. now that it's down to two

candidates, we'll be talking to people who know the situation well and the ramifications of this they're even more difficult for her to even to get any rationale on why she's in the race, when it clearly looks as though ron desantis and the republicans want trump. whether we go through the motions or not, does this not look like this is trump biden rematch? i don't see, one of the voters reactions so far? >> that question you have there, that's the sentiment that nikki haley is working up against, you look at the national polls, it looks like we are headed in for a donald trump, joe biden rematch. the argument that nikki haley is using, you've seen it on the campaign trail. she's trying to link former

president trump to joe biden and say, now is the time to turn the page. you imagine this is a statement where nikki haley has been investing have been -- spending a lot of money. she visited -- at this point, it's now former president donald trump. this is the electorate she's dealing with, it's less conservative, less evangelical, nor moderate. she's on affiliated and dependent voters can come in and chose to pick up that republican palette. this is an environment in which she should be able to do well, if anyone could beat donald trump at any state, there should be a state where you have that happen. those questions you have there, if she's not successful, if she's not able to overcome what polling suggests could happen on tuesday. then they'll be very real questions for her candidacy if she can't win here in new hampshire with all of those -- with the investment she was

able to make. will she be able to win in a vera, is she not able and south carolina, where you look at polling and it doesn't look to be much better, any brighter prospects for her and her candidacy. >> it will be very humiliating for her to miss that one and be defeated in south carolina. but i think lindsey graham, both senators there, have already endorsed trump, it doesn't look like a lot of south carolina leadership from the party is gonna help or try and turn it around. thank you, shaquille brewster, thank you as always. thank you for your excellent reporting. let me bring in my political panel, to former congress members from florida. and i couldn't have a better night to have both of them. carla's carmelo, republican, and val demings, a democrat. val, you know i want to know what you need to say. ron desantis, you know him all

too well, first of all, let's go to him, he's dropping out of the presidential right race, let's listen to what he said. >> graham today, suspending my campaign, trump is superior to the current -- joe biden, that's clear. i signed a pledge to support the republican nominee, i will honor that pledge. it's my endorsement because we can't go back to the old republican guard of yesteryear, re-package form of corporatist on that nikki haley represents. >> what are your thoughts on why desantis didn't seem to connect with republican voters? >> reverend sharpton, good to be with you, look, my response to ron desantis dropping out is, good riddance. we want florida go from a home state that celebrated diversity, was known for its hospitality, to his state where governor

clinton tried to leave people to being afraid of their neighbors, and excluding everybody that was different from us. look, this is actually a good day for america i think. ron desantis did not connect because it is difficult to know huron desantis really is. i've heard people say, he's the nicest person i've never met. well once you meet him, and you get to know the real rhonda santas, or get to be interact with him, i believe that governor desantis is a person who will do and say anything as we just heard from his pulling out of the race, and what he said's. what i think he'll do and say anything to become president of the united states. look, good riddance, it's a good day for america. one more person that's bad for america's out of the presidential race. >> carlos, take a listen to nikki haley responding to the news that desantis suspended

his campaign this afternoon? >> we just heard that ron desantis has rocked dropped out of the race. i want to say to iran, he ran a great race, he's been a good governor. we wish him well. having said, that it's now, one fella and one lady laughed. >> how do you think this news will impact her show tuesday night in new hampshire? >> well, rev, nikki haley ran and won the race a second place. the theory that a lot of republicans have had is if the republican voters who aren't affiliated with donald trump don't divide their vote among the number of candidates that possibly it'll go one-on-one against donald trump and when. now that everyone's out, the pressure is on nikki haley, no more excuses, she has the

opportunity to go one on one against donald trump. she must have a strong showing in new hampshire on tuesday night. she doesn't need to win, but if she doesn't when she needs to come in a very close second to show strength, to keep her donors engaged, to get additional contributions. otherwise, she risks in ten ewing on to south carolina and being embarrassed. it's a big opportunity for nikki haley to pick up some momentum and a show that she is competitive in a state where the electorate is more favorable. >> now that we're talking about people in florida. i want you to listen to reaction from floridian who probably dislikes you as much as he does me. congressman matt gaetz, his reaction to desantis's news. >> we have just heard word that florida governor, ron desantis, has dropped out of the race endorsed president trump.

all i can say is, welcome home, ron, welcome back to the maga movement where you've always belonged, and where we will welcome you and the honor to count you among our legion as we go forward, unifying this republican party for victory. this is good news for me, i didn't like what mom and dad would be fighting, i like the fact that we have two of our great folks on the same team. and a reasonable person. and we might honestly ask the question to nikki haley, what are you still doing in this race? >> more now down to two candidates, -- similar to what happened with democratic candidates got out of the race to endorse biden, and super tuesday. how do you see this playing out, i'll start with you, carlos? >> it depends on the result in

new hampshire, reverend, and all depend on new hampshire nikki haley could be competitor i think the race goes on, so try to take the momentum in the south carolina, and catch up to trump there. and perhaps at least finished a close second in her home state, and continue on to super tuesday, where there are some states that do have an electorate that would favor her candidacy more than states like iowa, another deep red states. it will all depend on new hampshire this tuesday, it's make it or break it for nikki haley. tuesday will answer a lot of questions, where the republican contest is over, and we're looking at another trump line face-off, or whether this continues a bit longer. nikki haley ditches -- >> val, you were in congress, you understand what happened in 2020 better than most, when candidates dropped out for joe biden as i refer to it is this

the beginning of what we're seeing, or the ending of what we see with one candidate left. and they're literally gonna clear the field, republican field, and just unwind donald trump the nominee, despite these four cases, despite 91 felonies, there clearly the field and put him there. and less carlos as, unless nikki haley can pull a rabbit out of her hat and less than 48 hours. and less than 4 hours. reverend sharpton, i just had this conversation it's scary right. but i do believe that ron desantis and nikki haley, and quite frankly every other republican member or candidate in the primary, maybe with the exception of chris christie, really believed that donald trump's legal issues would get in his way.

i mean my goodness, 91, charges for indictments, you'd really think, i think for any other person it would. but i really do believe absent the cork speeding up that process, that donald trump, this is going to be a contest between donald trump and joe biden again. and there is no doubt that if that is where we end up, then lord knows we need to reelect joe biden. i think that nikki haley, although i have seen some surprising moments, but i've also seen some very disappointing moments. i mean you don't nibble around the edges of your opponent, or the enemy, if you will. you go directly at them. and so, i think her response, the response is the last couple of weeks have been pretty poor. but unless something major happens, i do believe that the end of the day, this is going to be a race between donald trump and joe biden. >> carlos, in a new report written before ron desantis dropped out, nbc news spoke to

dozens of desantis current and former staffers, about where the governor went wrong. one take away is that, quote, up near singular focus on culture war fights cost desantis donors supports, as many of the biggest anti trump gop donors were originally supporting, and eventually decided to go to other candidates, or sit out of the 2024 election cycle. do you agree with that assessment? and are republicans paying attention? because it sure looks like they are going to continue with the culture war rhetoric, regardless of who the nominee is. >> well, that certainly cost donald trump, i'm sorry that cost ron desantis some support. but i think we're governor desantis really went wrong was post-pandemic, he got reelected by wide margins in the state of florida. he was sitting on top of the political universe. and rather than distinguish

himself from donald trump, he tried to run a copycat campaign. and donald trump is affective leon incumbent in this republican field. when you are running against an incumbent, you have to make the case for change. you really have to distinguish yourself. ron desantis copied a lot of donald trump's policies, he copied a lot of donald trump's tactics, a lot of these culture wars were started by donald trump. and that copycat campaign was never going to succeed. people that want trump, people that want a decaffeinated version of donald trump, the people who like and want the real thing. so ron desantis was never going to succeed doing that. and i think ultimately, that's why even though his candidacy looked very promising early, he really didn't take off after his campaign launched. >> well it really wasn't the real thing if the real thing was still available. it wasn't even like trump was off the scene. val, i've got to go here though. has as the florida governorships his focus back to

tallahassee, florida's board of education announced a new on wednesday, that barbs public colleges from using state and federal funds for diversity equity and inclusion programs. activities around that, or policies around that. do you expect even more of this from desantis, now that his campaign is over, and he heads back to tallahassee? >> you know, if there is any other state that wants him or needs a governor, i would be more than happy to endorse that. but it's going to be very interesting to see, because ron desantis has proven that he would do anything, totally destroy the state of florida, for his own political ambitions. so it is going to be interesting to see what happens with him, when he comes back home. all of the work that has gone into promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, i think we have said as a nation that communities are stronger, organizations, corporations are stronger, when they reflect the diversity of america. imagine rev, if the police

chief said forget diversity, let's just have a police department that only reflects one gender, and one race. i think everybody would be up in arms about that. and so if they would be up and arms about police departments reflecting one race or one gender, i certainly think that our america, corporations, organizations should look like america. but it doesn't surprise me that this new policy has come out. but look, we are going to do we have been doing, we are going to continue to push back and fight against it. and, i wish the governor would take a long vacation before he comes back to florida to work. >> all right, and we're going to have some of those -- on the show in a few minutes. carlos karbala, -- val demings, thank you both for being on. -- governor ron desantis's decision to leave the 2024 primary race. just ahead, stay tuned for politicsnation. politicsnation

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nation. joining me now, senator tina smith, democrat of minnesota. senator, thank you for being with us and joining us tonight. let's begin with the breaking news that florida governor ron desantis has suspended his 2024 presidential campaign. what's your reaction to that news tonight? >> well thank you reverend sharpton, i'm so glad to be with. you and i would think that this is a big surprise. i think that actually the congressman from florida sitting exactly right, when he said of ron desantis, welcome back to the maga movement. i mean, ron desantis was not offering america any kind of a choice, he is part of the trump maga extreme wing of the republican party. and now, it's really clear that our job is to defeat donald trump, and to elect joe biden and kamala harris, and to elect

a democratic majority in the senate. >> now that the last gop presidential can't tenders left, trump and nikki haley, are battling it out in new hampshire ahead of tuesday's primary. haley has sharpened her attacks on from this weekend, questioning his mental fitness, ability that he made confusing remarks, of confusing her with nancy pelosi, while talking about january 6th. senator, haley has called for mental competency tests for federal officials, over 75, in what would appear to be a swipe at both trump and president biden. my question tonight is if even republicans are noticing a decline, shouldn't trump's age and health be as big of an issue as bidens in 2024? >> well you know, first of all,

i think that nikki haley is known nancy pelosi. and i agree with nikki haley though, that donald trump is supremely unqualified to be president, for a whole range of reasons that you and i could talk about four hours here. so i think, she is obviously grasping at straws here, and we have to remember that she was part of the trump administration. and at the end of the day, the american voters are going to decide about who should be president, and i am going to be devoting every ounce of my energy to make sure that they select joe biden and kamala harris, which is what i think is going to happen. >> now the president of planned parenthood is joining me in a little few minutes here on this show. and abortion rights advocates are in the streets this weekend ahead of the 51st anniversary of roe v. wade tomorrow. president biden and vice president harris will hold a reproductive rights rally in virginia, on tuesday, and the

democratic senatorial campaign committee is taking direct aim at gop senate contenders, with a new red campaign, highlighting their comments on abortion ahead of key races, including several swing states. as i continue to ask ahead of november, senator, is this the issue, reproductive rights, that would drive the democratic base in 2024? >> i think that abortion and reproductive freedom is a defining issue in the 2024 elections. and what senate democrats did is we created a website that you can go and check out, it's call, you can go to gop on abortion.com, and you will see right there for everyone to see, what the differences are between democrats and these republican candidates on abortion. i mean, to a one, they all celebrated the ending of roe versus wade, they are all

calling for abortion bans of one kind or another. none of them trust women to make their own decisions about health care, including abortion. so this contrast between senate democrats and between the republican challengers, could not be more clear. and we keep seeing over and over again, what an important issue this is for voters, who believe strongly that they should have the freedom to decide for themselves about what happens to their own bodies, including what happens with abortion in their lives. and you know reverend sharpton, i was thinking about the chaos and confusion and harm, and just the cruelty that has unfolded as state bands have taken effect. one of three women of childbearing age now live in states where abortion has been either banned or severely -limited. and think about that at the same time that we look at the impact of maternal mortality, and america's poor showing on maternal mortality, especially for black women.

this all becomes part of the same issue that i know will be so important to all people if they vote come november. >> senator tina smith, thank you for being with us again. and thank you for giving us your views. coming up, more on the announcement shaking up the 2024 presidential primary. and we talk to the president and ceo of planned parenthood, on the eve of the roe v. wade anniversary. that's next, you are watching politicsnation. politicsnation marlo thomas: my father founded saint jude children's research hospital because he believed no child should

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donald trump. here to talk about it more, and what this will mean for the women's reproductive freedom, movement that is going on, is alexis mcgill johnson, president of planned parenthood. thank you for joining me today, alexis. alexis, last april, desantis signed the heartbeat protection act into law in florida, which bans abortions just after six weeks of pregnancy. and anyone performing an abortion after that time could be charged with a third degree felony. . he ran for his presidential campaign on anti abortion stance. what are your thoughts on him dropping out of the race? >> well i mean, you made it clear, he certainly wasn't a champion of reproductive freedom. he is contributing to the very chaos and confusion and harm

that senator smith was just speaking of. we have states now where patients aren't traveling long distances and miles out of their state just to get access to care. and quite frankly, we know ron desantis, nikki haley, trump himself, neither one of them is really capable of dealing with the public health crisis that was created by the trump presidency. so, the fact that he is out doesn't necessarily change anything for us, because we are very clear who our reproductive champions are, and that is why we are standing very firmly behind the biden harris administration. >> now on the campaign trail, santas has >> however -- however he has outlawed vaccine and mask mandates, signed a bill >> that bans gender affirming medical care, and has said on the debate stage that he would sign a 15-week federal abortion ban if he were to be elected president. although he is no longer

running for the oval office, he is still the governor of florida. what's your take on his political future, as he has a record of being no friend on issues concerning women? >> well look, i think the people of florida should still be very concerned, right. which is why we know they are already outraged and en masse signing petitions for a ballot initiative in florida to secure a constitutional right to reproductive freedom there. over the 1.4 million signatures that have already been signed to get that petition on the ballot, 15% of them are republicans. so he doesn't even have the majority of republicans in his own state. because we know nationwide, 60% almost of republicans don't support these bans on access to reproductive freedom. so i don't really know what his faith is, but i am telling you it is not popular on this issue, even in the state. >> tuesday's new hampshire primary will come a day after the row anniversary.

what are your thoughts on how the remaining gop presidential primary contenders have been talking about the abortion issue? is there any meaningful difference between donald trump and nikki haley, that voters should take note of on this issue? >> no, i don't think there's anything meaningful at all. look, i think both of these candidates are candidates who would support a national ban. that is what we are up against, that is the direct contrast right now on reproductive freedom in this country for this election. we know that nikki haley has tried to present herself as someone who would yield to a different compromise or a standard, but there shouldn't be a compromise, when in fact 80% of americans believe that reproductive medical decisions should be left in the hands of the patient, right. we shouldn't have doctors calling lawyers to figure out whether or not they could provide care. in the same way you shouldn't have states like idaho and texas trying to sue the federal

government so that they don't have to enforce emergency medical care, lifesaving care for many who are in need of abortion access. so, nikki haley, donald trump, they both represent the worst when it comes to reproductive freedom. they represent people who are willing to take the private medical decisions out of the hands of the patient, and give it to politicians and lawyers and judges. . >> efforts are underway in at least 11 states to get abortion rights initiatives on the ballot this year. how is planned parenthood planning to help support these efforts? >> this is the exciting part of a 2024, i think. we have seen since 2022, since the overturning of roe v. wade in 22, so many states go to engage in direct democracy, and inform a ballot initiative, and vote their hearts out to support access to reproductive freedom. and we have seen in diverse

states, from kansas to kentucky to montana to michigan to california to vermont. what is so critical right now is that we have the opportunities in states, as i mentioned in florida and arizona, to likewise engage in really important opportunities to codify and support reproductive freedom at the state level. and what's important about that is that it continues to give people power in their own hands and their own voice, to demonstrate where they are on this issue. remember, the court returned this issue to the states. and now the people in the states are telling them exactly what they want. and so, we believe this will be an incredibly important moment in planned parenthood would be there to support all of the incredible, local organizing that is happening on the ground, coalitions that are coming together, volunteers who are spending their days in barbershops and beauty salons and grocery stores, and in their coffee shops securing all

kinds of petitions, so that they can ensure that reproductive freedom stays on the ballot in at the top of people's minds. >> i sense -- with you, i've known you for many years. and when you look at the 51st anniversary tomorrow of roe, where all of that under attack. and i stood with martin luther king day the third on the 60th anniversary of the march on washington just last august, when all of that, voting rights and all of that were under threat. i think they only energized people like you and i, alexis, to preserve what was one, and to keep on going. alexis mcgill johnson, thank you for being with us tonight. coming up, the culture wars continue, as conservatives everywhere work to dismantle diversity efforts in america. our next guest joins me to discuss how to stop it. stop it but this is my story. ( ♪♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful.

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we are following the breaking news that florida governor ron desantis has dropped out of the republican presidential race today. and tracking how it could impact his war on diversity in the sunshine state, which escalated last week, when his state education board ruled that florida's nearly 30 public colleges could not use state and federal funding for

diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. joining me now is -- junior, senior -- of the church in jacksonville, florida, member of the national board of national action network. pastor, thanks for joining us tonight, of all nights the breaking news of ron desantis out of the presidential race, and the florida state democratic chair nikki fried, who ran against him for governor, put out a statement on his suspension of the race just moments ago, saying in part that quote, the ridiculous obsession with the presidency has had real consequences here, from his refusal to address our property, insurance, and affordability crisis, to the effects of his made-up culture wars. as someone who has done battle with him over those culture wars in florida, you've been on

the front line with -- and bishop victor curry, and -- . what, what get get more information on that in a minute. but, what's your reaction to him withdrawing from the race? >> well reverend al, always glad to join you. i will say this, congratulations to the country, it's so sad for the state of florida. because now, it gives him more time to get back to making florida into the plantation of bigotry and disenfranchisement, that he has been after in these culture wars. he is no longer distracted, and now he is back. and we know that this governor always reacts petulantly, to anything that doesn't go his way. which means florida is about to feel the brunt of his petulance. >> yeah, that's why i wanted to talk to you tonight, because i'm proud to say you joined me

when i have come to florida to protest ron desantis on anti minority education policies. and you also hosted the funeral services for one of the three blacks killed in the hate crime while we were marching in washington last august. but i want to deal particularly on the teaching of black american history, and his diversity in higher education. last week, hise board of education took it even further, barring florida's 28 public colleges from using state and federal funding for diversity equity and inclusion programs. that includes several schools with large black and latino enrollments. your thoughts on that tonight, bishop? >> you know, it's interesting, reverend al, that college is designed to develop critical thinking. college is designed to get students ready to work in the

real world. well, the real world is a world of diversity, critical thinking, it calls you to look at a diversity of philosophies, in a diversities of people, and learn how to critically think about them. so in reality, they are trying to make this a monolithic state, where everybody has to think the same way. and the thought process they want is to whitewash our history, to treat the state of florida like it is a church. it isn't florida baptist, or florida -- or any other domination that you want to call. florida is a state, and for him to try to impose what might be his christian values onto politics, is the exact thing he accuses the woke agenda of. so it's really the pot calling the kettle white, if you will.

>> if [laughter] i wanted -- wondered if diversity equity and inclusion would not end with the supreme court's on college affirmative action, and whether it's n desantis's policies -- andg claudine gay as -- on the intimidation campaign being waged against corporate diversity efforts. conservatives are only expanding their assaults, as i predicted. where does this and, in your view bishop? >> it ends when we stand up and vote. it ends when the black church and black leaders take up the prophetic voice, to begin to push back. it ends when we do what they do. they now take books out of, let me go lower than college, out of public schools. if one parent says they are uncomfortable, well i'm challenging black parents

tonight to go into the school, and say this book makes me uncomfortable, because it doesn't tell history correctly. we've got to use their rules, and push back. if black parents, i tell challenge any black parent tonight, go to school tomorrow, any book that now whitewash is our history, takes our history out. stand up and challenge it? and if they don't let you, they show the hypocrisy of their policies. >> well, i hope they are watching. i think they are, quickly before we go, ron desantis -- his war on diversity obviously didn't do much for his presidential campaign. did you get the sense that anti-woke is becoming a losing issue, with all but the most hard-core gop voters at this point? >> i think so. i think there is woke fatigue, if you will. because people know that this is a diverse country.

and what makes our country rich is our diversity. so i think people have grown tired of these made up culture wars, and want to get to a place where we can respect each other, even if we don't agree with each other. so i think it is worn out, in his backing out of the race, i think is the first evidence of that. >> all right bishop rudolph -- thank you for being with us again. i want to let you know about special coverage coming to msnbc this tuesday. our colleague rachel maddow will lead analysis of new hampshire's primary with steve kornacki, breaking down results at the big board. and jen psaki covering the latest developments on the ground, our special coverage begins tuesday at six pm eastern on msnbc, but after the break, our final thoughts. stay with us. stay with us lergic reactions can occur, even days after using.

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